Worthington Steel, Inc. (WS) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Access earnings results, analyst expectations, report, slides, earnings call, and transcript.
Overview
The earnings call summary shows strong performance in automotive and energy shipments, with positive direct spreads and increased Serviacero equity income. Although there are some declines in construction and heavy truck volumes, the overall financial performance appears solid. The Q&A section highlights strategic gains in market share and onshoring benefits, with management addressing SG&A increases as partially one-time. The company's AI-driven transformation initiatives and electrical steel investments suggest future growth potential. Despite some uncertainties, the overall sentiment is positive, likely resulting in a stock price increase of 2% to 8%.
Key Financial Performance
Net Sales $871.9 million, no year-over-year change or reasons for change mentioned.
Adjusted EBITDA $48.3 million, no year-over-year change or reasons for change mentioned.
Adjusted Earnings Per Share $0.38, no year-over-year change or reasons for change mentioned.
Reported Earnings $18.8 million or $0.37 per share, compared to $12.8 million or $0.25 per share in the prior year quarter, reflecting improved underlying performance.
Adjusted Earnings Per Share (Detailed) $0.38 this quarter compared to $0.19 last year, reflecting improved underlying performance.
Adjusted EBIT $26.6 million, up $12.3 million from the prior year quarter adjusted EBIT of $14.3 million, driven by higher direct volumes, improved direct spreads, and higher equity earnings from Serviacero, partially offset by lower toll processing volumes and higher SG&A.
Total Shipments Approximately 902,000 tons, down modestly year-over-year due to lower toll volumes, but direct sale volume increased 13%.
Direct Shipments to Automotive Increased 26% year-over-year, driven by share gains from new programs, return to normal production levels at one OEM customer, and strength of OEM relationships.
Energy Shipments Up 50% year-over-year, largely driven by project-based solar programs.
Agriculture Volume Up 1%, as grain bin strength offset weaker OEM equipment demand.
Construction Volume Down 9%, no specific reasons mentioned.
Heavy Truck Volume Down 6%, no specific reasons mentioned.
Service Center Volume Declined due to customer destocking, no specific percentage mentioned.
Toll Processing Volumes Declined year-over-year due to the closure of the Cleveland area facility and softer market conditions.
Direct Spreads Increased $6.5 million year-over-year, primarily due to a $6.2 million favorable swing in pretax inventory holding losses.
Serviacero Equity Income Increased $7.7 million due to higher direct spreads, inventory holding gains, and favorable exchange rate movements.
SG&A Expenses Increased $9.8 million, primarily due to increased compensation and benefits expense ($5.9 million) and higher professional fees ($2.3 million).
Cash Flow from Operations $99 million, no year-over-year change or reasons for change mentioned.
Free Cash Flow $75 million, benefiting from a reduction in working capital.
Capital Expenditures $25 million in the quarter, primarily related to electrical steel investments.
Net Debt $92 million, down sequentially, driven by working capital improvements.
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Operating Highlights
Full Surface Bonding Technology: Introduced a patent-pending technique for electrical steel laminations, creating stronger bonds, improving motor efficiency, durability, and cost-effectiveness.
Automotive Market: Gained market share with new and existing customers, including all-time high shipments to a key D3 automotive customer and new business with a large Japanese OEM. Strong sales to the automotive market, with North American light vehicle output expected to remain stable at 15.2 million units in 2025.
Electrical Steel Expansion: Expansion projects in Mexico and Canada are on track, with initial production in Mexico expected in Q1 2026 and transformer core manufacturing expansion in Canada transitioning to a new facility in Q1 2026.
Serviacero Joint Venture: Added a new slitter in Northern Mexico and progressing on adding another in Central Mexico to capture new market share and better serve customers.
AI Integration: Deployed AI agents in the credit department, saving over 350 hours annually and improving financial discipline. Automated advanced shipping notices, increasing accuracy and payment timeliness.
Operational Efficiencies: Streamlined plant changeovers, reduced scrap, automated manual reviews, and improved supply chain visibility, leading to cost reductions and better service levels.
M&A Activity: Integration of Sitem, enhancing capabilities in stamping electrical steel laminations, die casting, and automation, while extending European reach and competitiveness in advanced mobility and industrial markets.
Sustainability and Community Engagement: Released 2025 corporate citizenship and sustainability report, highlighting progress in safety, emissions, and waste elimination. Celebrated 70th anniversary with community service initiatives.
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Risk or Challenges
Market Conditions: Mixed market conditions and compressed galvanized spreads are creating headwinds for the company, impacting revenue and profitability.
Automotive Market: While sales to the automotive market were strong, the ramp-up of new programs with key customers will take time, delaying potential revenue growth.
Agriculture Market: The agriculture market remains soft, with uncertain variables that could delay a rebound until late 2026.
Heavy Truck and Trailer Market: This market continues to be slow, with a rebound not expected until late 2026.
Steel Pricing Volatility: Continued volatility in steel pricing creates challenges in managing inventory holding gains and losses, impacting financial performance.
Toll Processing Volumes: Toll processing volumes have declined due to the closure of a facility and softer market conditions, though this is viewed as cyclical.
Regulatory and Policy Uncertainty: Uncertainty around policies and interest rates could impact market conditions and strategic planning.
Integration of Acquisitions: The integration of Sitem and other acquisitions, while progressing well, requires significant effort and resources, posing operational challenges.
Supply Chain and Production Ramp-Up: Delays in production ramp-up for new facilities and products, such as electrical steel laminations in Mexico and transformer core manufacturing in Canada, could impact revenue timelines.
SG&A Costs: Higher SG&A costs, driven by increased compensation, benefits, and professional fees, are pressuring margins.
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Guidance & Outlook
Market Outlook for Automotive Sector: North American light vehicle output is expected to hold near 15.2 million units in calendar year 2025, essentially flat with 2024. Consumer demand is expected to continue driving growth in the electrified vehicle market, particularly hybrids, aligning with the company's strategy and product mix.
Construction and Agriculture Market Trends: Construction is stable but subdued, with pockets of strength in power and infrastructure. The agriculture market is expected to rebound later in calendar year 2026, though this is subject to various influencing factors.
Heavy Truck and Trailer Market: The heavy truck and trailer market is currently slow, with a rebound anticipated in late calendar year 2026.
Macroeconomic Conditions: Conditions are expected to improve in calendar year 2026 as interest rates ease and policy uncertainty subsides.
Electrical Steel Expansion Projects: Expansion projects in Mexico and Canada are on track. Initial production in Mexico is expected in the first quarter of calendar year 2026, with shipments ramping up as automotive platforms and supply chains come online. In Canada, production will transition to a new facility in the first quarter of 2026, with incremental revenue expected in the spring.
Serviacero Joint Venture Expansion: A new slitter is being added to the Serviacero operation in Central Mexico to capture new market share and better serve existing customers.
Capital Expenditures for Fiscal 2026: CapEx is expected to be approximately $110 million, focused on long-term growth priorities while maintaining flexibility in uncertain markets.
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Shareholder Return Plan
Quarterly Dividend Announcement: Earlier this week, we announced a quarterly dividend of $0.16 per share payable on March 27, 2026.
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Key Q&A
Q:What portion of the SG&A increase is one-time in nature?
A:The $2.3 million higher professional fees are related to strategic projects and are one-time in nature. The $2.5 million from Sitem is not a one-time payment but part of their underlying results.
Q:What was the primary catalyst behind the automotive momentum on the direct side?
A:The primary catalyst was market share gains from previous quarters, specifically in cold-rolled strip programs. These programs are expected to start in the first quarter of the calendar year and reach full potential in the second quarter.
Q:How much of the automotive momentum is related to tariffs or onshoring of OE platforms?
A:A significant amount of recent market share gains is due to the onshoring of supply chains, with customers localizing supply chains from Europe or elsewhere. No market share gains have been attributed to onshoring manufacturing announcements yet.
Q:What caused the deductions for minority interest partners to be smaller this quarter compared to last year?
A:The smaller deductions are due to slowness in demand and the removal of the Worthington Samuel Coil Processing joint venture from the results this year.
Q:What happens to the machinery from the Cleveland facility and the Samuel JV?
A:The machinery is either moved to other Worthington plants, sold for scrap, or sold offshore depending on its value. High value-add equipment is retained or sold offshore, while generic equipment like slitters is sold if not needed internally.
Q:What is contributing to the compressed galvanized spreads, and when might they normalize?
A:The compressed spreads are due to decreased demand, particularly in construction, leading to competitive rivalry. Normalization is expected around the second quarter of the calendar year, aided by limited galvanized product imports and antidumping measures.
Q:Have prime scrap spreads relative to obsolete had any negative impact on the business?
A:No, there has been no material or meaningful impact on margins from prime scrap spreads relative to obsolete.
Q:What are the top transformation initiatives for calendar year 2026?
A:The top initiatives include back-office transformation with significant savings and hours saved, adoption of artificial intelligence with successful automation pilots, and transformation efforts in Tempel and Sitem to leverage their best practices in tool and die making and automation.
Q:Are there any estimates of annualized savings from back-office transformation?
A:No specific numbers are available yet, but a scorecard to quantify savings from transformation and artificial intelligence is being developed and is expected to be shared in the next call.
Q:Review of Unclear Management Responses
A:Management avoided providing specific numbers for annualized savings from back-office transformation and artificial intelligence, stating that they are working on a scorecard to quantify these savings for future updates.
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Earnings Word Cloud
The most frequently occurring keywords in this quarter's earning call
AI agent
AI tool
America Europe
Americas Region
Award recognition
Bonding patent
Central Mexico
Chain Award
Computerworld Worthington
Construction pocket
Consumer demand
Employer
Geoff Gilmore
Gilmore Worthington
Worthington Steel
accuracy
area
automation
collaboration
community
condition improvement
credit
culture
effort
front
goal
hour
integration
plant
quality service
safety quality
shipping notice
slitter Serviacero
today Geoff
WS Transcript
Worthington Steel, Inc. (WS) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Positive12-18
The earnings call summary shows strong performance in automotive and energy shipments, with positive direct spreads and increased Serviacero equity income. Although there are some declines in construction and heavy truck volumes, the overall financial performance appears solid. The Q&A section highlights strategic gains in market share and onshoring benefits, with management addressing SG&A increases as partially one-time. The company's AI-driven transformation initiatives and electrical steel investments suggest future growth potential. Despite some uncertainties, the overall sentiment is positive, likely resulting in a stock price increase of 2% to 8%.
Worthington Steel, Inc. (WS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Unknown9-25
The earnings call summary indicates a mixed outlook. Financial performance shows growth in EPS and net sales, but challenges like inventory losses and economic uncertainty persist. The Sitem acquisition strengthens market position, but integration risks exist. The Q&A section highlights cautious optimism in the automotive sector and resilience against tariffs, but also notes unclear management responses. The strategic plan outlines market opportunities, yet faces agricultural market softness and toll processing declines. Overall, the sentiment is balanced, leading to a neutral stock price prediction.
Worthington Steel, Inc. (WS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Unknown6-26
The earnings call reveals mixed signals: slight improvements in EBITDA and EPS, but a significant decline in net sales and gross margin. The Q&A section shows cautious optimism with concerns about tariffs and interest rates, and management's vague responses add uncertainty. Despite market share gains and strategic initiatives, these factors balance out, resulting in a neutral sentiment.
Worthington Steel, Inc (WS) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Neutral3-20
WS Slides
WS Report
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