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Carrier Global Corp.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 28 July 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 raised, 2 lowered, 2 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Sales rose 4%, organic sales 3%: Net sales were $6,351 million against $6,113 million. Organic sales rose 3% and foreign currency translation added 1%, the company reported. Source
  • Operating profit and EPS declined: GAAP operating profit was $825 million, down 9%. Adjusted operating profit was $1,095 million, down 6%. Adjusted EPS was $0.86 against $0.92. Source
  • CSA sales rose, margin fell: CSA sales rose 4% to $3,372 million. Residential grew 9% and Light Commercial 10%, while Commercial fell 8%. Segment margin was 24.4% against 27.0%. Source
  • Orders rose sharply, led by data centers: Total company orders rose about 40%, Commercial HVAC orders about 65%, and data center orders more than 300%. Management also cited record backlog levels. Source
  • Adjusted margin down 190 basis points: Adjusted operating margin was 17.2% against 19.1%. Management attributed the decline to input costs and unfavorable business mix, partly offset by favorable volume and productivity. Source
  • Free cash flow $810 million: Operating cash flow was $927 million against $649 million a year earlier. Capital expenditures were $117 million, leaving free cash flow of $810 million against $568 million. Source

“Improving Residential and Light Commercial markets in CSA and CSE are encouraging.”

Chairman & CEO David Gitlin

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Sales Sourcefull year 2026~$23 billionRaised from ~$22 billion
Adjusted operating profit Sourcefull year 2026~$3.5 billionRaised from ~$3.4 billion
Adjusted EPS Sourcefull year 2026~$2.90Raised from ~$2.80
Free cash flow Sourcefull year 2026~$2 billionKept
Net acquisitions and divestitures effect on sales Sourcefull year 2026(2%)Lowered from (1%)
Riello exit revenue headwind Sourcefull year 2026, year over year~$225 millionLowered from ~$250 million
NORESCO exit revenue headwind Sourcefull year 2026, year over year~$125 millionNew
Adjusted EPS impact from NORESCO exit and new U.S. factory costs Sourcefull year 2026~($0.05)New

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year sales, adjusted operating profit and adjusted EPS guidance raised, citing record backlog and year-to-date performance. Source
  • Guidance raised: Full-year organic sales growth range raised to up mid-single digits from flat to up low-single digits. Source
  • Guidance kept: Full-year free cash flow guidance kept at about $2 billion. Source
  • Ended: Riello exit completed on July 1, 2026, and is excluded from the second-quarter comparisons. Source
  • New: NORESCO exit announced; the release gives no completion date. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Sales rose 4%, organic sales 3%: Net sales were $6,351 million against $6,113 million. Organic sales rose 3% and foreign currency translation added 1%, the company reported. Source
  • Operating profit and EPS declined: GAAP operating profit was $825 million, down 9%. Adjusted operating profit was $1,095 million, down 6%. Adjusted EPS was $0.86 against $0.92. Source
  • EPS up from first quarter: Against the first quarter, adjusted EPS rose from $0.57 to $0.86, and adjusted operating profit rose from $594 million to $1,095 million.

Segments and regions

  • CSA sales rose, margin fell: CSA sales rose 4% to $3,372 million. Residential grew 9% and Light Commercial 10%, while Commercial fell 8%. Segment margin was 24.4% against 27.0%. Source
  • CSE sales up 6%, margin 7.2%: CSE sales rose 6% to $1,324 million, with organic sales up 3%. Segment margin was 7.2%, down 70 basis points from 7.9%. Source
  • CSAME sales up, margin down sharply: CSAME sales rose 4% to $917 million, with double-digit growth in India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australia. Segment margin fell to 11.8% from 15.3%. Source
  • CST sales up 2% on container: CST sales rose 2% to $738 million, with organic sales flat. Container growth was offset by declines in Global Truck and Trailer. Segment margin was 16.0%, down from 17.6%. Source

“Given record backlog levels and our year-to-date performance, we are raising our full-year outlook and now expect sales of about $23 billion and adjusted EPS of ~$2.90.”

Chairman & CEO David Gitlin

Orders, backlog and demand

  • Orders rose sharply, led by data centers: Total company orders rose about 40%, Commercial HVAC orders about 65%, and data center orders more than 300%. Management also cited record backlog levels. Source
  • Residential and light commercial improving: Management described improving Residential and Light Commercial markets in CSA and CSE as encouraging. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Adjusted margin down 190 basis points: Adjusted operating margin was 17.2% against 19.1%. Management attributed the decline to input costs and unfavorable business mix, partly offset by favorable volume and productivity. Source
  • CSA price offset by mix and inputs: CSA revenue growth came mainly from price, which management said was more than offset by unfavorable mix and input costs, reducing segment margin. Source
  • CSE margin hit by mix and selling spend: Volume growth and favorable price/cost in CSE were more than offset by unfavorable mix and selling investments, lowering segment margin 70 basis points. Source

Cash, debt and shareholder returns

  • Free cash flow $810 million: Operating cash flow was $927 million against $649 million a year earlier. Capital expenditures were $117 million, leaving free cash flow of $810 million against $568 million. Source
  • About $640 million returned: Shareholder returns in the quarter comprised $439 million of share repurchases and $199 million of dividends paid on common stock. Source
  • Net debt higher than December: Net debt was $10,608 million at June 30, up from $10,278 million at December 31 and down from $10,787 million at March 31. Source

Tax and earnings below operating profit

  • Higher tax rate reduced EPS: GAAP effective tax rate was 25.0% against 20.0%, and the adjusted rate was 23.2% against 22.1%. A lower diluted share count, 836.5 million against 866.3 million, partly offset this. Source
  • Pre-tax earnings declined: Earnings before income taxes were $721 million against $812 million a year earlier. First-half earnings before income taxes were $890 million against $1,360 million. Source
  • Adjusted net earnings $721 million: GAAP net earnings from continuing operations were $501 million, and adjusted net earnings from continuing operations were $721 million. Source

Coming up, as management said on 28 July 2026

  • NORESCO exit still to complete: The NORESCO exit has been announced but not completed; the release gives no completion date. Guidance includes about $125 million of year-over-year revenue headwind from it. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total company orders growth Source~40%
Commercial HVAC orders growth Source~65%
Data center orders growth Source>300%

Risks management discussed

  • External: Middle East conflict reduced joint venture income in CSAME, lowering segment margin. Source
  • Demand: Continued pressure in China Residential and Light Commercial offset growth elsewhere in CSAME. Source
  • Demand: CSA Commercial sales fell 8% due to the timing of customer deliveries. Source
  • Operational: Unfavorable mix and input costs more than offset price in CSA, lowering segment margin. Source
  • Operational: New U.S. factory costs are included in full-year guidance, about a $0.05 adjusted EPS impact together with the NORESCO exit. Source
  • Financial: A higher effective tax rate reduced EPS, partly offset by a lower share count. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The first-quarter release expected the Riello close by the end of the second quarter. The second-quarter release says the exit was completed on July 1, 2026.
  • Ahead: Management said organic sales returned to growth earlier than expected, up 3%. Source
  • Not stated: The first-quarter release reaffirmed full-year guidance. The second-quarter release raises sales, adjusted operating profit and adjusted EPS.

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.