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Regal Rexnord Corp.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 2 lowered, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Sales up 4.3%, organic up 1.6%: Net sales were $1,479.1 million, up 4.3%. Foreign currency translation added 2.7 points, leaving organic growth at 1.6%. Source
  • GAAP and adjusted EPS both higher: Net income was $64.3 million against $57.5 million. Diluted EPS was $0.96 against $0.86; adjusted diluted EPS was $2.17 against $2.15. Source
  • Automation & Motion Control grew fastest: Net sales were $457.1 million, up 15.3% (12.1% organic), with data center and discrete automation strongest. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 18.2% against 21.8%. Source
  • Enterprise orders and backlog rose: Enterprise daily orders rose 8.5% versus the prior year, and backlog rose 6.7% sequentially, up in all segments. Source
  • AMC orders up over 34%: AMC orders rose over 34%, or 28% excluding data center, across all markets, particularly aerospace & defense, discrete automation, data center and medical. Source
  • Margins held despite mix and tariffs: Management said margins were resilient despite headwinds from mix and tariffs. Adjusted operating margin was 11.7% against 12.4%. Source
  • Free cash flow was negative: Operating cash flow was $14.9 million against $102.3 million. After $17.4 million of capital spending, free cash flow was negative $2.5 million against $85.5 million. Source
  • Aamir Paul named next CEO: The company announced Aamir Paul as next chief executive officer. CEO Louis Pinkham described him as the newly appointed CEO. Source

“Our growth outlook continued to strengthen during the first quarter, with enterprise daily orders up 8.5% versus the prior year.”

Louis Pinkham, CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Adjusted diluted EPS Sourcefull year 2026$10.20 to $11.00Kept
GAAP diluted EPS Sourcefull year 2026$5.18 to $5.98Lowered from $5.29 to $6.09
Restructuring and related costs per share Sourcefull year 2026$0.41Raised from $0.32
Synergies to be realized Sourcewithin 18 months$38.0 millionLowered from $50.0 million

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Adjusted diluted EPS guidance of $10.20 to $11.00 was re-affirmed, the same range as the prior release. Source
  • Guidance lowered: GAAP diluted EPS range moved to $5.18 to $5.98 from $5.29 to $6.09. Source
  • Guidance raised: Restructuring and related costs in the 2026 bridge rose to $0.41 per share from $0.32. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Synergies expected within 18 months were reduced to $38.0 million from $50.0 million. Source
  • New: Aamir Paul was announced as the next chief executive officer. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Sales up 4.3%, organic up 1.6%: Net sales were $1,479.1 million, up 4.3%. Foreign currency translation added 2.7 points, leaving organic growth at 1.6%. Source
  • GAAP and adjusted EPS both higher: Net income was $64.3 million against $57.5 million. Diluted EPS was $0.96 against $0.86; adjusted diluted EPS was $2.17 against $2.15. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA below prior year: Adjusted EBITDA was $304.4 million against $309.5 million. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 20.6% against 21.8%. Source

Segments and regions

  • Automation & Motion Control grew fastest: Net sales were $457.1 million, up 15.3% (12.1% organic), with data center and discrete automation strongest. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 18.2% against 21.8%. Source
  • Industrial Powertrain growth broad-based: Net sales were $648.2 million, up 5.8% (2.8% organic), with particular strength in general industrial. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 25.0% against 26.9%. Source
  • Power Efficiency sales fell on residential HVAC: Net sales were $373.8 million, down 8.6% (10.3% organic), on expected residential HVAC weakness, partly offset by commercial HVAC growth in North America and Asia Pacific. Margin was 15.8%. Source

“Adjusted EPS for the quarter was up versus prior year and ahead of our guidance.”

Louis Pinkham, CEO

Demand and the order book

  • Enterprise orders and backlog rose: Enterprise daily orders rose 8.5% versus the prior year, and backlog rose 6.7% sequentially, up in all segments. Source
  • AMC orders up over 34%: AMC orders rose over 34%, or 28% excluding data center, across all markets, particularly aerospace & defense, discrete automation, data center and medical. Source
  • IPS orders rose in short-cycle business: IPS order acceleration came in distribution and high single digit short-cycle OEM growth, consistent with improving ISM readings. Source
  • Residential HVAC orders fell less: PES orders fell as expected but by less, as residential HVAC shows tentative signs of normalizing. Commercial HVAC strength was driven mainly by data center demand. Source

Margins, costs and tariffs

  • Margins held despite mix and tariffs: Management said margins were resilient despite headwinds from mix and tariffs. Adjusted operating margin was 11.7% against 12.4%. Source
  • Segment operating margins mixed: Adjusted operating margins were 7.6% for AMC (9.5% prior year), 13.9% for IPS (15.2%) and 12.8% for PES (11.1%). Source
  • Restructuring charges declined: Restructuring and related costs were $10.3 million against $15.4 million. Share-based compensation was $8.0 million against $9.5 million. Source

“While some of the enterprise order strength is tied to improving industrial and automation markets, our growth investments are also paying off, and our cross-sell initiatives continue to contribute nicely.”

Louis Pinkham, CEO

Cash, debt and shareholder returns

  • Free cash flow was negative: Operating cash flow was $14.9 million against $102.3 million. After $17.4 million of capital spending, free cash flow was negative $2.5 million against $85.5 million. Source
  • Leverage ratios higher than year-end: Net debt to adjusted EBITDA was 3.31 times against 3.26 at year-end 2025. Including synergies it was 3.21 times against 3.14. Source
  • Net long-term debt reduction: The company borrowed $850.0 million of long-term debt and repaid $1,101.3 million. Long-term debt was $4,682.6 million at March 31, 2026. Source
  • Quarterly dividend held at $0.35: Cash dividends declared were $0.35 per share, the same as the prior-year quarter. Basic weighted shares were 66.5 million. Source

Leadership and growth drivers

  • Aamir Paul named next CEO: The company announced Aamir Paul as next chief executive officer. CEO Louis Pinkham described him as the newly appointed CEO. Source
  • Pinkham reflects on his tenure: Louis Pinkham reflected on his tenure as CEO and on the transformation of Regal into a higher performing enterprise. Source
  • Order strength tied to industrial markets: Management attributed part of enterprise order strength to improving industrial and automation markets, alongside growth investments and cross-sell. Source

Coming up, as management said on 7 May 2026

  • Supplemental materials before the call: Supplemental materials for the quarter will be accessible on the investor website before the May 7 call. Source
  • Higher margins and cash flow expected: Management said it has line of sight to higher margins and free cash flow as the year unfolds, aided by stronger volumes, improving mix, margin neutrality on tariffs and synergies. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Daily orders growth, enterprise Sourceup 8.5% versus prior year
Backlog growth, sequential Sourceup 6.7%
AMC orders growth Sourceup over 34%

Risks management discussed

  • External: Tariffs and mix created headwinds to margins, which management said were resilient in the quarter. Source
  • Demand: Residential HVAC demand remained weak, with PES orders down, though management sees tentative signs of normalizing. Source
  • Demand: Long-cycle projects in IPS were a headwind that offset part of the short-cycle order gains. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management re-affirmed the 2026 adjusted EPS guidance range given in the prior release. Source
  • Met: Management said PES orders were down as expected, though by less than feared in residential HVAC. 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.