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KB Home: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 22 September 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 lowered, 6 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue and deliveries declined sharply: Quarter revenues fell 20% to $1.30 billion and homes delivered fell 19% to 2,732. Average selling price was $473,000, against $475,700 a year earlier. Source
  • Housing gross margin fell to 16.5%: Housing gross profit margin was 16.5% against 18.2%. Excluding $3.0 million of inventory-related charges, it was 16.8% against 18.9%. Source
  • Net orders fell 12%: Net orders were 2,604 against 2,950. Monthly net orders per community were 3.1 against 3.8. Source
  • Backlog rose for first time in four years: Ending backlog rose 2% to 4,398 homes and backlog value rose 3% to $2.05 billion, the first increase in four years. Source
  • Built to Order near three-quarters of deliveries: Built to Order homes made up nearly three-quarters of third-quarter deliveries, which management linked to a sequentially higher housing gross margin. Source
  • Quarterly land spending rose 40%: Land and land development investment for the quarter was $722.3 million against $514.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Third-quarter buybacks of $50.0 million: The company repurchased 0.9 million shares for $50.0 million in the quarter. Nine-month repurchases were 3.1 million shares for $175.0 million, leaving $725.0 million authorized. Source

“We are operating in a housing market that continues to be challenging, with conditions weakening since our June earnings report.”

Jeffrey Mezger, Executive Chairman

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Deliveries Source2026 full year10,500 to 11,000 homesKept
Housing revenues Source2026 full year$4.90 billion to $5.10 billionLowered from $4.90 billion to $5.30 billion
Housing gross profit margin Source2026 full year, excluding inventory-related charges16.0% to 16.2%Lowered from 16.1% to 16.5%
Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues Source2026 full year11.5% to 11.7%
Effective tax rate Source2026 full yearapproximately 23%
Deliveries Source2026 fourth quarter3,000 to 3,500 homesNew
Housing revenues Source2026 fourth quarter$1.45 billion to $1.65 billionNew
Housing gross profit margin Source2026 fourth quarter, assuming no inventory-related charges16.0% to 16.6%New
Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues Source2026 fourth quarter10.3% to 10.9%New
Effective tax rate Source2026 fourth quarterapproximately 26%New
Ending community count Source2026 fourth quarter270 to 275New

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance lowered: Full-year housing revenue range top end cut from $5.30 billion to $5.10 billion. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Full-year housing gross profit margin range moved from 16.1% to 16.5% to 16.0% to 16.2%. Source
  • Guidance kept: Full-year delivery range of 10,500 to 11,000 homes unchanged from the prior release. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter guidance provided for deliveries, housing revenues, margin, SG&A ratio, tax rate and community count. Source

Quarter results and earnings

  • Revenue and deliveries declined sharply: Quarter revenues fell 20% to $1.30 billion and homes delivered fell 19% to 2,732. Average selling price was $473,000, against $475,700 a year earlier. Source
  • Homebuilding operating income lower: Homebuilding operating income was $67.1 million, a 5.2% margin, against $131.2 million and 8.1%. Excluding inventory-related charges, the margin was 5.4% against 8.8%. Source
  • Net income and EPS fell: Net income was $65.3 million against $109.8 million. Diluted EPS was $1.05 against $1.61, with share repurchases partly offsetting the lower net income. Source
  • One-time gain and lower tax rate: Pretax income included a $3.5 million gain on sale of an equity investment in a privately held technology company. The effective tax rate was 19.6% against 23.3%, mainly from excess stock-compensation tax benefits. Source
  • Nine-month results declined: Nine-month revenues were $3.49 billion against $4.54 billion, net income $126.1 million against $327.3 million, and diluted EPS $2.00 against $4.60. Source

Regional deliveries and prices

  • Southwest and Central deliveries fell most: Quarter deliveries were West Coast 966 (972 a year earlier), Southwest 503 (681), Central 609 (943) and Southeast 654 (797). Source
  • Average prices lower in most regions: Quarter average selling prices were West Coast $641,800 (vs $684,000), Southwest $441,500 (vs $492,700), Central $337,500 (vs $329,400) and Southeast $374,100 (vs $380,200). Source
  • Nine-month deliveries down 19%: Nine-month homes delivered were 7,497, down 19%, and the nine-month average selling price fell 5% to $462,900. Source

“We also made significant progress and have now achieved our goal of returning to a predominantly Built to Order business,”

Robert McGibney, President and Chief Executive Officer

Margins and cost pressures

  • Housing gross margin fell to 16.5%: Housing gross profit margin was 16.5% against 18.2%. Excluding $3.0 million of inventory-related charges, it was 16.8% against 18.9%. Source
  • SG&A ratio rose on lower leverage: Selling, general and administrative expenses were 11.3% of housing revenues against 10.0%, partly offset by lower performance-based compensation costs and personnel reductions. Source
  • Financial services income eased: Financial services pretax income was $7.4 million against $8.7 million, reflecting lower title and insurance results. Source

Orders, backlog and communities

  • Net orders fell 12%: Net orders were 2,604 against 2,950. Monthly net orders per community were 3.1 against 3.8. Source
  • Backlog rose for first time in four years: Ending backlog rose 2% to 4,398 homes and backlog value rose 3% to $2.05 billion, the first increase in four years. Source
  • Community count grew year over year: The average community count rose 8% to 279 and the ending count rose 5% to 277. Source

“We remain committed to enhancing long-term shareholder value through both our performance and our balanced approach to capital allocation,”

Jeffrey Mezger, Executive Chairman

Built to Order mix and products

  • Built to Order near three-quarters of deliveries: Built to Order homes made up nearly three-quarters of third-quarter deliveries, which management linked to a sequentially higher housing gross margin. Source
  • Second-quarter Built to Order share: In the second-quarter release, Built to Order homes were 73% of net orders, which management described as continued momentum.
  • Openings tied to price and pace: Management tied recent community openings to future sales support and said it focuses on balancing price and pace. Source

Land spend and balance sheet

  • Quarterly land spending rose 40%: Land and land development investment for the quarter was $722.3 million against $514.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month land spend lower: Nine-month land-related investments fell 8% to $1.79 billion against $1.95 billion. Source
  • Lots owned or under contract declined: Lots owned or under contract fell 5% to 61,581, about 60% owned and 40% under contract. Source
  • Notes payable rose on credit facility: Notes payable were $2.11 billion against $1.69 billion, reflecting cash borrowings under the Credit Facility; debt to capital was 35.7% against 30.3%. Source

Cash, buybacks and dividend

  • Third-quarter buybacks of $50.0 million: The company repurchased 0.9 million shares for $50.0 million in the quarter. Nine-month repurchases were 3.1 million shares for $175.0 million, leaving $725.0 million authorized. Source
  • Cash balance declined: Cash and cash equivalents were $159.0 million, against $228.6 million at November 30, 2025. Source
  • Book value per share up 4%: Stockholders’ equity was $3.80 billion against $3.90 billion. Book value per share was $62.56, up 4% year over year. Source

Coming up, as management said on 22 September 2026

  • Fourth-quarter and full-year targets: Management provided fourth-quarter and full-year targets for deliveries, revenues, margins, SG&A ratio, tax rate and community count. Source
  • Ongoing buybacks and dividend: Management said it will reward shareholders through the ongoing repurchase program and the long-standing quarterly dividend. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Homes delivered (third quarter) Source2,732
Net orders (third quarter) Source2,604
Backlog homes (August 31, 2026) Source4,398
Ending community count Source277

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management attributed more cautious buyers to higher mortgage rates, affordability pressure, geopolitical uncertainty and broader economic headwinds. Source
  • Demand: Cancellations as a share of gross orders rose to 18% from 17%. Source
  • Financial: Total liquidity was $942.4 million, including $783.4 million of available revolving capacity, with $415.0 million of borrowings outstanding. Source
  • Operational: Management cited continued pricing pressure, higher relative land costs and reduced operating leverage as drivers of the lower margin. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said the goal of returning to a predominantly Built to Order business has been achieved. Source
  • Not stated: Second-quarter release projected sequentially higher deliveries and gross margins for each of the final two quarters.
  • Met: Second-quarter release reported 35 new community openings, at the high end of the company's projection.
  • Met: Second-quarter results were described as meeting or exceeding the midpoint of key guidance ranges.
  • Not stated: Management said full-year deliveries, housing revenues and margins are expected to be within the ranges last provided. 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.