CI
CHS INC (CHSCP)·Q4 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Fiscal Q4 2025 capped a tough year: CHS reported FY2025 net income of $597.9M vs $1.1B in FY2024, with revenues of $35.5B vs $39.3B, driven by lower commodity prices and weaker refining/oilseed crush margins .
- Q4 revenue was $8.61B* and net income was $196.7M*, sequentially lower vs Q3 revenue ($9.8B) but with improved profitability vs the Q2 net loss, reflecting stabilization in Energy and continued strength in Ag retail and equity affiliates* .
- Management highlighted headwinds from international trade/tariffs and high U.S. refined product supply; equity method investments (CF Nitrogen, Ventura Foods) remained a bright spot .
- Board expects to return $120M to owners in 2026 via cash patronage ($30M) and equity redemptions ($90M), reinforcing cooperative value sharing .
Values with asterisk are retrieved from S&P Global.
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Strong Ag retail/agronomy performance: higher volumes and margins in Q3 agronomy, and “strong volumes in crop protection and crop nutrients” for FY2025, aided by favorable growing conditions .
- Equity affiliates delivered: CF Nitrogen and Ventura Foods posted strong contributions, with Nitrogen Production pretax earnings +$8.3M YoY and Corporate & Other +$41.8M YoY in FY2025 .
- CEO underscored resilient execution despite macro: “CHS delivered strong volumes… demonstrating the resilience of our operations and the cooperative system,” emphasizing operational excellence and cost management .
What Went Wrong
- Energy segment swung to pretax loss: FY2025 Energy pretax loss of $7.0M vs $429.1M pretax profit last year, driven by narrower heavy Canadian crude discounts, tighter refining margins, and planned McPherson refinery maintenance .
- Oilseed crush/grain margins compressed: Global supply/dynamics reduced margins across grain and oilseed; Q2 and FY releases highlight weaker crush margins and competitive global marketplace .
- Renewable fuel credit and hedging impacts: Q3 Energy was pressured by increased cost for renewable fuel credits; Q2 propane margins were adversely impacted by hedging effects .
Financial Results
Consolidated Quarterly Performance
Values with asterisk are retrieved from S&P Global.
Year-over-Year (Q4)
Values with asterisk are retrieved from S&P Global.
Segment Breakdown (FY)
KPIs and Operational Drivers
- Energy: Reduced crude oil discounts (heavy Canadian) and tighter refining margins; McPherson planned maintenance lowered high-margin refined fuel output .
- Ag: Higher volumes in crop protection and nutrients; weaker grain/oilseed margins, lower crush margins due to increased global soybean/canola supplies .
- Equity Affiliates: Strong CF Nitrogen (favorable urea market) and Ventura Foods performance .
Guidance Changes
Note: CHS does not provide formal financial guidance metrics in the reviewed materials .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
No earnings call transcript was available in our document catalog for Q4 2025; themes synthesized from press releases.
Management Commentary
- “CHS delivered strong volumes across our businesses demonstrating the resilience of our operations and the cooperative system… return $120 million in cash patronage and equity redemptions to our farmer-owners and member cooperatives in fiscal year 2026” — Jay Debertin, President & CEO .
- “We’re focused on delivering value through operational excellence and cost management to support our growth initiatives on behalf of our owners.” — Jay Debertin .
- “Strong spring agronomy season… favorable spring weather, resulting in a strong third quarter for our agronomy and retail businesses.” — Jay Debertin .
- “CHS remains focused on operational excellence… while margin and pricing pressure on ag and energy product categories continues, our sales volumes remain strong.” — Jay Debertin .
- “CHS is committed to sharing the financial strength… intends to return $120 million… in calendar year 2026.” — Dan Schurr, Board Chair .
Q&A Highlights
- No Q4 FY2025 earnings call transcript was available; Q&A themes and clarifications were not accessible in our document set.
Estimates Context
- S&P Global consensus coverage appears limited for CHS; EPS and revenue consensus lines for Q4 FY2025 were not populated, and only “actual” values were available via S&P Global data. As a cooperative issuer, CHS has minimal traditional sell-side coverage.
- We therefore cannot assess beats/misses vs Wall Street consensus for Q4 FY2025. Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Key Takeaways for Investors
- FY2025 results reflect resilient volumes but margin compression in Energy and oilseed crush; continued strength from equity affiliates mitigated pressures .
- Sequentially, Q4 showed profitability improvement vs Q2’s loss and a stable net income run-rate relative to Q3, though revenue stepped down vs Q3 amid market conditions* .
- Energy margin recovery is the swing factor: normalization of heavy crude discounts and refined product supply-demand balance would be accretive to segment earnings .
- Ag retail/agronomy momentum remains a relative bright spot; sustained volumes and favorable conditions support earnings resiliency .
- Cooperative capital returns: planned $120M owner return in 2026 underscores balance-sheet capacity and commitment to patronage, potentially reinforcing stakeholder confidence .
- With limited sell-side coverage, the stock narrative for CHS preferreds centers on rate environment and dividend terms rather than quarterly “beats/misses”; operational stability and margin trajectories matter for credit profile and distribution sustainability.
- Focus near term: watch refined margin indicators, oilseed crush spreads, and international trade/tariff developments cited by management as key macro drivers .
Values with asterisk are retrieved from S&P Global.