Beauty products company Coty (NYSE: COTY) reported Q4 CY2025 results topping the market’s revenue expectations, but sales were flat year on year at $1.68 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.14 per share was 24.2% below analysts’ consensus estimates.

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StockStory’s Take

Coty’s fourth quarter results were met with a significant negative market reaction, reflecting investor concern over persistent margin compression and stalled profit growth. Management attributed the quarter’s challenges to operational inefficiencies in the Consumer Beauty segment, SKU proliferation, and a highly promotional environment in Prestige Beauty. Interim CEO Markus Strobel acknowledged that Coty’s iconic brands like CoverGirl and Rimmel have faced declining sales, noting, “We have seen declines on these franchises in the high single digits. Now they went down to the low single digit to the mid-single digits.” Strobel candidly described the need to improve operational discipline, optimize the product portfolio, and address market share losses, particularly in U.S. mass channels.

Looking ahead, Coty’s leadership outlined a multi-year recovery plan grounded in portfolio rationalization, improved innovation discipline, and targeted investments in new sales channels. Management aims to streamline product launches and reallocate resources toward high-velocity SKUs, with a clear focus on driving sell-out and market share gains. Strobel emphasized the importance of execution, stating, “We will be transparent about what works and what does not... Consumer demand is our North Star, and we have a clear emphasis on focused execution, sharper priorities.” While management remains confident in the company’s ability to regain momentum, they cautioned that recovery will be gradual and dependent on restoring top-line health.

Key Insights from Management’s Remarks

Coty’s management highlighted portfolio simplification in Consumer Beauty and increased digital channel investment as central themes impacting both recent results and forward strategy.

• Portfolio streamlining underway: Management is reducing product complexity in Consumer Beauty by focusing on core brands like CoverGirl and Rimmel, aiming to reverse market share losses and improve shelf productivity. Early signs show declines moderating, but leadership cautioned that significant progress will take time.
• Innovation discipline shift: Coty is moving away from large, unfocused innovation bundles toward streamlined, high-rotation SKUs, freeing up resources to invest more effectively in working media and digital advocacy. This approach is expected to improve sell-out velocity and reduce costly product returns.
• Channel diversification efforts: The company is actively expanding in online and emerging channels, including Amazon and TikTok Shop, where recent launches like Marc Jacobs have driven double-digit growth. Management noted that success in these channels also creates a "halo effect" for brick-and-mortar performance.
• Operational discipline focus: Leadership acknowledged past weaknesses in execution and highlighted efforts to build a stronger data analytics and AI infrastructure. Investments are being made to enhance internal controls, improve decision-making, and support more effective joint business planning with retail partners.
• Competitive and promotional pressures: Coty experienced heightened competition in Prestige Beauty, with aggressive promotional activity from peers and ongoing U.S. channel softness. Management is reallocating resources to focus on sell-out and amplify successful innovations, particularly as Gen Z and new consumer segments engage with the fragrance category.

Drivers of Future Performance

Coty’s outlook centers on executing its portfolio simplification plan, restoring market share in key brands, and managing through ongoing promotional and macroeconomic headwinds.

• Consumer Beauty turnaround efforts: The company’s near-term focus is on stabilizing the Consumer Beauty segment by simplifying the SKU mix, prioritizing high-velocity products, and leveraging AI to reduce asset creation costs. Management believes these actions will gradually return the segment to growth, but acknowledges the recovery will take multiple quarters.
• Prestige innovation and channel expansion: New product launches in Prestige Beauty, such as upcoming Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs initiatives, are expected to drive category growth and improve sell-out. The company’s investment in online and social commerce platforms is designed to reach younger consumers and compensate for softness in traditional retail channels.
• Margin recovery challenges: Persistent gross margin headwinds are anticipated due to ongoing promotional intensity, tariffs, and unfavorable geographic mix. Management expects some relief from input cost inflation and foreign exchange as these headwinds "anniversarize" over time, but margin improvement is tied to executing the top-line recovery strategy.

Catalysts in Upcoming Quarters

Looking ahead, our analysts will be closely monitoring (1) the pace and effectiveness of portfolio simplification in Consumer Beauty, (2) the impact of new Prestige launches and digital channel expansion on top-line trends, and (3) any sequential improvement in gross margins as promotional and input cost pressures evolve. Additional focus will be on Coty’s ability to build operational discipline and leverage data-driven decision-making to align product innovation with market demand.

Coty currently trades at $2.66, down from $3.15 just before the earnings. In the wake of this quarter, is it a buy or sell? The answer lies in our full research report (it’s free).

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