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WillScot Holdings Corp.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 19 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Q4 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA reported: Q4 revenue was $566 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $250 million. Net loss was $187 million; diluted EPS was $(1.03) and Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.29. Source
  • Leasing revenue down 4.9% for the year: Full-year leasing revenue of $1.7 billion fell 4.9%, or 2.3% excluding longer-dated receivables write-offs. Q4 leasing revenue of $437 million was down 5.9% year-over-year and up 0.8% sequentially. Source
  • Modular leasing flat, order book growing: Modular space product leasing was essentially flat year-over-year in Q4. The CFO said the growing order book indicates lease revenue stabilization in the largest product class. Source
  • Demand split between mega projects and starts: Management described market activity as heavily bifurcated, with significant demand from mega projects in industrial sectors compared with overall non-residential construction activity. Source
  • Q4 Adjusted free cash flow $91 million: Q4 operating cash flow was $159 million and Adjusted free cash flow was $91 million at a 16.2% margin. Full-year Adjusted free cash flow was $489 million; Q4 Net CAPEX was $67 million. Source
  • $302 million non-cash restructuring charge: Q4 recorded a $302 million non-cash charge from accelerated depreciation on rental equipment identified for abandonment, under the Network Optimization Plan. Source
  • 2026 figures set below run rate: Management called the 2026 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA figures conservative relative to the run rate entering the year; internal plans were said to exceed them. Source

“Market activity remains heavily bifurcated with significant demand across mega projects in our industrial sectors compared to overall non-residential construction square footage starts down 12% year-over-year in the quarter and down 6% for the year.”

Tim Boswell, President and Chief Executive Officer of WillScot

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue SourceFY 2026approximately $2.175 billionNew
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFY 2026approximately $900 millionNew
Net CAPEX SourceFY 2026approximately $275 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Full-year 2026 guidance announced in this release; the prior release covered only Q4 2025 and full-year 2025 guidance. Source
  • New: Network Optimization Plan approved by the Board on December 18, 2025; the prior release said management was considering expanding the real estate review. Source
  • New: Tim Boswell is named CEO; the prior release named Brad Soultz as CEO and Boswell as President and Chief Operating Officer. Source

Fourth quarter and full-year results

  • Q4 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA reported: Q4 revenue was $566 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $250 million. Net loss was $187 million; diluted EPS was $(1.03) and Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.29. Source
  • Full-year revenue $2.3 billion, net loss $53 million: Full-year revenue was $2.3 billion with a 51.0% gross margin. Net loss was $53 million; Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.20, against $1.63 a year earlier. Source
  • Leasing revenue down 4.9% for the year: Full-year leasing revenue of $1.7 billion fell 4.9%, or 2.3% excluding longer-dated receivables write-offs. Q4 leasing revenue of $437 million was down 5.9% year-over-year and up 0.8% sequentially. Source

Products, leasing lines and customers

  • Modular leasing flat, order book growing: Modular space product leasing was essentially flat year-over-year in Q4. The CFO said the growing order book indicates lease revenue stabilization in the largest product class. Source
  • Orders rising for complexes, Flex and storage: Management cited growing demand for modular complexes and Flex on larger projects, plus order growth for traditional and cold storage, particularly in retail. Source
  • Seasonal retail storage weaker in Q4: Leasing revenue rose sequentially in Q4 despite receivables clean-up and lower seasonal retail storage business. Portable storage leasing revenue was $83 million, against $93 million a year earlier. Source
  • Enterprise Accounts expected to grow: Management expects the Enterprise Accounts portfolio to deliver high single digit revenue growth in 2026. Source

“Fourth quarter 2025 revenue of $566 million compared favorably to our outlook as we ended the year.”

Matt Jacobsen, Chief Financial Officer of WillScot

Demand and order book

  • Demand split between mega projects and starts: Management described market activity as heavily bifurcated, with significant demand from mega projects in industrial sectors compared with overall non-residential construction activity. Source
  • Pending orders up over 10% entering January: Pending orders across all products were up more than 10% year-over-year entering January, and management said there was further strength since. Source
  • Non-residential starts down in quarter and year: Overall non-residential construction square footage starts were down 12% year-over-year in the quarter and down 6% for the year, per management. Source

Margins and receivables

  • Gross margin down on lower margin mix: Q4 gross margin was 50.4% against 55.8% a year earlier. The CFO said unit sales and higher delivery and return activity drove most of the revenue above Q4 guidance, at a lower margin mix. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin lower year-over-year: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 44.2% in Q4 against 47.3% a year earlier, and 42.6% for the year against 44.4%. Source
  • Receivable write-offs reduced leasing revenue: Write-offs of uncollectible lease receivables reduced revenue by $25.3 million in Q4 and $75.5 million for the year, against $5.8 million and $26.8 million a year earlier. Source

“We enter 2026 focused on delivering consistent results through disciplined execution against our operating strategies.”

Tim Boswell, President and Chief Executive Officer of WillScot

Cash, capital and shareholder returns

  • Q4 Adjusted free cash flow $91 million: Q4 operating cash flow was $159 million and Adjusted free cash flow was $91 million at a 16.2% margin. Full-year Adjusted free cash flow was $489 million; Q4 Net CAPEX was $67 million. Source
  • Debt reduced; net leverage 3.7x: Total debt was $3,588 million at year-end after a $41 million reduction in Q4 and $146 million for the year. Net debt to Adjusted EBITDA was 3.7x. Source
  • Cash interest expense estimated near $206 million: Estimated annual cash interest expense is about $206 million on the current debt structure, with a weighted average pre-tax rate of about 5.7%. Next debt maturity is in 2028. Source
  • Repurchases and dividend returned $151 million: Repurchased 1,000,000 shares for $17 million in Q4 and 3,924,846 shares for $100 million in the year. The company also paid a $0.07 quarterly dividend. Source

Strategy and network optimization

  • $302 million non-cash restructuring charge: Q4 recorded a $302 million non-cash charge from accelerated depreciation on rental equipment identified for abandonment, under the Network Optimization Plan. Source
  • Real estate cost increases to be trimmed: The plan aims to reduce expected annual real estate cost increases over the next four years by about $25 million to $30 million through planned real estate exits. Source
  • Top priority is organic revenue inflection: The CEO named an inflection in organic revenue growth as the top 2026 priority, alongside unlocking operating efficiencies across the platform. Source
  • Field sales staffing and systems improving: Improved staffing and systems for the field sales organization are described as potential tailwinds entering 2026. Source

2026 guidance context

  • 2026 figures set below run rate: Management called the 2026 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA figures conservative relative to the run rate entering the year; internal plans were said to exceed them. Source
  • Net CAPEX stepped up for higher value products: Management said Net CAPEX reflects continued investment in higher value product categories, supporting large project demand and a possible inflection in organic revenue growth. Source
  • Field and shared services initiatives progressing: Initiatives across field and shared services were said to drive customer experience, margins and free cash flow generation. Source

Coming up, as management said on 19 February 2026

  • Leasing revenue inflection possible in 2H 2026: Management said leasing revenue could turn up year-over-year at some point in the second half of 2026, placing the company on a growth trajectory for 2027. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Modular activations Sourceup 3% year-over-year in Q4 2025
Pending orders, all products Sourceup more than 10% year-over-year entering January
Branch locations Sourceapproximately 260

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management cited a $50 million headwind in the traditional storage business, discussed previously, and described 2026 figures as conservative relative to it. Source
  • Financial: Receivables clean-up initiatives continue, and write-offs of uncollectible lease receivables continued to reduce leasing revenue. Source
  • Operational: Unit sales and higher delivery and return activity brought a lower margin revenue mix, which weighed on gross margin in the quarter. Source
  • External: Management said the market backdrop remains mixed and that conservatism in the 2026 figures is prudent given recent trends. 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.