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Carrier Global Corp.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 30 April 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 5 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Sales rose 2%, organic sales fell 1%: Net sales were $5,341 million against $5,218 million. Organic sales declined 1%, more than offset by a 3% foreign currency translation gain. Source
  • Operating profit down 59%, adjusted down 30%: GAAP operating profit was $259 million against $629 million. Adjusted operating profit was $594 million against $848 million. The GAAP decline came from the CSA, CSE and CSAME segments. Source
  • CSA sales down 3%, profit down 35%: CSA sales fell 3% to $2,501 million, and segment operating profit fell 35% to $373 million. Margin decreased 730 basis points on lower Residential sales and factory under-absorption. Source
  • Commercial HVAC orders up 35%: Commercial HVAC orders rose 35% globally, excluding NORESCO, with data centers cited as a driver of the increase. Source
  • Data center orders up over 500%: Data center orders rose more than 500% in the quarter. Management said backlog fully covers expected 2026 data center sales. Source
  • Free cash flow negative in quarter: Operating cash flow was $79 million against $483 million. Capital expenditures were $94 million against $63 million, leaving free cash flow of ($15) million against $420 million. Source

“We started the year with better than expected sales performance across the portfolio,”

David Gitlin, Chairman & CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales SourceFull year 2026~$22 billionKept
Revenue headwind from Riello exit SourceFull year 2026~$250 million
Organic sales growth; FX and divestiture effect SourceFull year 2026Organic flat to up LSD; FX 1% net; acquisitions/divestitures (1%)Kept
Adjusted operating profit SourceFull year 2026~$3.4 billionKept
Adjusted EPS SourceFull year 2026~$2.80Kept
Free cash flow SourceFull year 2026~$2 billionKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Full-year 2026 guidance was reaffirmed; the sales, adjusted operating profit, adjusted EPS and free cash flow figures match the prior release. Source
  • New: The Riello divestiture close is now assumed by the end of Q2 2026, versus Q1 2026 previously; the revenue headwind figure moved from about $350 million to about $250 million. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Sales rose 2%, organic sales fell 1%: Net sales were $5,341 million against $5,218 million. Organic sales declined 1%, more than offset by a 3% foreign currency translation gain. Source
  • Operating profit down 59%, adjusted down 30%: GAAP operating profit was $259 million against $629 million. Adjusted operating profit was $594 million against $848 million. The GAAP decline came from the CSA, CSE and CSAME segments. Source
  • Residential and China drove adjusted decline: Management attributed the adjusted profit drop mainly to lower CSA Residential sales, along with continued China Residential and Light Commercial headwinds. Source
  • EPS down 40% GAAP, 12% adjusted: Diluted EPS from continuing operations was $0.28, down 40%; adjusted EPS was $0.57, down 12%. Net earnings from continuing operations were $239 million, and adjusted net earnings were $482 million. Source
  • Lower tax rate and fewer shares offset part: Management said a lower tax rate and a lower share count partly offset lower operating profit. Diluted shares were 842.8 million against 878.3 million. Source

Segments and regions

  • CSA sales down 3%, profit down 35%: CSA sales fell 3% to $2,501 million, and segment operating profit fell 35% to $373 million. Margin decreased 730 basis points on lower Residential sales and factory under-absorption. Source
  • Residential fell about 12% in CSA: CSA Residential sales fell about 12%, against a 38% decline in the fourth quarter. Light Commercial rose 9% and Commercial rose 1%. Source
  • CSE sales up 11%, organic flat: CSE sales rose 11% to $1,293 million, with organic sales flat. Segment margin was 6.9%, down 210 basis points, on lower Commercial volume and higher promotions. Source
  • China RLC weighed on Asia region: CSAME sales rose 1% to $834 million, but organic sales fell 1% on China RLC. Commercial growth in India and Australia partly offset. Margin was 9.7%, down 490 basis points. Source
  • Transportation sales up 10%: CST sales rose 10% to $713 million. Container grew 38% in organic terms, while Global Truck and Trailer fell high-single digits. Segment margin was 14.2%, down 70 basis points on mix. Source

“I am pleased with the team's performance in the first quarter, and we are reaffirming our full-year outlook.”

David Gitlin, Chairman & CEO

Products and customers

  • Commercial HVAC orders up 35%: Commercial HVAC orders rose 35% globally, excluding NORESCO, with data centers cited as a driver of the increase. Source
  • Data center orders up over 500%: Data center orders rose more than 500% in the quarter. Management said backlog fully covers expected 2026 data center sales. Source
  • Commercial HVAC backlog up double digits: Commercial HVAC backlog rose by a double-digit amount sequentially, which management said gives it confidence in a sixth consecutive year of double-digit growth. Source

Margins and costs

  • Operating margins fell sharply: GAAP operating margin was 4.8% against 12.1%. Adjusted operating margin was 11.1% against 16.3%. Source
  • Restructuring costs rose to $108M: Restructuring costs were $108 million against $8 million a year earlier. Amortization of acquired intangible assets was $213 million against $201 million. Both are excluded from adjusted results. Source
  • Tax benefit in the quarter: Reported income tax was a $96 million benefit, with an effective tax rate of (56.5)%. The adjusted effective tax rate was (0.8)%, against 22.0% a year earlier. Source

Demand and order book

  • Total company orders up 11%: Total company orders rose 11%, excluding NORESCO, with Commercial HVAC orders up 35% in the same period. Source
  • Residential decline compared with Q4: Residential volumes were down 38% in the fourth quarter, with Light Commercial down 20%. The first-quarter Residential decline was about 12%.
  • Lower CSE Commercial volume: Management said lower Commercial volume and higher promotions drove the CSE margin decline, partly offset by RLC volume growth and strong productivity. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Free cash flow negative in quarter: Operating cash flow was $79 million against $483 million. Capital expenditures were $94 million against $63 million, leaving free cash flow of ($15) million against $420 million. Source
  • About $500 million returned to holders: Management said about $500 million was returned through dividends and repurchases. The cash flow statement shows $306 million of repurchases and $201 million of dividends paid. Source
  • Net debt rose on lower cash: Net debt was $10,787 million at March 31, 2026, against $10,278 million at December 31, 2025. Short-term borrowings rose to $1,736 million from $468 million. Source
  • Prior buyback figure not in current table: The prior release's guidance included about $1.5 billion of share repurchases. The current guidance table does not list a repurchase figure.
  • Assets held for sale increased: Assets held for sale were $621 million at March 31, against $592 million at December 31. Liabilities held for sale were $170 million at both dates. Source

Coming up, as management said on 30 April 2026

  • Riello divestiture closing by end of Q2: Management expects the Riello divestiture to close by the end of the second quarter of 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total company orders growth (excluding NORESCO) Sourceup 11%
Commercial HVAC orders growth (excluding NORESCO) Sourceup 35%
Data center orders growth Sourceup over 500%
Data center backlog coverage of expected 2026 sales Sourcefully covers expected 2026 data center sales
Commercial HVAC backlog change, sequential Sourcestrong double-digit increase

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Lower Residential volume left CSA factories under-absorbed, which reduced segment margin. Source
  • Demand: Residential demand remained lower, and China Residential and Light Commercial headwinds continued this quarter. Source
  • Regulatory: Closing of the Riello divestiture is subject to regulatory approvals, which affects the timing of the exit.

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said the Commercial HVAC backlog gives it confidence to drive a sixth consecutive year of double-digit growth. Source
  • Not stated: Management reaffirmed the full-year 2026 guidance it gave in the prior release. Source
  • On track: Management said the CSAME margin decline of 490 basis points was as expected, driven mainly by China RLC. Source
  • Not stated: Prior guidance assumed the Riello divestiture would close by the end of Q1 2026; the current release assumes the end of Q2 2026. Source

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.