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U-Haul Holding Co /NV/ (UHAL)·Q2 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q2 FY2025 revenue was $1.658B (+0.5% YoY) and EPS (Non-Voting) was $0.96, down from $1.40 YoY; net income fell to $186.8M from $273.5M YoY, driven by higher depreciation and lower gains on disposals .
- Self-moving equipment rental revenue rose 1.7% YoY (second straight quarter of growth) and self-storage revenue rose 7.5% YoY; management highlighted improved revenue per transaction and sustained strength in U-Box .
- Operating costs increased, including a one-time $16.5M expense tied to transitioning to a new cardboard box supplier; EBITDA for Moving & Storage decreased by $18.1M YoY, largely due to non-recurring operating costs and higher depreciation; October–early November revenues trended positively YoY, a near-term catalyst to watch .
- FY2025 net CapEx projection was raised from $1.09B to ~$1.115B on additional OEM availability; management reaffirmed long-term storage expansion while acknowledging near-term occupancy pressure as new units outpace fill .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Second consecutive quarter of equipment rental revenue growth (+$17.9M, +1.7% YoY), with higher revenue per transaction across one-way and in-town; October/early November revenue continued trending positively YoY .
- Self-storage delivered +$15.6M (+7.5% YoY); revenue per occupied foot improved ~1.6% across the portfolio and just over 2% in same-store, and occupied rooms were up ~31,933 YoY .
- “U-Box is steadily gaining” and Moving & Storage cash and availability remain robust ($1.775B); management continues focusing on superior customer service to drive share .
What Went Wrong
- Earnings from operations decreased $120.4M YoY, driven by reduced gains on retired equipment (-$29.2M), higher fleet depreciation (+$36.0M) and higher real estate depreciation (+$7.9M), pressuring profitability despite revenue growth .
- Operating expenses increased by just over $55M, including a one-time $16.5M expense from the cardboard box supplier transition; personnel costs, liability costs and property taxes/building maintenance were also higher .
- Same-store occupancy fell 80 bps to 94.1%; average occupancy across the total portfolio was 80.9% as U-Haul is adding rooms faster than it is filling them, creating near-term occupancy drag .
Financial Results
Consolidated P&L Summary
Margins (calculated from cited revenues and earnings from operations)
Segment Breakdown
KPIs
Balance Sheet and Liquidity
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “We are continuing to fine tune our U-Move efforts. Customers remain uncertain and conservative. U-Box is steadily gaining, U-Store is growing… We will continue to focus on serving customers in a superior fashion.” — Joe Shoen, Chairman .
- “This is now our second consecutive quarter of year-over-year increases in equipment rental revenues… October and the first week of November saw revenue continue to trend positively compared to the same time last year.” — Jason Berg, CFO .
- “During the quarter, we had a $16.5 million cost related to our transition to a new cardboard box supplier… we opted to expense this amount in the quarter.” — Jason Berg .
- “The big unknown… is how successful the new administration will be in getting EV mandates turned around… Rental income on moving equipment is up slightly… U-Box… is still making progress.” — Joe Shoen .
Q&A Highlights
- Near-term outlook: management does not foresee big changes in the next 180 days; expects modest improvements and a new trailer model in late Q4 to provide incremental lift .
- Storage dynamics: adding rooms faster than filling; expects to outperform peers, but industry remains “funky” with heavy promotions; strategy focuses on customer service over discounting .
- U-Box strategy: storage component is a competitive advantage; ~8 of 10 new storage builds include U-Box, though storage execution has room to improve (moving graded “A”, storage “C”) .
- Value gap/portfolio actions: management acknowledges short-term earnings drag from excess capacity and aggressive development; limited appetite for partitioning assets given complexity and one-time nature of benefits .
- Cost drivers: OpEx up just over $55M; key items included personnel, liabilities, property taxes/maintenance, and the $16.5M supplier transition .
Estimates Context
- S&P Global consensus estimates for EPS and revenue were unavailable at the time of query; therefore, comparisons to consensus and beat/miss determinations are not provided (SPGI rate-limit error) [GetEstimates errors].
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Equipment rental revenue appears to be at/near trough, with two consecutive YoY increases and October/early November continuing positively; watch sustainability into winter and the late-Q4 trailer introduction for incremental lift .
- Profitability is constrained by higher depreciation and lower gains on sales; resale values for pickups/vans are pressuring depreciation rates, a headwind likely to persist near term .
- Self-storage remains structurally attractive for U-Haul, with revenue per foot rising and same-store occupancy above 94%, but portfolio occupancy is diluted by rapid capacity additions; near-term EBIT margins likely remain pressured as new facilities ramp .
- U-Box shows strong growth and strategic integration with new builds; execution improvements on the storage component can unlock margin and growth tailwinds over time .
- CapEx guidance raised to ~$1.115B reflects OEM availability; balance sheet liquidity is solid ($1.775B cash + availability), supporting continued investment amid activist scrutiny and macro uncertainty .
- Watch management’s emphasis on customer service (vs. promotional discounting) to preserve pricing power in storage, and monitor EV policy shifts that could influence OEM supply/pricing and fleet economics .
- With consensus estimates unavailable, trading setups should focus on intra-quarter revenue cadence (Oct/Nov strength), margin drivers (depreciation/gains on sale), and occupancy progression (same-store vs new-store dilution) as near-term stock catalysts .