Twin Disc (TWIN) Q3 2026 Earnings Transcript

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Date

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 9 a.m. ET

Call participants

• Chief Executive Officer — John H. Batten
• Chief Financial Officer — Jeffrey S. Knutson

Twin Disc (NASDAQ:TWIN) reported its latest quarterly results and provided updates on operational and strategic developments during its recent conference call.

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Takeaways

• Net sales -- $96.7 million, reflecting a 19% increase driven by Marine and Propulsion Systems demand, Veth product orders, contributions from acquisitions, and favorable foreign exchange.
• Organic sales growth -- 7%, attributed to demand in Marine and Propulsion, defense, and selective industrial applications.
• Gross margin -- 28%, up due to higher volumes and operational improvements.
• EBITDA -- $9.4 million, increasing approximately 135% with margin expansion of roughly 480 basis points from higher volumes and margin initiatives.
• Net income -- $3.3 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $1.5 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, in the prior-year period.
• Backlog -- $179.5 million, growing sequentially and year over year, bolstered by land-based transmission and defense activity.
• Defense backlog -- Increased by about 20% and represents 15% of total backlog, with a $50 million to $75 million opportunity pipeline.
• Marine and Propulsion Systems sales -- Up 20% driven by workboat, government, and specialty marine orders, alongside strong Veth product demand.
• Land-based transmission sales -- Up 22%, driven by improved shipments and favorable mix; delayed shipments to China moved to the next quarter per customer timing.
• Industrial sales -- Gained 15%, mainly through Cobalt acquisition and steady demand.
• SG&A expenses -- $21.3 million, up from $19.8 million, but decreased by about 230 basis points as a percentage of sales from operating leverage on higher revenue.
• Free cash flow -- $1.8 million, supported by profitability improvements and lower inventory.
• Inventory -- Decreased by about $3 million from the prior quarter, now representing 89% of backlog.
• Cash balance -- $16.1 million at quarter end.
• Debt -- Total debt at $45.1 million and net debt at about $29 million, increasing 10% mainly due to the Cobalt acquisition.
• Tariffs -- Estimated impact of 1%-3% of cost of goods sold expected in the next quarter, with mitigation strategies underway.
• Backlog FX impact -- $2.5 million negative foreign exchange effect versus prior quarter.
• Geographic sales mix -- North America and Europe grew share in quarterly revenue, reducing exposure to tariff risks for future periods.
• Facility expansion -- Targeted capacity expansion in Finland to support European defense growth and ARF assembly relocation to Lufkin facility for operational flexibility and tariff mitigation.

Summary

Management confirmed visibility into short-term demand through a record backlog and active defense pipeline. The company highlighted improved working capital management as inventories declined and cash conversion accelerated. Strategic investments in European growth and facility optimization were outlined as components of the ongoing operational plan.

• CEO Batten stated, “defense continues to become an increasingly meaningful and durable component of our overall backlog,” emphasizing the strategic importance of the segment.
• The six-month backlog metric provides management confidence in near-term revenue realization.
• Higher aftermarket execution contributed to sequential performance, reinforcing demand recovery after prior timing-related softness.
• Management described the North American oil and gas market as “cautious,” citing a maturity in refurbishments and some signs of stabilization.

Industry glossary

• Veth products: Propulsion and steering systems for marine vessels, including azimuth drives, known for maneuverability and integration with Twin Disc offerings.
• ARF: Company reference to a product line or application segment, details unique to Twin Disc operations.

Full Conference Call Transcript

John H. Batten, Twin Disc, Incorporated’s CEO. I would like to remind everyone that certain statements made during this conference call, especially statements expressing hopes, beliefs, expectations, or predictions for the future, are forward-looking statements. It is important to remember that the company’s actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is contained in the company’s annual report on Form 10-K, copies of which may be obtained by contacting either the company or the SEC.

Any forward-looking statements that are made during this call are based on assumptions as of today, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise these statements to reflect subsequent events or new information. During today’s call, management will also discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures. For a definition of non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial results, please see the earnings release issued earlier today. I will now turn the call over to John.

John H. Batten: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our fiscal 2026 third quarter conference call. Let me start with a few highlights from the third quarter. As we noted during our previous earnings call, we expected a stronger second half, and our third quarter results marked the beginning of that. We delivered meaningful sales growth, margin expansion, and improved free cash flow generation through solid execution and healthy demand across our end markets. Sales increased 19% year-over-year to $96.7 million, supported by strength in Marine and Propulsion Systems with continued demand for our Veth products, along with contributions from acquisitions and favorable foreign exchange.

On an organic basis, sales grew 7%, reflecting healthy demand across Marine and Propulsion, defense, and select industrial applications. Profitability also improved meaningfully in the quarter. Gross margin expanded to 28.1%, driven by higher volumes and operational improvements. EBITDA increased to $9.4 million, and EBITDA margin expanded by approximately 480 basis points versus the prior-year period, reflecting higher volumes as well as the benefit of our margin improvement initiatives. From an operating and cash flow standpoint, we made solid progress as well. Inventory improved again as a percentage of backlog, and together with higher profitability that supported free cash flow generation of $1.8 million in the quarter.

Looking ahead, our six-month backlog increased sequentially to approximately $179.5 million, supported by healthy order momentum across core markets, including demand for our land-based transmission products and continued strength in defense-related activity, which continues to serve as an important long-term growth driver for Twin Disc, Incorporated. At the same time, our third quarter results demonstrated improved execution on that backlog, as reflected in meaningful sales growth and margin expansion. Overall, this growing backlog, together with improved execution, gives us solid visibility into near-term demand and supports our confidence in the path ahead.

Turning to our defense-related business, we continue to see robust demand across multiple programs and geographies, supported by elevated defense spending both in the United States and across NATO markets. As a result, defense continues to become an increasingly meaningful and durable component of our overall backlog, and we view this as a secular trend given the increased geopolitical environment we are currently navigating. Today, defense represents approximately 15% of our backlog, and we continue to see encouraging momentum in both backlog and pipeline activity. Defense backlog increased year-over-year by roughly 20%, and the opportunity moving forward remains sizable with a pipeline of roughly $50 million to $75 million.

That continued momentum reinforces our confidence in the durability of demand we are seeing across this part of our business and supports our outlook for future growth. From a product perspective, we are well positioned across a broad range of defense applications, including marine transmissions, controls and steering systems, propulsion systems, transmissions, gearboxes, and transfer cases. These offerings support a diverse set of end users and programs across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and we believe that breadth continues to differentiate Twin Disc, Incorporated as customers prioritize modernization across marine, land-based, and autonomous platforms. The opportunity continues to be driven by the same two core buckets we discussed last quarter: activity tied to unmanned and autonomous U.S.

Navy vessel programs as well as growing demand in Europe through CASA supporting NATO-related vehicle platforms. Importantly, we have a substantial portion of the acquired capacity in place today in North America. However, in Europe, we are advancing targeted facility expansion efforts in Finland to add test stand and assembly capacity, which will better position us to support expected growth in European defense demand over the long term. Overall, with our current structure and targeted investments to support growth, we believe Twin Disc, Incorporated is well positioned to continue capturing this demand and further expand our presence in the defense market. Now let me walk you through product group performance.

Marine and Propulsion Systems remained a key driver of performance in the quarter, with sales up 20% from the prior-year period. We continue to see healthy demand across workboat, government, and specialty marine applications, along with sustained higher-content propulsion solutions and integrated systems supported by continued demand for our Veth products. Improved aftermarket execution also drove positive results in the quarter, which is encouraging in light of the short-term softness we discussed last quarter that was largely timing-related and not indicative of any change in underlying demand. Overall, we remain encouraged by the demand environment and by how the business is performing.

Land-based transmissions delivered strong year-over-year growth in the quarter, with sales increasing 22.2% compared with the prior-year period, driven primarily by improved shipment volumes and favorable mix. Importantly, shipment trends improved from the delays we discussed last quarter. Although a subset of deliveries, including certain oil and gas transmission shipments to China, shifted into the fourth quarter based on customer timing preferences around complete system deliveries, we view those remaining delays as timing-related and not reflective of any broader change in underlying demand.

From a market standpoint, conditions remain mixed, and North America oil and gas customer behavior continues to be cautious, with rebuilds and refurbishments still outpacing new equipment purchases, although we are beginning to see signs that cycle is maturing. Internationally, order trends have shown improvement, particularly in oil and gas, where activity in China and customer engagement continue to support the outlook for the business. We also continue to see healthy demand in ARF applications and are advancing next-generation electrified and hybrid solutions that support longer-term growth. Industrial sales increased 15.2% year-over-year, largely due to the contribution from Cobalt, as well as steady underlying demand.

We continue to focus on higher-content solutions and on leveraging engineering and manufacturing capabilities across the platform, which we believe will help improve mix and support better margins over time. Our six-month backlog increased to approximately $179.5 million in the third quarter, up both sequentially and year-over-year. Growth was driven by broad-based demand across our core markets, such as land-based transmissions, and by continued defense-related order activity. Backlog also included approximately $2.5 million of negative foreign exchange impact relative to the prior quarter. We also continued to make progress on working capital management, as inventory declined by roughly $3 million from the second quarter and inventory as a percentage of backlog improved to approximately 89%.

Overall, that improving backlog profile continues to support solid visibility into near-term demand, and our improved working capital management demonstrates our focus on converting backlog effectively into cash. Looking forward, our long-term strategy remains unchanged. We are focused on driving profitable growth through operational excellence, footprint optimization, and disciplined capital allocation. As discussed earlier, we continue to execute targeted initiatives across our manufacturing footprint, including the planned relocation of ARF assembly to our Lufkin facility and targeted expansion efforts in Finland to support expected growth in European defense demand. Together, these actions are intended to improve operational flexibility, mitigate tariff exposure, and better align capacity with demand.

With continued momentum across our core markets, a growing backlog, and improving profitability, we believe Twin Disc, Incorporated is well positioned to build on this progress through the balance of the fiscal year. With that, I will now turn the call over to Jeffrey S. Knutson to discuss our financial results in greater detail.

Jeffrey S. Knutson: Thanks, John. Good morning, everyone. During the third quarter, we delivered sales of $96.7 million, an increase of 19% compared to the prior-year period. This growth was driven primarily by strength in Marine and Propulsion Systems and contributions from our recent acquisition of Cobalt. Gross profit increased 25% to $27.1 million, and gross margin expanded to approximately 28.1%, reflecting higher volumes and operational improvements. SG&A expenses were $21.3 million in the quarter compared to $19.8 million in the prior year. As a percentage of sales, SG&A decreased by approximately 230 basis points, reflecting strong operating leverage on higher revenue.

Net income attributable to Twin Disc, Incorporated was $3.3 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $1.5 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, in the prior-year period. This improvement was driven by higher operating income and lower expenses. EBITDA was $9.4 million in the quarter, representing an increase of approximately 135% year-over-year and an EBITDA margin improvement of roughly 480 basis points when compared to the prior-year period, reflecting higher volumes and the successful implementation of our margin improvement initiatives. Geographically, sales growth was led by North America and Europe, supported by sustained demand for Veth products and incremental contributions from recent acquisitions.

As a result, North America represented a higher share of quarterly revenue, while Asia Pacific and Latin America made up a smaller portion, reflecting regional market dynamics—a trend that we expect to continue and which should soften tariff impact moving forward. Turning to cash flow, we generated approximately $1.8 million of free cash flow in the quarter, reflecting improved operating performance and continued signs of working capital normalization. We ended the quarter with cash of approximately $16.1 million. Total debt increased to $45.1 million, and net debt increased to approximately $29 million, an increase of 10.5%, primarily reflecting higher long-term debt associated with the Cobalt acquisition.

Margin performance was a key highlight of the quarter, with significant expansion both sequentially and year-over-year. This improvement was driven by increased volume and the impact of margin improvement initiatives. Sequentially, growth was supported by increased aftermarket execution as we effectively delivered against strong demand. Regarding tariffs, we continue to monitor the evolving landscape closely and are actively executing mitigation initiatives, including adjustments to our manufacturing strategy where appropriate. Based on the current environment and our favorable regional mix, we expect tariff-related impact in the upcoming quarter to be approximately 1% to 3% of cost of goods sold. Looking ahead, we expect continued progress supported by backlog conversion, improving mix, and ongoing operational initiatives.

From a capital allocation perspective, our priorities remain unchanged. We continue to focus first on investing in the business to support growth, including capacity, operational efficiency, and product development, while maintaining a strong and flexible balance sheet. At the same time, we remain disciplined in our approach to capital deployment, with an emphasis on preserving liquidity, managing leverage, and improving working capital efficiency as we convert backlog into revenue and cash. I will now turn the call back to John for his closing remarks.

John H. Batten: Thanks, Jeff. In closing, the third quarter represented a strong step forward for Twin Disc, Incorporated as we delivered meaningful improvement in revenue, margins, and cash flow. Underlying demand across our core markets remains healthy, supported by a growing record backlog and continued momentum in key areas such as Marine and Propulsion Systems and land-based transmissions, along with increasing defense-related activity. At the same time, working capital continues to improve along with enhanced profitability, positioning us for stronger cash generation in the fourth quarter. As we look ahead, we remain focused on executing our operational initiatives, optimizing our footprint, and supporting long-term growth.

With improving profitability, healthy demand visibility, and continued execution, we believe Twin Disc, Incorporated is well positioned to build on this progress through the balance of the fiscal year. We will now open the call for questions.

Operator: Thank you. We will now begin the question-and-answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star 1 on your telephone keypad. If you would like to withdraw your question, simply press star 1 again. If you are called upon to ask your question and are listening via loudspeaker on your device, please pick up your handset and ensure that your phone is not on mute when asking your question. There are no further questions at this time. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for joining. This concludes today’s conference call. All participants may now disconnect. Thank you.

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