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Helios Technologies, Inc.: 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: 2 raised, 1 narrowed, 3 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Sales up 9%, 16% pro forma: Net sales were $231.9 million, up 9% from $212.5 million. Pro-forma growth, adjusted for the CFP divestiture and foreign exchange, was 16%. Source
  • Adjusted diluted EPS up 49%: Diluted EPS was $0.66, up 94% from $0.34. Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.88, up 49% from $0.59; adjusted net income was $29.2 million. Source
  • Electronics sales up 19%: Electronics sales were $85.5 million, up 19%. APAC rose 43% to $13.4 million and Americas rose 17% to $63.0 million. Source
  • Gross margin up 280 bps: Gross margin was 34.6%, up 280 bps, and gross profit rose 19% to $80.2 million. Gross profit includes a $1 million benefit from net IEEPA tariff refunds. Source
  • Leverage down to 1.4x: Net debt to TTM adjusted EBITDA was 1.4x, down from 2.6x a year earlier and 1.6x at first-quarter end. Net debt was $263.5 million; cash was $68.0 million. Source

“This marks our fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit pro-forma sales and order intake growth, demonstrating that the strategic actions we've taken over the past two years are translating into sustained operating and financial performance.”

Sean Bagan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Helios

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales Sourcefull year 2026$880 to $900 millionRaised from $840 to $870 million
Adjusted EBITDA margin Sourcefull year 202620.2% to 21.0%Narrowed, low end up from 19.5% to 21.0%
Adjusted diluted EPS Sourcefull year 2026$3.05 to $3.25Raised from $2.75 to $3.00
Net sales Sourcethird quarter 2026$215 to $222 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA margin Sourcethird quarter 202619.8% to 20.6%New
Adjusted diluted EPS Sourcethird quarter 2026$0.70 to $0.77New

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year 2026 sales guidance raised to $880 million to $900 million from $840 million to $870 million. Source
  • Guidance raised: Full-year 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance raised to $3.05 to $3.25 from $2.75 to $3.00. Source
  • Guidance raised: Full-year adjusted EBITDA margin guidance low end raised to 20.2% from 19.5%; top end kept at 21.0%. Source
  • New guidance: Third-quarter 2026 guidance given for sales, adjusted EBITDA margin and adjusted diluted EPS; the prior release gave second-quarter guidance. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Sales up 9%, 16% pro forma: Net sales were $231.9 million, up 9% from $212.5 million. Pro-forma growth, adjusted for the CFP divestiture and foreign exchange, was 16%. Source
  • Adjusted diluted EPS up 49%: Diluted EPS was $0.66, up 94% from $0.34. Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.88, up 49% from $0.59; adjusted net income was $29.2 million. Source
  • Operating income up 48%: Operating income was $32.5 million, with operating margin at 14.0% versus 10.3%. Non-GAAP adjusted operating margin was 17.8% versus 15.0%. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA up 25%: Adjusted EBITDA was $49.3 million, up 25%, a margin of 21.2% versus 18.6% in the prior-year quarter. Source

Segments and regions

  • Electronics sales up 19%: Electronics sales were $85.5 million, up 19%. APAC rose 43% to $13.4 million and Americas rose 17% to $63.0 million. Source
  • Electronics operating margin rose: Electronics gross margin was 34.6% versus 29.3%. Operating income rose 90% to $11.2 million, a 13.1% margin versus 8.2%. Source
  • Hydraulics sales up 4%: Hydraulics sales were $146.4 million, up 4%; pro-forma growth was 14%. EMEA rose 12% to $51.8 million, Americas rose 6%, and APAC fell 8% to $37.4 million. Source
  • Hydraulics operating income up 16%: Hydraulics operating income was $28.9 million, up 16%, with operating margin of 19.7% versus 17.7%. Source
  • Americas is over half of sales: Americas sales were $120.2 million, up 11%; EMEA was $60.9 million, up 12%; APAC was $50.8 million, up 2%. Americas made up 52% of the quarter's sales. Source

“our confidence in the business, new business wins, and our visibility into near-term demand support raising the full year outlook for sales and earnings.”

Jeremy Evans, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Margins and costs

  • Gross margin up 280 bps: Gross margin was 34.6%, up 280 bps, and gross profit rose 19% to $80.2 million. Gross profit includes a $1 million benefit from net IEEPA tariff refunds. Source
  • Margin credited to volume and leverage: Management said margin expansion is an outcome of volume outperformance, innovative products and operating leverage gains. Source
  • Selling and admin costs up 8%: Selling, engineering and administrative expense was $40.2 million, up 8%. Electronics SEA expenses rose 22% to $18.4 million; Hydraulics SEA expenses rose 1% to $21.7 million. Source
  • Interest expense fell 33%: Interest expense, net was $4.7 million versus $7.0 million. Total debt was $331.5 million, down from $436.2 million a year earlier. Source

Cash and capital returns

  • Record second-quarter operating cash: Operating cash flow was a second-quarter record $42 million, up 13%, and free cash flow was $31 million in the quarter. Six-month operating cash flow was $65.8 million. Source
  • Leverage down to 1.4x: Net debt to TTM adjusted EBITDA was 1.4x, down from 2.6x a year earlier and 1.6x at first-quarter end. Net debt was $263.5 million; cash was $68.0 million. Source
  • Buybacks and dividend paid: The company repurchased $6.0 million of its common stock in the quarter and paid its 118th consecutive cash dividend. Dividends declared were $0.12 per share, up from $0.09. Source
  • Twelve-month shareholder returns up 71%: Total dollars returned to shareholders over the last twelve months rose 71% against the prior period. Source
  • Capital spending rose: Six-month capital expenditures were $18.0 million versus $11.5 million a year earlier. Source

“We generated record second quarter and first half operating cash flow, have debt and leverage levels at multi-year lows, and returned incremental capital to shareholders through our long-standing dividend and ongoing share repurchases”

Sean Bagan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Helios

Strategy and investment

  • Progress toward CORE Strategy targets: Management said the first half positions the company to continue progress toward The CORE Strategy and the 2030 financial targets. Source
  • ROIC-focused capital allocation: Management cited an ROIC-focused approach to capital allocation as a basis for operating across a range of macro environments. Source
  • Go-to-market, innovation and operations focus: Management named disciplined execution, a customer-centric go-to-market engine, and innovation and operational excellence initiatives as current priorities. Source

Coming up, as management said on 10 August 2026

  • Third-quarter guidance basis: The guidance ranges assume constant currency at ending second-quarter 2026 foreign exchange rates. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management flagged tougher comparisons in the second half of 2026 as a factor it is mindful of. Source
  • External: Management cited geopolitical uncertainty and broader inflationary pressures as ongoing external factors. Source
  • Regulatory: Management cited tariff dynamics as an ongoing external factor affecting the second half. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said second-quarter sales were at the high end of the guidance range. Source
  • Ahead: Management said adjusted earnings exceeded the top end of second-quarter guidance. Source
  • Met: The company stated it has paid a cash dividend every quarter since becoming a public company in 1997. Source
  • Not stated: Management said the first half positions the company to keep progressing toward The CORE Strategy and 2030 financial targets; no status was given. 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.