SKF Q3 2025: Improved margin in challenging market conditions

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GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Oct. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 

Q3 2025

• Net sales: MSEK 22,482 (23,692)
• Organic growth: 2.0% (−4.4%), driven by organic sales growth for the Industrial business, partly offset by negative market demand for the Automotive business.
• Adjusted operating profit: MSEK 2,762 (2,821). Solid price/mix contribution, driven by pricing activities and portfolio management, as well as good cost control more than offset lower production volumes. Continued significant currency headwind.
• Adjusted operating margin: 12.3% (11.9%) with Industrial at 15.5% (15.0%) and Automotive at 4.3% (4.7%).
• Net cash flow from operating activities: MSEK 1,840 (3,576).

Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO:

"I'm pleased to conclude another quarter with a resilient and improved margin, driven by a strong commercial execution, despite challenging market conditions and negative currency effects. We continue to invest in transforming SKF into an even more focused company, which will give profitable growth opportunities when markets improve.

Margin resilience in continued challenging markets

Organic sales increased by 2% year-over-year, mainly driven by favourable comparable figures, while market conditions in Q3 remained similar as in the previous quarter.

Our Industrial business grew 4% with improved organic sales in all regions, especially in Asia and Americas. In China, policy-driven pre-buy effects within Wind continued, and our performance in India remained strong. In Americas, we drive an active commercial agenda and growth in Q3 was mainly driven by tariff-related price increases. Conditions in Europe remained overall challenging with Aerospace and Magnetic bearings being the main contributors to growth.

Organic sales in our Automotive business declined -2% driven by weak market demand, especially in North America.

Despite challenging market conditions and a significant negative currency impact, we delivered another quarter with a resilient margin. The adjusted operating margin improved compared to the same quarter last year to 12.3%, from effective pricing and portfolio management as well as good cost control. The announced rightsizing initiatives continues at high pace with savings primarily through 2026-2027, and limited savings realized in this quarter.

The geopolitical sentiment continued to fuel uncertainty in the market, but yet again we managed to largely compensate for increased tariff costs in the quarter. Given current levels, including Section 232 Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum, we expect also in Q4 to largely compensate for increased tariff costs through a broad set of mitigating activities, where price adjustments remain a key lever.

Items affecting comparability (IAC) was high in the quarter at approximately MSEK 750. This was mainly driven by the Automotive separation. As previously communicated, footprint regionalization and consolidation, also impacted. We expect IAC to sequentially increase due to the Automotive separation and the recently announced closure of our factory in Argentina.

Cash flow was weak and compared to last year it was negatively impacted by higher costs for the Automotive separation and a working capital build-up, mainly driven by timing effects in accounts receivable and accounts payable. Our focused activities around inventory management had a positive effect.

Automotive separation progressing well

The separation of our Automotive business continues at high pace, and we are making good progress. More than 50% of Automotive business volumes have been transferred into new legal entities and a majority of the Automotive manning has been completed. In addition, SKF India Ltd. has completed the demerger of the industrial business into a separate focused entity, SKF India (Industrial) Ltd., which is intended to also be listed on stock exchanges in India before year-end. All in all, we expect to be operationally ready to list the Automotive business on Nasdaq Stockholm by mid-2026, in accordance with the plan previously announced. Listing is subject to the Board of Directors proposing a listing and shareholders' approval. More information about the long-term value creation from having two stand-alone businesses will be presented at our Capital Markets Day on 11 November.

New global centre targeting attractive segments 

Another example of how we continuously develop our business is our new, highly automated, global Super-precision bearing centre in Italy. Super-precision bearings account for approximately 2% of SKF Industrial net sales and deliver superior customer value in applications that require high-speed rotation and power density with minimal downtime. This investment will allow us to capture future growth opportunities in segments driven by megatrends such as electrification and automation.

Outlook

While the global economic development makes the outlook uncertain, we expect market demand in Q4 to remain at similar levels as in Q3. Consequently, we expect organic sales to be relatively unchanged in Q4, year-over-year."

Outlook and guidance

Outlook

• Q4 2025: While the global economic development makes the outlook uncertain, we expect market demand to remain at similar levels as in Q3. Consequently, we expect organic sales to be relatively unchanged, year-over-year.

Guidance Q4 2025

• Currency impact on the operating profit is expected to be around MSEK 650 negative compared to the fourth quarter 2024, based on exchange rates per 30 September 2025.

Guidance FY 2025

• Tax level excluding effects related to divested businesses and separation of the Automotive business: around 28%.
• Additions to property, plant and equipment: around BSEK 4 excluding separation of the Automotive business.

A webcast will be held on 29 October 2025 at 09:00 (CET):
Sweden: +46 (0)8 5051 0031
UK/International: +44 (0)207 107 0613
https://www.skf.com/group/investors

Aktiebolaget SKF
      (publ)

For further information, please contact:
Press Relations: Carl Bjernstam, +46 31-337 2517; +46 722 201 893; [email protected] 
Investor Relations: Sophie Arnius, +46 31-337 8072; +46 705 908072; [email protected] 

The financial information in this press release contains inside information that AB SKF is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication through the agency of the contact person set out above on 29 October 2025 at 07.30 CET.

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SOURCE SKF