Latest news with #WD-40Company
Business Wire
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
The WD-40 ® Brand Repair Challenge Returns
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WD-40 ® Brand is launching the 2025 Repair Challenge, an annual opportunity for DIYers and skilled professionals to showcase their creativity, craftsmanship and the power of a great repair, with one standout fix earning a $5,000 grand prize. Through July 14, participants can enter the contest by submitting a photo or video of their repair project – whether it's tools, equipment, or other items – for a chance to win cash, gift cards or a WD-40 Brand Carhartt® tool bag. 'In a world where we often choose to buy new rather than repair what we already have, this challenge celebrates the doers who roll up their sleeves repairing, restoring and renovating. They inspire others to reuse, reinvent and be part of a more responsible way to get the Job Done Right ®, all while getting the chance to be rewarded for their hard work and ingenuity,' said Erin Bala, vice president of U.S. marketing and Americas innovation at WD-40 Company. The grand prize winner will be awarded $5,000, with second place winner receiving $3,500 and third place winner receiving $2,000. Participants will also have the chance to win a $100 Lowe's® gift card through weekly sweepstakes. Additional prizes will be awarded to: Four fourth-place winners: $500 Lowe's gift card. Three fifth-place winners: $250 Lowe's gift card. Thirteen sixth-place winners: Exclusive WD-40 Brand Carhartt tool bags. The contest is open to U.S. residents from April 29 to July 14. Entries can be submitted at No purchase necessary. About WD-40 ® Brand WD-40 Brand offers more than 30 innovative, quality products to get the Job Done Right ®. The same spirit of innovation for solving the toughest challenges, which led to the creation of the original WD-40 Multi-Use Product, also drove the brand to grow its family of offerings to include the WD-40 Specialist ® line – best-in-class products that deliver superior performance for industry professionals. WD-40 Specialist products provide specialized, heavy-duty solutions in factories, facilities, automotive garages, and on farms around the world. The line consists of lubricants, penetrants, greases, cleaners and degreasers, and rust-management solutions scientifically designed for the world's toughest jobs. For additional information about WD-40 Brand products, please visit Carhartt® is a registered trademark of Carhartt, Inc. Lowe's® is a registered trademark of Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WD-40 Company (WDFC): One of the Overlooked Dividend Stocks to Buy Now
We recently published a list of the 10 Overlooked Dividend Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) stands against other overlooked dividend stocks. In recent times, dividend investing—also known as equity income—has fallen out of favor. Once a widely followed and dependable strategy, it has gradually been overshadowed. The strong capital gains delivered by growth stocks appear to have shifted investors' attention away from the more stable and consistent returns that come with dividend-paying stocks. However, the recent market downturn, combined with the economic impact of Trump's trade policies, has brought renewed attention and appeal to these types of stocks. The S&P Dividend Aristocrats Index, which tracks the performance of companies with at least 25 consecutive years of dividend growth, has fallen by a little over 2% since the start of 2025, compared with a 6% fall in the broader market. Dividend stocks have seen mixed results over different economic cycles—performing well in some downturns and falling behind in others. They generally outpaced the broader market during the recessions starting in July 1981, March 2001, and December 2007. However, their performance lagged during the shorter recessions in 1980 and 2020. This was mainly due to dividend cuts from major firms, along with limited exposure to fast-growing tech names. For context, the steepest drop in dividends came during the 2008–09 financial crisis, when S&P dividend payouts declined by 24%, though investors still received 76% of their income. That said, while the possibility of dividend reductions is a valid concern and a potential drawback of this strategy, it shouldn't be a reason to overlook dividend stocks altogether. When incorporated thoughtfully, they can still play a valuable role in a well-rounded investment portfolio. M&G Investments noted that dividends serve as more than just income—they also signal a company's financial health and management's confidence. While short-term market returns often hinge on stock valuations, dividends play a much more substantial role in driving equity returns over longer periods, such as 10 or 20 years. The report also mentioned, citing Bloomberg's data, that dividends play a vital role in long-term returns. Over the last 25 years, nearly half of the total gains from US stocks have come from reinvested dividends and the power of compounding. During this period, the broader market delivered an average annual return of 7.4%, with 55% attributed to rising stock prices and the remaining 45% coming from reinvested dividend income. The fact that dividends are not guaranteed highlights a deeper financial story behind corporate decisions. Companies must carefully weigh the trade-off between returning profits to shareholders and keeping enough earnings on hand to support future expansion. Getting this balance right is a strategic task. A particularly high dividend payout ratio—typically above 75%, though this varies by sector—can raise red flags about sustainability. When too much profit is paid out, there's little room left to increase dividends down the line. This could eventually lead a company to scale back or even stop its dividend payments altogether, which may hold back both business growth and long-term gains in share value. Given this, we will take a look at some overlooked stocks that pay dividends. A colour palette showcasing the range of aerosol and trigger sprays in an organised display. For this list, we thoroughly reviewed reputable sources such as Forbes, Morningstar, Barron's, and Business Insider and searched for stocks that remain under the radar but have strong balance sheets and sound financials. In addition, these lesser-known dividend companies also boast dividend growth track records, which make them a reliable option for income investors. After compiling our data, we picked 10 companies with the highest number of hedge fund investors, as per Insider Monkey's Q4 2024 database. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 26 WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) is an American company that specializes in household and multi-use products. The company holds a diverse portfolio of recognized brands in maintenance, homecare, and cleaning products, with its offerings now sold in over 176 countries and territories around the globe. WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) reported mixed earnings in fiscal Q2 2025. It posted revenue of over $146 million, which grew by 5% from the same period last year. However, the revenue missed analysts' estimates by $8.3 million. Total sales from maintenance products reached $139.3 million, reflecting a 6% increase from the same fiscal quarter a year earlier. Gross margin improved to 54.6%, up from 52.4% in the prior year period. Meanwhile, selling, general, and administrative expenses rose to $49.0 million, marking a 9% increase compared to the previous year's fiscal quarter. WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) ended the quarter with $53 million available in cash and cash equivalents. Year-to-date, its operating cash flow came in at $23 million. The company currently offers a quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.68%, as of April 25. It is one of the best overlooked stocks that pay dividends, as the company has been growing its payouts for the past 17 consecutive years. Overall, WDFC ranks 8th on our list of the best overlooked dividend stocks to invest in. While we acknowledge the potential of WDFC as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued dividend stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued dividend stock that is more promising than WDFC but that trades at 10 times its earnings and grows its earnings at double digit rates annually, check out our report about the . READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at .
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WD-40 Company (WDFC): Among Most Expensive Stocks Insiders Are Buying After Trump's Tariff Rollout
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) stands against other most expensive stocks insiders are buying after Trump's tariff rollout. Wall Street banks have sharply cut their targets for the broader market index due to growing fears about the economic fallout from new tariffs, writes the Financial Times. Since the tariff announcement on April 2, the broader market index has dropped nearly 7%. Major banks now expect lower market gains in 2025, with some analysts predicting a possible bear market directly triggered by presidential policy shifts. Amid tariff wars and market uncertainty, insider trading often draws attention. Insider stock purchases may signal executive confidence, while sales aren't necessarily negative—they could reflect personal or diversification choices. It's best to view insider trading in context with a company's financials and market conditions. Today, we're highlighting most expensive stocks that insiders have been buying in April. Using Insider Monkey's trading screener, we looked for companies with share prices of at least $30 and insider purchases between April 2 and April 21. From there, we ranked the top 12 stocks based on the highest average purchase price per share. Stocks that were recently covered were excluded from this list. Most of those can be seen on this list of the 19 mid- and large-cap stocks insiders are buying after Trump's tariff rollout. Our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds, focusing on insider trading and stock picks from hedge fund investor newsletters and conferences. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). A colour palette showcasing the range of aerosol and trigger sprays in an organised display. WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) develops and sells maintenance, homecare, and cleaning products worldwide. Its product lineup includes multi-purpose sprays, specialty lubricants, toilet cleaners, carpet stain removers, and hand cleaners under various brands like WD-40, 3-IN-ONE, and Lava. The company sells through hardware stores, automotive outlets, online retailers, and more, and is headquartered in San Diego, California. WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) is also one of the . For the second quarter of fiscal 2025, WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) reported total net sales of $146.1 million, a 5% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Maintenance product sales grew by 6%, totaling $139.3 million, while gross margin improved to 54.6%. Net income surged 92% to $29.9 million, driven by an $11.9 million tax benefit, and diluted earnings per share rose to $2.19. Excluding the one-time tax benefit, net income grew by 15%. On April 11, the company's CFO Kathleen Sara Hyzer bought $57,044 worth of WD-40 shares at an average price of $222.83 per share. Currently, the stock trades at $222.76, having dropped 8.21% since the beginning of the year and 1.82% over the past 12 months. Overall, WDFC ranks 2nd on our list of most expensive stocks insiders are buying after Trump's tariff rollout. While we acknowledge the potential of WDFC, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than WDFC but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Forbes
19-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Culture Maker: The Tested Leadership Philosophy Of Garry Ridge
Garry Ridge In a candid interview, Garry Ridge, the former CEO of WD-40 Company, shared his wisdom gained from 35 years at the company, including 25 years as its chief executive. Ridge, who describes himself as "just a traveling salesman from down under," reveals how humility, servant leadership, and creating a culture of belonging transformed a simple product—"the blue and yellow can with the little red top"—into a global success story. Ridge's leadership philosophy was shaped by his parents' values. His father taught him enduring principles. "My dad was born in 1907. Interestingly enough, he worked for the same company for 50 years," Ridge recalls. Starting as what was called a "fitter and turner" in Australia, his father eventually became an engineer. "The things I loved about dad—he said a man's word is a man's bond, a fair day's work for a fair day's pay. And dad was always on time. So he was quite a disciplined guy." His mother, born in 1914, lived to be almost 100 years old, passing away about a decade ago. As a stay-at-home mom and seamstress, she instilled in him a profound sense of humility. "There's a chapter in the book titled 'Even The Queen Sits Down to Pee.' The whole message behind that was 'Don't get too big for your boots, Gary,'" Ridge recalls with a smile. "Everybody is entitled to what we're entitled to in life. And she was adventurous too. Mom was always the one that was saying 'you better give it a go.'" This humility became a cornerstone of his leadership approach. When giving keynote speeches, he would often introduce himself as "just a traveling salesman from down under" or "consciously incompetent, probably wrong, roughly right, Chairman Emus of the WD-40 Company," adding, "and I need all the help I can get." As Ridge explains, "I never forgot where I came from, who I was, and who I have come to serve, no matter my title or role." Ridge's work ethic was developed through various jobs in his youth—from delivering newspapers and milk to washing cars and working in local shops in Sydney during the 1960s and 70s. "I was a paper boy as we called them in Australia. So I used to sell newspapers after school. A mate of mine and I started a little car washing business where we'd wash cars of professionals in the parking lot," Ridge shares. "I actually worked on a milk truck delivering milk early in the mornings. When I was going through school, I worked in the local hardware store, the local sporting goods store, and the local dry cleaning store. I worked for a chemist shop delivering prescriptions on my bicycle." These diverse experiences taught him valuable lessons about responsibility and dependability. "I didn't come from a wealthy family. We were middle, lower-class, and so we had to earn our way along the way," Ridge explains. "The learning was, you've gotta get out there and get amongst it. And that's where I learned the respect of being kind and dependable to people." One formative experience stood out: "I tell one story in the book where I was working for the local hardware store manager, and he had a death in the family. He threw the keys at the store to me as he ran out the door and said, 'Take care of this, I'll be back.'" This early lesson in responsibility shaped his approach to leadership at WD-40. "I think that carried through my career at WD-40, and I used to wake up every morning knowing that I could positively or negatively impact many families. And I took that very seriously." The provocative title of Ridge's book—"Any Dumbass Can Do It"—captures his refreshing approach to leadership. When asked if he had to wrestle with the publisher over the title, Ridge laughs. "No, it was my choice and I didn't have to wrestle," he explains. "In Australia, 'dumbass' is used sometimes as recognition. We say funny things in Australia, but it wouldn't be unusual to say it as a friendly gesture." There's a deeper philosophy behind the playful title: "I think dumbassery is your superpower, and that's really what's behind it. One of the major barriers to great leadership is that the leader thinks they know it all. And I certainly did not." Ridge believes the most successful leaders acknowledge their limitations and tap into collective intelligence. "I was fortunate enough, through learning, to understand the power of being able to unlock the brilliance of others. And that's really what our success was." When discussing the common pitfalls of leadership, Ridge doesn't hesitate to identify the chief culprits that he's observed through his consulting and speaking experience: "The first one is ego. Their ego eats their empathy instead of their empathy eating their ego. And then there's a natural tendency for them to be micromanagers," he observes. "They have this desire to always be right, and it's amazing how many really don't value the gift of feedback." Ridge emphasizes that leaders who consider themselves "corporate royalty" become untouchable and inaccessible. Drawing from his relationship with leadership expert Marshall Goldsmith, Ridge shares: "Marshall Goldsmith, who's a dear friend, and I've been fortunate enough to learn from him over many years, he says, when anybody gives you feedback, there's only two words: 'Thank you.' That's all you have to say. Whether you do anything with it or not, that's up to you. But don't create an atmosphere where people don't feel comfortable giving you feedback." Ridge himself had transformative moments through feedback, particularly early in his CEO tenure. "In my second year as CEO, I went back to school and did a master's degree in leadership at the University of San Diego. The first course was a really intense course of understanding who you are as a leader. It was kind of like a 360 on steroids." He discovered a personal tendency that could limit his effectiveness: "If you are aware of the DISC model at all, I was a turbo D—which was basically 'be brief, be bright, and be gone'—that was the way I used to interact with people. And that hit me square in the face because if that's the way I was going to handle people, then I wasn't going to benefit from their knowledge and what they had to offer." Another lesson came when he realized he was "adding too much value" to others' ideas: "Someone would come with a problem or a solution or an idea, and I'd be tempted, even though I thought it was a pretty good idea, that I needed to put my fingerprints on it and add a little more value. What I actually did was add very little value but decrease motivation significantly, because now the person didn't really own the idea or the innovation." Watch this clip of Garry discussing times of extreme uncertainty: One of Ridge's most compelling insights is how clearly defined values liberate employees to make decisions independently: "Values are in place to protect people and set them free," he explains. "People don't want to have to quack up the hierarchy every time they need to make a decision." At WD-40, this translated into a hierarchical set of values, with "doing the right thing" at the top, followed by "creating positive, lasting memories in all relationships." These values guided decision-making across the global organization. "Wherever you were in the world, if you had to make a decision, as long as you rested on our values, you could make that decision and you would always be supported," Ridge says. He shares a powerful story illustrating these values in action: "A person working in the supply chain at WD-40 company had the ability to make decisions around some of the ingredients that would go into our products. One day, a salesman came along and said, 'I've done some work on your formulation, and there's an ingredient that you are using, and we have an alternative to that. Efficacy wise, it's just as good. In fact, I might even say it's a little bit better. I've done some math on this, and my estimate is that if you were to replace the ingredient you are using with my ingredient, you could probably drop three to $4 million to your bottom line.'" The salesman suggested this could lead to recognition and promotion, but there was a catch: the new ingredient would require a Proposition 65 warning in California that the contents may cause cancer. The employee declined the offer based on the company's values: "Our number one value is we value doing the right thing. Our number two value is that we value creating positive, lasting memories in all of our relationships. Cancer doesn't cause positive lasting memories." When the salesman pointed out that profitability was also a WD-40 value, the employee responded: "Yeah, but that's our number six value. One and two are more powerful than six." Ridge emphasizes that at WD-40, values weren't just wall decorations: "We only had two measurements of values. You either lived them or you visited them. And we didn't want a lot of visitors." Ridge transformed how his organization viewed mistakes by reframing them as "learning moments"—a concept that revolutionized the company culture. "The definition of a learning moment is a positive or negative outcome of any situation that needs to be openly and freely shared to benefit all people," Ridge explains. "If you are working on something in the organization and you have a positive learning moment, a breakthrough moment, let's amplify that across the organization so we can really benefit. And the flip side, if you have a discovery about something that's not as successful, let's amplify it throughout the organization so we don't have hundreds of people exploring the same learning moment." This approach removed the fear of failure and encouraged innovation and growth. "The purpose of a learning moment is to take away one of the most negative emotions we have, which is fear. Why would you want to be in an organization that talks about failure and fear all the time? But in reality, every success is built on a failure." To embed this concept in the company culture, Ridge launched a learning moment contest. Initially met with skepticism—"I kind of heard echoes in the background, 'Yeah, sure'"—the initiative gradually gained traction as employees realized they wouldn't be punished for mistakes. "In the first month, I got four [submissions]," he recalls. "I made heroes of them because they were brave enough to come forward. And the next month I got, let's say eight. And what did I do? I made heroes of them." The contest revealed an important insight about change management: "In any change situation, there are personal concerns and information concerns, and if you don't solve for those personal concerns or those information concerns people have, you will not be able to implement the change." Ridge believes in coaching rather than managing, a philosophy that shaped WD-40's organizational structure: "At WD-40 company, we took the word manager away. Imagine you are a first-day employee at WD-40 and I say, 'G'day, Omaid, I'm your manager.' How does that feel? I don't think you really want to be managed." Instead, Ridge likens leadership to coaching: "A great coach knows what it takes to win the game. Number two, they never run on the field and take the ball." He adds, "What they do is spend a lot of time on the sideline, observing the play so they're able to coach and advise the player how they could play a better game next time." Ridge emphasizes another crucial aspect of coaching leadership: "The other thing a great coach does is that they spend a lot of time in the stinky locker room." This metaphor speaks to the importance of leaders getting their "shoes dirty" with those they lead rather than acting as "corporate royalty." "How much time do you spend getting your shoes dirty with those that you lead?" Ridge asks. 'Do you have your coffee brought to you in the office because you are corporate royalty, or are you down there in the canteen, cafeteria, and break area lining up at the café bar machine to get your coffee so you could have a chat with the people in the line as well and learn something from them?' Ridge places great emphasis on creating psychological safety in the workplace, which he sees as a balance between care and trust: "Care in an organization means that we love and care for our people enough, not only to reward them and applaud them for doing great work but to be brave enough to redirect them, not protecting our own comfort zone at the expense of other people's development." He explains that trust means "doing what you say you're gonna do" and adds, "Often in organizations, people don't lie. They fake and hide. And the reason they fake and hide is because of fear or because the leader is being that soul-sucking CEO who must always be right." Ridge highlights the importance of checking in with employees: "The first chapter of the book is 'Are You Okay?' How often do we ask people in an organization, are they okay? What's on your mind? What's getting in your way? I'm here to help you." He summarizes the responsibility of leaders in creating psychological safety with a vivid metaphor: "The fish rots from the head, simply as that. If you are gonna have an organization where you wanna have psychological safety or trust, well, you better live that as the leader. Otherwise, no one's gonna believe you." When asked about the sacrifices leaders make to achieve success, Ridge offers a perspective shift: "If you are making a contribution to something that's not worthy, then I would call it a sacrifice. But if you are making a contribution to something that is worthy, I would call it a contribution, not a sacrifice." He acknowledges the need for balance: "Of course you have to live your purpose in life, and your purpose as a parent or a father or a husband or a wife is a little different to the one at work." Ridge shares how he maintained connections with his family during his travels: "My kids benefited from the work that I did. They got to see the world. I remember early times before there was internet or email. I'd be traveling up into Asia, and we'd have a fax machine at home. If my son would come home from school with something he wanted to be proud of, he'd fax it to me at a hotel, and I'd write him a note and send it back." He concludes, "I think it's not sacrifice at the cost of exclusion. You've gotta be deliberate about what you do. But to be able to do what we did was really not sacrifice. We were making a contribution. But I think you've gotta balance it. You've gotta understand where you're putting your energy and what season of your life you are in." One of Ridge's most memorable stories involves an experience in a London hotel that became a metaphor for leadership awareness: "We're in London. It's a cold winter's night. I'd flown in from wherever I'd flown in. I decided that this night I was going to enjoy some British comedy and have a little bit of takeout food. So I went across the road to a little supermarket, got myself a beer and takeout, and was in my hotel room which I'd stayed many times over the years." Ridge settled in wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and ill-fitting hotel flip-flops when the alarm went off. "I did what I normally do. I ignored it. I've been in hotels where alarm bells have gone off before, and my anticipation is someone's going to come over the loudspeaker in a few seconds and say, 'Sorry, that was a false alarm.'" But the alarm continued, and soon there was urgent knocking at his door: "Mr. Ridge, Mr. Ridge, evacuate the hotel!" He had to rush outside in his inappropriate attire, into the cold London winter night, where it started to rain. "So here I am, shorts, t-shirt, flip-flops. I grab my phone and my passport, I run down the stairs, and bang, here I am into the middle of Stratton Street and Barkley Square in London, in the middle of winter thinking, 'Oh my God, how did I get here?'" After the all-clear (someone had left a suspicious backpack in the foyer), Ridge returned to his room to find "my beer's hot, my curry's cold, I'm freezing. The TV show that I wanna watch is gone, and I've had a not very nice experience." This incident prompted reflection: "It made me think about, am I listening to the alarm bells that are going off in my life?" On his flight home, Ridge made a list of potential "alarm bells" in his life and business. 'My learning moment there was, there's a lot of stuff going on around us that if we ignore it, it could really hurt us. If they're significant, you may end up out in the cold where you don't wanna be.' One of Ridge's proudest accomplishments is that "we never laid anyone off in my 25 years at WD-40 company. Never." This commitment was tested during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. His approach during difficult times was: "Is it better that all of us suffer a little than a few suffer a lot? We went through tough times. It didn't mean that we didn't make sacrifices. We did, but we said, let's all suffer a little instead of a few people suffering a lot." Ridge acknowledges the feedback that the company didn't have enough people but counters, "We have the right amount of people that even in tough times, we won't have to lay anybody off." The COVID-19 pandemic provided the ultimate test of WD-40's culture. In January 2021, Ridge was concerned about "draining cultural equity" and commissioned a pulse survey. The results surprised him: "Most of the numbers, in fact, all of them were equal to where they were in March 2020, except for one. And it went up. The question was, 'I'm excited about my place in the company's future.'" Despite the ongoing pandemic uncertainty, 97% of employees globally expressed excitement about their future with the company. When asked why, they responded: "I feel safe. We are living our just cause of a group of people that come together to protect and feed each other. If I needed to be anywhere, I want to be here." Ridge considers this "one of my proudest moments," demonstrating that the company had built a culture that could withstand even the most challenging circumstances. What ultimately matters most to Ridge is the impact his work has had on people's lives. When asked what he hopes his children will say about him in ten years, he responds: "I would hope that they would say Dad's work did what Dad wanted it to do, which was help leaders build organizations where people go home happy." Ridge's parting advice for leaders early in their careers distills his philosophy into three principles: "First one, don't let your ego eat your empathy. Have your empathy eat your ego. Be a continuous learner. Life is a learning journey. And then also be a continuous teacher. Your role as a leader is to be a learner and a teacher. And practice servant leadership. If you're there to serve others, you'll find that very rewarding." Through his leadership journey, Ridge demonstrates that humility, servant leadership, and creating cultures of belonging aren't just nice-to-haves—they're the foundation of sustainable success in business and in life. As his mentor and friend Ken Blanchard would say, "God didn't make any junk," and Ridge's career has been dedicated to bringing out the best in every person he's had the privilege to lead. Click here to listen to the full interview with Garry Ridge
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WD-40 Margins Expand In Q2, Raises 2025 Profit Outlook
WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) stock is trading higher on Tuesday after it reported mixed second-quarter 2025 results. Total sales for the quarter increased by 5% year-over-year to $146.104 million, missing the consensus of $154.41 million. The adjusted EPS stood at $1.32, up 16% year-over-year, beating the consensus of $1.27. Total maintenance product sales rose 6% to $139.3 million despite a $4.9 million forex-related sales impact. Also Read: Maintenance products drove 95% of the quarterly net sales, up 6% year over year, while homecare and cleaning sales—5% of the total—fell 14% as the company plans to exit that segment. Gross profit increased by 9.3% YoY to $79.72 million, and the margin expanded by 213 bps to 54.6%. 'Our core maintenance product sales grew by 6 percent in the second quarter, aligning with our established long-term growth objectives. We're particularly pleased with the volume performance in our business, with double-digit volume growth both in the second quarter and year to date, led by EIMEA. Additionally, we continue to expand our gross margin, which improved 220 basis points over the prior year. While we experienced slower growth in our Asia-Pacific segment, we've begun to see recovery in March and expect a strong second half as we advance through fiscal year 2025,' commented Steve Brass, WD-40 Company's president and chief executive officer. Operating income for the quarter improved by 11.2% YoY to $23.28 million, and the margin expanded by 88 bps to 15.9%. WDFC's net cash from operating activities totaled $22.91 million for the first six months of February, compared to $44.89 million a year ago. Dividend: On March 18, 2025, WDFC's board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share payable on April 30, 2025, to stockholders of record date April 18, 2025. Repurchase: From September 1, 2024, through the end of the second quarter, the company repurchased 26,250 shares at $6.7 million. 2025 Outlook: WD-40 reiterated guidance for net sales at $600 million-$630 million, 6%-11% growth versus consensus of $627.1 million. The company raised its EPS guidance to $5.00-$5.30 (from $4.78-$5.15 earlier), compared to the consensus of $5.12. The company now expects a full-year gross margin between 55–56% (prior 54%-55%), with advertising spending remaining at ~6% of net sales. Operating income is projected at $95–$100 million, reflecting 6–12% growth over 2024 pro forma results. Price Action: WDFC shares are trading higher by 1.17% at $240.71 at the last check on Tuesday. Read Next:Photo by Benedek Alpar via Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? WD-40 (WDFC): Free Stock Analysis Report This article WD-40 Margins Expand In Q2, Raises 2025 Profit Outlook originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
