Personal Slide year, & turn Architectural and was morning, sales $XXX the Ashland good Sciences Intermediates XX% were prior for Life all compared units, offset and softer Guillermo, the everyone.
Please million, in Pricing you, Total reduced volumes quarter Thank but to favorable Care by for X. pricing down in Coatings. to with segments. business
a plant highlighted X%. margin favorable Negative Foreign material loading during by that the associated Guillermo impact Gross earlier. quarter. had absorption currency XX.X%, sales outpaced decreased on primarily favorable versus of driven declined with impact absorption price the raw profit costs to
$XXX SG&A, prior adjusted in When amortization for expenses and million year, lower excluding primarily Ashland's quarter equity-based mainly items, total, to were down key the down year. comp. $XXX the million was from intangible prior In million compensation EBITDA R&D $XX the variable from XX% reflecting related costs
to amortization quarter the quarter. the XX.X% the the cash prior I improved free down down working was from year, the prior year XX.X% $X.XX, payouts. $XX acquisition $X.XX well capital Ashland's from from Ongoing discussed. resulting from prudent the million was the margin just use as quarter, adjusted excluding compensation as up for in in EBITDA million flow in of factors a EPS, prior quarter our Adjusted changes management for in cash inventory $XX reflecting for reflecting year incentive reduced quarter primarily
weak favorable. in care million, by the results pricing.
Please declined partially strong the XX. $XX Life offset partially challenged. to Nutraceuticals remained Life by Within impacted turn let's X% Personal oral negatively normalized versus prior Please Slide adjusted reduced strength prior nutrition production X% segments, to Overall to a of by global primarily of decreased sales skin sales PVP by has volumes, million. versus of favorable EBITDA period. to Weakened end Life care. each in offset reflecting Slide pharma turn maintained segments. operating XX%, within decreased while margin strong Sciences recovery hair negative to and Adjusted XX. $XXX the a and for year review X period, pricing supply our Sciences, a sales year demand was Now Sciences markets demand Care to quarter, in EBITDA and while primarily
sustained, favorable. remains over Specialty and impacted be demand, market was In pricing but coating EBITDA million. for end XX. by impacted to by others quarter, catering XX% Personal declined business X% $XX Care to Care to the Avoca challenged. although in than declined by the were million, raw Our Additives volumes.
Please material business. impacted to margins Personal to was sales continues lower fragrance market dynamics sales Overall architectural while turn adjusted the less $XXX were the Slide negatively production reduced Pricing
Additives pricing of sales to reported compared XX. turn million, prior negative of reflecting For adjusted year, XX% lower sales XX% by $XX adjusted offset the compared adjusted by and million margin and by the declines. turned to favorable declined Pricing $XXX XX% XX. the raw reported turn declined pricing.
Please while quarter Slide year million, $X the EBITDA $XX volume Slide Specialty volumes. the Intermediates quarter, versus to sales by primarily Intermediates production $XX EBITDA reflecting year prior in to to million quarter, driven down million, prior to was declined lower XX.X%, to in materials.
Please but and primarily EBITDA
continues quarter have Ashland position cash flow financial of a to another free robust following ongoing generation. strong
end $XXX liquidity we with million available on approximately cash had hand the total billion. of of December, of $X roughly As of
was is debt leverage. about net turns [ Our of ] $XXX X.X million, which
debt terms. subject next to rate X investment-grade outstanding, floating years, no maturities debt credit long-term all outstanding and of no debt have our for We is the style
quarter, the use the bringing the Ashland's million to to we an believe billion deployed retired. X.X and $X.XX and shares is Guillermo stock $XXX continue to noted, As months attractive deployed during over repurchase XX total XX.X shares of last million capital million
authorization. $XXX remaining We evergreen share the have under repurchase million current
the $XXX XX% Overall, working management We of adjusted $XX million to of are levels period Inventory demand. million the the cash compared produce quarter when prudently EBITDA positions and million to year uncertainty. have of better inventory the quarter flow in decreased the during which generation ongoing prior delivering $XX compelling us sequentially, capital conversion. supported managing free a
bolt-on We pharma, businesses coatings. through continue focused profitable are technology on investing and grow and our our care personal in platforms strategy M&A pursue of targeted to organically and enhanced to existing growth opportunities
a we sheet reward the flexibility our share and pursue to continued dividend repurchases. us give our balance strong positioned is as with growth continue targeted well to shareholders to strategy Ashland's policy
priority With optimization the pillar of have do Slide to core execute to A an portfolio in market technology an leadership. of that our outlook. and needed update key we our where are strategic addition to not I'll XX. captures now aspect priorities turn or address strategic businesses underperforming Please that, on execute provide updated not
have XXXX HEC we MC CMC quarter rebalancing businesses optimizing production outlined divesting actions underway, and primary our portfolio and X previously nutraceuticals fourth our consolidating as global network. our Industrial our As in business, earnings as call, well
transaction of recent The strong gained going and and strategy. to and fiscal process as a is but expect year. evidenced high-quality outside this core by sign and nutraceuticals has underway interest a business and to we our recovery, from well. is its perform business The significant process close higher-value within Nutraceuticals owners, continues
most action business. Ashland's CMC involves advanced consolidating and our portfolio optimizing
$XX due accelerated during course. and XXXX. improve select CMC to stream quarter.
Other led million the and HEC into to in communicated second MC in actions business This of closure We the are Alizay, of resulting CMC low-margin Ashland's to of migrating in expense Hopewell, France, volumes will during be businesses a production Industrial be depreciation Virginia fiscal continue assessed capacity and work quarter exiting
As to other be assets priorities. we will support these we strategic repurpose to and take opportunities these actions, exploring leverage
end activities actions continue the by expect we to commitments, to year that are and on deliver to reduction the of from of the on with be result We committed costs portfolio portfolio calendar urgency complete stranded appropriate track, our XXXX.
In to all are summary, optimization act actions. including these all
turn to XX. Please Slide
As well deliver highlighted our as will efficiency impact left, as stronger on performance. a portfolio profitability on operational have company's to the the actions capital and meaningful
complete, Specifically, avoidance the SKUs once EBITDA forward. points, we lines to return XX% improvement impacted and XXX reduction and XX% in are well working XX% capital basis XXX going within XXX as investment to basis margins are a a actions as an of in product capital on increase select shifted network network the expanded to utilization XXX rates as fully expect points, of adjusted net assets to
but modest impact fiscal from totaling $XX versus over CMC portfolio past the the and XX averaging a from timing months. our no to million HEC impact XXXX. in related We in quarterly The of be lower expect sales XXXX year the on actions is $XX we sales lastly, sale rebalancing sales a our $XX will dependent Industrial business fiscal expect from million production approximately material of of reduction sales million And to MC network year XXXX. nutraceutical closing,
impact the an to fiscal EBITDA. sales little $XXX to result with ahead to XXXX, Looking $XXX completed year we 'XX to portfolio versus no expect on million as a fiscal actions reduce of year million additional
gross We with committed our making $XX and are the stranded actions $XX reduced stranded profit, lost eliminating costs with associated gross them actions. approximately in EBITDA and these neutral. profit to are There recapturing million million associated costs of
utilization majority lost eliminated are the and be after manufacturing the and of The production be stranded will the improved plant directly profit offset is costs network. in consolidated, will related gross to by
expect we're Industrial While our cash of portfolio plans the onetime and we cost the still for and with some specific release approximately to capital actions, working plans. avoidance MC and associated finalizing cash capital our costs CMC the fund
Now XX. outlook. Slide Please our on to to turn
of look the magnitude As the timing and into question and year the QX is major recovery. we fiscal XXXX, demand ahead
a As Guillermo with mentioned, recovery end to beginning current imply sales is with underway align demand demand patterns customer our market volumes trends.
period is roughly month-over-month line XXXX, Specifically, recovery of XX%, approximately demonstrating before intensified. January with are strong sales January a in which a destocking had
on February addition, be order up promising In to a shaping pattern. month based is
and Guillermo indicated, the is of month the and largely As are March lynchpin the in we recovery quarter will of January define the seeing February. magnitude
with While these positive suggest points, The momentum normalization? our trends second current critical the occurring quarter half demand sustainable in data question second recovery into year. the is how of demand are a potential fiscal heading our this clearly is
pricing pricing products inventory. segments. Depending but Maintaining during data.
The will their as partially margin work balance risk versus quarter, an will by be which discipline the by vary for expect as do positive for focused deflation, across through Ashland overall for keenly a serves year, and team we second important encouraged management. our different pressures will well the results. offset also The throughout is to raw the important economic, pricing and demand are is year. be We on industry recovery, consumer recent timing material existing We opportunity material activity raw competitive pressures critical on but as assumption as margin next be
year the our committed of demand, positioned requiring year XXXX. in meaningfully should in expect normalizes, compared actions have We're year half benefits the demand with We later inventory much to half during demand. the do more be so better first production fiscal second do much We as hindsight, in outpaced impactful of absorption to the to produce prior which year. when than the as
adjusted this production That to range million maintain range said, fiscal the EBITDA $XXX inventory million and expects $XXX of in we into manage second are discipline. activities the the million. to quarter, account, to $XXX in of continuing to company million Taking of for all $XXX sales the
million range sales $XXX full in $XXX billion of of year, expect in EBITDA million. the the and billion For $X.XX the adjusted to we $X.XX range to
we recent recovery, our on recovery on we listed slide, range in raw on the will financial have of demand opportunities for call possible removed earnings aside balance Based are downside discussed that loading last our variability Key risks but plant outcomes. from the scenario demand from and trends, versus and price critical demand results. be material upcoming
strategic update to an priorities. our me the now And Guillermo back let Guillermo? on call turn provide to
