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Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. (THR)·Q1 2026 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Thermon delivered resilient Q1 FY26 despite tariff-driven order softness and delayed backlog conversion; revenue fell to $108.9M (-5.4% YoY) while gross margin rose 30 bps to 44.1% and adjusted EBITDA margin was 19.5% .
- Versus Wall Street: revenue materially missed consensus ($108.9M vs $122.5M), while adjusted EPS matched ($0.36 vs $0.36) and EBITDA was below consensus; guidance for FY26 revenue ($495–$535M) and adjusted EBITDA ($104–$114M) was reiterated. Bolded highlights: Revenue miss vs consensus, EPS in-line, guidance maintained* *.
- Management cited ~$10M of revenue pushed out of Q1 due to supply chain and a capital project delay; pricing and sourcing mitigations are expected to offset tariff headwinds by H2 .
- Emerging catalysts: newly launched liquid load banks for AI-driven liquid-cooled data centers, doubling backlog in rail/transit and at F.A.T.I.; continued share repurchases ($9.8M in Q1) and strong liquidity ($130.8M) support capital allocation and M&A .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Gross margin expanded despite lower volumes and tariffs, driven by mix shift to higher-margin OpEx, pricing actions, and productivity; “gross margin increasing 30 basis points over the prior year” .
- Strategic growth adjacencies gaining traction: “unprecedented investments in the data center market” and launch of liquid load banks; management targeting 20–25% share as market grows rapidly with AI adoption .
- Backlog and pipeline strength: backlog up 27% YoY to $252.2M with book-to-bill 1.11x; bid pipeline up 43% across chemical, petrochemical, power/nuclear, LNG, and renewables .
What Went Wrong
- Revenue declined 5.4% YoY and orders fell 5.1% as tariff uncertainty dampened demand, particularly in APAC; organic orders down 18.9% .
- ~$10M in delayed backlog conversion tied to supply chain and a capital project taking “twice as long as anticipated,” pushing revenue out of Q1 into Q2/H2 .
- Near-term margin risk: management expects gross margin headwinds in Q2 before pricing offsets fully flow through in H2; adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 19.5% from 20.1% YoY .
Financial Results
Income Statement, EPS, Margins (oldest → newest)
Consensus vs Actual (S&P Global)
Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
Segment/Revenue Mix (oldest → newest)
KPIs and Balance Sheet (oldest → newest)
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “Gross margin increasing 30 basis points over the prior year… we remain confident in our team’s ability to successfully mitigate the cost headwinds created by the tariffs” — Bruce Thames, CEO .
- “Our backlog at quarter end up 27% from last year… delayed revenues in Q1 and strong order trends… provide a clear path to achieve our revenue plan for the year” — Bruce Thames .
- “Adjusted EBITDA margin was 19.5%… due to the revenue decline combined with continued investments in growth initiatives” — Jan Schott, CFO .
- “We returned nearly $10 million in capital through our share repurchase program… balancing capital allocation between share repurchases and growth investments” — Bruce Thames .
Q&A Highlights
- Backlog conversion: ~$10M delayed revenue, with ~60% attributable to supply chain disruptions and a capital improvement project; operations now back to normal throughput; shipment expected in Q2/H2 .
- Gross margin outlook: expect Q2 headwinds; pricing actions to “fully offset” tariff impacts in H2; aiming to sustain ~44–45% GM trajectory by year-end .
- Data center liquid load banks: product explanation (thermal/electrical loads for testing); pipeline building post-launch; potential to reach 20–25% share over time .
- Rail/transit and LNG: rail/transit backlog doubled; LNG bookings strengthening with key awards; backlog up 27% YoY, engineering load high, revenue conversion expected through Q2–Q4 .
- Capital allocation: active M&A pipeline; continued opportunistic buybacks (authorization $44.5M remaining); net leverage 1.0x .
Estimates Context
- Q1 FY26: Revenue missed consensus ($108.9M vs $122.5M), adjusted EPS matched ($0.36 vs $0.36), adjusted EBITDA slightly below ($21.2M vs $22.0M*) *.
- Prior quarters: Q3 FY25 revenue modestly below, EPS above; Q4 FY25 revenue slightly above, EPS above; underscores stable EPS delivery via margin/mix despite project timing volatility * *.
- Potential estimate revisions: Expect near-term margin conservatism for Q2, with H2 pricing offsets; revenue cadence shifted toward back half as delayed projects convert; EMEA/F.A.T.I. and rail/transit strength may support H2 estimates .
Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Revenue miss was timing, not demand: ~$10M delayed backlog conversion likely to flow into Q2/H2; backlog +27% and book-to-bill 1.11x support FY26 guidance credibility .
- Margin management intact: YoY gross margin up despite tariffs; temporary Q2 headwinds but pricing/sourcing measures expected to offset by H2; watch GM trajectory and pricing realization cadence .
- Growth adjacencies are ramping: Liquid load banks address AI-driven liquid-cooled data centers; rail/transit and EU electrification (F.A.T.I.) show strong backlog/order momentum—incremental multi-year growth drivers .
- Capital allocation remains supportive: $130.8M liquidity, net leverage 1.0x, continued buybacks ($9.8M in Q1), and active M&A pipeline provide downside support and optionality .
- Trading implications: near-term volatility possible around Q2 margin headwinds; maintaining FY26 guidance amid revenue miss is constructive; monitor tariff policy developments and H2 price realization, plus early data center wins for upside catalysts .
- Estimate posture: expect revenue phasing toward H2 and cautious near-term margins; consensus likely to recalibrate Q2, with potential H2 uplift as mitigations and backlog conversion materialize .