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Kennametal Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 raised. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Sales rose 22 percent: Sales were $593 million, up from $486 million. Organic growth was 19 percent, currency added 5 percent and a divestiture reduced sales by 2 percent. Source
  • Operating income rose to $79 million: Operating income was $79 million, a 13.4 percent margin, against $44 million and a 9.1 percent margin a year earlier, up 80 percent. Source
  • Diluted EPS rose to $0.75: Diluted EPS was $0.75 and adjusted EPS $0.77, against $0.41 and $0.47 a year earlier. Nine-month diluted EPS was $1.49, against $0.91. Source
  • Pricing timing lifted Infrastructure: Favorable timing of pricing against about $39 million of raw material costs drove the consolidated operating income increase, mainly within Infrastructure. Source
  • Operating cash flow fell year to date: Year-to-date operating cash flow was $70 million, against $130 million, mainly from working capital changes including higher inventory, partly offset by higher net income. Source
  • Free operating cash flow was $18 million: Year-to-date free operating cash flow was $18 million, against $63 million, driven by working capital changes and partly offset by higher net income and lower net capital expenditures. Source

“Our third quarter results exceeded the high end of our sales and adjusted EPS Outlook, primarily due to the unprecedented rise in tungsten pricing and stronger volume”

Sanjay Chowbey, President and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Sales SourceFiscal 2026 full year$2.33 - $2.35 billionRaised from $2.190 - $2.250 billion
Adjusted EPS SourceFiscal 2026 full year$3.75 - $4.00Raised from $2.05 - $2.45

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year sales and adjusted EPS expectations were raised from the February ranges. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Sales rose 22 percent: Sales were $593 million, up from $486 million. Organic growth was 19 percent, currency added 5 percent and a divestiture reduced sales by 2 percent. Source
  • Operating income rose to $79 million: Operating income was $79 million, a 13.4 percent margin, against $44 million and a 9.1 percent margin a year earlier, up 80 percent. Source
  • Diluted EPS rose to $0.75: Diluted EPS was $0.75 and adjusted EPS $0.77, against $0.41 and $0.47 a year earlier. Nine-month diluted EPS was $1.49, against $0.91. Source

Segments and regions

  • Metal Cutting sales rose 18 percent: Metal Cutting sales were $358 million, with organic growth of 12 percent and currency adding 6 percent. Segment operating income was $38 million. Source
  • Infrastructure sales rose 29 percent: Infrastructure sales were $235 million, with organic growth of 30 percent and currency adding 4 percent, partly offset by a divestiture effect of 5 percent. Source
  • Sales rose in all three regions: Americas sales were $298 million, EMEA $174 million and Asia Pacific $120 million, against $240 million, $151 million and $95 million a year earlier. Source

“Our team is advancing volume momentum from improving end markets, pursuing share gains through growth initiatives”

Sanjay Chowbey, President and CEO

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Pricing timing lifted Infrastructure: Favorable timing of pricing against about $39 million of raw material costs drove the consolidated operating income increase, mainly within Infrastructure. Source
  • Restructuring savings and currency helped: Restructuring savings of about $7 million, favorable currency of about $4 million and lower restructuring charges of about $3 million added to operating income. Source
  • Segment margins rose year over year: Metal Cutting margin was 10.7 percent (11.2 adjusted), against 8.2 percent (9.6 adjusted). Infrastructure margin was 18.1 percent (18.3 adjusted), against 10.7 percent (11.5 adjusted). Source
  • Adjusted operating margin reached 13.8 percent: Adjusted operating income was $82 million, a 13.8 percent margin, against $50 million and a 10.3 percent margin a year earlier. Source

Cash flow and working capital

  • Operating cash flow fell year to date: Year-to-date operating cash flow was $70 million, against $130 million, mainly from working capital changes including higher inventory, partly offset by higher net income. Source
  • Free operating cash flow was $18 million: Year-to-date free operating cash flow was $18 million, against $63 million, driven by working capital changes and partly offset by higher net income and lower net capital expenditures. Source
  • Inventories rose from fiscal year-end: Inventories were $747 million at March 31, 2026, compared with $538 million at June 30, 2025. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Quarterly dividend held at $0.20: The Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share, the same amount reported in the February release. Source
  • Share purchases were lower: Nine-month purchases of capital stock were $10.1 million, against $55.1 million. Net borrowing on revolving and other lines of credit was $15.3 million, against $10.2 million. Source
  • Capital expenditures were lower: Nine-month purchases of property, plant and equipment were $53.7 million, against $67.5 million, and disposals were $1.7 million. Source
  • Earlier full-year cash and capex figures: The February release also gave full-year free operating cash flow of about 60 percent of adjusted net income and capital spending of about $90 million. This release does not restate them.

Earnings below operating income

  • Net income attributable rose to $58.2 million: Net income attributable to Kennametal was $58.2 million, against $31.5 million. Noncontrolling interests took $2.9 million, against $1.6 million. Source
  • Tax provision rose with pretax income: Income before taxes was $79.7 million, against $43.3 million, and the provision for income taxes was $18.6 million, against $10.2 million. Source
  • Diluted share count little changed: Diluted weighted average shares were 77.8 million in the quarter, against 77.7 million a year earlier. Source

Coming up, as management said on 6 May 2026

  • Dividend payment date set: The declared dividend is payable May 26, 2026, to shareholders of record at close of business May 12, 2026. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management said it is actively managing the tungsten supply chain while tungsten prices have risen sharply. Source
  • Financial: Operating cash flow fell because working capital changes, mainly higher inventory, were tied by management to tungsten prices. Source
  • Regulatory: A normalized advanced manufacturing production credit under the Inflation Reduction Act reduced Infrastructure operating income by about $8 million this quarter. Source
  • External: Tariffs, general inflation and higher compensation costs partly offset gains, and Metal Cutting also faced higher raw material costs. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said the third quarter exceeded the high end of the sales and adjusted EPS expectations set in February. 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.