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Commercial Metals Co.: Q4 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 15 October 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Q4 core EBITDA rose 35%: Fourth-quarter core EBITDA rose 35.1% year-over-year to $393.7 million, with core EBITDA margin at 14.8%, and net sales rose 25.7% to $2.66 billion. Source
  • Steel EBITDA up 33%: North America Steel Group adjusted EBITDA rose to $317.5 million, with margin up from 14.8% to 16.4%, on higher average selling price and merchant bar-led volume growth. Source
  • Precast below management expectations: Precast sales were $190.8 million and adjusted EBITDA $57.0 million. Regional residential softness, mainly in the Southeast, reduced volumes and mix, while the Mid-Atlantic grew. Source
  • Steel metal margin up $84 a ton: North America Steel Group metal margin reached $652 per ton, up $84 from the prior year period. Source
  • Downstream backlog up 15.5%: Downstream backlog volumes rose 5.0% sequentially and 15.5% year-over-year. Management said backlog pricing continues to trend higher. Source
  • Net leverage fell to 1.9x: Net leverage adjusted for acquisitions ended the quarter at 1.9x, down from 2.1x at the prior quarter-end. Cash and restricted cash totaled $778.9 million, with liquidity over $2.0 billion. Source
  • Fiscal 2029 roadmap set: Management set targets for fiscal 2029 and tied them to TAG, growth investments and an evolving early-stage construction portfolio. Source

“While broader demand conditions remain supportive, residential softness weighed on precast results in the period”

Peter Matt, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
North America Steel Group adjusted EBITDA Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027, compared with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026nearly flat in comparison to the fourth quarterNew
Quarterly dividend per share Sourcepayable November 11, 2026$0.20 per shareKept

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Segment direction for the first quarter of fiscal 2027 was given for the first time, covering sequential changes in North America, Construction Solutions and Europe. Source
  • New: Management established a roadmap to fiscal 2029 with defined targets, which the release presents as a new element of the company's plan. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Q4 core EBITDA rose 35%: Fourth-quarter core EBITDA rose 35.1% year-over-year to $393.7 million, with core EBITDA margin at 14.8%, and net sales rose 25.7% to $2.66 billion. Source
  • Fiscal year core EBITDA reached $1.4 billion: Fiscal 2026 net earnings were $655.8 million. Core EBITDA was $1.4 billion, up from $837.3 million in fiscal 2025, at a 14.5% margin. Source
  • Q4 earnings helped by lower tax rate: Q4 net earnings were $212.5 million, or $1.91 per diluted share, against $1.35 a year earlier, partly due to a lower effective tax rate. Adjusted earnings were $2.09 per diluted share. Source
  • Growth drew on steel, precast and TAG: Management cited growth in the North America Steel Group, the inclusion of acquired precast operations and benefits from the TAG program as the drivers of improved results. Source

North America Steel Group

  • Steel EBITDA up 33%: North America Steel Group adjusted EBITDA rose to $317.5 million, with margin up from 14.8% to 16.4%, on higher average selling price and merchant bar-led volume growth. Source
  • Merchant bar volumes surged: Merchant bar shipments rose 27.5% year-over-year and 16.0% sequentially, on industrial demand including data center activity and expanded merchant bar output at the Arizona 2 micro mill. Source
  • Rebar and downstream volumes flat: Rebar and downstream shipments were essentially flat year-over-year and rose 4.4% sequentially, which management tied to commercial discipline and megaproject-ready capabilities. Source
  • Reinforcing Steel bookings and pricing held: Management said bookings, backlogs and pricing trends for the Reinforcing Steel business remain, though its results were lower this quarter. Source

“With backlogs near record levels, a differentiated portfolio of solutions, and multiple value creation levers, we are well-positioned to deliver strong financial results and achieve our strategic goals in fiscal 2027”

Peter Matt, President and Chief Executive Officer

Construction Solutions and precast

  • Construction Solutions sales and EBITDA doubled: Construction Solutions Group net sales rose 94.5% to $431.4 million, and adjusted EBITDA rose 100.9% to $101.7 million, with margin of 23.6%. Source
  • Precast below management expectations: Precast sales were $190.8 million and adjusted EBITDA $57.0 million. Regional residential softness, mainly in the Southeast, reduced volumes and mix, while the Mid-Atlantic grew. Source
  • Precast bookings rose sharply: Precast bookings rose year-over-year and 12.6% sequentially. Backlog was up roughly 3% from a year earlier and nearly 4% from the third quarter, and average selling price kept rising. Source
  • Tensar profit up about 50% for year: Tensar results were largely consistent with the prior quarter and year-ago period. Fiscal 2026 profitability rose about 50%, driven by data center, energy and infrastructure activity. Source

Europe Steel Group

  • Europe EBITDA fell on prior-year credit: Europe Steel Group adjusted EBITDA was $15.6 million, against $39.1 million a year earlier, which included a $30.7 million CO2 credit. No credit was recognized this quarter. Source
  • Prices outpaced scrap in Europe: Average selling price rose $44 per ton year-over-year, outpacing a $12 per ton rise in scrap costs. Finished goods volumes rose 0.8% as merchant bar and wire rod offset lower rebar. Source
  • EU trade measures seen as constructive: Management said CBAM and the tariff-rate quota system from July 1, 2026 support a more constructive operating environment and reinforce confidence in a return to mid-cycle levels. Source

“We expect fiscal 2027 will be another strong year for CMC, supported by a healthy and balanced market backdrop”

Peter Matt, President and Chief Executive Officer

Margins, pricing and costs

  • Steel metal margin up $84 a ton: North America Steel Group metal margin reached $652 per ton, up $84 from the prior year period. Source
  • Margin gain from metal and precast mix: Consolidated core EBITDA margin gained 100 basis points on metal margin expansion and the higher-margin precast business, while regional mix pressures weighed on precast. Source
  • Sequential margin gain on higher prices: Sequentially, steel margin rose $42 per ton, mainly on a $32 per ton higher average selling price, while scrap costs fell $10 per ton. Source

Demand and order book

  • Downstream backlog up 15.5%: Downstream backlog volumes rose 5.0% sequentially and 15.5% year-over-year. Management said backlog pricing continues to trend higher. Source
  • Energy, chips and infrastructure demand: Management cited demand across the energy build-out, semiconductor manufacturing, industrial manufacturing and key public infrastructure markets as solid. Source
  • Non-residential precast demand healthy: Management said underlying precast demand remains healthy, with momentum in non-residential and infrastructure markets, even as residential softness reduced volumes. Source

Balance sheet and capital returns

  • Net leverage fell to 1.9x: Net leverage adjusted for acquisitions ended the quarter at 1.9x, down from 2.1x at the prior quarter-end. Cash and restricted cash totaled $778.9 million, with liquidity over $2.0 billion. Source
  • Buybacks and remaining authorization: CMC repurchased 383,333 shares for $26.7 million in the quarter, and $702.1 million remained under the repurchase authorization at August 31, 2026. Source
  • Fiscal year cash flow and capital spending: Fiscal 2026 operating cash flow was $1,059.0 million, capital expenditures were $579.8 million, and acquisitions used $2,516.4 million net of cash acquired. Long-term debt rose to $3.31 billion. Source

Strategy and fiscal 2029 roadmap

  • Fiscal 2029 roadmap set: Management set targets for fiscal 2029 and tied them to TAG, growth investments and an evolving early-stage construction portfolio. Source
  • West Virginia micro mill cited for growth: Management named its key growth investments, including the West Virginia micro mill, as contributors to margin durability in the early-stage construction portfolio. Source
  • Priorities: profit, cash and returns: Management listed profitable growth, improved free cash flow generation, higher shareholder returns and continued advance of its strategic agenda as its focus. Source

Coming up, as management said on 15 October 2026

  • Second Galvabar line due: A second Galvabar line will be commissioned later in calendar 2026, adding operational flexibility to serve demand. Source
  • Dividend payment on November 11: The dividend payment on November 11, 2026 will be the 248th consecutive quarterly payment by the company. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
North America finished goods shipment volumes, year-over-year change Source+5.3%
North America merchant bar shipment volumes, year-over-year change Source+27.5%
North America downstream backlog volumes, year-over-year change Source+15.5%
Precast bookings, sequential change Source+12.6%
Europe finished goods shipment volumes, year-over-year change Source+0.8%

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: An unplanned Galvabar outage reduced Reinforcing Steel shipments during the quarter. Source
  • Demand: Precast shipments fell year-over-year because Southeast weakness outweighed Mid-Atlantic growth. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management reported precast integration as on track and net leverage adjusted for acquisitions below its 2x target. Source
  • Ahead: In the third-quarter release, management said it had clear visibility to leverage below 2x, ahead of its mid-2027 goal.
  • Not stated: The third-quarter release expected fourth-quarter core EBITDA to rise sequentially; the fourth-quarter release does not state whether this was achieved.
  • Not stated: The third-quarter release guided mid-teens fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA growth for Construction Solutions; the fourth-quarter release does not state whether this was achieved.

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.