Veralto Corp (VLTO)
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SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1967680. Latest filing source: 0001967680-26-000011.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 5,503,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-20 |
| Net income | 940,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-20 |
| Assets | 7,693,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-20 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-20. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001967680.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 4,700,000,000 | 4,870,000,000 | 5,021,000,000 | 5,193,000,000 | 5,503,000,000 |
| Net income | 861,000,000 | 845,000,000 | 839,000,000 | 833,000,000 | 940,000,000 |
| Operating income | 1,041,000,000 | 1,112,000,000 | 1,140,000,000 | 1,208,000,000 | 1,277,000,000 |
| Gross profit | 2,713,000,000 | 2,760,000,000 | 2,901,000,000 | 3,105,000,000 | 3,299,000,000 |
| Diluted EPS | 3.50 | 3.43 | 3.40 | 3.34 | 3.76 |
| Operating cash flow | 896,000,000 | 870,000,000 | 963,000,000 | 875,000,000 | 1,077,000,000 |
| Capital expenditures | 54,000,000 | 34,000,000 | 54,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 63,000,000 |
| Dividends paid | 0.00 | 0.00 | 89,000,000 | 109,000,000 | |
| Assets | 4,840,000,000 | 4,825,000,000 | 5,693,000,000 | 6,406,000,000 | 7,693,000,000 |
| Stockholders' equity | 3,235,000,000 | 1,383,000,000 | 2,038,000,000 | 3,105,000,000 | |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 0.00 | 762,000,000 | 1,101,000,000 | 2,031,000,000 | |
| Free cash flow | 842,000,000 | 836,000,000 | 909,000,000 | 820,000,000 | 1,014,000,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | 18.32% | 17.35% | 16.71% | 16.04% | 17.08% |
| Operating margin | 22.15% | 22.83% | 22.70% | 23.26% | 23.21% |
| Return on equity | 26.12% | 60.67% | 40.87% | 30.27% | |
| Return on assets | 17.79% | 17.51% | 14.74% | 13.00% | 12.22% |
| Current ratio | 1.14 | 1.64 | 1.92 | 1.67 |
Financial Charts
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-04-29. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001967680.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-29 | 1,255,000,000 | 205,000,000 | 0.83 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 1,288,000,000 | 200,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-29 | 1,246,000,000 | 184,000,000 | 0.74 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-28 | 1,288,000,000 | 203,000,000 | 0.81 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-27 | 1,314,000,000 | 219,000,000 | 0.88 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 1,345,000,000 | 227,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-04-04 | 1,332,000,000 | 225,000,000 | 0.90 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-07-04 | 1,371,000,000 | 222,000,000 | 0.89 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-10-03 | 1,404,000,000 | 239,000,000 | 0.95 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 1,396,000,000 | 254,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-04-03 | 1,422,000,000 | 254,000,000 | 1.02 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0001967680-26-000024.
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is designed to provide material information relevant to an assessment of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, including an evaluation of the amounts and certainty of cash flows from operations and from outside sources. The MD&A is designed to focus specifically on material events and uncertainties known to management that are reasonably likely to cause reported financial information not to be necessarily indicative of future operating results or of future financial condition. This includes descriptions and amounts of matters that have had a material impact on reported operations, as well as matters that are reasonably likely based on management’s assessment to have a material impact on future operations. The Company’s MD&A is divided into five sections:
•Information Relating to Forward-Looking Statements;
•Overview;
•Results of Operations;
•Liquidity and Capital Resources; and
•Critical Accounting Estimates.
You should read this discussion along with the Company’s MD&A and audited financial statements and Notes thereto as of and for the year ended December 31, 2025, included within the 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the unaudited financial statements and related Notes as of and for the three-month period ended April 3, 2026 included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Report”).
INFORMATION RELATING TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements included or incorporated by reference in this Report, in other documents we file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in our press releases, webcasts, conference calls, materials delivered to shareholders and other communications, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. All statements other than historical factual information are forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements regarding: projections of revenue, expenses, profit, profit margins, asset values, pricing, tax rates, tax provisions, cash flows, pension and benefit obligations and funding requirements, our liquidity position or other projected financial measures; management’s plans and strategies for future operations, including statements relating to anticipated operating performance, customer demand, cost reductions, restructuring activities, new product and service developments, competitive strengths or market position, acquisitions and the integration thereof, divestitures, spin-offs, split-offs, initial public offerings, other securities offerings or other distributions, strategic opportunities, stock repurchases, dividends and executive compensation; growth, declines and other trends in markets we sell into, the impact of global trade policies, tariffs, restrictions on imports, related countermeasures and reciprocal tariffs; future new or modified laws, regulations, accounting pronouncements or public policy changes; future regulatory approvals and the timing and conditionality thereof; outstanding claims, legal proceedings, tax audits and assessments and other contingent liabilities; future foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations in those rates; results of operations and/or financial condition; general economic and capital markets conditions; the anticipated timing of any of the foregoing; assumptions underlying any of the foregoing; and any other statements that address events or developments that Veralto intends or believes will or may occur in the future. Terminology such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “continue,” “should,” “could,” “intend,” “will,” “plan,” “aim,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “can,” “may,” “possible,” “potential,” “upcoming,” “forecast” and “positioned” and similar references to future periods are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements are accompanied by such words. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risks and uncertainties set forth below and under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent updates in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” within Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from the results, developments and business decisions contemplated by our forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the report, document, press release, webcast, call, materials or other communication in which
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they are made. Except to the extent required by applicable law, we do not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise.
Below is a summary of material risks and uncertainties we face, some of which we have experienced and any of which may occur in the future. These risks are discussed more fully in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent updates in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” within Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q:
Business and Strategic Risks
•Conditions in the global economy, including the current conflict in the Middle East and changes in trade and tariff policies, the particular markets we serve and the financial markets can adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•The U.S. government has imposed and may continue to impose significant tariffs or other restrictions on foreign imports, and such trade restrictions or related countermeasures taken by impacted foreign countries could adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•We face intense competition and if we are unable to compete effectively, we may experience decreased demand and decreased market share. Even if we compete effectively, we may be required to reduce the prices we charge.
•Our growth depends on the timely development and commercialization, and customer acceptance, of new and enhanced products and services based on technological innovation.
•Uncertainties with respect to the development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence in our business and products may adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•Non-U.S. economic, political, legal, compliance, social and business factors can adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•Our growth can also suffer if the markets into which we sell our products and services decline, do not grow as anticipated or experience cyclicality.
Acquisitions, Divestitures and Investment Risks
•Any inability to consummate acquisitions at our historical rate and appropriate prices, and to make appropriate investments that support our long-term strategy, could negatively impact our business. Our acquisition of businesses, investments, or other strategic relationships could also negatively impact our business and financial statements and our indemnification or insurance rights may not fully protect us from liabilities related thereto.
•Divestitures or other dispositions could adversely affect our business and financial statements.
Operational Risks
•Significant disruptions in, or breaches in security of, our information technology (“IT”) systems or data or violations of data privacy laws can adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•Defects and unanticipated use or inadequate disclosure with respect to our products or services, or allegations thereof, can adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•If we suffer loss to our facilities, supply chains, distribution systems or information technology systems due to catastrophe or other events, our operations could be seriously harmed.
•Climate change and sustainability matters, legal or regulatory measures to address climate change and sustainability matters, and any inability on our part to address related stakeholder expectations may negatively affect us.
•Our financial results are subject to fluctuations in the cost and availability of the supplies that we use in, and the labor we need for, our operations.
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•Our success depends on our ability to recruit, retain and motivate talented employees representing diverse backgrounds, experiences and skill sets.
•Our restructuring actions could result in unexpected costs, may not achieve the anticipated benefits and can have long-term adverse effects on our business and financial statements.
Intellectual Property Risks
•If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property, or if third parties infringe our intellectual property rights, we may suffer competitive injury or expend significant resources enforcing our rights. These risks are particularly pronounced in countries in which we do business that do not have levels of protection of intellectual property comparable to the United States.
•Third parties from time to time claim that we are infringing or misappropriating their intellectual property rights and we could suffer significant litigation expenses, losses or licensing expenses or be prevented from selling products or services.
Financial and Tax Risks
•Our existing and future indebtedness may limit our operations and our use of our cash flow and negatively impact our credit ratings; and any failure to comply with the covenants that apply to our indebtedness could adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•We may be required to recognize impairment charges for our goodwill and other intangible assets.
•Foreign currency exchange rates can adversely affect our financial statements.
•Changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional income tax liabilities or assessments could affect our earnings. In addition, challenges to tax positions taken through audits by tax authorities could result in additional tax payments for prior periods.
•Changes in tax law relating to multinational corporations could adversely affect our tax position.
Legal, Regulatory, Compliance and Reputational Risks
•Our businesses are subject to extensive regulation, and failure to comply with those regulations could adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•We are subject to or otherwise responsible for a variety of litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings in the course of our business that can adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•Our operations, products and services expose us to the risk of environmental, health and safety liabilities, costs and violations that could adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•Certain provisions in Veralto’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws, and of Delaware law, may prevent or delay an acquisition of Veralto, which could decrease the trading price of Veralto’s common stock.
•The forum selection provisions under Veralto’s certificate of incorporation could discourage lawsuits against Veralto and Veralto’s directors, officers, employees and stockholders.
•If we are unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock may be negatively affected.
See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent updates in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” within Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q f
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is designed to provide material information relevant to an assessment of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, including an evaluation of the amounts and certainty of cash flows from operations and from outside sources. This MD&A is designed to focus specifically on material events and uncertainties known to management that are reasonably likely to cause reported financial information not to be necessarily indicative of future operating results or of future financial condition. This includes descriptions and amounts of matters that have had a material impact on reported operations, as well as matters that are reasonably likely based on management’s assessment to have a material impact on future operations.
This MD&A is designed to provide a reader of the accompanying financial statements with a narrative from the perspective of management. This MD&A is divided into seven sections:
•Basis of Presentation
•Overview
•Results of Operations
•Financial Instruments and Risk Management
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Critical Accounting Estimates
•New Accounting Standards
•Separation from Danaher
This MD&A should be read together with Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements (“Notes”) included in Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This MD&A generally discusses 2025 and 2024 items and year-over-year comparisons between 2025 and 2024. Discussions of 2023 items and year-over-year comparisons between 2024 and 2023 are not included, and can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (“MD&A”) in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2025. This MD&A includes forward-looking statements. For a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results referred to in these forward-looking statements, see “Information Relating to Forward-Looking Statements.”
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The Company completed the Separation from Danaher Corporation (“Danaher” or “Former Parent”) on September 30, 2023, the first day of its fiscal fourth quarter of 2023 (the “Separation”). Before that date, Veralto’s businesses were comprised of certain Danaher operating units. The Separation was completed in the form of a pro rata distribution to Danaher stockholders of record on September 13, 2023 of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Veralto common stock held by Danaher. Because September 30, 2023 was a Saturday, not a business day, the shares were credited to “street name” stockholders through the Depository Trust Company on the first trading day thereafter, October 2, 2023. Veralto’s common stock began “regular way” trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “VLTO” on October 2, 2023.
OVERVIEW
General
Refer to “Item 1. Business” for a discussion of Veralto’s strategic objectives and methodologies for delivering long-term shareholder value. Veralto is a multinational business with global operations. During 2025, approximately 56% of Veralto’s sales were derived from customers outside the United States. As a diversified, global business, Veralto’s operations are affected by worldwide, regional and industry-specific economic and political factors. Veralto’s geographic and industry diversity, as well as the range of its products and services, help limit the impact of any one industry or the economy of any single country on its consolidated operating results. The Company’s
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individual businesses monitor key competitors and customers, including to the extent possible their sales, to gauge relative performance and the outlook for the future.
As a result of the Company’s geographic and industry diversity, the Company faces a variety of opportunities and challenges, including rapid technological development in most of the Company’s served markets, the expansion and evolution of high-growth markets, trends and costs associated with a global labor force, consolidation of the Company’s competitors and increasing regulation. The Company operates in a highly competitive business environment in most markets, and the Company’s long-term growth and profitability will depend in particular on its ability to identify, consummate and integrate appropriate acquisitions and identify and consummate appropriate investments and strategic partnerships, develop innovative and differentiated new products and services with higher gross profit margins, expand and improve the effectiveness of the Company’s sales force, continue to reduce costs and improve operating efficiency and quality, effectively address the demands of an increasingly regulated global environment and expand its business in high-growth geographies and high-growth market segments. The Company is making significant investments, organically and through acquisitions and investments, to address the rapid pace of technological change in its served markets and to globalize its manufacturing, research and development and customer-facing resources to be responsive to the Company’s customers throughout the world and improve the efficiency of the Company’s operations. The Company defines high-growth markets as developing markets of the world which include Asia (with the exception of Japan, Australia and New Zealand), Latin America (including Mexico), the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa. The Company defines developed markets as all markets of the world that are not high-growth markets.
Business Performance
The Company’s overall revenues for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased 6.0% as compared to 2024. Core sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased 4.7% as compared to 2024. Currency exchange rates and acquisitions, net of divestitures increased reported sales by 1.2% and 0.1%, respectively. For the definition of “core sales,” refer to “—Results of Operations” below.
Geographically, the Company’s sales during 2025 in developed markets increased year-over-year by 6.4% driven by increased sales of 5.9% in North America and 8.0% in Western Europe. Sales in high-growth markets increased 4.8%.
The Company’s core sales during 2025 in developed markets increased 4.8% year-over-year driven by a 5.3% increase in North America and a 3.8% increase in Western Europe. Core sales in high-growth markets increased 5.1% driven by mid-single digit increases in Latin America and low-single digit increases in China.
Net earnings for the year ended December 31, 2025 totaled approximately $940 million, or $3.76 per diluted common share, compared to approximately $833 million, or $3.34 per diluted common share, for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase in net earnings in 2025 as compared to 2024 was driven by increased sales, resulting from positive pricing actions and higher volumes, partially offset by higher cost of sales. Refer to “—Results of Operations” for further discussion of the year-over-year changes in net earnings for the year ended December 31, 2025.
Outlook
The Company anticipates 2026 results will be driven by the following expectations in each of the Company’s reportable segments:
•Water Quality: we continue to expect global growth led by positive secular growth drivers across municipal and industrial markets globally, and disciplined commercial execution. Segment performance is expected to benefit from municipal demand driven by recurring revenue from large installed base, while industrial demand is driven by regional end-market dynamics.
•Product Quality & Innovation: we expect continued global growth driven by steady demand in the consumer packaged goods market globally. Segment performance is expected to benefit from large installed base and new product offerings that help our customers convey the quality and safety of their products and build trust with consumers.
The potential effects of tariffs and prospective changes in trade policies remain uncertain. The Company’s objective is to implement appropriate countermeasures designed to mitigate the impact of these items, and other forms of macroeconomic volatility. Regardless of market conditions, the Company leverages the Veralto Enterprise System (“VES”) to support its customers, promote growth and drive continuous improvement.
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The Company’s outlook for 2026 reflects our current visibility and expectations based on current market factors. Our ability to meet our expectations are subject to numerous risks, including, but not limited to, those described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” within this Annual Report.
Acquisitions
On January 22, 2026, the Company completed the acquisition of In-Situ, Inc. (“In-Situ”), for a cash purchase price of approximately $427 million, net of cash acquired. The Company believes this business will complement the Water Quality segment. In-Situ is a global leader in environmental water measurement and monitoring solutions with a leading portfolio of water quality sondes, water quality sensors and data management solutions that help customers monitor and measure the quality or quantity of surface and groundwater.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Non-GAAP Measures
In this report, references to the non-GAAP measure of core sales refer to sales calculated according to GAAP but excluding:
•sales from acquired or divested businesses (as defined below, as applicable); and
•the impact of currency translation.
References to sales or operating profit attributable to acquisitions or acquired businesses refer to sales or operating profit, as applicable, from acquired businesses recorded prior to the first anniversary of the acquisition less any sales and operating profit, during the applicable period, attributable to divested product lines not considered discontinued operations. The portion of revenue attributable to currency translation is calculated as the difference between:
•the period-to-period change in revenue (excluding sales from acquired/divested businesses (as defined above, as applicable)); and
•the period-to-period change in revenue (excluding sales from acquired/divested businesses (as defined above, as applicable)) after applying current period foreign exchange rates to the prior year period.
Core sales growth should be considered in addition to, and not as a replacement for or superior to, sales growth, and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Management believes that reporting these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information to investors by helping identify underlying growth trends in the Company’s business and facilitating comparisons of the Company’s revenue performance with its performance in prior and future periods and to the Company’s peers. Management also uses these non-GAAP financial measures to measure the Company’s operating and financial performance and uses core sales growth as one of the performance measures in the Company’s executive short-term cash incentive program. The Company excludes the effect of currency translation from these measures because currency translation is not under management’s control, is subject to volatility, and can obscure underlying business trends. In addition, the Company excludes the effect of acquisitions and divestiture-related items because the nature, size, timing and number of acquisitions and divestitures can vary dramatically from period-to-period and between the Company and its peers, and can also obscure underlying business trends making comparisons of long-term performance difficult.
Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information calculated in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.
Throughout this discussion, references to sales growth or decline refer to the impact of both price and unit sales and references to productivity improvements generally refer to improved cost efficiencies resulting from the ongoing application of VES.
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Sales Growth and Core Sales Growth
| 2025 vs. 2024 | 2024 vs. 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales growth GAAP | 6.0 | % | 3.4 | % | |
| Impact of: | |||||
| Acquisitions/divestitures | (0.1) | % | — | % | |
| Currency exchange rates | (1.2) | % | 0.3 | % | |
| Core sales growth (non-GAAP) | 4.7 | % | 3.7 | % |
2025 Sales Compared to 2024
Total sales increased 6.0% on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 primarily as a result of a 4.7% increase in core sales resulting from the factors discussed below by segment. Currency exchange rates and acquisitions, net of divestitures increased reported sales by 1.2% and 0.1%, respectively, during 2025 as compared to 2024.
Price increases contributed 1.9% to sales growth on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 and are reflected as a component of core sales growth above.
Business Segments
Sales by business segment for the years ended December 31 are as follows:
| ($ in millions) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Quality | $ | 3,321 | $ | 3,138 | $ | 3,039 | ||||
| Product Quality & Innovation | 2,182 | 2,055 | 1,982 | |||||||
| Total | $ | 5,503 | $ | 5,193 | $ | 5,021 |
Sales and operating profit at the business segment level are discussed in detail below. For information regarding the Company’s sales by geographical region, refer to Note 4 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Cost of Sales and Gross Profit
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 5,503 | $ | 5,193 | $ | 5,021 | ||||
| Cost of sales | (2,204) | (2,088) | (2,120) | |||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 3,299 | $ | 3,105 | $ | 2,901 | ||||
| Gross profit margin | 59.9 | % | 59.8 | % | 57.8 | % |
Cost of sales increased $116 million, or 5.6%, on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 driven primarily by higher year-over-year sales volumes and incremental materials and labor costs, partially offset by improved productivity.
Gross profit margins increased 10 basis points on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024, driven by positive pricing actions and higher volume as discussed below and to a lesser extent the net positive impact from the gross profit margin of recent acquisitions. The gross profit margin increase was partially offset by incremental year-over-year materials and labor costs, and the impact of product mix.
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Operating Expenses
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 5,503 | $ | 5,193 | $ | 5,021 | ||||
| Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses | (1,756) | (1,644) | (1,536) | |||||||
| Research and development (“R&D”) expenses | (266) | (253) | (225) | |||||||
| SG&A as a % of sales | 31.9 | % | 31.7 | % | 30.6 | % | ||||
| R&D as a % of sales | 4.8 | % | 4.9 | % | 4.5 | % |
SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales increased 20 basis points on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 primarily due to incremental labor costs and sales and marketing growth initiatives.
R&D expenses as a percentage of sales slightly declined by 10 basis points on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024.
Operating Profit Performance
Operating profit margins were 23.2% for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 23.3% in 2024. The following factors impacted year-over-year operating profit margin comparisons.
2025 vs. 2024 operating profit margin comparisons were unfavorably impacted by:
•Costs incurred during 2025 related to certain strategic initiatives - 20 basis points
•Reduction of the tax indemnification related to the Separation from Danaher - 20 basis points
•The net dilutive impact during 2025 of acquisitions and dispositions - 10 basis points.
2025 vs. 2024 operating profit margin comparisons were favorably impacted by:
•Transaction costs incurred during 2024 related to the acquisition of TraceGains - 10 basis points
•Higher 2025 core sales, partially offset by incremental labor costs, sales and marketing growth initiatives, and the impact of product mix - 30 basis points
WATER QUALITY
The Company’s Water Quality segment provides proprietary precision instrumentation, consumables, software, services and advanced water treatment technologies to help measure, analyze and treat the world’s water in municipal, industrial, commercial, residential, research and natural resource applications.
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Water Quality Selected Financial Data
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 3,321 | $ | 3,138 | $ | 3,039 | ||||
| Operating profit | 844 | 768 | 730 | |||||||
| Depreciation | 26 | 25 | 24 | |||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 10 | 16 | 21 | |||||||
| Operating profit as a % of sales | 25.4 | % | 24.5 | % | 24.0 | % | ||||
| Depreciation as a % of sales | 0.8 | % | 0.8 | % | 0.8 | % | ||||
| Amortization as a % of sales | 0.3 | % | 0.5 | % | 0.7 | % |
Sales Growth and Core Sales Growth
| 2025 vs. 2024 | 2024 vs. 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales growth GAAP | 5.9 | % | 3.2 | % | |
| Impact of: | |||||
| Acquisitions/divestitures | (0.2) | % | 0.3 | % | |
| Currency exchange rates | (1.0) | % | 0.4 | % | |
| Core sales growth (non-GAAP) | 4.7 | % | 3.9 | % |
2025 Sales Compared to 2024
Total Water Quality segment sales increased 5.9% on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 primarily as a result of core sales growth driven by the factors discussed below. Currency exchange rates and the impact of acquisitions, net of divestitures increased reported sales by 1.0% and 0.2%, respectively, during 2025 as compared to 2024. Geographically, the increase in reported sales was driven by an increase of 9.5% in Western Europe, 5.5% in high-growth markets, and 5.0% in North America.
Price increases in the segment contributed 1.5% to sales growth on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 and are reflected as a component of the change in core sales growth.
Core sales in the Water Quality segment increased 4.7% on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024. Geographically, core sales growth was driven by increases of 5.2% in North America, 4.8% in high-growth markets, and 4.0% in Western Europe. Core sales growth in high-growth markets was driven by mid-single digit core sales increases in Latin America, partially offset by low-single digit core sales declines in China.
The increase in core sales was driven primarily by the ultraviolet water disinfection and filtration business and the chemical treatment solutions business, and to a lesser extent the analytical instrumentation business. Core sales in the ultraviolet water disinfection and filtration business increased 6.0% in 2025, driven primarily by the municipal end-market. Year-over-year core sales in the chemical treatment solutions business increased 5.3% as a result of higher core sales across most major end-markets. Core sales in the analytical instrumentation business increased 4.0% as a result of increased core sales across North America and Western Europe.
Operating Profit Performance
Operating profit margins were 25.4% for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 24.5% in 2024. The following factors impacted year-over-year operating profit margin comparisons:
2025 vs. 2024 operating profit margin comparisons were favorably impacted by:
•Higher 2025 core sales driven by positive pricing actions and materials cost saving initiatives, partially offset by incremental labor and raw materials costs and the impact of product mix - 100 basis points
2025 vs. 2024 operating profit margin comparisons were unfavorably impacted by:
•Costs incurred during 2025 related to certain strategic initiatives - 10 basis points
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PRODUCT QUALITY & INNOVATION
The Company’s Product Quality & Innovation segment provides equipment, consumables, software and services for various marking and coding, traceability, printing, packaging design and quality management, packaging converting and color and appearance management applications for consumer-packaged goods and industrial products.
Product Quality & Innovation Selected Financial Data
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 2,182 | $ | 2,055 | $ | 1,982 | ||||
| Operating profit | 549 | 529 | 472 | |||||||
| Depreciation | 15 | 14 | 15 | |||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 26 | 22 | 27 | |||||||
| Operating profit as a % of sales | 25.2 | % | 25.7 | % | 23.8 | % | ||||
| Depreciation as a % of sales | 0.7 | % | 0.7 | % | 0.8 | % | ||||
| Amortization as a % of sales | 1.2 | % | 1.1 | % | 1.4 | % |
Sales Growth and Core Sales Growth
| 2025 vs. 2024 | 2024 vs. 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales growth GAAP | 6.2 | % | 3.7 | % | |
| Impact of: | |||||
| Acquisitions/divestitures | 0.1 | % | (0.4) | % | |
| Currency exchange rates | (1.5) | % | — | % | |
| Core sales growth (non-GAAP) | 4.8 | % | 3.3 | % |
2025 Sales Compared to 2024
Total Product Quality & Innovation segment sales increased 6.2% on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 primarily as a result of core sales growth driven by the factors discussed below. Currency exchange rates increased reported sales by 1.5% during 2025 as compared to 2024. The impact of acquisitions, net of divestitures decreased reported sales by 0.1% during 2025 as compared to 2024. Geographically, reported sales increased by 8.0% in North America, 6.6% in Western Europe, and 4.0% in high-growth markets.
Price increases in the segment contributed 2.6% to sales growth on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 and are reflected as a component of the change in core sales growth.
Core sales in the Product Quality & Innovation segment increased 4.8% on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024. Geographically, core sales growth was driven by increases of 5.8% in North America, 5.4% in high-growth markets, and 3.6% in Western Europe. Core sales growth in high-growth markets was driven by mid-single digit core sales increases in Latin America and mid-single digit core sales increases in China.
From a product line perspective, core sales in the marking and coding business increased 5.2% on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 driven by increased demand for consumables and new equipment in the industrial and consumer packaged goods end-markets. Core sales in the packaging and color solutions business increased 3.8% on a year-over-year basis during 2025 as compared to 2024 driven by increased demand across the consumer-packaged goods and industrial end-markets.
Operating Profit Performance
Operating profit margins were 25.2% for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 25.7% in 2024. The following factors impacted year-over-year operating profit margin comparisons.
2025 vs. 2024 operating profit margin comparisons were unfavorably impacted by:
•The net dilutive impact during 2025 of acquisitions and dispositions - 20 basis points
•Incremental labor and materials costs and sales and marketing growth initiatives, partially offset by higher 2025 core sales - 50 basis points
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2025 vs. 2024 operating profit margin comparisons were favorably impacted by:
•Transaction costs incurred during 2024 related to the acquisition of TraceGains - 20 basis points
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET
For a description of the Company’s other income (expense), net during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, refer to Note 7 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
INTEREST COSTS AND FINANCING
For a discussion of the Company’s outstanding indebtedness, refer to Note 12 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Net interest expense was $96 million during 2025 as compared to $113 million in 2024, arising from the Company’s outstanding indebtedness, which was incurred in September 2023, partially offset by interest income from higher average cash balances in 2025 compared to 2024.
INCOME TAXES
General
Income tax expense and deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect management’s assessment of future taxes expected to be paid on items reflected in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company records the tax effect of discrete items and items that are reported net of their tax effects in the period in which they occur.
The Company’s effective tax rate can be impacted by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with different statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, accruals related to contingent tax liabilities and period-to-period changes in such accruals, the results of audits and examinations of previously filed tax returns (as discussed below), the expiration of statutes of limitations, the implementation of tax planning strategies, tax rulings, court decisions, and changes in tax laws and regulations, and legislative policy changes. For a description of the tax treatment of earnings that are planned to be reinvested indefinitely outside the United States, refer to “Liquidity and Capital Resources” below.
The following table summarizes the Company’s effective tax rate:
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| Effective tax rate | 19.9 | % | 23.3 | % | 23.4 | % |
The Company’s effective tax rate for 2025 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to the Company’s earnings outside the United States that are taxed at rates different than the U.S. federal statutory rate, and state taxes, partially offset by a net discrete tax benefit of $21 million. The net discrete tax benefit related primarily to the reduction of the tax indemnification related to the Separation, excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation and a release of a valuation allowance on deferred tax assets.
The Company’s effective tax rate for 2024 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to the Company’s earnings outside the United States that are taxed at rates different than the U.S. federal statutory rate, and state taxes, partially offset by a net discrete tax provision of $6 million. The net discrete tax provision related primarily to changes in estimates associated with prior period uncertain tax positions and audit settlements offset by excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation.
The Company’s effective tax rate for 2023 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to the Company’s earnings outside the United States that are taxed at rates different than the U.S. federal statutory rate, and state taxes, partially offset by net discrete tax benefits of $12 million. The net discrete tax benefits related primarily to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation
On July 4, 2025, an act to provide for reconciliation to title II of H. Con. Res. 14 (known commonly as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”)) was enacted into law. The OBBBA includes eliminating the requirement to capitalize U.S. R&D, permanent extension of certain provisions of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 and other corporate tax impacts. The Company has considered the impact on the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements and concluded it is immaterial.
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The Company conducts business globally, and the Former Parent filed numerous consolidated and separate income tax returns in the U.S. federal and state and non-U.S. jurisdictions. The non-U.S. countries in which the Company has a significant presence include Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Excluding these non-U.S. jurisdictions, the Company believes that a change in the statutory tax rate of any individual non-U.S. country would not have a material effect on the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements given the geographic dispersion of the Company’s income.
The Company is routinely examined by various domestic and international taxing authorities. In connection with the Separation, the Company entered into certain agreements with Danaher, including a tax matters agreement. The tax matters agreement distinguishes between the treatment of tax matters for “Joint” filings compared to “Separate” filings prior to the Separation. “Joint” filings involve legal entities, such as those in the United States, that include operations from both Danaher and the Company. By contrast, “Separate” filings involve certain entities (primarily outside of the United States) that exclusively include either Danaher’s or the Company’s operations, respectively. In accordance with the tax matters agreement, Danaher is liable for and has indemnified the Company against all income tax liabilities involving “Joint” filings for periods prior to the Separation. The Company remains liable for certain pre-Separation income tax liabilities including those related to the Company’s “Separate” filings.
The amount of income taxes the Company pays is subject to ongoing audits by federal, state and foreign tax authorities, which often result in proposed assessments. Management performs a comprehensive review of its global tax positions on a quarterly basis. Based on these reviews, the results of discussions and resolutions of matters with certain tax authorities, tax rulings and court decisions and the expiration of statutes of limitations, reserves for contingent tax liabilities are accrued or adjusted, as necessary. For a discussion of risks related to these and other tax matters, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors”.
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Comprehensive income increased by $382 million in 2025 as compared to 2024, primarily driven by gains from foreign currency translation adjustments and to a lesser extent higher net earnings, partially offset by unrealized losses on net investment hedges and pension and post-retirement plan benefit adjustments. The Company recorded a foreign currency translation gain of $220 million and an unrealized loss on net investment hedges of $60 million in 2025, compared to foreign currency translation losses of $139 million and an unrealized gain on net investment hedges of $26 million in 2024. The foreign currency translation gains during 2025 were primarily driven by the weakening of the U.S. dollar against most major foreign currencies in the period. The foreign currency translation losses in 2024 were primarily driven by the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against most major currencies in the period. Foreign currency translation adjustments reflect the gain or loss resulting from the impact of the change in currency exchange rates on the Company’s foreign operations as they are translated to the Company’s reporting currency, the U.S. dollar. The Company recorded a pension and postretirement plan benefit loss of $2 million in 2025 compared to a loss of $4 million in 2024.
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND RISK MANAGEMENT
The Company is exposed to market risk from changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, and commodity prices as well as credit risk, each of which could impact its Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company generally addresses its exposure to these risks through its normal operating and financing activities. The Company may also use derivative financial instruments to manage foreign exchange risks and interest rate risks. In addition, the Company’s broad-based business activities help to reduce the impact that volatility in any particular area or related areas may have on its financial statements as a whole.
Interest Rate Risk
The Company manages interest cost using a mixture of fixed-rate and at times variable-rate debt. A change in interest rates on fixed-rate debt impacts the fair value of the debt but not the Company’s earnings or cash flow because the interest on such debt is fixed. Generally, the fair market value of fixed-rate debt will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. As of December 31, 2025, an increase of 100 basis points in interest rates would have decreased the fair value of the Company’s fixed-rate term debt by approximately $97 million.
Refer to Note 13 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for discussion of the Company’s cross-currency swap derivative contracts.
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Currency Exchange Rate Risk
The Company faces transactional exchange rate risk from transactions with customers in countries outside the United States and from intercompany transactions between affiliates. Transactional exchange rate risk arises from the purchase and sale of goods and services in currencies other than the Company’s functional currency or the functional currency of its applicable subsidiary. The Company also faces translational exchange rate risk related to the translation of financial statements of its foreign operations into U.S. dollars, the Company’s functional currency. Costs incurred and sales recorded by subsidiaries operating outside of the United States are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates effective during the respective period. As a result, the Company is exposed to movements in the exchange rates of various currencies against the U.S. dollar. In particular, the Company has more sales in European currencies than it has expenses in those currencies. Therefore, when European currencies strengthen or weaken against the U.S. dollar, operating profits are increased or decreased, respectively. The effect of a change in currency exchange rates on the Company’s net investment in non-U.S. subsidiaries is reflected in the accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) component of stockholders’ equity.
Currency exchange rates positively impacted 2025 reported sales on a year-over-year basis primarily due to the weakening of the U.S. dollar against most major currencies during 2025. Strengthening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies compared to the exchange rates in effect as of December 31, 2025 would negatively impact the Company’s sales and results of operations on an overall basis. Any further weakening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies compared to the exchange rates in effect as of December 31, 2025 would positively impact the Company’s sales and results of operations.
The Company has generally accepted the exposure to exchange rate movements without using derivative financial instruments to manage this transactional exchange risk, although the Company from time to time partially hedges its net investments in foreign operations against adverse movements in exchange rates through foreign currency denominated debt and cross-currency swaps. Both positive and negative movements in currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar will continue to affect the reported amount of sales and net earnings in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. In addition, the Company has assets and liabilities held in foreign currencies. A 10% depreciation in major currencies relative to the U.S. dollar as of December 31, 2025 would have reduced foreign currency-denominated net assets and equity by approximately $71 million. Refer to Note 13 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for information regarding the Company’s hedging of a portion of its net investment in non-U.S. operations.
Commodity Price Risk
For a discussion of risks relating to commodity prices, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
Credit Risk
The Company is exposed to potential credit losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to its financial instruments. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk consist of cash and temporary investments, receivables from customers. The Company places cash and temporary investments with various high-quality financial institutions throughout the world and exposure is limited at any one institution. Although the Company typically does not obtain collateral or other security to secure these obligations, it does regularly monitor the third-party depository institutions that hold its cash and cash equivalents. The Company’s emphasis is primarily on safety and liquidity of principal and secondarily on maximizing yield on those funds.
In addition, concentrations of credit risk arising from receivables from customers are limited due to the diversity of the Company’s customers. The Company’s businesses perform credit evaluations of their customers’ financial conditions as deemed appropriate and also obtain collateral or other security when deemed appropriate.
The Company enters into derivative transactions infrequently and typically with high-quality financial institutions, so that exposure at any one institution is limited.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Management assesses the Company’s liquidity in terms of its ability to generate cash to fund its operating, investing and financing activities. The Company continues to generate substantial cash from operating activities and believes that its operating cash flow and other sources of liquidity will be sufficient to allow it to continue to invest in existing businesses, consummate strategic acquisitions, make interest payments on its outstanding indebtedness, and manage its capital structure on a short and long-term basis.
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Shelf Registration Statement
On October 24, 2024, the Company filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC (the “Shelf Registration Statement”) that registers an indeterminate amount of debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, subscription rights, purchase contracts, units and warrants that may be issued in the future in one or more offerings. Unless otherwise specified in the corresponding prospectus supplement, the Company expects to use net proceeds realized from future securities issuances off the Shelf Registration Statement for general corporate purposes, including without limitation repayment or refinancing of debt or other corporate obligations, acquisitions, capital expenditures, and working capital.
Stock Repurchase Program
On November 25, 2025, the Company announced that its Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program (the “Repurchase Program”) authorizing the repurchase of up to $750 million of the Company’s common stock from time to time on the open market (including through the use of trading plans intended to qualify under Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), in privately negotiated transactions or by other methods, at the Company’s discretion. The program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of its common stock, has no expiration date, and will continue until otherwise suspended or terminated at any time for any reason. The timing and amount of any share repurchases under the program will be determined by members of the Company’s management based on its evaluation of market and business conditions, and other factors.
During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company did not make any share repurchases.
Please see Note 17 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for further information on the Company’s share repurchase program.
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Overview of Cash Flows and Liquidity
Following is an overview of the Company’s cash flows and liquidity for the years ended December 31:
| ($ in millions) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 1,077 | $ | 875 | $ | 963 | ||||
| Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired | $ | — | $ | (363) | $ | — | ||||
| Payments for additions to property, plant and equipment | (63) | (55) | (54) | |||||||
| All other investing activities | (35) | (16) | (1) | |||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (98) | $ | (434) | $ | (55) | ||||
| Proceeds from issuance of common stock in connection with stock-based compensation | $ | 22 | $ | 24 | $ | 4 | ||||
| Net transfers to Former Parent | — | — | (147) | |||||||
| Consideration paid to Former Parent in connection with Separation | — | — | (2,600) | |||||||
| Proceeds from borrowings (maturities longer than 90 days) | — | — | 2,608 | |||||||
| Payment of dividends | (109) | (89) | — | |||||||
| All other financing activities | (15) | — | — | |||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (102) | $ | (65) | $ | (135) |
•Operating cash flows increased $202 million, or 23%, during 2025 as compared to 2024, primarily due to higher net income, partially offset by changes in net working capital.
•Net cash used in investing activities consisted primarily of capital expenditures and other investing activities, which is comprised of immaterial acquisition and disposition activity. Refer to Note 2 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements included in this Annual Report for a discussion of the Company’s acquisitions.
•Net cash used in financing activities consisted primarily of cash dividend payments, partially offset by proceeds from the issuance of common stock in connection with stock-based compensation. Net cash used in financing activities increased $37 million from 2025 to 2024 primarily as a result of increased dividend payments.
Dividends
The Company’s board of directors authorized a quarterly dividend of $0.13 per share of Company common stock totaling $32 million that was paid on January 30, 2026 to holders of record at the close of business on December 31, 2025.
Aggregate cash payments for dividends during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 were $109 million and $89 million, respectively. There were no dividends paid during 2023.
Cash and Cash Requirements
As of December 31, 2025, the Company held approximately $2.0 billion of cash and cash equivalents that were on deposit with financial institutions or invested in highly liquid investment-grade debt instruments with a maturity of 90 days or less with an approximate weighted average annual interest rate of 3.7%. Of the cash and cash equivalents, approximately $870 million was held within the United States and approximately $1.1 billion was held outside of the United States. The Company will continue to have cash requirements to support general corporate purposes, which may include working capital needs, capital expenditures, acquisitions and investments, paying interest and servicing debt, paying taxes and any related interest or penalties, funding its restructuring activities and pension plans as required, paying dividends to stockholders, repurchasing shares of the Company’s common stock and supporting other business needs.
The Company generally intends to use available cash and internally generated funds to meet these cash requirements, but in the event that additional liquidity is required, the Company may also borrow under its commercial paper programs (if available) or borrow under the Company’s Credit Facility, enter into new credit
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facilities and either borrow directly thereunder or use such credit facilities to backstop additional borrowing capacity under its commercial paper programs (if available) and/or access the capital markets. The Company also may from time to time seek to access the capital markets to take advantage of favorable interest rate environments or other market conditions.
Repatriation of some cash held outside the United States may be restricted by local laws. In general, repatriation of cash to the United States can be completed with no material incremental U.S. tax; however, repatriation of cash could subject the Company to non-U.S. withholding taxes and U.S. state income taxes on distributions. The cash that the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries hold for indefinite reinvestment is generally used to finance foreign operations and investments, including acquisitions. The Company intends to permanently reinvest its foreign earnings that have not previously been subject to U.S. income tax. The Company regularly reviews plans for reinvestment or repatriation of unremitted foreign earnings and any future change in the Company’s plans would require us to provide for the net tax impacts of these amounts. The potential tax implications of repatriating previously taxed earnings are driven by the facts at the time of distribution with the incremental cost to repatriate these earnings not expected to be material. As of December 31, 2025, management believes that it has sufficient sources of liquidity to satisfy its cash needs, including its cash needs in the United States.
During 2025, the Company contributed $5 million to its defined benefit pension plans. During 2026, the Company’s cash contribution requirements for its defined benefit pension plans are forecasted to be approximately $6 million. The ultimate amounts to be contributed depend upon, among other things, legal requirements, underlying asset returns, the plan’s funded status, the anticipated tax deductibility of the contribution, local practices, market conditions, interest rates and other factors.
Contractual and Other Obligations
For a description of the Company’s debt and lease obligations, commitments, and litigation and contingencies, refer to Notes 8, 12, 15 and 16 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Legal Proceedings
Refer to Note 16 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for information regarding legal proceedings and contingencies, and for a discussion of risks related to legal proceedings and contingencies, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
The Company’s certificate of incorporation requires it to indemnify to the full extent authorized or permitted by law any person made, or threatened to be made a party to any action or proceeding by reason of his or her service as a director or officer of the Company, or by reason of serving at the request of the Company as a director or officer of any other entity, subject to limited exceptions. The Company’s by-laws provide for similar indemnification rights. While the Company maintains insurance for this type of liability, a significant deductible applies to this coverage and any such liability could exceed the amount of the insurance coverage.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
This MD&A is based upon the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company bases these estimates and judgments on historical experience, the current economic environment and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates and judgments.
The Company believes the following accounting estimates are most critical to an understanding of its financial statements. Estimates are considered to be critical if they meet both of the following criteria: (1) the estimate requires assumptions about material matters that are uncertain at the time the estimate is made, and (2) material changes in the estimate are reasonably likely from period-to-period. For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting estimates, refer to Note 1 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Acquired Intangible Assets—The Company’s business acquisitions typically result in the recognition of goodwill, customer relationships, developed technology and other intangible assets, which affect the amount of future period amortization expense and possible impairment charges that the Company may incur. The fair values of acquired intangibles are determined using information available near the acquisition date based on estimates and assumptions that are deemed reasonable by the Company. Significant assumptions include the discount rates and
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certain assumptions that form the basis of the forecasted results of the acquired business including earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”), revenue, revenue growth rates, royalty rates and technology obsolescence rates. These assumptions are forward-looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions. The Company engages third-party valuation specialists who review the Company’s critical assumptions and calculations of the fair value of acquired intangible assets in connection with significant acquisitions. Refer to Notes 1, 2 and 9 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for a description of the Company’s policies relating to goodwill, acquired intangibles and acquisitions.
In performing its goodwill impairment testing, the Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units using a market-based approach which relies on current trading multiples of forecasted EBITDA for peer companies and recent transactions for comparable companies operating in businesses similar to each of the Company’s reporting units to calculate an estimated fair value of each reporting unit. In evaluating the estimates derived by the market-based approach, management makes judgments about the relevance and reliability of the multiples by considering factors unique to its reporting units, including operating results, business plans, economic projections, anticipated future cash flows, as well as judgments about recent market sale transactions of comparable companies and the comparability of selected peer companies. There are inherent uncertainties related to these assumptions and management’s judgment in applying them to the analysis of goodwill impairment.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company had three reporting units for goodwill impairment testing. Reporting units resulting from recent acquisitions generally present the highest risk of impairment. Management believes the impairment risk associated with these reporting units generally decreases as these businesses are integrated into the Company and better positioned for potential future earnings growth. The Company’s annual goodwill impairment analysis indicated that in all instances, the fair values of the Company’s reporting units exceeded their carrying values and consequently did not result in an impairment charge. The excess of the estimated fair value over carrying value (expressed as a percentage of carrying value for the respective reporting unit) for each of the Company’s reporting units as of the annual testing date ranged from approximately 104% to approximately 987%. To evaluate the sensitivity of the fair value calculations used in the goodwill impairment test, the Company applied a hypothetical 10% decrease to the fair value of each reporting unit and compared those hypothetical values to the reporting unit carrying values. Based on this hypothetical 10% decrease, the excess of the estimated fair value over carrying value (expressed as a percentage of carrying value for the respective reporting unit) for each of the Company’s reporting units ranged from approximately 66% to approximately 781%.
The Company reviews identified intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the related carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Determining whether an impairment loss occurred for finite-lived intangibles requires a comparison of the carrying amount to the sum of undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. These analyses require management to make judgments and estimates about future revenues, expenses, market conditions and discount rates related to these assets. Indefinite-lived intangibles are subject to impairment testing at least annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that potential impairment exists. Determining whether an impairment loss occurred for indefinite-lived intangible assets involves calculating the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets and comparing the fair value to their carrying value. If the fair value is less than the carrying value, the difference is recorded as an impairment loss. There were no intangible asset impairment charges recorded during 2025 and 2024. Refer to Note 9 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for a description of intangible asset impairment charges recorded during 2023.
If actual results are not consistent with management’s estimates and assumptions, goodwill and other intangible assets may be overstated and a charge would need to be taken against net earnings which would adversely affect the Company’s financial statements. Historically, the Company’s estimates of goodwill and intangible assets have been materially correct.
Contingent Liabilities—As discussed in “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” and Note 16 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements, the Company is, from time to time, subject to a variety of litigation and similar contingent liabilities incidental to its business (or the business operations of previously owned entities). The Company recognizes a liability for any legal contingency or contract settlement expense that is known or probable of occurrence and reasonably estimable. These assessments require judgments concerning matters such as litigation developments and outcomes, the anticipated outcome of negotiations, the number of future claims, the cost of both pending and future claims and the value of the elements in the outcome. In addition, because most contingencies are resolved over long periods of time, liabilities may change in the future due to various factors, including those discussed in Note 16 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. If the reserves established by the Company with respect to these contingent liabilities are inadequate,
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the Company would be required to incur an expense equal to the amount of the loss incurred in excess of the reserves, which would adversely affect the Company’s financial statements.
Income Taxes—For a description of the Company’s income tax accounting policies, refer to Notes 1 and 6 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company establishes valuation allowances for its deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. This requires management to make judgments and estimates regarding: (1) future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences (2) future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards (3) taxable income in prior carryback year(s) if carryback is permitted under the tax law; or (4) tax-planning strategies. Future changes to tax rates would also impact the amounts of deferred tax assets and liabilities and could have an adverse impact on the Company’s financial statements.
The Company provides for unrecognized tax benefits when, based upon the technical merits, it is “more likely than not” that an uncertain tax position will not be sustained upon examination. Judgment is required in evaluating tax positions and determining income tax provisions. The Company re-evaluates the technical merits of its tax positions and may recognize an uncertain tax benefit in certain circumstances, including when: (1) a tax audit is completed; (2) applicable tax laws change, including a tax case ruling or legislative guidance; or (3) the applicable statute of limitations expires.
In addition, certain of the Company’s tax returns are currently under review by tax authorities (refer to “—Results of Operations—Income Taxes” and Note 6 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements). Management believes the positions taken in these returns are in accordance with the relevant tax laws. However, the outcome of these audits is uncertain and could result in the Company being required to record charges for prior year tax obligations which could have a material adverse impact to the Company’s financial statements, including its effective tax rate.
Corporate Allocations—Prior to the Separation, the Company operated as part of Danaher and not as a separate, publicly traded company. Accordingly, certain shared costs have been allocated to the Company and are reflected as expenses in the accompanying Combined Financial Statements for the period prior to the Separation. The Company considers the allocation methodologies used to be reasonable and appropriate reflections of the related expenses attributable to Veralto for purposes of the carve-out financial statements; however, the expenses reflected in these financial statements may not be indicative of the actual expenses that would have been incurred during the period prior to the Separation if Veralto had operated as a separate stand-alone entity. In addition, the expenses reflected in the financial statements for the period prior to the Separation may not be indicative of expenses that will be incurred in the future by Veralto. Refer to Note 18 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for a description of corporate allocations and related party transactions.
NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
For a discussion of the new accounting standards impacting the Company, refer to Note 1 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
SEPARATION FROM DANAHER
In connection with the Separation, on September 29, 2023, Danaher and Veralto entered into a separation and distribution agreement as well as various other related agreements (collectively the “Agreements”) that govern the Separation and the relationships between the parties going forward, including a transition services agreement, employee matters agreement, tax matters agreement, intellectual property matters agreement, VES license agreement, and framework agreement governing certain commercial arrangements between subsidiaries of Danaher and Veralto.
Before the Separation, the Company was dependent upon Danaher for all of its working capital and financing requirements under Danaher’s centralized approach to cash management and financing of operations of its subsidiaries. Because the Company was part of Danaher during the nine-month period ended September 29, 2023, only cash, cash equivalents and borrowings clearly associated with Veralto and related to the Separation were included in the Combined Financial Statements. Other financial transactions relating to the business operations of the Company during the period were accounted for through the Net Former Parent investment account of the Company. As a result of the Separation, the Company no longer participates in Danaher’s cash management and financing operations.
The accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements present the historical financial position, results of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company in accordance with generally
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accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). The Combined Financial Statements for periods prior to the Separation were derived from Danaher’s consolidated financial statements and accounting records and prepared in accordance with GAAP for the preparation of carved-out combined financial statements. Prior to the Separation, all revenues and costs as well as assets and liabilities directly associated with Veralto have been included in the Combined Financial Statements. Additionally, the Combined Financial Statements for periods prior to the Separation included allocations of certain general, administrative, sales and marketing expenses and cost of sales from Danaher’s corporate office and from other Danaher businesses to Veralto, and allocations of related assets, liabilities, and the Former Parent’s investment, as applicable. The allocations were determined on a reasonable basis; however, the amounts are not necessarily representative of the amounts that would have been reflected in the financial statements had the Company been an entity that operated independently of Danaher during the applicable periods. Accordingly, the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for the period prior to the Separation may not be indicative of Veralto’s results had the Company been a separate stand-alone entity. For further discussion of related party allocations prior to the Separation, including the method for such allocation, refer to Note 18 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Following the Separation, the Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Veralto and those of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries and no longer include any allocations from Danaher.
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001967680-25-000008.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is designed to provide material information relevant to an assessment of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, including an evaluation of the amounts and certainty of cash flows from operations and from outside sources. The MD&A is designed to focus specifically on material events and uncertainties known to management that are reasonably likely to cause reported financial information not to be necessarily indicative of future operating results or of future financial condition. This includes descriptions and amounts of matters that have had a material impact on reported operations, as well as matters that are reasonably likely based on management’s assessment to have a material impact on future operations.
This MD&A is designed to provide a reader of the accompanying financial statements with a narrative from the perspective of management. The MD&A is divided into seven sections:
•Basis of Presentation
•Overview
•Results of Operations
•Financial Instruments and Risk Management
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Critical Accounting Estimates
•New Accounting Standards
The following MD&A should be read together with Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements (“Notes”) included in Item 8. of this Form 10-K. The MD&A generally discusses 2024 and 2023 items and year-over-year comparisons between 2024 and 2023. Discussions of 2022 items and year-over-year comparisons between 2023 and 2022 are not included, and can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (“MD&A”) in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2024. The MD&A includes forward-looking statements. For a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results referred to in these forward-looking statements, see “Information Relating to Forward-Looking Statements.”
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements present the historical financial position, results of operations, changes in equity and cash flows of the Company in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). Prior to the Separation from Danaher Corporation (“Danaher” or “Former Parent”) on September 30, 2023, Veralto businesses were comprised of certain Danaher operating units. Veralto Corporation and the Veralto Businesses (including the periods prior to the Separation) are collectively referred to as “Veralto” or the “Company” herein.
The Combined Financial Statements for periods prior to the Separation were derived from Danaher’s consolidated financial statements and accounting records and prepared in accordance with GAAP for the preparation of carved-out combined financial statements. Prior to the Separation, all revenues and costs as well as assets and liabilities directly associated with Veralto have been included in the Combined Financial Statements. Additionally, the Combined Financial Statements for periods prior to the Separation included allocations of certain general, administrative, sales and marketing expenses and cost of sales from Danaher’s corporate office and from other Danaher businesses to Veralto, and allocations of related assets, liabilities, and the Former Parent’s investment, as applicable. The allocations were determined on a reasonable basis; however, the amounts are not necessarily representative of the amounts that would have been reflected in the financial statements had the Company been an entity that operated independently of Danaher during the applicable periods. Accordingly, the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements may not be indicative of Veralto’s results had the Company been a separate stand-alone entity throughout the periods presented. For further discussion of related party allocations prior to the
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Separation, including the method for such allocation, refer to Note 18 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Following the Separation, the Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Veralto and those of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries and no longer include any allocations from Danaher.
OVERVIEW
General
Refer to “Item 1. Business” for a discussion of Veralto’s strategic objectives and methodologies for delivering long-term shareholder value. Veralto is a multinational business with global operations. During 2024, approximately 55% of Veralto’s sales were derived from customers outside the United States. As a diversified, global business, Veralto’s operations are affected by worldwide, regional and industry-specific economic and political factors. Veralto’s geographic and industry diversity, as well as the range of its products and services, help limit the impact of any one industry or the economy of any single country on its consolidated operating results. The Company’s individual businesses monitor key competitors and customers, including to the extent possible their sales, to gauge relative performance and the outlook for the future.
As a result of the Company’s geographic and industry diversity, the Company faces a variety of opportunities and challenges, including rapid technological development in most of the Company’s served markets, the expansion and evolution of high-growth markets, trends and costs associated with a global labor force, consolidation of the Company’s competitors and increasing regulation. The Company operates in a highly competitive business environment in most markets, and the Company’s long-term growth and profitability will depend in particular on its ability to identify, consummate and integrate appropriate acquisitions and identify and consummate appropriate investments and strategic partnerships, develop innovative and differentiated new products and services with higher gross profit margins, expand and improve the effectiveness of the Company’s sales force, continue to reduce costs and improve operating efficiency and quality, effectively address the demands of an increasingly regulated global environment and expand its business in high-growth geographies and high-growth market segments. The Company is making significant investments, organically and through acquisitions and investments, to address the rapid pace of technological change in its served markets and to globalize its manufacturing, research and development and customer-facing resources to be responsive to the Company’s customers throughout the world and improve the efficiency of the Company’s operations. The Company defines high-growth markets as developing markets of the world which include Asia (with the exception of Japan, Australia and New Zealand), Latin America (including Mexico), the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa. The Company defines developed markets as all markets of the world that are not high-growth markets.
Business Performance
The Company’s overall revenues for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased 3.4% as compared to 2023. Core sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased 3.7% as compared to 2023. Currency exchange rates decreased reported sales by 0.3%. For the definition of “core sales,” refer to “—Results of Operations” below.
Geographically, the Company’s sales during 2024 in developed markets increased year-over-year by 4.6% driven by increased sales of 5.9% in North America and 2.6% in Western Europe while high-growth markets were flat, primarily driven by year-over-year sales increases in the majority of countries within the high-growth markets offset by low double digit sales declines in China due to lower demand.
The Company’s core sales during 2024 in developed markets increased 4.2% year-over-year driven by a 5.3% increase in North America and a 2.2% increase in Western Europe. Core sales in high-growth markets increased 2.5% driven by high-single digit increases in Latin America partially offset by mid-single digit decreases in China.
Net earnings for the year ended December 31, 2024 totaled approximately $833 million, or $3.34 per diluted common share, compared to approximately $839 million, or $3.40 per diluted common share, for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in net earnings in 2024 as compared to 2023 was driven by higher operating expenses, standalone public company costs and interest expense post separation from Danaher. Refer to “—Results of Operations” for further discussion of the year-over-year changes in net earnings for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Outlook
The Company anticipates 2025 results will be driven by the following expectations in each of the Company’s reportable segments:
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•Water Quality: the Company expects continued year-over-year growth driven by on-going strong demand for industrial water treatment, particularly in North America, with steady demand across municipal end-markets in North America and Europe, partially offset by continued weakness in China.
•Product Quality & Innovation: the Company expects continued year-over-year growth driven by improved demand in the consumer packaged goods market globally.
The Company has access to capital resources and continues to focus on profitability improvements and leveraging Veralto Enterprise System (“VES”) to manage the anticipated impact of the challenging macroeconomic environment on business operations.
The Company’s outlook for 2025 reflects our current visibility and expectations based on current market factors. Our ability to meet our expectations are subject to numerous risks, including, but not limited to, those described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” within this annual report.
Acquisitions and Strategic Investments
On October 4, 2024, the Company completed its acquisition of Information Exchange Holdings, Inc., the holding company that owns TraceGains, for $349 million, net of cash acquired. The Company believes this business complements the PQI segment, specifically the packaging and color solutions business. TraceGains is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions that enable connected data and digital workflow management to help consumer brands meet increasingly stringent compliance and reporting regulations for food and beverage safety and traceability. Its solutions enable consumer brands to efficiently track ingredient inputs, monitor supplier quality and develop new products with greater safety and increased velocity.
On November 12, 2024, the Company completed an investment of CAD $20 million to establish a minority interest in Axine Water Technologies (“Axine”), a leading provider of electrochemical oxidation technology for contaminant destruction. Axine's electraCLEARTM solution provides simple, safe, efficient, and cost-effective destruction of organic contaminants in pharmaceuticals and industrial wastewater, including long- and short-chain PFAS. The strategic collaboration with Axine builds upon Veralto's diverse portfolio of water solutions for customers in the Company’s WQ segment.
Refer to Note 2 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for discussion regarding the Company’s acquisitions.
Public Company Expenses
As a result of the Separation, the Company is subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Company is now required to have additional procedures and practices as a separate public company. As a result, the Company has incurred and will continue to incur additional personnel and corporate governance costs, such as internal and external audit, investor relations, stock administration and regulatory compliance costs.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Non-GAAP Measures
In this report, references to the non-GAAP measure of core sales refer to sales from continuing operations calculated according to GAAP but excluding:
•sales from acquired or divested businesses (as defined below, as applicable); and
•the impact of currency translation.
References to sales or operating profit attributable to acquisitions or acquired businesses refer to sales or operating profit, as applicable, from acquired businesses recorded prior to the first anniversary of the acquisition less any sales and operating profit, during the applicable period, attributable to divested product lines not considered discontinued operations. The portion of revenue attributable to currency translation is calculated as the difference between:
•the period-to-period change in revenue (excluding sales from acquired/divested businesses (as defined above, as applicable)); and
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•the period-to-period change in revenue (excluding sales from acquired/divested businesses (as defined above, as applicable)) after applying current period foreign exchange rates to the prior year period.
Core sales growth should be considered in addition to, and not as a replacement for or superior to, sales growth, and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Management believes that reporting these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information to investors by helping identify underlying growth trends in the Company’s business and facilitating comparisons of the Company’s revenue performance with its performance in prior and future periods and to the Company’s peers. Management also uses these non-GAAP financial measures to measure the Company’s operating and financial performance and uses core sales growth as one of the performance measures in the Company’s executive short-term cash incentive program. The Company excludes the effect of currency translation from these measures because currency translation is not under management’s control, is subject to volatility, and can obscure underlying business trends. In addition, the Company excludes the effect of acquisitions and divestiture-related items because the nature, size, timing and number of acquisitions and divestitures can vary dramatically from period-to-period and between the Company and its peers, and can also obscure underlying business trends making comparisons of long-term performance difficult.
Throughout this discussion, references to sales growth or decline refer to the impact of both price and unit sales and references to productivity improvements generally refer to improved cost efficiencies resulting from the ongoing application of VES.
Sales Growth and Core Sales Growth
| 2024 vs. 2023 | 2023 vs. 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales growth GAAP | 3.4 | % | 3.1 | % | |
| Impact of: | |||||
| Acquisitions/divestitures | — | % | (0.3) | % | |
| Currency exchange rates | 0.3 | % | (0.2) | % | |
| Core sales growth (non-GAAP) | 3.7 | % | 2.6 | % |
2024 Sales Compared to 2023
Total sales increased 3.4% on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 primarily as a result of a 3.7% increase in core sales resulting from the factors discussed below by segment. Currency exchange rates decreased reported sales by 0.3% during 2024 as compared to 2023. The impact of acquisitions was flat on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023.
Price increases contributed 1.8% to sales growth on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 and is reflected as a component of core sales growth above.
Business Segments
Sales by business segment for the years ended December 31 are as follows:
| ($ in millions) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Quality | $ | 3,138 | $ | 3,039 | $ | 2,887 | ||||
| Product Quality & Innovation | 2,055 | 1,982 | 1,983 | |||||||
| Total | $ | 5,193 | $ | 5,021 | $ | 4,870 |
Sales and operating profit at the business segment level are discussed in detail below. For information regarding the Company’s sales by geographical region, refer to Note 4 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
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Cost of Sales and Gross Profit
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 5,193 | $ | 5,021 | $ | 4,870 | ||||
| Cost of sales | (2,088) | (2,120) | (2,110) | |||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 3,105 | $ | 2,901 | $ | 2,760 | ||||
| Gross profit margin | 59.8 | % | 57.8 | % | 56.7 | % |
Cost of sales decreased $32 million, or 1.5%, on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 primarily due to the impact of lower year-over-year material costs.
Gross profit margins increased 200 basis points on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023, driven by positive pricing actions and higher volume as discussed below and to a lesser extent lower material costs, and the impacts from foreign currency exchange rates.
Operating Expenses
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 5,193 | $ | 5,021 | $ | 4,870 | ||||
| Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses | (1,644) | (1,536) | (1,431) | |||||||
| Research and development (“R&D”) expenses | (253) | (225) | (217) | |||||||
| SG&A as a % of sales | 31.7 | % | 30.6 | % | 29.4 | % | ||||
| R&D as a % of sales | 4.9 | % | 4.5 | % | 4.5 | % |
SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales increased 110 basis points on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 primarily due to select investments in sales and marketing growth initiatives, as well as the costs to operate as a stand-alone company.
R&D expenses as a percentage of sales increased by 40 basis points on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 driven by growth related R&D initiatives.
Operating Profit Performance
Operating profit margins were 23.3% for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 22.7% in 2023. The following factors impacted year-over-year operating profit margin comparisons.
2024 vs. 2023 operating profit margin comparisons were favorably impacted by:
•The impact of Argentine Peso devaluation on operations within the Product Quality & Innovation segment during 2023 - 60 basis points
•2023 impairment charge related to customer relationships and a trade name in the Product Quality and Innovation segment - 20 basis points
•One-time costs incurred in 2023 as a result of the Separation from Danaher - 10 basis points
2024 vs. 2023 operating profit margin comparisons were unfavorably impacted by:
•The net dilutive impact of 2024 acquisitions and dispositions - 10 basis points
•The impact of incremental costs associated with operating as a stand-alone company, labor, R&D growth initiatives, and sales and marketing growth initiatives partially offset by higher 2024 core sales, foreign currency exchange rates, lower material costs and cost savings associated with continuing productivity improvement initiatives - 20 basis points
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WATER QUALITY
The Company’s Water Quality segment provides proprietary precision instrumentation, consumables, software, services and advanced water treatment technologies to help measure, analyze and treat the world’s water in municipal, industrial, commercial, residential, research and natural resource applications.
Water Quality Selected Financial Data
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 3,138 | $ | 3,039 | $ | 2,887 | ||||
| Operating profit | 768 | 730 | 668 | |||||||
| Depreciation | 25 | 24 | 24 | |||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 16 | 21 | 22 | |||||||
| Operating profit as a % of sales | 24.5 | % | 24.0 | % | 23.1 | % | ||||
| Depreciation as a % of sales | 0.8 | % | 0.8 | % | 0.8 | % | ||||
| Amortization as a % of sales | 0.5 | % | 0.7 | % | 0.8 | % |
Sales Growth and Core Sales Growth
| 2024 vs. 2023 | 2023 vs. 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales growth GAAP | 3.2 | % | 5.3 | % | |
| Impact of: | |||||
| Acquisitions/divestitures | 0.3 | % | — | % | |
| Currency exchange rates | 0.4 | % | (0.2) | % | |
| Core sales growth (non-GAAP) | 3.9 | % | 5.1 | % |
2024 Sales Compared to 2023
Total Water Quality segment sales increased 3.2% on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 primarily as a result of core sales growth driven by the factors discussed below. Currency exchange rates and the impact of divestitures decreased reported sales by 0.4% and 0.3%, respectively, during 2024 as compared to 2023. Geographically, the increase in reported sales was driven by an increase of 6.5% in North America, partially offset by a decrease of 2.8% in high-growth markets.
Price increases in the segment contributed 2.1% to sales growth on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 and are reflected as a component of the change in core sales growth.
Core sales in the Water Quality segment increased 3.9% on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023. Geographically, core sales growth was driven by increases of 6.2% in North America and 2.2% in Western Europe. Core sales were flat in high-growth markets, as a mid-single digits core sales increase in Latin America was mostly offset by a high-single digit percentage core sales decline in China.
The increase in core sales was driven primarily by the chemical treatment solutions business and to a lesser extent by the analytical instrumentation business, and the ultraviolet water disinfection and filtration business. Year-over-year core sales in the chemical treatment solutions business increased 7.2% as a result of higher core sales across most major end-markets. Core sales in the analytical instrumentation business increased 2.9% as a result of increased core sales across North America and Western Europe. Core sales in the ultraviolet water disinfection and filtration business increased 1.5% in 2024, driven primarily by the municipal end-market.
Operating Profit Performance
Operating profit margins were 24.5% for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 24.0% in 2023. The following factors impacted year-over-year operating profit margin comparisons:
2024 vs. 2023 operating profit margin comparisons were favorably impacted by:
•Higher 2024 core sales and incremental year-over-year cost savings associated with material costs, net of the impact of incremental year-over-year costs associated with labor and sales and marketing growth initiatives - 40 basis points
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•One-time costs incurred in 2023 as a result of the Separation from Danaher - 10 basis points
PRODUCT QUALITY & INNOVATION
The Company’s Product Quality & Innovation segment provides equipment, consumables, software and services for various marking and coding, traceability, printing, packaging design and quality management, packaging converting and color and appearance management applications for consumer-packaged goods and industrial products.
Product Quality & Innovation Selected Financial Data
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 2,055 | $ | 1,982 | $ | 1,983 | ||||
| Operating profit | 529 | 472 | 488 | |||||||
| Depreciation | 14 | 15 | 16 | |||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 22 | 27 | 28 | |||||||
| Operating profit as a % of sales | 25.7 | % | 23.8 | % | 24.6 | % | ||||
| Depreciation as a % of sales | 0.7 | % | 0.8 | % | 0.8 | % | ||||
| Amortization as a % of sales | 1.1 | % | 1.4 | % | 1.4 | % |
Sales Growth and Core Sales Growth (Decline)
| 2024 vs. 2023 | 2023 vs. 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales growth GAAP | 3.7 | % | — | % | |
| Impact of: | |||||
| Acquisitions/divestitures | (0.4) | % | (0.7) | % | |
| Currency exchange rates | — | % | (0.3) | % | |
| Core sales growth (decline) (non-GAAP) | 3.3 | % | (1.0) | % |
2024 Sales Compared to 2023
Total Product Quality & Innovation segment sales increased 3.7% on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 primarily as a result of core sales growth driven by the factors discussed below. The impact of acquisitions increased reported sales by 0.4% during 2024 as compared to 2023. Geographically, reported sales increased by 4.5% in North America, 3.3% in Western Europe, and 4.0% in high-growth markets.
Price increases in the segment contributed 1.4% to sales growth on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 and are reflected as a component of the change in core sales growth.
Core sales in the Product Quality & Innovation segment increased 3.3% on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023. Geographically, core sales growth was driven by increases of 3.0% in North America, 5.1% in high-growth markets, and 2.3% in Western Europe. Core sales growth in the high-growth markets was driven by high-single digit core sales increases in Latin America and mid-single digit core sales increases in China.
From a product line perspective, core sales in the marking and coding business increased 2.8% on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 driven by higher consumable demand in the industrial and consumer packaged goods end-markets. Core sales in the packaging and color solutions business increased 4.5% on a year-over-year basis during 2024 as compared to 2023 driven by increased demand across the consumer-packaged goods and industrial end-markets.
Operating Profit Performance
Operating profit margins were 25.7% for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 23.8% in 2023. The following factors impacted year-over-year operating profit margin comparisons.
2024 vs. 2023 operating profit margin comparisons were favorably impacted by:
•The impact of Argentine Peso devaluation on operations during 2023 - 140 basis points
•2023 impairment charge related to customer relationships and a trade name - 60 basis points
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•One-time costs incurred in 2023 as a result of the Separation from Danaher - 10 basis points
•Higher 2024 core sales, foreign currency exchange rates and cost savings associated with continuing productivity improvement initiatives, partially offset by incremental labor and sales and marketing growth initiatives - 30 basis points
2024 vs. 2023 operating profit margin comparisons were unfavorably impacted by:
•Costs incurred during 2024 related to certain strategic initiatives - 20 basis points
•The net dilutive impact of 2024 acquisitions and dispositions - 30 basis points
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET
For a description of the Company’s other income (expense), net during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, refer to Note 7 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
INTEREST COSTS AND FINANCING
For a discussion of the Company’s outstanding indebtedness, refer to Note 12 to the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Net interest expense was $113 million during 2024 as compared to $30 million in 2023, arising from the Company’s outstanding indebtedness, which was incurred in September 2023. Before the Separation, Veralto depended on Danaher for all of its working capital and financing requirements under Danaher’s centralized approach to cash management and financing of operations of its subsidiaries. As a result, with the exception of cash, cash equivalents and borrowings clearly associated with Veralto and related to the Separation, the Company recorded no interest expense in the Combined Condensed Financial Statements for periods prior to the Separation.
INCOME TAXES
General
Income tax expense and deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect management’s assessment of future taxes expected to be paid on items reflected in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company records the tax effect of discrete items and items that are reported net of their tax effects in the period in which they occur.
The Company’s effective tax rate can be impacted by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with different statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, accruals related to contingent tax liabilities and period-to-period changes in such accruals, the results of audits and examinations of previously filed tax returns (as discussed below), the expiration of statutes of limitations, the implementation of tax planning strategies, tax rulings, court decisions, and changes in tax laws and regulations, and legislative policy changes. For a description of the tax treatment of earnings that are planned to be reinvested indefinitely outside the United States, refer to “Liquidity and Capital Resources” below.
The following table summarizes the Company’s effective tax rate:
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
| Effective tax rate | 23.3 | % | 23.4 | % | 24.1 | % |
The Company’s effective tax rate for 2024 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to the Company’s earnings outside the United States that are taxed at rates different than the U.S. federal statutory rate, and state taxes, partially offset by a net discrete tax provision of $6 million. The net discrete tax provision related primarily to changes in estimates associated with prior period uncertain tax positions and audit settlements offset by excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation.
The Company’s effective tax rate for 2023 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to the Company’s earnings outside the United States that are taxed at rates different than the U.S. federal statutory rate, and state taxes, partially offset by net discrete tax benefits of $12 million. The net discrete tax benefits related primarily to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation.
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The Company’s effective tax rate for 2022 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to the Company’s earnings outside the United States that are taxed at rates different than the U.S. federal statutory rate, and state taxes, partially offset by net discrete tax benefits of $4 million. The net discrete tax benefits related primarily to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation, partially offset by changes in estimates associated with prior period uncertain tax positions and audit settlements.
The Company conducts business globally, and the Former Parent filed numerous consolidated and separate income tax returns in the U.S. federal and state and non-U.S. jurisdictions. The non-U.S. countries in which the Company has a significant presence include Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Excluding these non-U.S. jurisdictions, the Company believes that a change in the statutory tax rate of any individual non-U.S. country would not have a material effect on the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements given the geographic dispersion of the Company’s income.
The Company is routinely examined by various domestic and international taxing authorities. In connection with the Separation, the Company entered into certain agreements with Danaher, including a tax matters agreement. The tax matters agreement distinguishes between the treatment of tax matters for “Joint” filings compared to “Separate” filings prior to the Separation. “Joint” filings involve legal entities, such as those in the United States, that include operations from both Danaher and the Company. By contrast, “Separate” filings involve certain entities (primarily outside of the United States) that exclusively include either Danaher’s or the Company’s operations, respectively. In accordance with the tax matters agreement, Danaher is liable for and has indemnified the Company against all income tax liabilities involving “Joint” filings for periods prior to the Separation. The Company remains liable for certain pre-Separation income tax liabilities including those related to the Company’s “Separate” filings.
The amount of income taxes the Company pays is subject to ongoing audits by federal, state and foreign tax authorities, which often result in proposed assessments. Management performs a comprehensive review of its global tax positions on a quarterly basis. Based on these reviews, the results of discussions and resolutions of matters with certain tax authorities, tax rulings and court decisions and the expiration of statutes of limitations, reserves for contingent tax liabilities are accrued or adjusted, as necessary. For a discussion of risks related to these and other tax matters, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors”.
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Comprehensive income decreased by $123 million in 2024 as compared to 2023, primarily driven by losses from foreign currency translation adjustments partially offset by unrealized gains on a net investment hedge, and to a lesser extent, pension and post-retirement plan benefit adjustments. The Company recorded a foreign currency translation loss of $139 million in 2024 primarily driven by the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against most major currencies in the period compared to a gain of $29 million in 2023 primarily driven by the weakening of the U.S. dollar against most major currencies in the period. The Company recorded a pension and postretirement plan benefit loss of $4 million in 2024 compared to a loss of $15 million in 2023. The Company recorded a gain from net investment hedge adjustments related to the Company’s long-term debt in 2024 of $26 million compared to a loss of $14 million in 2023.
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND RISK MANAGEMENT
The Company is exposed to market risk from changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, and commodity prices as well as credit risk, each of which could impact its Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company generally addresses its exposure to these risks through its normal operating and financing activities. The Company may also use derivative financial instruments to manage foreign exchange risks and interest rate risks. In addition, the Company’s broad-based business activities help to reduce the impact that volatility in any particular area or related areas may have on its financial statements as a whole.
Interest Rate Risk
The Company manages interest cost using a mixture of fixed-rate and at times variable-rate debt. A change in interest rates on fixed-rate debt impacts the fair value of the debt but not the Company’s earnings or cash flow because the interest on such debt is fixed. Generally, the fair market value of fixed-rate debt will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. As of December 31, 2024, an increase of 100 basis points in interest rates would have decreased the fair value of the Company’s fixed-rate long-term debt by approximately $112 million.
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Currency Exchange Rate Risk
The Company faces transactional exchange rate risk from transactions with customers in countries outside the United States and from intercompany transactions between affiliates. Transactional exchange rate risk arises from the purchase and sale of goods and services in currencies other than the Company’s functional currency or the functional currency of its applicable subsidiary. The Company also faces translational exchange rate risk related to the translation of financial statements of its foreign operations into U.S. dollars, the Company’s functional currency. Costs incurred and sales recorded by subsidiaries operating outside of the United States are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates effective during the respective period. As a result, the Company is exposed to movements in the exchange rates of various currencies against the U.S. dollar. In particular, the Company has more sales in European currencies than it has expenses in those currencies. Therefore, when European currencies strengthen or weaken against the U.S. dollar, operating profits are increased or decreased, respectively. The effect of a change in currency exchange rates on the Company’s net investment in non-U.S. subsidiaries is reflected in the accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) component of equity.
Currency exchange rates negatively impacted 2024 reported sales on a year-over-year basis primarily due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against most major currencies during 2024. Weakening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies compared to the exchange rates in effect as of December 31, 2024 would positively impact the Company’s sales and results of operations on an overall basis. Any further strengthening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies compared to the exchange rates in effect as of December 31, 2024 would negatively impact the Company’s sales and results of operations.
The Company has generally accepted the exposure to exchange rate movements without using derivative financial instruments to manage this transactional exchange risk, although the Company has used foreign currency-denominated debt to hedge a portion of its net investments in non-U.S. operations against adverse movements in exchange rates. Both positive and negative movements in currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar will continue to affect the reported amount of sales and net earnings in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. In addition, the Company has assets and liabilities held in foreign currencies. A 10% depreciation in major currencies relative to the U.S. dollar as of December 31, 2024 would have reduced foreign currency-denominated net assets and equity by approximately $118 million. Refer to Note 13 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for information regarding the Company’s hedging of a portion of its net investment in non-U.S. operations.
Commodity Price Risk
For a discussion of risks relating to commodity prices, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
Credit Risk
The Company is exposed to potential credit losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to its financial instruments. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk consist of cash and temporary investments, receivables from customers. The Company places cash and temporary investments with various high-quality financial institutions throughout the world and exposure is limited at any one institution. Although the Company typically does not obtain collateral or other security to secure these obligations, it does regularly monitor the third-party depository institutions that hold its cash and cash equivalents. The Company’s emphasis is primarily on safety and liquidity of principal and secondarily on maximizing yield on those funds.
In addition, concentrations of credit risk arising from receivables from customers are limited due to the diversity of the Company’s customers. The Company’s businesses perform credit evaluations of their customers’ financial conditions as deemed appropriate and also obtain collateral or other security when deemed appropriate.
The Company enters into derivative transactions infrequently and typically with high-quality financial institutions, so that exposure at any one institution is limited.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Management assesses the Company’s liquidity in terms of its ability to generate cash to fund its operating, investing and financing activities. The Company continues to generate substantial cash from operating activities and believes that its operating cash flow and other sources of liquidity will be sufficient to allow it to continue to invest in existing businesses, consummate strategic acquisitions, make interest payments on its outstanding indebtedness, and manage its capital structure on a short and long-term basis.
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Shelf Registration Statement
On October 24, 2024, the Company filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC (the “Shelf Registration Statement”) that registers an indeterminate amount of debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, subscription rights, purchase contracts, units and warrants that may be issued in the future in one or more offerings. Unless otherwise specified in the corresponding prospectus supplement, the Company expects to use net proceeds realized from future securities issuances off the Shelf Registration Statement for general corporate purposes, including without limitation repayment or refinancing of debt or other corporate obligations, acquisitions, capital expenditures, and working capital.
2023 Financing Transactions
During 2023, the Company completed the following financing transactions:
•Issued approximately $2.1 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes in three series with maturity dates ranging from 2026 through 2033 (collectively, the “U.S. Dollar Notes”). Additionally, the Company issued €500 million principal amount of senior unsecured notes with a maturity date of 2031 (together with the U.S. Dollar Notes, the “Private Notes”).
•Entered into a credit agreement providing for a five-year unsecured revolving credit facility in an aggregate committed amount of $1.5 billion (the “Credit Facility”). There were no outstanding amounts under the Credit Facility as of December 31, 2024. The Credit Facility includes an alternative currency sublimit up to an amount equal to 90% of the aggregate commitments and a $100 million swingline sublimit and provides for the issuance of swing loans. This facility provides backing for the Company’s commercial paper program, and outstanding commercial paper directly reduces borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility. There were no amounts outstanding under the Company’s commercial paper program as of December 31, 2024.
These financing activities yielded net proceeds of approximately $2.6 billion, of which approximately $2.6 billion was paid to Danaher in September 2023 as consideration for the contribution of assets to Veralto by Danaher in connection with the Separation. Refer to Note 12 of the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for more information related to the Company’s long-term indebtedness.
Registration Rights Agreement
In connection with the issuance of the Private Notes, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement, pursuant to which the Company was obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC, and cause to be declared effective, a registration statement with respect to an offer to exchange each series of Private Notes for registered notes (the “Registered Notes”) with substantially identical terms (the “Exchange Offer”). Accordingly, on July 26, 2024, the Company filed a Form S-4 with the SEC (the “Registration Statement”), which Registration Statement was declared effective on August 5, 2024. On August 5, 2024, the Company launched the Exchange Offer, which expired on September 3, 2024. Substantially all Private Notes were tendered and exchanged for Registered Notes in the Exchange Offer.
Other
Before the Separation, the Company was dependent upon Danaher for all of its working capital and financing requirements under Danaher’s centralized approach to cash management and financing of operations of its subsidiaries. Because the Company was part of Danaher during the nine-month period ended September 29, 2023, only cash, cash equivalents and borrowings clearly associated with Veralto and related to the Separation, including the financing transactions described below, were included in the Combined Financial Statements. Other financial transactions relating to the business operations of the Company during the period were accounted for through the Net Former Parent investment account of the Company. As a result of the Separation, the Company no longer participates in Danaher’s cash management and financing operations.
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Overview of Cash Flows and Liquidity
Following is an overview of the Company’s cash flows and liquidity for the years ended December 31:
| ($ in millions) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 875 | $ | 963 | $ | 870 | ||||
| Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired | $ | (363) | $ | — | $ | (55) | ||||
| Payments for additions to property, plant and equipment | (55) | (54) | (34) | |||||||
| Proceeds from sales of property, plant and equipment | — | 2 | — | |||||||
| All other investing activities | (16) | (3) | — | |||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (434) | $ | (55) | $ | (89) | ||||
| Proceeds from the issuance of common stock in connection with stock-based compensation | $ | 24 | $ | 4 | $ | — | ||||
| Net transfers to Former Parent | — | (147) | (781) | |||||||
| Consideration paid to Former Parent in connection with Separation | — | (2,600) | — | |||||||
| Proceeds from borrowings (maturities longer than 90 days) | — | 2,608 | — | |||||||
| Payment of dividends | (89) | |||||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (65) | $ | (135) | $ | (781) |
•Operating cash flows from continuing operations decreased $88 million, or 9%, during 2024 as compared to 2023, primarily due to cash interest payments of $137 million, cash tax payments of $293 million, increased operating expenses, and year-over-year increases in cash outflows related to accounts payable, prepaid expenses and other current assets partially offset by cash inflows from accrued expenses and other liabilities.
•Net cash used in investing activities consisted primarily of cash paid for acquisitions and capital expenditures. Refer to Note 2 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements included in this Annual Report for a discussion of the Company’s acquisitions.
•Net cash used in financing activities consisted of cash dividend payments offset by proceeds from the issuance of common stock in connection with stock-based compensation. Net cash used in financing activities decreased $70 million from 2024 to 2023 primarily as a result of transfers to Former Parent in connection with the Separation.
Dividends
The Company’s board of directors authorized a quarterly dividend of $0.11 per share of Company common stock totaling $27 million that was paid on January 31, 2025 to holders of record at the close of business on December 31, 2024.
Aggregate cash payments for dividends during the year ended December 31, 2024 were $89 million. There were no dividends paid during 2023.
Cash and Cash Requirements
As of December 31, 2024, the Company held approximately $1.1 billion of cash and cash equivalents that were on deposit with financial institutions or invested in highly liquid investment-grade debt instruments with a maturity of 90 days or less with an approximate weighted average annual interest rate of 4.48%. Of the cash and cash equivalents, approximately $342 million was held within the United States and approximately $759 million was held outside of the United States. The Company will continue to have cash requirements to support general corporate purposes, which may include working capital needs, capital expenditures, acquisitions and investments, paying interest and servicing debt, paying taxes and any related interest or penalties, funding its restructuring activities and pension plans as required, paying dividends to shareholders, repurchasing shares of the Company’s common stock and supporting other business needs.
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The Company generally intends to use available cash and internally generated funds to meet these cash requirements, but in the event that additional liquidity is required, the Company may also borrow under its commercial paper programs (if available) or borrow under the Company’s Credit Facility, enter into new credit facilities and either borrow directly thereunder or use such credit facilities to backstop additional borrowing capacity under its commercial paper programs (if available) and/or access the capital markets. The Company also may from time to time seek to access the capital markets to take advantage of favorable interest rate environments or other market conditions.
Repatriation of some cash held outside the United States may be restricted by local laws. Following enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the associated Transition Tax, in general, repatriation of cash to the United States can be completed with no material incremental U.S. tax; however, repatriation of cash could subject the Company to non-U.S. taxes on distributions. The cash that the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries hold for indefinite reinvestment is generally used to finance foreign operations and investments, including acquisitions. The income taxes, if any, applicable to such earnings including basis differences in Veralto’s foreign subsidiaries are not readily determinable. As of December 31, 2024, management believes that it has sufficient sources of liquidity to satisfy its cash needs, including its cash needs in the United States.
During 2024, the Company contributed $6 million to its defined benefit pension plans. During 2025, the Company’s cash contribution requirements for its defined benefit pension plans are forecasted to be approximately $5 million. The ultimate amounts to be contributed depend upon, among other things, legal requirements, underlying asset returns, the plan’s funded status, the anticipated tax deductibility of the contribution, local practices, market conditions, interest rates and other factors.
Contractual and Other Obligations
For a description of the Company’s debt and lease obligations, commitments, and litigation and contingencies, refer to Notes 8, 12, 15 and 16 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Legal Proceedings
Refer to Note 16 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for information regarding legal proceedings and contingencies, and for a discussion of risks related to legal proceedings and contingencies, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
The Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation require it to indemnify to the full extent authorized or permitted by law any person made, or threatened to be made a party to any action or proceeding by reason of his or her service as a director or officer of the Company, or by reason of serving at the request of the Company as a director or officer of any other entity, subject to limited exceptions. The Company’s amended and restated by-laws provide for similar indemnification rights. While the Company maintains insurance for this type of liability, a significant deductible apply to this coverage and any such liability could exceed the amount of the insurance coverage.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
Management’s discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations is based upon the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company bases these estimates and judgments on historical experience, the current economic environment and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates and judgments.
The Company believes the following accounting estimates are most critical to an understanding of its financial statements. Estimates are considered to be critical if they meet both of the following criteria: (1) the estimate requires assumptions about material matters that are uncertain at the time the estimate is made, and (2) material changes in the estimate are reasonably likely from period-to-period. For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting estimates, refer to Note 1 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Acquired Intangibles—The Company’s business acquisitions typically result in the recognition of goodwill, customer relationships, developed technology and other intangible assets, which affect the amount of future period amortization expense and possible impairment charges that the Company may incur. The fair values of acquired intangibles are determined using information available near the acquisition date based on estimates and
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assumptions that are deemed reasonable by the Company. Significant assumptions include the discount rates and certain assumptions that form the basis of the forecasted results of the acquired business including earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”), revenue, revenue growth rates, royalty rates and technology obsolescence rates. These assumptions are forward looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions. The Company engages third-party valuation specialists who review the Company’s critical assumptions and calculations of the fair value of acquired intangible assets in connection with significant acquisitions. Refer to Notes 1, 2 and 9 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for a description of the Company’s policies relating to goodwill, acquired intangibles and acquisitions.
In performing its goodwill impairment testing, the Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units primarily using a market-based approach which relies on current trading multiples of forecasted EBITDA for peer companies and recent transactions for comparable companies operating in businesses similar to each of the Company’s reporting units to calculate an estimated fair value of each reporting unit. In evaluating the estimates derived by the market-based approach, management makes judgments about the relevance and reliability of the multiples by considering factors unique to its reporting units, including operating results, business plans, economic projections, anticipated future cash flows, as well as judgments about recent market sale transactions of comparable companies and the comparability of selected peer companies. There are inherent uncertainties related to these assumptions and management’s judgment in applying them to the analysis of goodwill impairment.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had three reporting units for goodwill impairment testing. Reporting units resulting from recent acquisitions generally present the highest risk of impairment. Management believes the impairment risk associated with these reporting units generally decreases as these businesses are integrated into the Company and better positioned for potential future earnings growth. The Company’s annual goodwill impairment analysis indicated that in all instances, the fair values of the Company’s reporting units exceeded their carrying values and consequently did not result in an impairment charge. The excess of the estimated fair value over carrying value (expressed as a percentage of carrying value for the respective reporting unit) for each of the Company’s reporting units as of the annual testing date ranged from approximately 202% to approximately 991%. To evaluate the sensitivity of the fair value calculations used in the goodwill impairment test, the Company applied a hypothetical 10% decrease to the fair values of each reporting unit and compared those hypothetical values to the reporting unit carrying values. Based on this hypothetical 10% decrease, the excess of the estimated fair value over carrying value (expressed as a percentage of carrying value for the respective reporting unit) for each of the Company’s reporting units ranged from approximately 144% to approximately 783%.
The Company reviews identified intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the related carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Determining whether an impairment loss occurred for finite-lived intangibles requires a comparison of the carrying amount to the sum of undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. These analyses require management to make judgments and estimates about future revenues, expenses, market conditions and discount rates related to these assets. Indefinite-lived intangibles are subject to impairment testing at least annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that potential impairment exists. Determining whether an impairment loss occurred for indefinite-lived intangible assets involves calculating the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets and comparing the fair value to their carrying value. If the fair value is less than the carrying value, the difference is recorded as an impairment loss. There were no intangible asset impairment charges recorded during 2024. Refer to Note 9 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for a description of intangible asset impairment charges recorded during 2023.
If actual results are not consistent with management’s estimates and assumptions, goodwill and other intangible assets may be overstated and a charge would need to be taken against net earnings which would adversely affect the Company’s financial statements. Historically, the Company’s estimates of goodwill and intangible assets have been materially correct.
Contingent Liabilities—As discussed in “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” and Note 16 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements, the Company is, from time to time, subject to a variety of litigation and similar contingent liabilities incidental to its business (or the business operations of previously owned entities). The Company recognizes a liability for any legal contingency or contract settlement expense that is known or probable of occurrence and reasonably estimable. These assessments require judgments concerning matters such as litigation developments and outcomes, the anticipated outcome of negotiations, the number of future claims, the cost of both pending and future claims and the value of the elements in the outcome. In addition, because most contingencies are resolved over long periods of time, liabilities may change in the future due to various factors, including those discussed in Note 16 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. If the reserves
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established by the Company with respect to these contingent liabilities are inadequate, the Company would be required to incur an expense equal to the amount of the loss incurred in excess of the reserves, which would adversely affect the Company’s financial statements.
Income Taxes—For a description of the Company’s income tax accounting policies, refer to Notes 1 and 6 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company establishes valuation allowances for its deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. This requires management to make judgments and estimates regarding: (1) the timing and amount of the reversal of taxable temporary differences, (2) expected future taxable income and (3) the impact of tax planning strategies. Future changes to tax rates would also impact the amounts of deferred tax assets and liabilities and could have an adverse impact on the Company’s financial statements.
The Company provides for unrecognized tax benefits when, based upon the technical merits, it is “more likely than not” that an uncertain tax position will not be sustained upon examination. Judgment is required in evaluating tax positions and determining income tax provisions. The Company re-evaluates the technical merits of its tax positions and may recognize an uncertain tax benefit in certain circumstances, including when: (1) a tax audit is completed; (2) applicable tax laws change, including a tax case ruling or legislative guidance; or (3) the applicable statute of limitations expires.
In addition, certain of the Company’s tax returns are currently under review by tax authorities (refer to “—Results of Operations—Income Taxes” and Note 6 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements). Management believes the positions taken in these returns are in accordance with the relevant tax laws. However, the outcome of these audits is uncertain and could result in the Company being required to record charges for prior year tax obligations which could have a material adverse impact to the Company’s financial statements, including its effective tax rate.
Corporate Allocations—Prior to the Separation, the Company operated as part of Danaher and not as a separate, publicly traded company. Accordingly, certain shared costs have been allocated to the Company and are reflected as expenses in the accompanying Combined Financial Statements. The Company considers the allocation methodologies used to be reasonable and appropriate reflections of the related expenses attributable to Veralto for purposes of the carve-out financial statements; however, the expenses reflected in these financial statements may not be indicative of the actual expenses that would have been incurred during the periods presented if Veralto had operated as a separate stand-alone entity. In addition, the expenses reflected in the financial statements may not be indicative of expenses that will be incurred in the future by Veralto. Refer to Note 18 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for a description of corporate allocations and related party transactions.
NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
For a discussion of the new accounting standards impacting the Company, refer to Note 1 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001967680-24-000033.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is designed to provide material information relevant to an assessment of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, including an evaluation of the amounts and certainty of cash flows from operations and from outside sources. The MD&A is designed to focus specifically on material events and uncertainties known to management that are reasonably likely to cause reported financial information not to be necessarily indicative of future operating results or of future financial condition. This includes descriptions and amounts of matters that have had a material impact on reported operations, as well as matters that are reasonably likely based on management’s assessment to have a material impact on future operations.
This MD&A is designed to provide a reader of our financial statements with a narrative from the perspective of management. Our MD&A is divided into seven sections:
•Basis of Presentation
•Overview
•Results of Operations
•Financial Instruments and Risk Management
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Critical Accounting Estimates
•New Accounting Standards
The following MD&A should be read together with Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements (“Notes”) included in Item 8. of this Form 10-K. The MD&A for 2022 and 2021 is included in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations” of the Company’s Information Statement filed as Exhibit 99.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 2, 2023. The MD&A includes forward-looking statements. For a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results referred to in these forward-looking statements, see “Information Relating to Forward-Looking Statements.”
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements present our historical financial position, results of operations, changes in equity and cash flows in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). The Combined Financial Statements for periods prior to the Separation were derived from Danaher’s consolidated financial statements and accounting records and prepared in accordance with GAAP for the preparation of carved-out combined financial statements. Through the date of the Separation, all revenues and costs as well as assets and liabilities directly associated with Veralto have been included in the Combined Financial Statements. Prior to the Separation, the Combined Financial Statements also included allocations of certain general, administrative, sales and marketing expenses and cost of sales from Danaher’s corporate office and from other Danaher businesses to the Company and allocations of related assets, liabilities, and the Former Parent’s investment, as applicable. The allocations were determined on a reasonable basis; however, the amounts are not necessarily representative of the amounts that would have been reflected in the financial statements had the Company been an entity that operated independently of Danaher during the applicable periods. Related party allocations prior to the Separation, including the method for such allocation, are discussed further in Note 18 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Following the Separation, the Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Veralto and those of our wholly-owned subsidiaries and no longer include any allocations from Danaher.
These Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements may not be indicative of our results had we been a separate stand-alone entity throughout the periods presented, nor are the results stated herein indicative of what our financial position, results of operations and cash flows may be in the future.
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OVERVIEW
General
Refer to “Item 1. Business” for a discussion of Veralto’s strategic objectives and methodologies for delivering long-term shareholder value. Veralto is a multinational business with global operations. During 2023, approximately 57% of Veralto’s sales were derived from customers outside the United States. As a diversified, global business, Veralto’s operations are affected by worldwide, regional and industry-specific economic and political factors. Veralto’s geographic and industry diversity, as well as the range of its products and services, help limit the impact of any one industry or the economy of any single country on its consolidated operating results. The Company’s individual businesses monitor key competitors and customers, including to the extent possible their sales, to gauge relative performance and the outlook for the future.
As a result of the Company’s geographic and industry diversity, the Company faces a variety of opportunities and challenges, including rapid technological development in most of the Company’s served markets, the expansion and evolution of opportunities in high-growth markets, trends and costs associated with a global labor force, consolidation of the Company’s competitors and increasing regulation. The Company operates in a highly competitive business environment in most markets, and the Company’s long-term growth and profitability will depend in particular on its ability to identify, consummate and integrate appropriate acquisitions and identify and consummate appropriate investments and strategic partnerships, develop innovative and differentiated new products and services with higher gross profit margins, expand and improve the effectiveness of the Company’s sales force, continue to reduce costs and improve operating efficiency and quality, effectively address the demands of an increasingly regulated global environment and expand its business in high-growth geographies and high-growth market segments. The Company is making significant investments, organically and through acquisitions and investments, to address the rapid pace of technological change in its served markets and to globalize its manufacturing, research and development and customer-facing resources (particularly in high-growth markets) to be responsive to the Company’s customers throughout the world and improve the efficiency of the Company’s operations. The Company defines high-growth markets as developing markets of the world experiencing extended periods of accelerated growth in gross domestic product and infrastructure which encompass all markets outside of the developed markets and consist of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America (including Mexico) and Asia (with the exception of Japan, Australia and New Zealand). The Company defines developed markets as all markets of the world that are not high-growth markets.
Business Performance
Consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased 3.1% as compared to 2022. Core sales increased 2.6% in 2023 compared to 2022 (for the definition of “core sales” refer to “—Results of Operations” below). The Company’s continued investments in sales growth initiatives and the other business-specific factors referenced below contributed to core sales growth. Acquisitions contributed 0.3% to the increase in revenues in 2023.
Geographically, the Company’s sales during 2023 in developed markets increased year-over-year by 4.3% driven by increased sales of 4.1% in North America and 5.8% in Western Europe while high-growth markets were flat, primarily driven by year-over-year sales increases in the majority of countries within the high-growth markets offset by low double digit sales declines in China due to lower demand.
Geographically, the year-over-year increase in core sales was primarily driven by a 3.5% increase in developed markets and a 1.0% increase in the high-growth markets. The developed markets core sales was driven by a 4.3% increase in North America followed by a 2.5% increase in Western Europe. The high-growth markets core sales was adversely impacted by high single digit decreases in China.
Net earnings attributable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2023 totaled approximately $839 million, or $3.40 per diluted common share, compared to approximately $845 million, or $3.43 per diluted common share, for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in net earnings in 2023 as compared to 2022 was driven by higher operating expenses, standalone public company costs and interest expense post separation from Danaher. Refer to “—Results of Operations” for further discussion of the year-over-year changes in net earnings and diluted net earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2023.
For a discussion of the impact of supply chain disruptions, labor availability constraints and increased labor costs on our businesses in 2023, please see “Item 1. Business – Materials.” For a discussion of the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on our businesses in 2022, please see “Item 1. Business – Russia-Ukraine Conflict.”
Outlook
We anticipate our 2024 results will be driven by the following expectations in each of our reportable segments:
•Water Quality: We expect continued year-over-year growth in North America, Western Europe and Latin America, partially offset by weakness in China.
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•Product Quality & Innovation: We expect stabilization in the consumer packaged goods market with modest recovery in the second half of 2024.
The Company has access to capital resources and continues to focus on profitability improvements and leveraging Veralto Enterprise System (“VES”) to manage the anticipated impact of the challenging macroeconomic environment on our business operations.
Our outlook for 2024 reflects our current visibility and expectations based on current market factors. Our ability to meet our expectations are subject to numerous risks, including, but not limited to, those described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” within this annual report.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
Overall, the conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic generally improved in 2023 compared to 2022 (including the announcement on April 10, 2023 that the U.S. public health emergency related to COVID-19 ended) but conditions vary by geography. We continue to assess the impact of any potential disruption on all aspects of our business, as well as our ability to execute our business strategies and objectives.
For additional information on the risks of COVID-19 to the Company’s operations, refer to the section titled “Item 1A. Risk Factors” included in this annual report.
Public Company Expenses
As a result of the separation, the Company is subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Company is now required to have additional procedures and practices as a separate public company. As a result, the Company has incurred and will continue to incur additional personnel and corporate governance costs, such as internal and external audit, investor relations, stock administration and regulatory compliance costs.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
In this report, references to the non-GAAP measures of core sales (also referred to as core revenues or sales/revenues from existing businesses) refer to sales from continuing operations calculated according to GAAP but excluding:
•sales from acquired or divested businesses (as defined below, as applicable); and
•the impact of currency translation.
References to sales or operating profit attributable to acquisitions or acquired businesses refer to sales or operating profit, as applicable, from acquired businesses recorded prior to the first anniversary of the acquisition less any sales and operating profit, during the applicable period, attributable to divested product lines not considered discontinued operations. The portion of revenue attributable to currency translation is calculated as the difference between:
•the period-to-period change in revenue (excluding sales from acquired/divested businesses (as defined above, as applicable)); and
•the period-to-period change in revenue (excluding sales from acquired/divested businesses (as defined above, as applicable)) after applying current period foreign exchange rates to the prior year period.
Core sales growth should be considered in addition to, and not as a replacement for or superior to, sales growth, and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Management believes that reporting these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information to investors by helping identify underlying growth trends in the Company’s business and facilitating comparisons of the Company’s revenue performance with its performance in prior and future periods and to the Company’s peers. Management also uses these non-GAAP financial measures to measure the Company’s operating and financial performance and uses core sales growth as one of the performance measures in the Company’s executive short-term cash incentive program. The Company excludes the effect of currency translation from these measures because currency translation is not under management’s control, is subject to volatility and can obscure underlying business trends, and excludes the effect of acquisitions and divestiture-related items because the nature, size, timing and number of acquisitions and divestitures can vary dramatically from period-to-period and between the Company and its peers and can also obscure underlying business trends and make comparisons of long-term performance difficult.
Throughout this discussion, references to sales growth or decline refer to the impact of both price and unit sales and references to productivity improvements generally refer to improved cost efficiencies resulting from the ongoing application of VES.
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Sales Growth and Core Sales Growth
| 2023 vs. 2022 | 2022 vs. 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales growth GAAP | 3.1 | % | 3.6 | % | |
| Impact of: | |||||
| Acquisitions/divestitures | (0.3) | % | 0.4 | % | |
| Currency exchange rates | (0.2) | % | 4.1 | % | |
| Core sales growth (non-GAAP) | 2.6 | % | 8.1 | % |
2023 Sales Compared to 2022
Total sales increased 3.1% on a year-over-year basis in 2023 primarily as a result of a 2.6% increase in core sales resulting from the factors discussed below by segment. The impact of changes in currency exchange rates and acquisitions remained essentially flat on a year-over-year basis in 2023.
Business Segments
Sales by business segment for the years ended December 31 are as follows ($ in millions):
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Quality | $ | 3,039 | $ | 2,887 | $ | 2,669 | ||||
| Product Quality & Innovation | 1,982 | 1,983 | 2,031 | |||||||
| Total | $ | 5,021 | $ | 4,870 | $ | 4,700 |
Sales and operating profit at the business segment level are discussed in detail below. For information regarding the Company’s sales by geographical region, refer to Note 4 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Cost of Sales and Gross Profit
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 5,021 | $ | 4,870 | $ | 4,700 | ||||
| Cost of sales | (2,120) | (2,110) | (1,987) | |||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 2,901 | $ | 2,760 | $ | 2,713 | ||||
| Gross profit margin | 57.8 | % | 56.7 | % | 57.7 | % |
Cost of sales increased $10 million, or 0.5%, during 2023 as compared with 2022, due primarily to the impact of higher year-over-year labor costs partially offset by lower material costs.
Gross profit margins increased 110 basis points on a year-over-year basis during 2023 as compared to 2022. Gross profit margins were impacted by positive pricing actions discussed below and to a lesser extent lower material costs, partially offset by the impacts from foreign currency exchange rates and higher labor costs.
Operating Expenses
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 5,021 | $ | 4,870 | $ | 4,700 | ||||
| Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses | (1,536) | (1,431) | (1,428) | |||||||
| Research and development (“R&D”) expenses | (225) | (217) | (244) | |||||||
| SG&A as a % of sales | 30.6 | % | 29.4 | % | 30.4 | % | ||||
| R&D as a % of sales | 4.5 | % | 4.5 | % | 5.2 | % |
SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales increased 120 basis points on a year-over-year basis for 2023 compared with 2022. The percentage increase was driven primarily by the increase in the Company’s SG&A expenses exceeding the increase in the Company’s sales, resulting from investments in sales and marketing growth initiatives, intangible asset impairments and
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increased labor costs as well as the costs to operate as a stand-alone company. Intangible asset impairment charges totaling $12 million in 2023, net of $9 million intangible asset impairment charges in 2022 increased SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales.
R&D expenses as a percentage of sales in 2023 was flat compared with 2022. The increase in R&D expense in 2023 was primarily attributable to select projects within the Water Quality segment.
Operating Profit Performance
Operating profit margins were 22.7% for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 22.8% in 2022. The following factors impacted year-over-year operating profit margin comparisons.
2023 vs. 2022 operating profit margin comparisons were unfavorably impacted by:
•The impact of Argentine Peso devaluation on operations within the Product Quality & Innovation segment - 55 basis points
•2023 impairment charge related to customer relationships and a trade name in the Product Quality & Innovation segment, net of 2022 impairment charge related to technology and customer relationships in the Water Quality segment - 20 basis points
•Costs incurred as a result of the separation from Danaher - 15 basis points
2023 vs. 2022 operating profit margin comparisons were favorably impacted by:
•The impact of higher 2023 core sales - 45 basis points
•2022 impairments of accounts receivable and inventory - 20 basis points
•The incremental net accretive effect of businesses acquired in 2022 on the current period - 15 basis points
WATER QUALITY
The Company’s Water Quality segment provides proprietary precision instrumentation, consumables, software, services and advanced water treatment technologies to help measure, analyze and treat the world’s water in municipal, industrial, commercial, residential, research and natural resource applications.
Water Quality Selected Financial Data
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 3,039 | $ | 2,887 | $ | 2,669 | ||||
| Operating profit | 730 | 668 | 584 | |||||||
| Depreciation | 24 | 24 | 27 | |||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 21 | 22 | 27 | |||||||
| Operating profit as a % of sales | 24.0 | % | 23.1 | % | 21.9 | % | ||||
| Depreciation as a % of sales | 0.8 | % | 0.8 | % | 1.0 | % | ||||
| Amortization as a % of sales | 0.7 | % | 0.8 | % | 1.0 | % |
Sales Growth and Core Sales Growth
| 2023 vs. 2022 | 2022 vs. 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales growth GAAP | 5.3 | % | 8.1 | % | |
| Impact of: | |||||
| Acquisitions/divestitures | — | % | — | % | |
| Currency exchange rates | (0.2) | % | 3.5 | % | |
| Core sales growth (non-GAAP) | 5.1 | % | 11.6 | % |
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2023 Sales Compared to 2022
In 2023, total Water Quality segment sales increased 5.3% primarily as a result of increased core sales growth, which refers to the impact of both price and unit sales, driven by the factors discussed below. Additionally, the impact of currency translation increased reported sales 0.2% in 2023. Geographically, the increase in reported sales was driven by North America, which increased 6.5% offset by low-double digit decreases in China.
Core sales in the Water Quality segment increased 5.1% year-over-year compared to the comparable period of 2022. Price increases in the segment contributed 5.4% sales growth during 2023 as compared with 2022.
Geographically, the year-over-year increase in core sales was driven by North America, Western Europe and the high-growth markets, which increased 6.9%, 4.9% and 2.9%, respectively. The high-growth markets core sales increase was impacted by high single digit decreases in China. The increase in core sales was driven primarily by the chemical treatment solutions business and to a lesser extent by the analytical instrumentation business. Year-over-year core sales in the chemical treatment solutions business increased 9.0% as a result of higher core sales across all major served end-markets. Core sales in the analytical instrumentation business increased 3.2% driven primarily by higher core sales in the municipal and industrial end-markets. Core sales in the ultraviolet water disinfection and filtration business increased 4.5% in 2023, driven primarily by the municipal end-market.
Operating Profit Performance
Operating profit margins were 24.0% for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 23.1% in 2022. The following factors impacted year-over-year operating profit margin comparisons:
2023 vs. 2022 operating profit margin comparisons were favorably impacted by:
•Higher 2023 core sales and incremental year-over-year cost savings associated with material costs, net of the impact of product mix and incremental year-over-year costs associated with labor and sales and marketing growth initiatives - 65 basis points
•2022 impairments of accounts receivable and inventory - 30 basis points
2023 vs. 2022 operating profit margin comparisons were unfavorably impacted by:
•Costs incurred as a result of the separation from Danaher - 5 basis points
PRODUCT QUALITY & INNOVATION
The Company’s Product Quality & Innovation segment provides instruments, consumables, software and services for various marking and coding, traceability, printing, packaging design and quality management, packaging converting and color and appearance management applications for consumer packaged goods and industrial products.
Product Quality & Innovation Selected Financial Data
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in millions) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 1,982 | $ | 1,983 | $ | 2,031 | ||||
| Operating profit | 472 | 488 | 496 | |||||||
| Depreciation | 15 | 16 | 17 | |||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 27 | 28 | 35 | |||||||
| Operating profit as a % of sales | 23.8 | % | 24.6 | % | 24.4 | % | ||||
| Depreciation as a % of sales | 0.8 | % | 0.8 | % | 0.8 | % | ||||
| Amortization as a % of sales | 1.4 | % | 1.4 | % | 1.7 | % |
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Sales Growth (Decline) and Core Sales Growth (Decline)
| 2023 vs. 2022 | 2022 vs. 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales growth (decline) GAAP | — | % | (2.4) | % | |
| Impact of: | |||||
| Acquisitions/divestitures | (0.7) | % | 1.0 | % | |
| Currency exchange rates | (0.3) | % | 5.0 | % | |
| Core sales (decline) growth (non-GAAP) | (1.0) | % | 3.6 | % |
2023 Sales Compared to 2022
In 2023, total Product Quality & Innovation segment sales were flat, as a decline in core sales was offset by the impact of currency translation and acquisitions, which increased reported sales by 0.7% and 0.3%, respectively. Geographically, reported sales increased by 4.5% in Western Europe and 6.8% in Latin America offset by decreases across the majority of other geographies.
Core sales in the Product Quality & Innovation segment decreased 1.0% year-over-year. Price increases in the segment contributed 2.0% sales growth during 2023 as compared with 2022.
Geographically, the year-over-year decrease in core sales was driven by North America and the high-growth markets, which decreased 1.9% and 1.0%. The decrease in the high growth markets was driven by high single digit decreases in China partially offset by mid single digit increases in Latin America. Additionally, core sales in Western Europe grew 0.3% year-over-year. The year-over-year decrease in core sales was 0.9% in the marking and coding business and 1.2% in the packaging and color solutions products and services business.
Operating Profit Performance
Operating profit margins were 23.8% for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 24.6% in 2022. The following factors impacted year-over-year operating profit margin comparisons.
2023 vs. 2022 operating profit margin comparisons were unfavorably impacted by:
•The impact of Argentine Peso devaluation on operations - 145 basis points
•2023 impairment charge related to customer relationships and a trade name - 60 basis points
•Costs incurred as a result of the separation from Danaher - 5 basis points
2023 vs. 2022 operating profit margin comparisons were favorably impacted by:
•Savings from restructuring actions, lower material costs net of lower 2023 core sales - 90 basis points
•The incremental net accretive effect of businesses acquired in 2022 on the current period - 35 basis points
•2022 impairments of accounts receivable and inventory in Russia - 5 basis points
NONOPERATING INCOME (EXPENSE)
During 2023, the Company recorded an impairment of $15 million related to an equity method investment, which is reflected in nonoperating income (expense). Refer to Note 7 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
INTEREST COSTS
Interest expense was $30 million for 2023 as compared to $0 million in 2022, due to the Separation and the Company incurring debt for the first time in 2023.
For a further description of the Company’s debt as of December 31, 2023, refer to Note 12 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
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INCOME TAXES
General
Income tax expense and deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect management’s assessment of future taxes expected to be paid on items reflected in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company records the tax effect of discrete items and items that are reported net of their tax effects in the period in which they occur.
The Company’s effective tax rate can be impacted by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with different statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, accruals related to contingent tax liabilities and period-to-period changes in such accruals, the results of audits and examinations of previously filed tax returns (as discussed below), the expiration of statutes of limitations, the implementation of tax planning strategies, tax rulings, court decisions, and changes in tax laws and regulations, and legislative policy changes (for example, any changes that may result from the OECD’s initiative on Base Erosion, Profit Shifting and Pillar 2). For a description of the tax treatment of earnings that are planned to be reinvested indefinitely outside the United States, refer to “Liquidity and Capital Resources” below.
The following table summarizes the Company’s effective tax rate:
| Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||
| Effective tax rate | 23.4 | % | 24.1 | % | 17.8 | % |
The Company’s effective tax rate for 2023 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to the Company’s earnings outside the United States that are taxed at rates different than the U.S. federal statutory rate, and state taxes, partially offset by net discrete tax benefits of $12 million. The net discrete tax benefits related primarily to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation.
The Company’s effective tax rate for 2022 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to the Company’s earnings outside the United States that are taxed at rates different than the U.S. federal statutory rate, and state taxes, partially offset by net discrete tax benefits of $4 million. The net discrete tax benefits related primarily to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation, partially offset by changes in estimates associated with prior period uncertain tax positions and audit settlements.
The Company’s effective tax rate for 2021 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% due principally to net discrete tax benefits of $65 million primarily related to the release of reserves for uncertain tax positions from the expiration of statutes of limitation and audit settlements and excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation, partially offset by changes in estimates associated with prior period uncertain tax positions. The impact of the net discrete tax benefits were partially offset by the Company’s earnings outside the United States that are taxed at rates different than the U.S. federal statutory rate, state taxes and changes in estimates associated with prior period uncertain tax positions.
The Company conducts business globally, and the Former Parent filed numerous consolidated and separate income tax returns in the U.S. federal and state and non-U.S. jurisdictions. The non-U.S. countries in which the Company has a significant presence include Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Excluding these non-U.S. jurisdictions, the Company believes that a change in the statutory tax rate of any individual non-U.S. country would not have a material effect on the Company’s Combined Financial Statements given the geographic dispersion of the Company’s income.
The Company is routinely examined by various domestic and international taxing authorities. In connection with the Separation, the Company entered into certain agreements with Danaher, including a tax matters agreement. The tax matters agreement distinguishes between the treatment of tax matters for “Joint” filings compared to “Separate” filings prior to the Separation. “Joint” filings involve legal entities, such as those in the United States, that include operations from both Danaher and the Company. By contrast, “Separate” filings involve certain entities (primarily outside of the United States) that exclusively include either Danaher’s or the Company’s operations, respectively. In accordance with the tax matters agreement, Danaher is liable for and has indemnified the Company against all income tax liabilities involving “Joint” filings for periods prior to the Separation. The Company remains liable for certain pre-Separation income tax liabilities including those related to the Company’s “Separate” filings.
The amount of income taxes the Company pays is subject to ongoing audits by federal, state and foreign tax authorities, which often result in proposed assessments. Management performs a comprehensive review of its global tax positions on a quarterly basis. Based on these reviews, the results of discussions and resolutions of matters with certain tax authorities, tax rulings and court decisions and the expiration of statutes of limitations, reserves for contingent tax liabilities are accrued or adjusted, as necessary. For a discussion of risks related to these and other tax matters, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors”.
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COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Comprehensive income increased by $61 million in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily driven by gains from foreign currency translation adjustments offset by unrealized losses on a net investment hedge. The Company recorded a foreign currency translation gain of $29 million in 2023 primarily driven by the weakening of the U.S. dollar against most major currencies in the period compared to a loss of $100 million in 2022 primarily driven by the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro, Canadian dollar and the British pound in 2022. The Company recorded a pension and postretirement plan benefit loss of $15 million in 2023 compared to a gain of $33 million in 2022. The Company recorded losses from net investment hedge adjustments related to the Company’s long-term debt in 2023 of $14 million.
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND RISK MANAGEMENT
The Company is exposed to market risk from changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, equity prices and commodity prices as well as credit risk, each of which could impact its Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company generally addresses its exposure to these risks through its normal operating and financing activities. The Company may also use derivative financial instruments to manage foreign exchange risks and interest rate risks. In addition, the Company’s broad-based business activities help to reduce the impact that volatility in any particular area or related areas may have on its financial statements as a whole.
Interest Rate Risk
The Company manages interest cost using a mixture of fixed-rate and at times variable-rate debt. A change in interest rates on fixed-rate debt impacts the fair value of the debt but not the Company’s earnings or cash flow because the interest on such debt is fixed. Generally, the fair market value of fixed-rate debt will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. As of December 31, 2023, an increase of 100 basis points in interest rates would have decreased the fair value of the Company’s fixed-rate long-term debt by approximately $149 million.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk
The Company faces transactional exchange rate risk from transactions with customers in countries outside the United States and from intercompany transactions between affiliates. Transactional exchange rate risk arises from the purchase and sale of goods and services in currencies other than the Company’s functional currency or the functional currency of its applicable subsidiary. The Company also faces translational exchange rate risk related to the translation of financial statements of its foreign operations into U.S. dollars, the Company’s functional currency. Costs incurred and sales recorded by subsidiaries operating outside of the United States are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates effective during the respective period. As a result, the Company is exposed to movements in the exchange rates of various currencies against the U.S. dollar. In particular, the Company has more sales in European currencies than it has expenses in those currencies. Therefore, when European currencies strengthen or weaken against the U.S. dollar, operating profits are increased or decreased, respectively. The effect of a change in currency exchange rates on the Company’s net investment in non-U.S. subsidiaries is reflected in the accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) component of equity.
Currency exchange rates positively impacted 2023 reported sales on a year-over-year basis primarily due to the weakening of the U.S. dollar against most major currencies during 2023. Strengthening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies compared to the exchange rates in effect as of December 31, 2023 would adversely impact the Company’s sales and results of operations on an overall basis. Any further weakening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies compared to the exchange rates in effect as of December 31, 2023 would positively impact the Company’s sales and results of operations.
The Company has generally accepted the exposure to exchange rate movements without using derivative financial instruments to manage this transactional exchange risk, although the Company has used foreign currency-denominated debt to hedge a portion of its net investments in non-U.S. operations against adverse movements in exchange rates. Both positive and negative movements in currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar will continue to affect the reported amount of sales and net earnings in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. In addition, the Company has assets and liabilities held in foreign currencies. A 10% depreciation in major currencies relative to the U.S. dollar as of December 31, 2023 would have reduced foreign currency-denominated net assets and equity by approximately $171 million. Refer to Note 13 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for information regarding the Company’s hedging of a portion of its net investment in non-U.S. operations.
Commodity Price Risk
For a discussion of risks relating to commodity prices, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
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Credit Risk
The Company is exposed to potential credit losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to its financial instruments. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk consist of cash and temporary investments, receivables from customers. The Company places cash and temporary investments with various high-quality financial institutions throughout the world and exposure is limited at any one institution. Although the Company typically does not obtain collateral or other security to secure these obligations, it does regularly monitor the third-party depository institutions that hold its cash and cash equivalents. The Company’s emphasis is primarily on safety and liquidity of principal and secondarily on maximizing yield on those funds.
In addition, concentrations of credit risk arising from receivables from customers are limited due to the diversity of the Company’s customers. The Company’s businesses perform credit evaluations of their customers’ financial conditions as deemed appropriate and also obtain collateral or other security when deemed appropriate.
The Company enters into derivative transactions infrequently and typically with high-quality financial institutions, so that exposure at any one institution is limited.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Before the Separation, the Company was dependent upon Danaher for all of its working capital and financing requirements under Danaher’s centralized approach to cash management and financing of operations of its subsidiaries. Because the Company was part of Danaher during the nine-month period ended September 29, 2023, only cash, cash equivalents and borrowings clearly associated with Veralto and related to the Separation, including the financing transactions described below, were included in the Combined Financial Statements. Other financial transactions relating to the business operations of the Company during the period were accounted for through the Net Former Parent investment account of the Company.
As a result of the Separation, the Company no longer participates in Danaher’s cash management and financing operations. Management assesses the Company’s liquidity in terms of its ability to generate cash to fund its operating and investing activities. The Company continues to generate substantial cash from operating activities and believes that its operating cash flow and other sources of liquidity will be sufficient to allow it to continue to invest in existing businesses, consummate strategic acquisitions, make interest payments on its outstanding indebtedness, and manage its capital structure on a short and long-term basis.
During 2023, the Company completed the following financing transactions:
•Issued approximately $2.1 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes in three series with maturity dates ranging from 2026 through 2033 (collectively, the “U.S. Dollar Notes”). Additionally, the Company issued €500 million principal amount of senior unsecured notes with a maturity date of 2031.
•Entered into a credit agreement providing for a five-year unsecured revolving credit facility in an aggregate committed amount of $1.5 billion (the “Credit Facility”). There were no outstanding amounts under the Credit Facility as of December 31, 2023. The Credit Facility includes an alternative currency sublimit up to an amount equal to 90% of the aggregate commitments and a $100 million swingline sublimit and provides for the issuance of swing loans. This facility provides backing for our commercial paper program, and outstanding commercial paper directly reduces borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility. There were no amounts outstanding under our commercial paper program as of December 31, 2023.
These financing activities yielded net proceeds of approximately $2.6 billion, of which approximately $2.6 billion was paid to Danaher in September 2023 as consideration for the contribution of assets to Veralto by Danaher in connection with the Separation. Refer to Note 12 of the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for more information related to the Company’s long-term indebtedness.
In connection with the issuance of the U.S. Dollar Notes, we entered into a registration rights agreement, pursuant to which we are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC, and cause to be declared effective, a registration statement with respect to an offer to exchange each series of Notes for registered notes with terms that are substantially identical to the Notes of such series. Alternatively, if the exchange offers are not available or cannot be completed, we would be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to file, and cause to be declared effective, a shelf registration statement to cover resales of the Notes under the Securities Act. If we do not comply with these obligations, we will be required to pay additional interest on the Notes. We expect to file the required registration statement during the second half of 2024.
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Overview of Cash Flows and Liquidity
Following is an overview of the Company’s cash flows and liquidity for the years ended December 31:
| ($ in millions) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total operating cash flows | $ | 963 | $ | 870 | $ | 896 | ||||
| Cash paid for acquisitions | $ | — | $ | (55) | $ | (60) | ||||
| Payments for additions to property, plant and equipment | (54) | (34) | (54) | |||||||
| Proceeds from sales of property, plant and equipment | 2 | — | — | |||||||
| Proceeds from sale of product lines | — | — | 26 | |||||||
| All other investing activities | (3) | — | (9) | |||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (55) | $ | (89) | $ | (97) | ||||
| Proceeds from the issuance of common stock in connection with stock-based compensation | $ | 4 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
| Net transfers to Former Parent | (147) | (781) | (800) | |||||||
| Consideration paid to Former Parent in connection with Separation | (2,600) | — | — | |||||||
| Proceeds from borrowings | 2,608 | — | — | |||||||
| All other financing activities | — | — | 1 | |||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (135) | $ | (781) | $ | (799) |
•Operating cash flows from continuing operations increased $93 million, or 11%, during 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to significant decreases in cash used for working capital, the impact of deferred income taxes, net of lower net earnings, year-over-year increases in cash outflows related to prepaid expenses and other assets and accrued expenses and other liabilities.
•Net cash used in investing activities consisted primarily of capital expenditures and cash paid for acquisitions and investments, net of proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment, and decreased primarily as a result of lower cash paid for acquisitions in 2023 compared to 2022. Refer to Notes 2 and 10 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements included in this Annual Report for a discussion of the Company’s acquisitions and investments.
•Net cash used in financing activities consisted primarily of proceeds raised from borrowings, of which $2.6 billion was paid to Former Parent in connection with the Separation, and transfers of cash to Former Parent prior to the Separation. Net cash used in financing activities decreased $646 million from 2023 to 2022 primarily as a result of transfers to Former Parent significantly decreasing compared to the prior period.
Dividends
The Company’s board of directors authorized a quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share of Company common stock totaling $22 million that was paid on January 31, 2024 to holders of record on December 29, 2023. There were no dividends paid during 2023.
Cash and Cash Requirements
As of December 31, 2023, the Company held $762 million of cash and cash equivalents that were on deposit with financial institutions or invested in highly liquid investment-grade debt instruments with a maturity of 90 days or less with an approximate weighted average annual interest rate of 4.91%. Of the cash and cash equivalents, approximately $217 million was held within the United States and approximately $545 million was held outside of the United States. The Company will continue to have cash requirements to support general corporate purposes, which may include working capital needs, capital expenditures, acquisitions and investments, paying interest and servicing debt, paying taxes and any related interest or penalties, funding its restructuring activities and pension plans as required, paying dividends to shareholders, repurchasing shares of the Company’s common stock and supporting other business needs.
The Company generally intends to use available cash and internally generated funds to meet these cash requirements, but in the event that additional liquidity is required, the Company may also borrow under its commercial paper programs (if available) or borrow under the Company’s Credit Facility, enter into new credit facilities and either borrow directly thereunder or use such credit facilities to backstop additional borrowing capacity under its commercial paper programs (if available) and/or access the
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capital markets. The Company also may from time to time seek to access the capital markets to take advantage of favorable interest rate environments or other market conditions.
Repatriation of some cash held outside the United States may be restricted by local laws. Following enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the associated Transition Tax, in general, repatriation of cash to the United States can be completed with no material incremental U.S. tax; however, repatriation of cash could subject the Company to non-U.S. taxes on distributions. The cash that the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries hold for indefinite reinvestment is generally used to finance foreign operations and investments, including acquisitions. The income taxes, if any, applicable to such earnings including basis differences in our foreign subsidiaries are not readily determinable. As of December 31, 2023, management believes that it has sufficient sources of liquidity to satisfy its cash needs, including its cash needs in the United States.
During 2023, the Company contributed $5 million to its defined benefit pension plans. During 2024, the Company’s cash contribution requirements for its defined benefit pension plans are forecasted to be approximately $6 million. The ultimate amounts to be contributed depend upon, among other things, legal requirements, underlying asset returns, the plan’s funded status, the anticipated tax deductibility of the contribution, local practices, market conditions, interest rates and other factors.
Contractual and Other Obligations
For a description of the Company’s debt and lease obligations, commitments, and litigation and contingencies, refer to Notes 8, 12, 15 and 16 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Legal Proceedings
Refer to Note 16 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for information regarding legal proceedings and contingencies, and for a discussion of risks related to legal proceedings and contingencies, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
The Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require it to indemnify to the full extent authorized or permitted by law any person made, or threatened to be made a party to any action or proceeding by reason of his or her service as a director or officer of the Company, or by reason of serving at the request of the Company as a director or officer of any other entity, subject to limited exceptions. The Company’s amended and restated by-laws will provide for similar indemnification rights. While the Company will maintain insurance for this type of liability, a significant deductible will apply to this coverage and any such liability could exceed the amount of the insurance coverage.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
Management’s discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations is based upon the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company bases these estimates and judgments on historical experience, the current economic environment and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates and judgments.
The Company believes the following accounting estimates are most critical to an understanding of its financial statements. Estimates are considered to be critical if they meet both of the following criteria: (1) the estimate requires assumptions about material matters that are uncertain at the time the estimate is made, and (2) material changes in the estimate are reasonably likely from period-to-period. For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting estimates, refer to Note 1 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Acquired Intangibles—The Company’s business acquisitions typically result in the recognition of goodwill, customer relationships, developed technology and other intangible assets, which affect the amount of future period amortization expense and possible impairment charges that the Company may incur. The fair values of acquired intangibles are determined using information available near the acquisition date based on estimates and assumptions that are deemed reasonable by the Company. Significant assumptions include the discount rates and certain assumptions that form the basis of the forecasted results of the acquired business including earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”), revenue, revenue growth rates, royalty rates and technology obsolescence rates. These assumptions are forward looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions. The Company engages third-party valuation specialists who review the Company’s critical assumptions and calculations of the fair value of acquired intangible assets in connection with significant acquisitions. Refer to Notes 1, 2 and 9 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for a description of the Company’s policies relating to goodwill, acquired intangibles and acquisitions.
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In performing its goodwill impairment testing, the Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units primarily using a market-based approach which relies on current trading multiples of forecasted EBITDA for peer companies and recent transactions for comparable companies operating in businesses similar to each of the Company’s reporting units to calculate an estimated fair value of each reporting unit. In evaluating the estimates derived by the market-based approach, management makes judgments about the relevance and reliability of the multiples by considering factors unique to its reporting units, including operating results, business plans, economic projections, anticipated future cash flows, as well as judgments about recent market sale transactions of comparable companies and the comparability of selected peer companies. There are inherent uncertainties related to these assumptions and management’s judgment in applying them to the analysis of goodwill impairment.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had three reporting units for goodwill impairment testing. Reporting units resulting from recent acquisitions generally present the highest risk of impairment. Management believes the impairment risk associated with these reporting units generally decreases as these businesses are integrated into the Company and better positioned for potential future earnings growth. The Company’s annual goodwill impairment analysis and the analysis after the change in the Company’s reporting units in 2023 indicated that in all instances, the fair values of the Company’s reporting units exceeded their carrying values and consequently did not result in an impairment charge. The excess of the estimated fair value over carrying value (expressed as a percentage of carrying value for the respective reporting unit) for each of the Company’s reporting units as of the annual testing date ranged from approximately 150% to approximately 750%. To evaluate the sensitivity of the fair value calculations used in the goodwill impairment test, the Company applied a hypothetical 10% decrease to the fair values of each reporting unit and compared those hypothetical values to the reporting unit carrying values. Based on this hypothetical 10% decrease, the excess of the estimated fair value over carrying value (expressed as a percentage of carrying value for the respective reporting unit) for each of the Company’s reporting units ranged from approximately 125% to approximately 670%.
The Company reviews identified intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the related carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Determining whether an impairment loss occurred for finite-lived intangibles requires a comparison of the carrying amount to the sum of undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. These analyses require management to make judgments and estimates about future revenues, expenses, market conditions and discount rates related to these assets. Indefinite-lived intangibles are subject to impairment testing at least annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that potential impairment exists. Determining whether an impairment loss occurred for indefinite-lived intangible assets involves calculating the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets and comparing the fair value to their carrying value. If the fair value is less than the carrying value, the difference is recorded as an impairment loss. Refer to Note 9 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for a description of intangible assets impairment charges recorded during 2023.
If actual results are not consistent with management’s estimates and assumptions, goodwill and other intangible assets may be overstated and a charge would need to be taken against net earnings which would adversely affect the Company’s financial statements. Historically, the Company’s estimates of goodwill and intangible assets have been materially correct.
Contingent Liabilities—As discussed in “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” and Note 16 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements, the Company is, from time to time, subject to a variety of litigation and similar contingent liabilities incidental to its business (or the business operations of previously owned entities). The Company recognizes a liability for any legal contingency or contract settlement expense that is known or probable of occurrence and reasonably estimable. These assessments require judgments concerning matters such as litigation developments and outcomes, the anticipated outcome of negotiations, the number of future claims, the cost of both pending and future claims and the value of the elements in the outcome. In addition, because most contingencies are resolved over long periods of time, liabilities may change in the future due to various factors, including those discussed in Note 16 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. If the reserves established by the Company with respect to these contingent liabilities are inadequate, the Company would be required to incur an expense equal to the amount of the loss incurred in excess of the reserves, which would adversely affect the Company’s financial statements.
Income Taxes—For a description of the Company’s income tax accounting policies, refer to Notes 1 and 6 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company establishes valuation allowances for its deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. This requires management to make judgments and estimates regarding: (1) the timing and amount of the reversal of taxable temporary differences, (2) expected future taxable income and (3) the impact of tax planning strategies. Future changes to tax rates would also impact the amounts of deferred tax assets and liabilities and could have an adverse impact on the Company’s financial statements.
The Company provides for unrecognized tax benefits when, based upon the technical merits, it is “more likely than not” that an uncertain tax position will not be sustained upon examination. Judgment is required in evaluating tax positions and determining
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income tax provisions. The Company re-evaluates the technical merits of its tax positions and may recognize an uncertain tax benefit in certain circumstances, including when: (1) a tax audit is completed; (2) applicable tax laws change, including a tax case ruling or legislative guidance; or (3) the applicable statute of limitations expires.
In addition, certain of the Company’s tax returns are currently under review by tax authorities (refer to “—Results of Operations—Income Taxes” and Note 6 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements). Management believes the positions taken in these returns are in accordance with the relevant tax laws. However, the outcome of these audits is uncertain and could result in the Company being required to record charges for prior year tax obligations which could have a material adverse impact to the Company’s financial statements, including its effective tax rate.
Corporate Allocations—Prior to the Separation, we operated as part of Danaher and not as a separate, publicly traded company. Accordingly, certain shared costs have been allocated to us and are reflected as expenses in the accompanying Combined Financial Statements. We consider the allocation methodologies used to be reasonable and appropriate reflections of the related expenses attributable to us for purposes of the carve-out financial statements; however, the expenses reflected in these financial statements may not be indicative of the actual expenses that would have been incurred during the periods presented if we had operated as a separate stand-alone entity. In addition, the expenses reflected in the financial statements may not be indicative of expenses that will be incurred in the future by us. Refer to Note 18 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for a description of our corporate allocations and related-party transactions.
NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
For a discussion of the new accounting standards impacting the Company, refer to Note 1 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.