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MILAN — Amid a challenging macroeconomic climate, American design furniture conglomerate MillerKnoll swung to a positive net earnings position in its fiscal fourth quarter.

In the three-month period ended May 30, the Zeeland, Mich.-based firm — whose portfolio includes heritage brands like Knoll, Herman Miller, online platform Design Within Reach and Holly Hunt, Copenhagen-based design firm Muuto and textile firm Maharam — said Wednesday an improved performance in its North American contract business and global retail sales helped boost net profit to $23.6 million, versus a $57.1 million loss in the same period a year earlier.

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In the fourth quarter, sales rose to $1 billion, up 4.4 percent versus the fiscal fourth quarter of 2025. This exceeded analyst estimates of $973.9 million. Earnings per share of 55 cents beat analyst estimates by 6.8 percent.

For the year, net sales rose 4.7 percent to $3.84 billion.

As a result, MillerKnoll's board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 18.75 cents per share, payable on July 15. The news sent the shares surging over 18 percent in Thursday trade.

MillerKnoll said that it also increased sales by 8 percent in North America during the period, as its global sales rose 5.5 percent to $295.3 million, helped by a growing appetite for its most iconic pieces from brands like Knoll and Herman Miller. While markets like Europe, the U.K. and Ireland were hit by inflation and rising energy prices, performance in the Middle East was better than expected, interim chief executive officer Jeff Stutz said.

"Ironically the order performance in the Middle East for our business exceeded our expectations coming into the quarter. To the Middle East itself, we shipped more into the region than we thought and took more orders," he said. "We continue to expect the Middle East as a growth region for us."

Amid a boom in new construction, branded residences and hospitality spaces, the firm's contract sales performance was mixed. Its North America contract division saw sales rise 6.9 percent to $530.2 million, while its international contract business slid 3.8 percent to  $178.7 million.

The firm said it is focused on paying down debt, which stood at $1.26 billion.

Looking ahead, it sees sales rising to between $928 million and $968 million in the first fiscal quarter of 2027. For the full year, it expects sales of $3.93 billion to $4.13 billion. It was the first time the firm had released a full-year outlook since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, William Blair analyst Philip Blee commented in a note.

"We view the outlook as conservative, with upside potential if stronger pre-order activity and recent price increases with limited elasticity driving faster sales growth through the year," Blee added.

On June 2, it was announced that Andi Owen, who joined Herman Miller in 2018 and oversaw the historic, $1.8 billion merger of Herman Miller and Knoll in 2021, was stepping down.

Owen handed over the reins at a crucial moment in the group's history. MillerKnoll, which is listed on Nasdaq, saw its shares sink to a five-year low in November 2025, as the company endured a period marked by macroeconomic headwinds caused by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policy, inflation and rising shipping costs.

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