Worthington Steel, Inc. (WS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Access earnings results, analyst expectations, report, slides, earnings call, and transcript.
Overview
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.
Key Financial Performance
Adjusted EBITDA $75.2 million, reflecting disciplined execution in a soft market and year-over-year volume growth.
Earnings per share (EPS) $0.72, up from $0.56 in the prior year quarter, driven by higher gross margin and increased equity earnings.
Net sales $872.9 million, up 5% year-over-year, primarily due to the addition of Sitem and higher direct volume, partially offset by lower selling prices and toll volumes.
Gross margin Increased by $14.8 million year-over-year, primarily due to higher direct material spreads and direct volumes, partially offset by lower toll processing gross margin.
Direct sales volume Increased by 6% year-over-year, with the majority of the increase coming from existing facilities and the addition of Sitem.
Toll processing volumes Decreased by 22% year-over-year due to softer market conditions, facility closure, and customer program changes.
Automotive shipments Increased by 17% year-over-year, driven by new programs and increased volumes for Detroit 3 OEM customers.
Agricultural market shipments Decreased by nearly 50% year-over-year, reflecting continued softness in the agricultural equipment market.
Heavy truck market shipments Decreased by 7% year-over-year, but partially offset by new business in the market.
Free cash flow $34 million outflow, impacted by increases in working capital and $29 million in capital expenditures.
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Operating Highlights
Electrical Steel Investments: Progress on electrical steel investments in Canada and Mexico. Canada facility to start production in early 2026 for transformer cores. Mexico facility to begin production soon, supplying electrical steel laminations for hybrid and electric vehicles.
AI-Driven Pilots: Launched four AI-driven pilots: demand forecasting, predictive inventory optimization, predictive maintenance, and demand planning automation. Expected to provide cost savings and free up cash flow.
Automotive Market Growth: Automotive shipments increased by 17% year-over-year, with Detroit 3 OEM shipments up nearly 13%. New programs ramping up and gaining market share.
Heavy Truck Market: Offset some market slowness with increased market share.
Construction and Agriculture Markets: Construction market remains soft but steady. Agricultural market facing significant challenges with a 50% drop in shipments.
Safety Achievements: Achieved the safest quarter on record through training and continuous improvement.
Operational Efficiencies: Implemented AI to automate low-value tasks, saving significant time in back-office functions like cash posting, IT access provisioning, and credit functions.
Sitem Acquisition: Completed acquisition of 52% of Sitem, expanding reach in the global EV market and integrating automation and toolmaking capabilities.
Capital Allocation Strategy: Focused on generating strong free cash flow, investing in high-return opportunities, and pursuing strategic M&A.
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Risk or Challenges
Market Uncertainty: Visibility remains limited in several sectors, and the macro environment is mixed, leading to cautious optimism but continued uncertainty in the market.
Agricultural Market Challenges: The agricultural market continues to experience significant challenges, with shipments down nearly 50% compared to the prior year quarter due to softness in the agricultural equipment market.
Heavy Truck Market Softness: Shipments to the heavy truck market were down 7% year-over-year, reflecting softness in this sector despite some offset from new business.
Toll Processing Volume Decline: Toll processing volumes were down 22% year-over-year due to softer market conditions, the closure of a facility, and customer decisions to change or reallocate programs.
Inventory Holding Losses: The company expects inventory holding losses of $5 million to $10 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2026 due to downward pressure on hot-rolled coil pricing.
Construction Market Weakness: Shipments to the construction market fell by 3%, indicating ongoing softness in this sector.
Supply Chain and Customer Decisions: Customer decisions, such as changing programs from tolling to direct sale and resourcing toll processing programs, have negatively impacted volumes.
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Guidance & Outlook
Automotive Market Outlook: The company remains cautiously optimistic about the automotive market for the rest of calendar year 2025, with new programs ramping up to drive volume. Shipments to the automotive market were up 17% compared to the prior year quarter, and new programs are expected to continue layering in over the next few quarters.
Electrical Steel Investments: Production in Canada is on schedule to start in early calendar year 2026 to support the growing need for electricity in the U.S. with transformer cores. The expansion of the Mexico facility will begin production in a few months, supplying electrical steel laminations for hybrid and electric vehicles. The market for transformers is expected to grow by up to 7% per year over the next decade.
AI-Driven Transformation: The company is advancing four critical AI-driven pilots: demand forecasting, predictive inventory optimization, predictive maintenance, and forecast and demand planning automation. These initiatives are expected to provide cost savings and free up cash flow when fully implemented.
Capital Expenditures: The CapEx forecast for fiscal 2026 remains at $100 million, with potential revisions next quarter after reviewing Sitem's CapEx priorities.
Market Pricing and Inventory Holding: Market pricing for hot-rolled coil has decreased, and the company expects inventory holding losses of approximately $5 million to $10 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2026.
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Shareholder Return Plan
Quarterly Dividend Announcement: A quarterly dividend of $0.16 per share was announced, payable on December 26, 2025.
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Key Q&A
Q:Can you provide more details on the Sitem transaction, particularly regarding the mezzanine financing structure and the cash outlay for the 52% stake?
A:The Sitem purchase price was $60 million in cash, disclosed in the 10-K, combined with the contribution of the German Nagold facility. The acquisition was financed using the ABL, with restricted cash earmarked for the transaction. The mezzanine equity is classified between liabilities and equity due to accounting guidance, as the minority interest has a put option outside of the company's control. The minority interest is denominated in euros, and EPS adjustments reflect FX changes between euros and dollars.
Q:What is the outlook for the automotive sector, and are there opportunities to gain more market share in 2026?
A:The company is cautiously optimistic, projecting a 15 million unit build rate for the year, which is better than earlier forecasts of 13.5 million. The commercial team has been gaining market share, and there are opportunities to continue this trend. Contract season is approaching, and there are good prospects for further market share gains in the next calendar year.
Q:How is the company managing the impact of Section 232 tariffs on electrical steel laminations and transformer cores?
A:The company has seen little impact from the tariffs, as customers are willing to pay them. A significant portion of the customer base is USMCA compliant, so they are unaffected. The company is well-positioned due to strong demand and insufficient U.S. supply chains for these products.
Q:Has the U.S. Steel coke accident affected the company, and what are the implications for the market?
A:The accident has no impact on the company's business due to strong relationships with multiple mill sources. The CEO could not comment on U.S. Steel's potential actions, such as buying third-party coke or slabs.
Q:What caused the decline in toll volumes, and what is the expected mix of direct and toll volumes going forward?
A:Half of the toll volume decline is due to market conditions, and the other half is primarily due to the Worthington Samuel Coil Processing shutdown. Other minor factors include program changes and freight savings. Direct sale volume is expected to remain in the 60%-65% range, with toll volumes at 35%-40%.
Q:What are the expectations for fiscal Q2 volumes, considering seasonal factors?
A:Q2 volumes are typically 3%-4% below Q1 due to seasonality, with no significant events expected to drive demand increases. Markets are expected to continue as they have been, with uncertainty around tariffs and other factors.
Q:Are there any changes in upstream mill order books and lead times?
A:No changes have been observed in upstream mill order books and lead times.
Q:Review of Unclear Management Responses
A:The CEO could not provide an answer regarding U.S. Steel's potential actions following the coke accident, such as buying third-party coke or slabs.
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Earnings Word Cloud
The most frequently occurring keywords in this quarter's earning call
AI insight
AI pilot
AI transformation
Canada schedule
Congratulations health
Construction subsectors
Detroit production
EV market
Geoff Gilmore
Gilmore Steel
Relations Vice
Sitem acquisition
Sitem automation
Sitem teammate
States transformer
Steel clarity
Steel commitment
Steel culture
Steel discipline
Steel employee
Steel people
Transformation Steel
Transformers supply
Uncertainty opportunity
United States
access
base
culture improvement
environment
function
goal
hour month
maintenance
office
planning
task
team job
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
Frequently Asked Questions
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They are generated by a specialized financial-language model trained exclusively on 15+ years of earnings transcripts. The model extracts financial figures, guidance, and tone with 97%+ accuracy and is regularly validated against human analysts. The full raw transcript always remains available for verification.
