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Boise Cascade Co.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 4 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 4 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net income and EPS declined: Net income was $17.8 million, or $0.50 diluted EPS, against $40.3 million, or $1.06, a year earlier. Sales were $1.50 billion, down 2% from $1.54 billion. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA fell 27%: Total company Adjusted EBITDA was $66.6 million, against $91.6 million a year earlier and $57.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. Source
  • BMD segment income fell 32%: BMD segment income was $32.9 million against $48.4 million a year earlier. BMD segment EBITDA was $48.2 million, against $62.8 million. Source
  • Wood Products sales and income fell: Wood Products sales were $398.2 million, down 4%, and segment income was $8.5 million against $17.7 million. Segment EBITDA was $32.0 million. Source
  • BMD gross margin and selling costs: BMD segment income fell on a $6.5 million gross margin decrease across product lines, particularly EWP, and $8.2 million of higher selling and distribution expense. Source
  • Single-family starts fell 5%: Total U.S. housing starts rose 1% year over year, while single-family starts fell 5%. Management said single-family starts are the key demand driver for company sales. Source
  • Operating cash use with working capital build: Operating cash flow was negative $16.0 million. Capital expenditures were $39.8 million, and the cash flow statement shows receivables and inventories absorbing cash. Source
  • Buybacks of $65.5 million in quarter: The company repurchased 830,751 shares for $65.5 million in the quarter. It bought a further 312,894 shares for about $25 million in April 2026. Source

“In the first quarter of 2026, our businesses delivered solid results despite the current demand environment, influenced by geopolitical events, volatile mortgage rates, and severe weather,”

Jeff Strom, CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Building Materials Distribution EBITDA Sourcesecond quarter 2026~$65 - $80 millionNew
Wood Products EBITDA Sourcesecond quarter 2026~$32 - $47 millionNew
Unallocated corporate costs Sourcesecond quarter 2026~($14) - ($12) millionNew
Total Company Adjusted EBITDA Sourcesecond quarter 2026~$83 - $115 millionNew
Capital expenditures, excluding potential acquisitions Source2026$150 million to $170 millionKept

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Management began giving second-quarter 2026 EBITDA guidance by segment and in total; the prior release contained no such table. Source
  • Guidance kept: The 2026 capital expenditure range of $150 million to $170 million is the same as in the fourth-quarter release. Source
  • New: Jeff Strom took over as chief executive; the prior release said Nate Jorgensen was preparing to retire.

Results and growth drivers

  • Net income and EPS declined: Net income was $17.8 million, or $0.50 diluted EPS, against $40.3 million, or $1.06, a year earlier. Sales were $1.50 billion, down 2% from $1.54 billion. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA fell 27%: Total company Adjusted EBITDA was $66.6 million, against $91.6 million a year earlier and $57.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. Source
  • Management cited a mixed environment: Management described the first-quarter operating environment as a combination of favorable and unfavorable factors. Source

Segment results

  • BMD segment income fell 32%: BMD segment income was $32.9 million against $48.4 million a year earlier. BMD segment EBITDA was $48.2 million, against $62.8 million. Source
  • BMD price fell, volume rose: BMD sales fell 1% to $1.39 billion. Net sales prices were down 3% and net sales volumes were up 2%. Source
  • Wood Products sales and income fell: Wood Products sales were $398.2 million, down 4%, and segment income was $8.5 million against $17.7 million. Segment EBITDA was $32.0 million. Source

“Looking ahead, I am confident in the unwavering focus of our team to deliver value to our stakeholders irrespective of market conditions.”

Jeff Strom, CEO

Products and pricing

  • Product line sales diverged: Within BMD, general line product sales rose 4% and commodity sales fell 5%. EWP sales, largely sourced through Wood Products, fell 7%. Source
  • EWP prices down, plywood prices up: Against the first quarter of 2025, LVL and I-joist average net selling prices were each down 7%. Plywood prices rose 1%. Source
  • Volumes rose from fourth quarter: Compared with the fourth quarter of 2025, I-joist volume rose 16%, LVL volume rose 8% and plywood volume rose 5%. Year over year, LVL and I-joist volumes fell. Source

Costs and margins

  • BMD gross margin and selling costs: BMD segment income fell on a $6.5 million gross margin decrease across product lines, particularly EWP, and $8.2 million of higher selling and distribution expense. Source
  • BMD margin narrowed to 2.4%: BMD segment income was 2.4% of sales, against 3.4% a year earlier and 3.0% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Source
  • Wood Products conversion costs rose: Wood Products segment income fell mainly on lower EWP sales prices and higher per-unit EWP conversion costs, partly offset by lower per-unit OSB costs. Source
  • Oakdale mill restart aided costs: The Oakdale mill returned to operation after 2025 planned downtime, which favorably affected per-unit conversion costs. Source
  • Distributor margins track price moves: Management said the distribution business can see higher sales and margins when prices rise, while falling prices may present challenges. Source

“For much of the quarter, mortgage rates declined to their lowest levels in over three years.”

Boise Cascade Co., press release

Demand and housing starts

  • Single-family starts fell 5%: Total U.S. housing starts rose 1% year over year, while single-family starts fell 5%. Management said single-family starts are the key demand driver for company sales. Source
  • Builders adjusting starts and inventory: Management said homebuilders are responding to cautious demand with measured decisions on starts, home sizes, location and inventory. Source
  • Repair and remodel spending supported: Management pointed to elevated homeowner equity and an aging housing stock as supports for repair-and-remodel spending. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Liquidity and debt at quarter end: Cash was $338.7 million and undrawn bank line availability was $395.1 million, for total liquidity of $733.8 million. Debt was $452.5 million at March 31, 2026. Source
  • Operating cash use with working capital build: Operating cash flow was negative $16.0 million. Capital expenditures were $39.8 million, and the cash flow statement shows receivables and inventories absorbing cash. Source
  • Buybacks of $65.5 million in quarter: The company repurchased 830,751 shares for $65.5 million in the quarter. It bought a further 312,894 shares for about $25 million in April 2026. Source
  • About $148 million left under buyback: After the April repurchases, about $148 million of common stock remained available under the existing repurchase program. Source
  • Dividends paid of $10.4 million: The company paid $10.4 million in common stock dividends in the quarter. Source

Strategy, people and customers

  • Customers rely on reliable service: Management said the company is well placed in uncertain periods because customers increasingly rely on it for service and consistent value across industry-leading products. Source
  • Associates credited with resilience: The CEO credited associates for leaning into the integrated model, which he said shows its value and resilience in tough markets. Source
  • Production and inventory adjusted to demand: Management said it will watch end-market demand and adjust production rates and inventory stocking positions to match. Source

Coming up, as management said on 4 May 2026

  • Quarterly dividend payable June 17: The board declared a $0.22 per share quarterly dividend on April 30, 2026, payable June 17, 2026, to holders of record on June 1, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Single-family housing starts, 1Q26 vs 1Q25 Sourcedecreased 5%
Total U.S. housing starts, 1Q26 vs 1Q25 Sourceincreased 1%
LVL sales volume, 1Q26 vs 1Q25 Source(1)%
I-joist sales volume, 1Q26 vs 1Q25 Source(5)%
Plywood sales volume, 1Q26 vs 1Q25 Source3%

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management named consumer sentiment and home affordability as the most prominent headwinds to residential construction activity. Source
  • External: Geopolitical turmoil has caused volatility in treasury and mortgage rates, adding unpredictability to the rest of the spring selling season. Source
  • External: Management expects commodity product pricing to remain dynamic, influenced by economic and geopolitical conditions and input costs. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The company repeated its 2026 capital expenditure range carried from the prior release, with no status given. Source
  • Not stated: The prior release said 2025 Wood Products results were affected by planned Oakdale downtime for modernization; the current release reports the mill back in operation.

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.