Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (AXTA)

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the condensed notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Many statements made in the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal securities laws and should be evaluated as such. Forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations, including descriptions of our business plan, strategies and capital structure. These statements often include words such as “expect,” “expects,” “expected,” “believe,” “intended,” “estimated,” “designed to,” “likely,” “could,” “would,” “may,” “will” and “future” and the negative of these words or other comparable or similar terminology. We base these forward-looking statements or projections on our current expectations, plans and assumptions that we have made in light of our experience in the industry, as well as our perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances and at such time. As you read and consider this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. The forward-looking statements and projections are subject to and involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, including related to any new or existing tariffs imposed by the U.S. and any retaliatory actions from other countries, geopolitical (including the current conflict in the Middle East and related effects on commodity prices) and technological factors outside of our control, as well as risks related to the proposed Merger with AkzoNobel (including our ability to consummate the Merger and realize the anticipated benefits thereof), execution of, and assumptions underlying, our tariff mitigation strategies, capital allocation strategy and future share repurchases (if any), our previously-announced global transformation initiative (the “2024 Transformation Initiative”), and our previously-announced three-year 2024-2026 strategy, that may cause our business, industry, strategy, financing activities or actual results to differ materially. More information on potential factors that could affect our financial results is available in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 as well as “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and in other documents that we have filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements or projections. Although we believe that these forward-looking statements and projections are based on reasonable assumptions at the time they are made, you should be aware that many factors, including, but not limited to, those described in “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, could affect our actual financial results or results of operations and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements and projections.

These forward-looking statements should not be construed by you to be exhaustive and are made only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

We use our investor relations page at ir.axalta.com as a means of disclosing material information to the public in a broad, non-exclusionary manner for purposes of the SEC’s Regulation Fair Disclosure (or Reg. FD). Investors should routinely monitor that site, in addition to our press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as information posted on that page could be deemed to be material information.

OVERVIEW

We are a leading global manufacturer, marketer and distributor of high-performance coatings systems and products. We have over a 150-year heritage in the coatings industry and are known for manufacturing high-quality products with well-recognized brands supported by market-leading technology and customer service. Our diverse global footprint of 42 manufacturing facilities, four technology centers, 52 customer training centers and approximately 12,200 team members allows us to meet the needs of customers in over 140 countries. We serve our customer base through an extensive sales force and technical support organization, as well as through over 5,000 independent, locally based distributors.

We operate our business in two operating segments, Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings. Our segments are based on the type and concentration of customers served, service requirements, methods of distribution and major product lines.

Through our Performance Coatings segment, we provide high-quality sustainable liquid and powder coating solutions to both large regional and global customers and to a fragmented and local customer base. These customers comprise, among others, independent or multi-shop operator body shops as well as a wide variety of industrial manufacturers. We are one of only a few suppliers with the technology to provide precise color matching and highly durable coatings systems. The end-markets within this segment are refinish and industrial.

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Through our Mobility Coatings segment, we provide coatings technologies for light vehicle and commercial vehicle OEMs. These global customers are faced with evolving megatrends in electrification, sustainability, personalization and autonomous driving that require a high level of technical expertise. The OEMs require efficient, environmentally responsible coatings systems that can be applied with a high degree of precision, consistency and speed. The end-markets within this segment are light vehicle and commercial vehicle.

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

General Business Highlights

Our net sales increased 1.3%, driven by a 4.2% benefit from favorable foreign currency translation, for the six months ended June 30, 2026 compared with the six months ended June 30, 2025. The increased net sales were furthered by contributions of 0.9% from acquisitions completed during 2025 and 2026 in the Performance Coatings segment (the “Recent Acquisitions”), partially offset by lower sales volumes of 3.5% and unfavorable average selling prices and product mix of 0.3%. The following trends impacted our segment net sales performance for the six months ended June 30, 2026:

•Performance Coatings: Net sales increased 1.0% for the six months ended June 30, 2026 compared with the six months ended June 30, 2025. The increased net sales were driven by favorable foreign currency translation of 3.8% driven by fluctuations of the Euro and Mexican Peso, in each case compared to the U.S. Dollar, furthered by contributions of 1.4% from the Recent Acquisitions. The increased net sales were partially offset by lower sales volumes of 4.1% and unfavorable average selling prices and product mix of 0.1%.

•Mobility Coatings: Net sales increased 1.9% for the six months ended June 30, 2026 compared with the six months ended June 30, 2025. The increased net sales were driven by favorable foreign currency translation of 4.9% driven by fluctuations of the Chinese Yuan, Brazilian Real, Euro and Mexican Peso, in each case compared to the U.S. Dollar, partially offset by lower sales volumes of 2.3% and unfavorable average selling prices and product mix of 0.7%.

Our business serves four end-markets globally with net sales for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, as follows:

Proposed Merger with Akzo Nobel N.V.

During November 2025, we entered into a Merger Agreement with AkzoNobel (as amended on May 27, 2026 and on July 23, 2026), providing for the combination of the Company and AkzoNobel in an all-stock merger. See Note 1 to the condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information.

Middle East Conflict

The conflict in the Middle East involving Iran has increased the level of economic and political uncertainty globally. While our operations in the Middle East region do not constitute a material portion of our business, a significant escalation or expansion of economic disruption, countries subject to sanctions or the conflict’s current scope, or a prolonged continuation of the conflict’s current scope, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We are actively monitoring the broader global economic impact on commodities from the current conflict, including the price and supply of raw materials, transportation costs and utilities, among others.

Capital and Liquidity Highlights

During the six months ended June 30, 2026, we prepaid $125 million of the outstanding principal amount of the 2029 Dollar Term Loans. See Note 15 to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information.

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FACTORS AFFECTING OUR OPERATING RESULTS

There have been no changes in the factors affecting our operating results previously disclosed under such heading in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the information contained in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Our historical results of operations summarized and analyzed below may not necessarily reflect what will occur in the future.

Net sales

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OVERVIEW

We are a leading global manufacturer, marketer and distributor of high-performance coatings systems and products. We have over a 150-year heritage in the coatings industry and are known for manufacturing high-quality products with well-recognized brands supported by market-leading technology and customer service. Our diverse global footprint of 42 manufacturing facilities, four technology centers, 48 customer training centers and approximately 12,300 team members allows us to meet the needs of customers in over 140 countries. We serve our customer base through an extensive sales force and technical support organization, as well as through over 5,000 independent, locally based distributors.

We operate our business in two operating segments, Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings. Our segments are based on the type and concentration of customers served, service requirements, methods of distribution and major product lines.

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Through our Performance Coatings segment, we provide high-quality sustainable liquid and powder coating solutions to both large regional and global customers and to a fragmented and local customer base. These customers comprise, among others, independent or multi-shop operator body shops as well as a wide variety of industrial manufacturers. We are one of only a few suppliers with the technology to provide precise color matching and highly durable coatings systems. The end-markets within this segment are refinish and industrial.

Through our Mobility Coatings segment, we provide coatings technologies for light vehicle and commercial vehicle OEMs. These global customers are faced with evolving megatrends in electrification, sustainability, personalization and autonomous driving that require a high level of technical expertise. These OEMs require efficient, environmentally responsible coatings systems that can be applied with a high degree of precision, consistency and speed. The end-markets within this segment are light vehicle and commercial vehicle.

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

General Business Highlights

Our net sales decreased 3.0%, including a 1.1% benefit from foreign currency translation, for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared with the year ended December 31, 2024. The decreased net sales were driven by lower volumes of 4.6%, partially offset by contributions of 0.5% from the acquisition of The CoverFlexx Group completed in July 2024 (the “CoverFlexx acquisition”). The following trends have impacted our segment net sales performance:

•Performance Coatings: Net sales decreased 5.2% for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared with the year ended December 31, 2024. The decreased net sales were driven by lower sales volumes of 5.8% and furthered by lower average selling prices and unfavorable product mix of 1.7%, partially offset by favorable foreign currency translation of 1.5% driven by the strengthening of the Euro and Swiss Franc, partially offset by unfavorable fluctuations of the Mexican Peso, in each case compared to the U.S. Dollar, and contributions of 0.8% from the CoverFlexx acquisition.

•Mobility Coatings: Net sales increased 1.1% for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared with the year ended December 31, 2024. The increased net sales were driven by higher average selling prices and favorable product mix of 3.2%, and favorable foreign currency translation of 0.2% driven by the strengthening of the Euro, partially offset by unfavorable fluctuations of the Mexican Peso and Brazilian Real, in each case compared to the U.S. Dollar, and lower sales volumes of 2.3%.

Our business serves four end-markets globally with net sales for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 as follows:

Proposed Merger with Akzo Nobel N.V.

During November 2025, we entered into a Merger Agreement with Akzo Nobel N.V., a public company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands (“AkzoNobel”) providing for the combination of the Company and AkzoNobel in an all-stock merger. See Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

Leadership Transition

On January 23, 2025, the Company announced that Tim Bowes was appointed President, Global Industrial Coatings, effective January 27, 2025. Mr. Bowes succeeded Shelley Bausch who stepped down from the role and left the Company.

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2024 Transformation Initiative

During February 2024, we announced the 2024 Transformation Initiative intended to simplify the Company’s organizational structure and enable us to be more proactive, responsive, and agile and to better serve our customers and to lower our cost base and improve financial performance and generate greater cash flows. See Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” and Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

Capital and Liquidity Highlights

During the year ended December 31, 2025, we repurchased 5.3 million shares of our common stock for total consideration of $165 million pursuant to our $700 million share repurchase program. We have $435 million remaining available under the authorization. The Merger Agreement prohibits us from repurchasing shares, whether under the repurchase program or otherwise, without the prior written consent of AkzoNobel.

During the year ended December 31, 2025, we prepaid $210 million of the outstanding principal amount of the 2029 Dollar Term Loans (as defined in Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K). See Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

During October 2025, we entered into the Seventeenth Amendment to the Credit Agreement (as defined in Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K) to permit the use of borrowings under the Credit Agreement to fund repurchases of our common shares subject to the conditions set forth therein.

FACTORS AFFECTING OUR OPERATING RESULTS

The following discussion sets forth certain components of our statements of operations as well as factors that impact those items.

Net sales

We generate revenue from the sale of our products and services across all major geographic areas. Our net sales include total sales less estimates for returns and price allowances. Price allowances include discounts for prompt payment as well as volume-based incentives. Our overall net sales are generally impacted by the following factors:

•fluctuations in overall economic activity within the geographic markets in which we operate;

•underlying growth (or lack thereof) in one or more of our end-markets, either worldwide or in particular geographies in which we operate;

•the type of products used within existing customer applications, or the development of new applications requiring products similar to ours;

•changes in product sales prices (including volume discounts, cash discounts for prompt payment and impacts from raw material indexing);

•changes in the level of competition faced by our products, including price competition, quality competition and the launch of new products by competitors;

•changes in the mix of products we offer and sell to our customers;

•our ability to successfully develop and launch new products and applications;

•changes in buying habits of our customers (including our distributors);

•overall vehicle repair costs; and

•fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

While the factors described above impact net sales in each of our operating segments, the impact of these factors on our operating segments can differ, as described below. For more information about risks relating to our business, see Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business.”

Cost of goods sold (“cost of sales”)

Our cost of sales consists principally of the following:

•Production materials costs. These include costs of the materials needed to manufacture products for distribution. These costs generally increase on an aggregate basis as production volumes increase, but materials prices are also influenced by changes in market dynamics. A significant amount of the materials used in production are purchased on a global lowest-cost basis.

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•Employee costs. These include the compensation and benefit costs, including share-based compensation expense, for employees involved in our manufacturing operations and on-site technical support services. These costs generally increase on an aggregate basis as production volumes increase and may decline as a percent of net sales as a result of economies of scale associated with higher production volumes.

•Depreciation expense. Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated or amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives.

•Other. Our remaining cost of sales consists of freight costs, warehousing expenses, purchasing costs, costs associated with closing or idling of production facilities, functional costs supporting manufacturing, cost of poor quality, including product claims, and other general manufacturing expenses, such as expenses for utilities and energy consumption.

The main factors that influence our cost of sales as a percentage of net sales include:

•changes in the price of raw materials, including as a result of tariffs;

•changes in the costs of labor, logistics and energy;

•production volumes;

•the implementation of cost control measures aimed at improving productivity, including reduction of fixed production costs, refinements in inventory management and the coordination of purchasing within each subsidiary and at the business level;

•changes in sales volumes, average selling prices and product mix;

•inventory obsolescence, quality and yield loss from manufacturing; and

•fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”)

Our SG&A expenses consist of all expenditures incurred in connection with the sales and marketing of our products, as well as technical support for our customers and administrative overhead costs, including:

•compensation and benefit costs for management, sales personnel and administrative staff, including share-based compensation expense. Expenses relating to our sales personnel increase or decrease principally with changes in sales volume due to the need to increase or decrease sales personnel to meet changes in demand. Expenses relating to administrative personnel generally do not increase or decrease directly with changes in sales volume; and

•depreciation, advertising and other selling expenses, such as expenses incurred in connection with travel and communications.

Changes in SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales have historically been impacted by a number of factors, including:

•changes in the costs of labor, including inflationary pressures;

•changes in sales volume, as higher volumes enable us to spread the fixed portion of our administrative expense over higher sales;

•changes in our customer ba

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