Crown Projects 4% to 5% Beverage Can Volume Growth in 2026

Crown Holdings, Inc. forecast global beverage-can volume growth of 4% to 5% in 2026, while reiterating its recently narrowed earnings outlook as inflation pressures weighed on segment income.

Strong beverage-can demand continued alongside inflation tied to the Middle East conflict, which weighed on segment income. Crown’s full-year earnings outlook includes an explicit assumption for fourth-quarter inflation.

Crown reiterated adjusted diluted earnings guidance of $8.35 to $8.45 per share for 2026, a range narrowed from $8.30 to $8.50 with its third-quarter results. That update also raised the company’s minimum adjusted free cash flow forecast to $950 million, a change detailed in the earlier outlook update.

Transit Packaging faced weak volumes and higher costs, particularly freight.