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Manitowoc Co. Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 3 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 raised, 6 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Orders and backlog rose sharply: Orders were $676.4 million, up 37.6% year-over-year, and backlog reached $1,110.9 million at quarter end, up from $1,050.1 million at June 30. Source
  • Net sales grew double digits: Net sales were $613.8 million, up 10.9% year-over-year, compared with $594.9 million in the second quarter. Source
  • Non-new machine sales declined: Non-new machine sales were $174.1 million, down 1.9% year-over-year, after rising 6.6% in the second quarter. Source
  • Crane demand led by three regions: Management cited crane demand in the Americas, Middle East and Asia Pacific as the source of the backlog growth. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin widened: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 7.7% in the third quarter, up from 6.2% a year earlier, and 6.8% for the nine months, up from 5.3%. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA guidance raised: Full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance is $160 to $175 million, up from $150 to $170 million. Source
  • Adjusted EPS guidance raised: Full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance is $0.90 to $1.25, up from $0.80 to $1.20. Source
  • Free cash flow was negative: Free cash flow was $(42.1) million in the quarter, against $(22.0) million a year earlier. Nine-month free cash flow was $(29.0) million, against $(93.6) million. Source

“Manitowoc’s third quarter results exceeded our expectations, highlighted by robust orders, double-digit sales growth, and a significant improvement in adjusted EBITDA.”

Aaron H. Ravenscroft, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Manitowoc Company, Inc.

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales SourceFull year 2026$2.3 to $2.4 billionKept
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFull year 2026$160 to $175 millionRaised from $150 to $170 million
Depreciation and amortization SourceFull year 2026$60 millionKept
Interest expense SourceFull year 2026$35 to $38 millionKept
Provision for income tax expense SourceFull year 2026$17 to $24 million, excluding one-time expensesKept
Adjusted diluted earnings per share SourceFull year 2026$0.90 to $1.25Raised from $0.80 to $1.20
Capital expenditures SourceFull year 2026$45 to $50 million, $25 million related to the rental fleetKept
Free cash flows SourceFull year 2026$50 to $70 millionKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance was raised to $160 to $175 million from $150 to $170 million. Source
  • Guidance raised: Full-year 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance was raised to $0.90 to $1.25 from $0.80 to $1.20. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Orders and backlog rose sharply: Orders were $676.4 million, up 37.6% year-over-year, and backlog reached $1,110.9 million at quarter end, up from $1,050.1 million at June 30. Source
  • Net sales grew double digits: Net sales were $613.8 million, up 10.9% year-over-year, compared with $594.9 million in the second quarter. Source
  • Net income up from prior year: Net income was $11.0 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, against $5.0 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 39%: Adjusted EBITDA was $47.4 million, up 39.0% from $34.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Non-new machine sales declined: Non-new machine sales were $174.1 million, down 1.9% year-over-year, after rising 6.6% in the second quarter. Source

Regions and demand

  • Crane demand led by three regions: Management cited crane demand in the Americas, Middle East and Asia Pacific as the source of the backlog growth. Source
  • Backlog grew four quarters running: Management said backlog has increased for four consecutive quarters, through the end of the third quarter. Source
  • Visibility into fourth quarter and 2027: Management said the backlog provides visibility to the fourth quarter and into 2027. Source

“Given our strong momentum, we have raised our guidance for adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted earnings per share”

Aaron H. Ravenscroft, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Manitowoc Company, Inc.

Costs, margins and adjusted earnings

  • Adjusted EBITDA margin widened: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 7.7% in the third quarter, up from 6.2% a year earlier, and 6.8% for the nine months, up from 5.3%. Source
  • Overhead costs rose: Engineering, selling and administrative expenses rose to $88.9 million from $83.4 million. Cost of sales rose to $492.0 million from $450.8 million. Source
  • Adjusted earnings include add-backs: Adjusted net income was $11.5 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, after adding back restructuring of $0.4 million and one-time costs of $0.3 million. Source
  • Tax provision increased: Provision for income taxes was $7.8 million, against $2.5 million a year earlier. Source

Full-year guidance

  • Adjusted EBITDA guidance raised: Full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance is $160 to $175 million, up from $150 to $170 million. Source
  • Adjusted EPS guidance raised: Full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance is $0.90 to $1.25, up from $0.80 to $1.20. Source
  • Other guidance lines unchanged: Net sales, depreciation, interest, tax, capital expenditure and free cash flow guidance are all unchanged from the prior table. Source
  • Tariff refund benefit no longer cited: The prior release's adjusted EBITDA guidance included a $16 million net benefit from tariff refunds. The third-quarter guidance table does not mention it.
  • Non-GAAP guidance without reconciliation: Guidance for adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EPS and free cash flow is non-GAAP. No GAAP reconciliation is given because restructuring and other items are hard to predict. Source

Cash, working capital and returns

  • Free cash flow was negative: Free cash flow was $(42.1) million in the quarter, against $(22.0) million a year earlier. Nine-month free cash flow was $(29.0) million, against $(93.6) million. Source
  • Operating cash used in quarter: Operating activities used $33.2 million in the quarter, against $14.1 million a year earlier. Capital expenditures were $8.9 million. Source
  • Inventories increased again: Inventories rose to $813.4 million at September 30, from $785.3 million at June 30 and $683.9 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Cash balance lower: Cash and cash equivalents were $64.7 million at September 30, down from $95.8 million at June 30 and $77.3 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Adjusted ROIC improved: Adjusted ROIC was 8.0% at September 30, 2026, against 6.9% at June 30, 2026 and 4.8% a year earlier. Source
  • Long-term debt of $461.1 million: Long-term debt was $461.1 million at September 30, 2026, and short-term borrowings and current debt were $17.1 million. Source

Strategy and priorities

  • Backlog execution named first: For the rest of the year, management named executing against the backlog as its first priority. Source
  • Aftermarket growth under CRANES+50: Management said it will continue growing the aftermarket business through the CRANES+50 strategy. Source
  • Working-capital efficiency named: Improving working-capital efficiency is named as a priority for the rest of the year, alongside backlog execution and aftermarket growth. Source

Coming up, as management said on 3 November 2026

  • Advance questions to investor relations: Shareholders and prospective investors may submit questions in advance to Ion Warner, SVP, Marketing and Investor Relations. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Orders Source$676.4 million, up 37.6% year-over-year
Backlog Source$1,110.9 million at quarter end

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said the third-quarter results exceeded its expectations. 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.