PPGMaterialsSpecialty Chemicals / Coatings·Sep 3, 2026·5 min read

[PPG] PPG Industries Thesis 2026: Aerospace Sets Record While Cost Program Protects Margins

PPG Industries FY25 revenue $15.88B (+0%); op income $2.17B (-5%); NI $1.58B (+41%); EPS $6.92; Adj EPS $7.58. FY +2% organic. Q4 +5% net sales / +3% organic. Aerospace at record levels Q4. Protective & marine: 11 consecutive quarters of volume growth. Packaging double-digit organic. Architectural Coatings Q4 +8% / +2% organic. Industrial +3% / +5% organic volume Q4. Operating cash flow $1.9B (+$500M YoY); $1.4B returned to shareholders. FY26 guide: organic flat to LSD positive; EPS flat to LSD H1 / HSD H2; $50M cost reduction; $100M industrial coatings share gains.

PPG Industries 2025-26: Adj EPS $7.58, Aerospace Record, $50M Costs

FY25 revenue $15.88B (+0%, +2% organic); op income $2.17B (-5%); NI $1.58B (+41%); EPS $6.92. Adj EPS $7.58. Q4 +5% net sales / +3% organic. Aerospace + Protective & Marine + Packaging double-digit organic. Architectural Coatings +8% Q4 (+2% organic). Industrial +5% Q4 organic. Cash from ops $1.9B (+$500M YoY). $1.4B returned. FY26: organic flat to LSD; EPS flat to LSD H1 / HSD H2; $50M cost reduction.

Key takeaways

  • Aerospace + Marine + Packaging double-digit growth. Q4 aerospace at record levels; protective & marine 11 consecutive quarters of volume growth; packaging double-digit organic. The structural growth engines compounding.
  • Architectural Coatings Q4 +8% net sales / +2% organic. Latin America driving (Mexico high single-digit organic). EMEA + N America strong. EBITDA margin +nearly 100bp Q4. Margin recovery underway.
  • Cash from ops $1.9B (+$500M YoY). $1.4B returned to shareholders ($790M buyback + $628M dividends). Operating cash flow inflection. $2.2B cash + $5.1B net debt year-end.
  • Capex moderating; $780M FY25; pacing back to historical levels by 2027. Heavy capex cycle complete; FY26+ moderating. Operating leverage tailwind.
  • FY26 organic sales flat to LSD; EPS flat to LSD H1 / HSD H2. $50M additional cost reduction FY26; $100M industrial coatings share gains. Conservative H1 / accelerating H2.

Business

PPG Industries is the global #1 paints + coatings + specialty materials company. Three reportable segments:

  • Industrial Coatings (~40% of revenue). Automotive OEM + packaging + general industrial. Q4 +3% net sales / +5% organic volume. Auto OEM +6%; packaging double-digit organic. Q4 EBITDA +6%, margin +30bp. FY26 expecting share gains $100M.
  • Performance Coatings (~33%). Aerospace + automotive refinish + protective & marine + traffic solutions. Q4 +5% / aerospace double-digit + protective & marine 11 consecutive quarters of volume growth. Refinish HSD organic decrease (distributor order patterns).
  • Global Architectural Coatings (~27%). Q4 +8% net sales / +2% organic. Latin America HSD organic growth. EMEA + Eastern Europe strong. EBITDA margin +100bp Q4.

Strategic moves FY25:

  • $790M buyback executed ($150M+ Q3)
  • 4% dividend increase
  • $50M operational excellence cost reduction (FY26)
  • $100M industrial coatings share gains target FY26
  • Aerospace Q4 record
  • Protective & marine 11 consecutive quarters volume growth

FY25 financial performance

Metric (FY)2022202320242025
Revenue ($B)15.6116.2415.8515.88
Revenue YoYn/a+4%-2%0%
Op income ($B)1.672.042.292.17
Op margin10.7%12.5%14.4%13.7%
Net income ($B)1.031.271.121.58
Diluted EPS ($)4.325.354.756.92
Adj EPS ($)n/an/a~$7.657.58
FCF ($B)0.481.900.701.16
Capex ($M)-486-516-721-778
Total debt ($B)7.646.606.407.45
Dividends ($M)-570-598-622-628
Buyback ($M)-190-86-752-790

The earnings progression: revenue flat YoY (FY24-25); op margin moderated to 13.7%; EPS $6.92 GAAP / adj EPS $7.58. Cash from operations $1.9B (+$500M YoY) the cleanest cash flow signal. Total debt $7.45B (+16% YoY) reflects buyback + capex.

Capital allocation

  • Capex: $-778M FY25 (5% of revenue). Pacing back to historical levels by 2027.
  • Dividends: $-628M FY25 (+1% YoY); 4% Q2 increase.
  • Buybacks: $-790M FY25 (+5%).
  • M&A: Selective.
  • Debt: $7.45B (+16% YoY).
  • Cash: $2.2B year-end.
  • Net debt: $5.1B.
  • FCF: $1.16B (+66%).

FY26 outlook (per Q4 2025 call, 2026-01-28)

FY26 frameworkDetail
Organic sales growthFlat to LSD (positive)
EPS H1Flat to LSD
EPS H2HSD
PricingPositive in Performance + Architectural; flat in Industrial
Volume growthAerospace + PMC + Packaging; modest Architectural / Auto OEM
Cost reduction$50M additional
CapexModerating

The FY26 H1/H2 acceleration reflects volume recovery + cost benefits coming through.

Key risks

  • Macroeconomic uncertainties. End markets mixed; Industrial demand softness in some regions.
  • Refinish destocking. Affecting margins H1 FY26 due to distributor order patterns.
  • Raw material costs. Tariffs affecting epoxy, specialty pigments, metal packaging. Raw material basket favorable overall.
  • Tariff uncertainties. Industrial demand + customer confidence in some regions.
  • Architectural Coatings cyclicality. Latin America growing but Europe + North America weather-dependent.
  • Refinish market normalization. Q3 noted taking longer than expected.

Bottom line

PPG FY25 is the diversified paints + coatings cycle compounding year: revenue flat / +2% organic, adj EPS $7.58, aerospace record, protective & marine 11 consecutive quarters of growth, packaging double-digit, architectural margin recovery. FY26 guide of flat-to-LSD organic + flat-to-LSD EPS H1 / HSD H2 + $50M cost reduction reflects continued execution. Risks are macro / refinish destocking / tariffs / architectural cyclicality. Quality global paints + coatings compounder mid-cycle.

Citations

  • PPG Industries, Inc. FY25 Form 10-K (filed February 2026, SEC EDGAR).
  • PPG Q4 2025 earnings call, 2026-01-28 — FY revenue $15.9B / +2% organic; adj EPS $7.58; aerospace record; cash from ops $1.9B (+$500M); $1.4B returned; FY26 guide (flat-to-LSD organic, EPS flat-to-LSD H1 / HSD H2, $50M cost reduction).
  • PPG Q3 2025 earnings call, 2025-10-29 — record Q3 EPS; FY guide $7.60-$7.70.
  • PPG Q2 2025 earnings call, 2025-07-30 — record Performance Coatings; FY guide reiterated $7.75-$8.05; +6% organic Performance Coatings.
  • PPG Q1 2025 earnings call, 2025-04-30 — Q1 adj EPS $1.72; FY guide $7.75-$8.05.
  • Internal financial_statements view (consolidated annual + cash flow + capital structure).
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