Solventum’s first quarter results were driven by improvements in commercial execution and new product launches, particularly in the MedSurg and Dental Solutions businesses. CEO Bryan Hanson credited dedicated commercial teams and strong demand for products like the V.A.C Peel and Place dressing for volume growth, stating, “This makes it now 4 consecutive quarters of positive growth and sequential improvement.” Management also pointed to a reversal of multi-year volume declines as evidence that foundational changes in talent and strategy are gaining traction.
Is now the time to buy SOLV? Find out in our full research report (it’s free).
Solventum (SOLV) Q1 CY2025 Highlights:
- Revenue: $2.07 billion vs analyst estimates of $2.01 billion (2.7% year-on-year growth, 2.7% beat)
- Adjusted EPS: $1.34 vs analyst estimates of $1.22 (9.7% beat)
- Adjusted EBITDA: $453.5 million vs analyst estimates of $483 million (21.9% margin, 6.1% miss)
- Management reiterated its full-year Adjusted EPS guidance of $5.55 at the midpoint
- Operating Margin: 7.3%, down from 18.9% in the same quarter last year
- Organic Revenue rose 4.3% year on year (0.9% in the same quarter last year)
- Market Capitalization: $13.06 billion
While we enjoy listening to the management's commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions.
Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated.
Here is what has caught our attention.
Our Top 5 Analyst Questions Solventum’s Q1 Earnings Call
- Patrick Wood (Morgan Stanley) asked how confident management was in the 2.5% underlying growth figure, given potential order timing effects. CFO Wayde McMillan explained their analytics support the estimate and emphasized a broad-based improvement across segments.
- Frederick Wise (Stifel) questioned how tariffs and order timing would affect quarterly growth cadence. CEO Bryan Hanson clarified that tariffs mainly impact margins, not revenue, and order timing benefits would unwind in Q2 and Q3.
- Jason Bednar (Piper Sandler) probed whether Q2 had seen further order pull-forward or normalization. McMillan indicated that trends were in line with expectations and most normalization should occur in Q3.
- David Roman (Goldman Sachs) asked about specific drivers behind MedSurg and Advanced Wound Care growth. Hanson highlighted the role of commercial execution, leadership changes, and new products like Tegaderm CHG and eBowie-Dick.
- Travis Steed (Bank of America) sought clarification on tariff mitigation, particularly the breakdown between FX, operational responses, and pricing. McMillan said all mitigation levers were in play, including sourcing, exemptions, and selective pricing adjustments.
Catalysts in Upcoming Quarters
In the coming quarters, the StockStory team will be watching (1) the pace at which new products in MedSurg and Dental continue to gain traction, (2) how effectively Solventum manages the impact of tariffs on margins through mitigation strategies, and (3) progress on the planned divestiture of the Purification & Filtration segment. Execution on separation milestones and commercial momentum will also be key markers of success.
Solventum currently trades at $75.46, up from $66.74 just before the earnings. In the wake of this quarter, is it a buy or sell? Find out in our full research report (it’s free).
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