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Commercial Metals Co.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 8 January 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net earnings of $177.3 million: Net earnings were $177.3 million, or $1.58 per diluted share, on net sales of $2.1 billion, against a prior year net loss of $175.7 million, which included a litigation charge. Source
  • Adjusted earnings $1.84 per share: Excluding after-tax charges of $28.9 million, adjusted earnings were $206.2 million, or $1.84 per diluted share, against $86.9 million, or $0.76, a year earlier. Source
  • Core EBITDA up about 52%: Consolidated core EBITDA of $316.9 million grew about 52% year over year, with a core EBITDA margin of 14.9%. Source
  • Steel segment EBITDA up 57.9%: Segment adjusted EBITDA rose to $293.9 million from $186.2 million, driven by higher steel products margins over scrap and TAG contributions, partly offset by lower downstream margins over scrap. Source
  • Best first quarter in segment history: Segment net sales were $198.3 million, up 17.0%. Adjusted EBITDA of $39.6 million was up 74.7%, the best first quarter in the segment's history. Source
  • Europe EBITDA fell on lower CO2 credit: Adjusted EBITDA was $10.9 million, against $25.8 million, mainly because the CO2 credit was $15.6 million versus $44.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Steel metal margin up third straight quarter: Steel products metal margin rose $53 per ton sequentially to $621, the highest level in nearly three years, and management said it could move higher. Source

“The first quarter marked an exceptional start to 2026 for CMC as we built on the strategic groundwork laid during fiscal 2025 and continued to advance our goal of meaningfully and sustainably enhancing our financial profile and earnings power.”

Peter Matt, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Precast businesses EBITDA contribution SourceFiscal 2026, about eight and a half months of ownership$165 million to $175 millionNew
TAG annualized run-rate EBITDA benefit SourceExit of fiscal 2026$150 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New: The CP&P and Foley precast businesses join the Construction Solutions Group from the second quarter of fiscal 2026. Source
  • Ended: The Emerging Businesses Group name is retired and the segment is renamed Construction Solutions Group, with no change to reporting structure. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Net earnings of $177.3 million: Net earnings were $177.3 million, or $1.58 per diluted share, on net sales of $2.1 billion, against a prior year net loss of $175.7 million, which included a litigation charge. Source
  • Adjusted earnings $1.84 per share: Excluding after-tax charges of $28.9 million, adjusted earnings were $206.2 million, or $1.84 per diluted share, against $86.9 million, or $0.76, a year earlier. Source
  • Core EBITDA up about 52%: Consolidated core EBITDA of $316.9 million grew about 52% year over year, with a core EBITDA margin of 14.9%. Source

North America Steel Group

  • Steel segment EBITDA up 57.9%: Segment adjusted EBITDA rose to $293.9 million from $186.2 million, driven by higher steel products margins over scrap and TAG contributions, partly offset by lower downstream margins over scrap. Source
  • Finished steel shipments flat: Average daily shipments of finished steel products were virtually unchanged from the prior year period and from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. Source
  • Merchant shipments grew on Arizona 2: Merchant product shipments rose year over year as the Arizona 2 micro mill increased the company's ability to serve West Coast customers. Source

“Looking at our first quarter financial results, we achieved substantial improvement on a year-over-year basis.”

Peter Matt, President and Chief Executive Officer

Construction Solutions Group

  • Best first quarter in segment history: Segment net sales were $198.3 million, up 17.0%. Adjusted EBITDA of $39.6 million was up 74.7%, the best first quarter in the segment's history. Source
  • Tensar drove segment profit: Tensar's demand, cost efficiency and targeted commercial initiatives were the main drivers of the improvement. Source
  • Performance Reinforcing Steel lower: Lower Performance Reinforcing Steel results, against elevated year-ago levels, partly offset gains at CMC Construction Services and CMC Impact Metals. Source
  • Segment margin 20.0%, first-quarter record: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 20.0%, the highest first-quarter margin on record, up 6.6 percentage points year over year. Source

Europe Steel Group

  • Europe EBITDA fell on lower CO2 credit: Adjusted EBITDA was $10.9 million, against $25.8 million, mainly because the CO2 credit was $15.6 million versus $44.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Volumes and metal margin lifted results: Excluding the change in energy cost rebates, adjusted EBITDA improved on strong shipping volumes and higher metal margins. Source
  • Imports pressured Polish prices: Polish demand remained resilient and supported healthy shipping volumes, but import flows weighed on average price and margin levels. Source
  • Annual maintenance outages affected quarter: Annual maintenance outages affected results in the quarter, while the segment continued to manage controllable costs. Source

Margins and pricing

  • Steel metal margin up third straight quarter: Steel products metal margin rose $53 per ton sequentially to $621, the highest level in nearly three years, and management said it could move higher. Source
  • Steel selling price up $57 per ton: Average selling price for steel products rose $57 per ton sequentially, while scrap costs were stable. Source
  • Selling price up $145 from early 2025 low: Steel products average selling price has risen by more than $145 per ton from the monthly low reached in early fiscal 2025. Source
  • Downstream backlog pricing trending higher: Average downstream backlog pricing has trended higher over the last two quarters, after a long period of contraction, which management attributes to commercial discipline. Source

Demand and order book

  • Construction pipeline described as healthy: Management described the pipeline of future construction projects as healthy, citing downstream bidding activity and an elevated Dodge Momentum Index. Source
  • Downstream backlog up despite selectivity: Downstream backlog was modestly higher year over year and sequentially, on data center, energy and public works awards, while certain project bids were declined on margin and risk grounds. Source
  • Construction Solutions backlogs at healthy levels: Management said backlogs and quoting activity in the Construction Solutions Group are at healthy levels. Source

Capital, cash and returns

  • Cash and liquidity after notes offering: Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $3.0 billion, and available liquidity was nearly $1.9 billion, with the $2.0 billion note proceeds held in cash at quarter end. Source
  • Acquisitions paid about $2.5 billion: The CP&P and Foley acquisitions closed in December, with payments of approximately $2.5 billion, funded largely from the November note offering. Source
  • Buybacks of $38.9 million: The company repurchased 663,220 shares for $38.9 million, leaving $166.1 million available under the current authorization. Source
  • Quarterly dividend held at $0.18: The board declared a $0.18 quarterly dividend, the 245th consecutive quarterly payment, payable to holders of record on January 19, 2026. Source

Strategy and investment

  • TAG run-rate goal of $150 million: Management said it has confidence in reaching or exceeding the goal of exiting fiscal 2026 at a $150 million annualized run-rate EBITDA benefit from TAG. Source
  • New TAG initiatives launched: Management said the company launched key new TAG initiatives aimed at expanding margins and capturing full value for its service. Source
  • Precast businesses form new platform: Management said the two precast acquisitions, announced and completed, establish a new growth platform for the company. Source
  • Long-term margin and return goals: Management said the strategic plan is expected to bring meaningful and sustained gains in margins, earnings, cash flow and return on capital. Source

Coming up, as management said on 8 January 2026

  • Dividend payment on February 2, 2026: The $0.18 quarterly dividend is scheduled to be paid on February 2, 2026, the 245th consecutive quarterly payment. Source
  • Second-quarter acquisition expenses: Management said the company will recognize transaction fees, debt issuance costs and purchase accounting adjustments in the second quarter, all excluded from core EBITDA. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
North America Steel Group steel products external tons shipped Source795 thousand tons
North America Steel Group rebar external tons shipped Source544 thousand tons
North America Steel Group downstream products external tons shipped Source350 thousand tons
North America Steel Group steel products average selling price per ton Source$939 per ton
North America Steel Group steel products metal margin per ton Source$621 per ton
Europe Steel Group steel products external tons shipped Source362 thousand tons

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management expects a normal seasonal slowdown in key markets in the second quarter, with lower volume trends in North America Steel Group. Source
  • Operational: Annual maintenance outages reduced Europe Steel Group results in the first quarter. Source
  • External: Import flows in Poland weighed on average selling price and margin levels for Europe Steel Group. Source
  • Financial: Europe's CO2 credit was lower because part of the credit was received in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said it successfully launched several new operational and commercial initiatives under the TAG program in the quarter. Source
  • Not stated: Management said it has confidence in reaching or exceeding the $150 million annualized run-rate EBITDA benefit goal for the exit of fiscal 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.