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World Kinect Corp.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 23 April 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Adjusted EPS rose to $0.75: Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.75 against $0.48 a year earlier, up 56%. GAAP diluted EPS was $0.50 against a loss of $0.37. Source
  • Aviation gross profit up 20%: Aviation gross profit was $138 million. Management attributed the rise to the Universal Weather and Trip Support Services acquisition, plus core resale in Europe and government activity. Source
  • Land gross profit fell 16%: Land gross profit was $67 million. Management cited the U.K. Land sale as the principal reason for the decline. Source
  • Marine gross profit up 86%: Marine gross profit was $66 million. Management cited higher bunker fuel prices and elevated price volatility. Source
  • Free cash flow turned negative: Operating cash flow was negative $46.4 million against $114.4 million provided a year earlier; free cash flow was negative $60.2 million against $99.2 million. Source
  • World Fuel brand adopted: The company realigned its corporate brand to World Fuel, effective immediately, for substantially all internal and external purposes. Source
  • Portfolio simplification aimed at core: Management said simplifying the portfolio and sharpening focus on the core is producing clearer, more consistent results and improving returns on capital. Source

“We delivered a strong start to the year, reflecting the strength of our team and ability to execute in a volatile market environment,”

Ira M. Birns, Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Adjusted diluted EPS Sourcefull year 2026$2.65 to $2.85 per shareRaised from $2.20 to $2.40

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year 2026 Adjusted diluted EPS guidance raised to $2.65 to $2.85 from $2.20 to $2.40. Source
  • New: Corporate brand realigned to World Fuel, effective immediately, with World Kinect kept as the legal name. Source
  • New: Non-GAAP measures now also exclude operating results of non-core divestitures and business exits; the prior-quarter definitions did not include this. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue and gross profit both rose: Revenue was $9,685 million, up 2%. Gross profit was $271 million, up 18%; adjusted gross profit was $254 million, up 10%. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose to $0.75: Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.75 against $0.48 a year earlier, up 56%. GAAP diluted EPS was $0.50 against a loss of $0.37. Source
  • GAAP net income turned positive: GAAP net income attributable to World Kinect was $26.2 million, against a $21.1 million loss in the prior-year quarter. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 18%: Adjusted EBITDA was $94 million against $80 million a year earlier, up 18%. Source

Segments and regions

  • Aviation gross profit up 20%: Aviation gross profit was $138 million. Management attributed the rise to the Universal Weather and Trip Support Services acquisition, plus core resale in Europe and government activity. Source
  • Land gross profit fell 16%: Land gross profit was $67 million. Management cited the U.K. Land sale as the principal reason for the decline. Source
  • Marine gross profit up 86%: Marine gross profit was $66 million. Management cited higher bunker fuel prices and elevated price volatility. Source
  • Segment operating income by segment: Income from operations was $57.6 million in Aviation, $2.2 million in Land and $33.0 million in Marine, with corporate overhead unallocated at $36.6 million. Source

“Our results this quarter exceeded expectations, reflecting solid performance across our core businesses and our ability to capture incremental value in a more dynamic market environment,”

Mike Tejada, Chief Financial Officer

Demand and volumes

  • Consolidated volume fell 4%: Consolidated volume was down 4% year over year. Aviation and Land volumes declined while Marine volume rose. Source
  • Natural gas market conditions unfavorable: Management cited unfavorable market conditions in the natural gas business, partly offset by higher contributions from North American cardlock and retail operations. Source
  • Marine metric tons rose to 3.9: Marine metric tons were 3.9 against 3.7 a year earlier, per the supplemental volume table. Source

Costs and operating expenses

  • Operating expenses fell 9%: Operating expenses were $215 million against $237 million. The prior-year quarter included $44.5 million of goodwill and other asset impairments; none was recorded this quarter. Source
  • Adjusted operating expenses rose 2%: Adjusted operating expenses were $181 million against $178 million, excluding restructuring, integration, impairment and non-core business items under the company's definition. Source
  • Compensation and benefits rose: Compensation and employee benefits were $130.8 million against $105.1 million; general and administrative expense was $77.4 million against $72.4 million. Source
  • Restructuring costs fell to $6.7 million: Restructuring and exit costs were $6.7 million against $15.0 million; $5.7 million related to the restructuring program and $1.0 million to Land exit activities. Source

“We remained committed to our long-term strategy and disciplined execution balanced by a capital allocation strategy focused on returning capital to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends.”

Mike Tejada, Chief Financial Officer

Margins and operating income

  • Operating margin 21% versus (3)%: Operating margin, income from operations as a share of gross profit, was 21% against (3)%; adjusted operating margin was 29% against 23%. Source
  • Income from operations turned positive: Income from operations was $56.3 million against a $6.6 million loss a year earlier. Source
  • Land adjusted gross profit down 38%: Excluding non-core divestitures and business exits, Land adjusted gross profit was $49 million, a decrease of 38%. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Free cash flow turned negative: Operating cash flow was negative $46.4 million against $114.4 million provided a year earlier; free cash flow was negative $60.2 million against $99.2 million. Source
  • Receivables, inventories and payables moved: Accounts receivable used $629.3 million and inventories used $260.5 million in operating cash flow, while accounts payable provided $825.1 million. Source
  • Repurchases and dividends paid in quarter: The company repurchased $75.0 million of common stock against $10.0 million a year earlier, and paid $10.7 million in dividends. Source
  • Long-term debt rose: Long-term debt was $789.6 million against $685.2 million at December 31, 2025; cash and cash equivalents fell to $151.1 million from $193.5 million. Source
  • Common shares outstanding fell: Common shares outstanding were 51.4 million at March 31, 2026, against 54.1 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Strategy, portfolio and brand

  • World Fuel brand adopted: The company realigned its corporate brand to World Fuel, effective immediately, for substantially all internal and external purposes. Source
  • Portfolio simplification aimed at core: Management said simplifying the portfolio and sharpening focus on the core is producing clearer, more consistent results and improving returns on capital. Source
  • Land exit actions initiated: Management initiated divestment or exit actions on select Land activities, which are now in a wind-down or divestiture phase. Source

Coming up, as management said on 23 April 2026

  • Ticker and legal name unchanged: World Kinect remains the legal name, and the company will keep trading under its existing ticker symbol. Source
  • Building on World Fuel momentum: Management said it looks forward to continuing these efforts and building on current momentum under the World Fuel name. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Consolidated volume (million gallons) Source4,002.0
Aviation volume (million gallons) Source1,622.9
Land volume (million gallons) Source1,357.2
Marine volume (million gallons) Source1,021.9

Risks management discussed

  • External: Marine results depend on bunker fuel prices and price volatility, which management described as dynamic. Source
  • Operational: Land activities in wind-down still require servicing existing customer obligations, while the company no longer invests in or markets those products. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The prior-quarter release said additional non-core business exits would occur in 2026; this quarter's release reports exit actions initiated.
  • Not stated: Management said it remains committed to its long-term strategy and disciplined execution. 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.