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L.B. Foster Co.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 10 August 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 4 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Quarter sales declined, first half grew: Second-quarter net sales fell 3.5% to $138.6 million; first-half net sales rose 7.6% to $259.7 million, led by Rail. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA fell in the quarter: Adjusted EBITDA was $11.7 million, down 4.7%, on higher personnel and incentive costs; first-half Adjusted EBITDA rose 19.6% to $16.8 million. Source
  • Rail sales fell on large-order timing: Rail sales fell 5.2% to $72.0 million; Rail Products fell 27.3% on timing of large orders, partly offset by growth in Global Friction Management and TS&S. Source
  • Tew Exit costs excluded from EBITDA: Tew Exit costs of $2.6 million were excluded from Adjusted EBITDA; $2.1 million of them sat in Rail gross profit. Source
  • Selling and admin costs rose sharply: Selling and administrative expenses rose $1.7 million, or 7.7%, to 17.4% of sales, mainly on higher employment and incentive compensation costs. Source
  • Quarterly backlog rose 17.4%: Backlog rose $36.5 million in the quarter to $246.1 million, driven by Rail orders, but was 8.8% lower than a year earlier. Source
  • Total debt cut to $48.0 million: Total debt fell $11.7 million in the quarter to $48.0 million and was $33.6 million lower than a year earlier. Source
  • Tew Engineering product lines exited: The company announced in the quarter the exit of certain Tew Engineering product lines in the UK, as part of a strategic shift. Source

“We delivered another solid quarter, with record operating cash flow resulting in a 41.2% reduction in debt from the prior year”

John Kasel, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales SourceFull year 2026$540,000 to $580,000 (in thousands)Kept
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFull year 2026$41,000 to $46,000 (in thousands)Kept
Capital spending SourceFull year 2026~2.7% of salesKept
Free cash flow SourceFull year 2026$15,000 to $25,000 (in thousands)Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Full-year 2026 guidance was reaffirmed; the ranges match those given in the prior quarter. Source
  • New: During the quarter the company announced the exit of certain product lines within its Tew Engineering business. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Quarter sales declined, first half grew: Second-quarter net sales fell 3.5% to $138.6 million; first-half net sales rose 7.6% to $259.7 million, led by Rail. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA fell in the quarter: Adjusted EBITDA was $11.7 million, down 4.7%, on higher personnel and incentive costs; first-half Adjusted EBITDA rose 19.6% to $16.8 million. Source
  • Diluted EPS rose to $0.29: Diluted EPS was $0.29 against $0.27 a year earlier; net income attributable rose 7.9% to $3.1 million on lower interest expense and a lower tax rate. Source
  • First-half net income improved sharply: First-half net income attributable to the company was $4.6 million, against $0.8 million a year earlier, with operating income up 42.4% to $8.2 million. Source

Segments and regions

  • Rail sales fell on large-order timing: Rail sales fell 5.2% to $72.0 million; Rail Products fell 27.3% on timing of large orders, partly offset by growth in Global Friction Management and TS&S. Source
  • Infrastructure sales slipped slightly: Infrastructure sales fell 1.5% to $66.5 million; Steel Products fell 9.3% while Precast grew 2.1%. Source
  • Global Friction Management sales grew: Global Friction Management sales rose $3.7 million, or 18.1%, on domestic demand; TS&S sales rose 66.9% on UK short-term project work. Source
  • Rail margin rose on business mix: Rail gross margin rose 70 basis points to 20.6%, while Rail gross profit fell $0.3 million on lower Rail Products volume and Tew Exit costs. Source
  • Infrastructure margin rose on Precast: Infrastructure gross margin rose 80 basis points to 24.1%; Precast gross profit gained $0.6 million on business mix. Source

“Our business remains well-positioned and the $36.5 million sequential increase in the backlog gives us confidence in the outlook for growth in the second half of the year.”

John Kasel, President and Chief Executive Officer

Products and customers

  • Steel Protective Coatings demand lifted orders: Steel Products orders rose 73.3% on Protective Coatings demand, while Precast orders fell 15.4% over the same period last year. Source
  • Rail Products orders declined: Rail Products new orders fell 20.0% on order timing, while Global Friction Management orders rose 27.8% and TS&S orders rose 126.4%. Source
  • UK short-term project work drove TS&S: TS&S sales rose $5.3 million, or 66.9%, on short-term project work in the UK, with the UK business refocused toward shorter projects. Source

Costs and margins

  • Gross margin up, gross profit flat: Consolidated gross margin rose 80 basis points to 22.3% on 3.5% lower sales; gross profit was flat at $30.9 million. Source
  • Tew Exit costs excluded from EBITDA: Tew Exit costs of $2.6 million were excluded from Adjusted EBITDA; $2.1 million of them sat in Rail gross profit. Source
  • Selling and admin costs rose sharply: Selling and administrative expenses rose $1.7 million, or 7.7%, to 17.4% of sales, mainly on higher employment and incentive compensation costs. Source
  • First-half stock compensation charge: First-half selling and administrative expenses included a $0.5 million accelerated non-cash stock compensation charge for retirement-eligible employees. Source

“We remain focused on executing our strategy and we are confident in our ability to manage the business in a volatile environment should it develop.”

John Kasel, President and Chief Executive Officer

Demand and the order book

  • Quarterly backlog rose 17.4%: Backlog rose $36.5 million in the quarter to $246.1 million, driven by Rail orders, but was 8.8% lower than a year earlier. Source
  • Orders flat, Infrastructure up: New orders rose 0.2% to $176.1 million; Infrastructure orders rose 4.0% and Rail orders fell 1.9%. Source
  • Infrastructure backlog down on cancellation: Infrastructure backlog fell 24.8% year over year after a large order cancellation last year and lower Precast backlog. Source
  • Robust bidding activity in Rail: Management cited robust bidding activity, particularly in Rail, and reported encouragement from the project pipeline. Source

Capital, cash and returns

  • Operating cash flow highest since 2017: Operating cash flow was $17.9 million against $10.4 million a year earlier, the highest second-quarter figure since 2017. Source
  • Free cash flow rose to $14.3 million: Free cash flow was $14.3 million against $7.7 million a year earlier, after capital expenditures of $3.6 million. Source
  • Total debt cut to $48.0 million: Total debt fell $11.7 million in the quarter to $48.0 million and was $33.6 million lower than a year earlier. Source
  • Gross leverage ratio fell to 1.0x: The gross leverage ratio per the credit facility was 1.0x at June 30, 2026, down from 2.2x a year earlier. Source
  • Lower working capital aided debt reduction: Management attributed the debt reduction to Free Cash Flow generation and lower working capital requirements during the period. Source

Strategy and UK restructuring

  • Tew Engineering product lines exited: The company announced in the quarter the exit of certain Tew Engineering product lines in the UK, as part of a strategic shift. Source
  • UK business refocused on shorter projects: The UK business was refocused to prioritize shorter-term projects with higher profitability and lower working capital requirements. Source
  • Prior-year exit costs excluded from EBITDA: Prior-year Adjusted EBITDA excluded $1.4 million of AMH Exit costs, compared with $2.6 million of Tew Exit costs this year. Source

Coming up, as management said on 10 August 2026

  • Second-half growth expected from backlog: Management expects order activity to remain supportive of its growth expectations for the balance of 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Backlog Source$246,113 thousand at June 30, 2026
New orders, net Source$176,076 thousand in the 2026 second quarter
Book-to-bill ratio, trailing twelve months Source0.96 : 1.00

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Consolidated backlog fell 8.8% year over year, mainly on an order cancellation last year in Infrastructure. Source
  • Operational: Lower Rail Products sales volumes reduced Rail gross profit by $2.2 million in the quarter. Source
  • Financial: Selling and administrative expenses rose to 17.4% of sales, which management tied to employment and incentive costs. Source
  • External: Guidance assumes the current geopolitical landscape will not have a significant impact on the domestic economy. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management reaffirmed full-year 2026 guidance in the second quarter release. Source
  • Not stated: In May, management said it believed order rates would continue to improve as the year progressed.

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.