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Corpay, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 raised, 4 new, 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue up 25% to $1,261.0 million: Revenue rose 25% to $1,261.0 million. Management put organic growth at 11%; currency and fuel also added to the reported figure. Source
  • GAAP EPS includes business sale gain: GAAP net income per diluted share rose 49% to $5.07. The company said a gain on sale of a business added about $81 million, or $1.19 per share. Source
  • Adjusted EPS up 29%: Adjusted net income per diluted share rose 29% to $5.80, from $4.51. Adjusted EBITDA rose 24% to $688.6 million, from $555.4 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin declined: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 54.6% on $1,261.0 million of revenue, against 55.2% in the first quarter of 2025. Source
  • Corporate Payments spend up 71%: Corporate Payments spend volume rose 71% as reported and 43% on a pro forma and macro adjusted basis. Source
  • Repurchased 2.4 million shares: The company repurchased 2.4 million shares for $786 million and exited the quarter at 2.7 times leverage. Source

“Organic revenue growth was 11% for the fourth consecutive quarter and our strong first quarter performance gives us increased confidence in our rest of year guidance,”

Ron Clarke, chairman and chief executive officer, Corpay, Inc.

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Total revenues SourceFY2026$5.250 billion to $5.330 billionRaised from $5,215 million to $5,315 million
Net income SourceFY2026$1.352 billion to $1.432 billion
Net income per diluted share SourceFY2026$20.39 to $21.19Raised from $19.49 to $20.49
Adjusted net income SourceFY2026$1.746 billion to $1.826 billion
Adjusted net income per diluted share SourceFY2026$26.30 to $27.10Raised from $25.50 to $26.50
Interest expense SourceFY2026$415 million to $445 million
Fuel price spreads SourceFY2026flat with the 2025 averageKept
Foreign exchange rates SourceFY2026unchanged from prior guidance in February 2026Kept
Adjusted effective tax rate SourceFY2026approximately 25% to 27%Kept
Diluted shares SourceFY202667 million
Total revenues SourceQ2 2026approximately $1.295 billion at the midpointNew
Adjusted net income per diluted share SourceQ2 2026$6.55 at the midpointNew
Net income SourceQ2 2026$301 million to $321 millionNew
Adjusted net income per diluted share SourceQ2 2026$6.45 to $6.65New

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year revenue range was raised, with management citing first quarter over-performance and higher expected fuel prices. Source
  • Guidance raised: Full-year adjusted net income per diluted share range was raised. Source
  • Guidance kept: Adjusted effective tax rate range was carried forward unchanged. Source
  • New: The PaybyPhone business within Vehicle Payments was disposed of, with a net gain realized in the quarter. Source
  • New: The Other segment now includes Outsourced Card Processing, which the prior release did not list; 2025 figures were recast. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue up 25% to $1,261.0 million: Revenue rose 25% to $1,261.0 million. Management put organic growth at 11%; currency and fuel also added to the reported figure. Source
  • Operating income rose 49%: Operating income was $636.2 million, up 49%, and includes the $121.4 million gain on disposition. Source
  • GAAP EPS includes business sale gain: GAAP net income per diluted share rose 49% to $5.07. The company said a gain on sale of a business added about $81 million, or $1.19 per share. Source
  • Adjusted EPS up 29%: Adjusted net income per diluted share rose 29% to $5.80, from $4.51. Adjusted EBITDA rose 24% to $688.6 million, from $555.4 million. Source

Segments and regions

  • Lodging revenue flat, improving sequentially: Lodging revenue was $111.0 million, up 1%. Management said lodging improved significantly from the prior quarter. Source
  • U.S. share of revenue declined: U.S. revenue was $543 million, or 43% of the total, against $507 million and 50% a year earlier. Brazil was 17% and the UK 16%. Source

“Revenue over performance had a high flow through resulting in EBITDA margins over 100 basis points higher than we expected.”

Peter Walker, chief financial officer, Corpay, Inc.

Products and customers

  • Tag subscriptions averaged 8.0 million: Average monthly tag subscriptions in the first quarter were 8.0 million, as stated in the footnote on tag transactions. Source
  • Per-spend yield lower on new clients: Corporate Payments revenue per spend dollar fell to 0.62% from 0.72%. The company attributed the decline to new payables and cross-border enterprise clients. Source
  • Vehicle revenue per transaction up 14%: Vehicle Payments revenue per transaction rose 14% to $2.70, or 5% on a pro forma and macro adjusted basis. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Adjusted EBITDA margin declined: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 54.6% on $1,261.0 million of revenue, against 55.2% in the first quarter of 2025. Source
  • Selling and G&A rose faster than revenue: Selling expense rose 38% to $148.2 million and general and administrative expense rose 30% to $203.8 million. Processing expense rose 23%. Source
  • Credit loss provision rose: Provision for credit losses on receivables was $42.4 million, against $30.7 million a year earlier. Source
  • Revenue over performance flowed through: Management said flow-through on revenue over performance was high, leaving EBITDA margins more than 100 basis points above its expectations. Source

“We are raising our full-year outlook as a result of our first quarter over-performance, the expected higher rest of year fuel prices and our first quarter fundamental trends running ahead of our expectations,”

Peter Walker, chief financial officer, Corpay, Inc.

Demand and the order book

  • Corporate Payments spend up 71%: Corporate Payments spend volume rose 71% as reported and 43% on a pro forma and macro adjusted basis. Source
  • Revenue per room night up 34%: Lodging revenue per room night rose 34% to $15.06, while room nights fell 25% to 7.4 million. Source
  • Currency and fuel moved revenue: Foreign exchange added about $62 million to revenue, fuel prices about $4 million, and fuel price spreads subtracted about $2 million. Source

Capital, cash and returns to shareholders

  • Repurchased 2.4 million shares: The company repurchased 2.4 million shares for $786 million and exited the quarter at 2.7 times leverage. Source
  • Operating cash outflow was $56.6 million: Net cash used in operating activities was $56.6 million, against $74.2 million a year earlier. Source
  • Disposal proceeds of $420.2 million: Proceeds from disposition, net of cash, were $420.2 million, and net cash provided by investing activities was $369.1 million. Source
  • Diluted shares declined: Diluted weighted average shares were 68.4 million, against 71.6 million a year earlier. Source

Strategy and portfolio changes

  • Alpha results sit in Corporate Payments: Alpha, acquired in the fourth quarter of 2025, is reported in Corporate Payments from the acquisition date. Source
  • Equity method investment adjustment: A $21.4 million net-of-tax adjustment for the equity method investment is excluded from adjusted net income. Source
  • Integration and deal costs continue: Integration and deal related costs were $16.9 million, against $11.4 million, and are excluded from adjusted net income. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Corporate Payments spend volume Source$81,850 million
Vehicle Payments transactions Source209.0 million
Tag transactions Source24.1 million
Lodging room nights Source7.4 million
Other transactions Source465.0 million

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Corporate Payments revenue per spend dollar is lower because of new payables and cross-border enterprise clients. Source
  • External: Foreign exchange rate assumptions in guidance are held at the February 2026 basis, so later currency moves are not reflected. Source
  • Financial: Interest expense, net rose 17% in the quarter, and the full-year interest expense range depends on the SOFR forward curve. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: The February release guided these first-quarter figures; the April release says results finished well ahead of expectations, with organic growth at 11% and adjusted EPS up 29%.
  • Not stated: The February release expected 10% full-year organic growth; the April release does not restate this figure.
  • Not stated: The February release expected revenue and adjusted EPS to build over the year as organic growth and deal synergies came through.

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.