Limoneira (LMNR) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

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DATE

Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET

CALL PARTICIPANTS

• President and Chief Executive Officer — Harold Edwards
• Chief Financial Officer — Greg Hamm
• Managing Director, ICR (hosting) — John Mills

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TAKEAWAYS

• Total Net Revenue -- $18.2 million, a 47% decrease driven by the transition to Sunkist for lemon sales and related business exits.
• Agribusiness Revenue -- $16.8 million, reflecting reduced volumes under the Sunkist cadence and the exit from brokerage and farm management operations.
• Fresh Lemon Sales -- $11.9 million from 681,000 cartons at $17.41 per carton, with volume decline "entirely related to the change in cadence under the Sunkist agreement."
• Adjusted Net Loss -- $8.5 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, compared to $2.5 million and $0.14 per share in the prior-year quarter.
• Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA -- ($7.7 million) loss versus ($2.3 million) loss in the prior period.
• Total Costs and Expenses -- $28.8 million, a 27% reduction, attributed to lower agribusiness volumes and eliminated citrus sales and marketing costs.
• Sunkist SG&A Savings -- Management stated, "We expect to realize approximately $10.0 million in total annual selling, general, and administrative savings for Fiscal 2026."
• Specific Q1 Charges -- $2.5 million in transition costs ($1.0 million packing house repairs, $0.5 million Chilean exit, $1.0 million foreign exchange) with $1.0 million of repair cost "recovered from insurance proceeds in the second quarter."
• Long-term Debt -- $89.9 million with $88.0 million net debt after $1.3 million in cash at quarter end.
• Avocado Acreage -- 1,600 acres planted, with 800 currently bearing fruit; remaining acreage expected to mature over two to four years, targeting near 100% production growth.
• Real Estate Monetization Pipeline -- $155 million in expected proceeds over five fiscal years from Harvest at Limoneira, Limoneira Lewis Community Builders 2, and East Area 2.
• Water Rights Monetization -- Ongoing efforts include "actively working to realize meaningful value from our Class 3 Colorado River water rights and Santa Paula Basin conserved pumping rights."
• EBITDA Contribution -- Management expects planned 50/50 organic recycling joint venture to be EBITDA-accretive when operational in Fiscal 2027.
• Full-Year Lemon and Avocado Guidance -- 4.0-4.5 million cartons for lemons and 5.0-6.0 million pounds for avocados.
• Leadership Transition -- Greg Hamm named Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Mark Palamountain.

SUMMARY

Fresh utilization rates showed improvement, indicating a higher proportion of standard lemons sold into the fresh market, which management said could drive positive margin effects later in the fiscal year. Strategic divestitures and property monetizations remain on schedule, with Windfall Farms and Argentinian asset sales expected to conclude by year end, and the large Limco Del Mar entitlement process progressing as a future earnings lever. The cadence of results will be weighted to the third and fourth quarters due to the Sunkist transition, as explicitly noted by management. Early-stage avocado acreage will drive significant capacity expansion as more trees reach bearing age over the next two to four years. Sunkist partnership benefits include not only cost reductions but "enhanced customer access to premium accounts and major U.S. retailers," along with a stabilized pricing environment across the citrus portfolio.

• Management reiterated anticipation of sequential improvement in operating and financial results with "third and fourth quarters being the strongest periods of the year," reflecting new seasonal cadence.
• Insurance proceeds related to packing house repairs totaled $1.0 million, recovered in the second quarter, and an additional $1.4 million in insurance proceeds is expected in the second quarter.
• There will be no increase to the SG&A savings run rate beyond $10 million in Fiscal 2026; management described these as "steady savings throughout the year."
• Real estate efforts include Phase 3 of Harvest (550 home lots and 300 apartments), 35 acres of East Area 2 Medical Pavilion with potential monetization starting this fiscal year, and evaluation of 221-acre Lincodelmar for residential development potential.
• Limoneira's water rights position the company to benefit from potential "long-term fallowing programs" tied to Colorado River regulatory developments, with management expressing intent to announce further monetization specifics next quarter.

INDUSTRY GLOSSARY

• Carton: A standard unit for fresh lemon sales, typically representing approximately 40 pounds of fruit.
• Fresh Utilization: The percentage of fruit sold for fresh consumption, as opposed to processing or juice channels; a key citrus margin metric.
• Class 3 Colorado River Water Rights: Entitlements allowing usage or monetization of a specified volume of Colorado River water, subject to state and federal regulatory agreements.

Full Conference Call Transcript

Operator: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Limoneira Company’s First Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A brief question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, John Mills with ICR. Thank you. You may begin. Great. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us for Limoneira Company’s First Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Conference Call.

John Mills: On the call today are Harold Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Greg Hamm, Chief Financial Officer. By now, everyone should have access to the First Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 earnings release, which went out today after the market close. If you have not had a chance to view the release, it is available on the Investor Relations portion of the company’s website at limoneira.com. This call is being webcast, and a replay will be available on Limoneira Company’s website as well. Before we begin, we would like to remind everyone that prepared remarks contain forward-looking statements, and management may make additional forward-looking statements in response to your questions.

Such statements involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the company’s control, and could cause its future results, performance, or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks detailed in the company’s Forms 10-Q and 10-K filed with the SEC and those mentioned in the earnings release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking or other statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Please note that during today’s call, we will be discussing non-GAAP financial measures, including results on an adjusted basis. We believe these adjusted financial measures can facilitate a more complete analysis and greater understanding of Limoneira Company’s ongoing results of operations, particularly when comparing underlying results from period to period. We have provided as much detail as possible on any items that are discussed on an adjusted basis. Also within the company’s earnings release and in today’s prepared remarks, we include adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted EPS, which are non-GAAP financial measures.

A reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted earnings per share to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the company’s press release, which has been posted to its website. I will now turn the call over to the company’s President and CEO, Harold Edwards.

Harold Edwards: Thanks, John, and good afternoon, everyone. Our first quarter results reflect the strategic transformation we have been executing to position Limoneira Company for sustainable long-term value creation. While the cadence of lemon sales will shift due to our return to Sunkist, with the first and second quarters expected to have lower sales and the third and fourth quarters higher, we are pleased that fresh utilization improved in the first quarter. Even though we incurred some specific costs, which we believe are nonrecurring during this transition quarter, the strategic foundation we have built is now delivering measurable results, and we remain firmly on track to achieve our Fiscal 2026 objectives, including our annual volume guidance for lemons and avocados.

I would like to add a little more color on the costs reflected in our first quarter results. We experienced $2.5 million in specific expenses, which consisted of $1.0 million in packing house repairs that we recovered from insurance proceeds in the second quarter, $0.5 million in costs related to the closing of our Chilean farming operations, and $1.0 million in foreign exchange fluctuation on the receivables from the sale of the Chilean farming assets. Adjusted net loss was a $0.48 loss per diluted share and includes approximately $0.06 per share of loss related to the packing house repairs and closing the Chilean farming operations. Additionally, we are expecting another $1.4 million of insurance proceeds in the second quarter.

Looking beyond these items, our underlying business performance demonstrates the strength of our strategic repositioning. Our Sunkist partnership is functioning as planned, our avocado operations continue to expand, and our asset monetization initiatives are progressing on schedule. The strategic initiatives we began implementing were driven by a clear assessment of market realities. We took decisive action to reduce our exposure to volatile lemon pricing while building sustainable competitive advantages. In 2025, we accelerated this work by reducing future costs to position us for stronger Fiscal 2026 results. In Fiscal 2026, we expect the enhancements we are making to our cost structure will generate $10 million in selling, general, and administrative savings compared to Fiscal 2025.

Importantly, Sunkist provides enhanced customer access to premium accounts and major U.S. retailers through a full-category citrus offering. This positions us to deliver comprehensive solutions for retail buyers while removing pricing pressure from the marketplace and strengthening both our packing margins and grower partner relationships. Another key initiative involved expanding our avocado production. Today, we have 1,600 acres planted, with only 800 acres currently bearing fruit. The additional 800 acres will begin bearing fruit over the next two to four years, representing a near 100% increase in our avocado production capacity. California avocados command premium pricing due to superior quality. Our strategic location provides logistical advantages to the highest per capita consumption markets in the Western United States.

Our strategic initiatives extend well beyond agriculture. We have our planned 50/50 organic recycling joint venture with Agerman that we expect to process 300,000 tons of organic waste annually and contribute to EBITDA when the facility becomes operational in Fiscal 2027. We also have our real estate development project, Harvest at Limoneira. We continue to expect future proceeds from Harvest, Limoneira Lewis Community Builders 2, and East Area 2 to total $155 million over the next five fiscal years. Phase 3 of the project consists of approximately 550 home lots and 300 apartments, plus we have 35 acres of East Area 2 Medical Pavilion development that we believe could begin to be monetized in Fiscal 2026.

Additionally, we have Lincodelmar, our 221-acre agricultural infill property in the City of Ventura, California, which represents a strategic asset with potential for residential development and significant long-term value creation. We are also unlocking value by divesting nonstrategic assets and monetizing our water rights to fuel this transformation and strengthen our balance sheet. We are now advancing the monetization of our Windfall Farms vineyard in Paso Robles and our Argentina agricultural assets, with Windfall Farms completion targeted by the end of Fiscal 2026. Our water monetization strategy is also progressing well.

Following last year’s $1.7 million realization from Santa Paula Basin water rights sales, we are actively working to realize meaningful value from our Class 3 Colorado River water rights and Santa Paula Basin conserved pumping rights. These water assets represent high-value nonoperational resources that we can convert to cash while maintaining our agricultural operations. The proof points are clear. Our cost structure is dramatically improved, customer access enhanced, our product mix is optimized, and our asset base is being monetized. These are strategic initiatives that we believe will drive financial results throughout Fiscal 2026. In summary, our First Quarter Fiscal 2026 results reflect the company in transition, absorbing specific costs while building the foundation for sustained profitability.

The strategic initiatives we have implemented are now delivering tangible financial benefits. We anticipate you will see these improvements on a sequential basis this year, as we expect our second quarter to show improvement compared to the first quarter and our third and fourth quarters being the strongest periods of the year. We have transformed our cost structure, focused our revenue streams, optimized our asset base, and positioned ourselves for sustainable EBITDA growth. The Limoneira Company of today is a fundamentally stronger company, more focused and better positioned for long-term value creation. We look forward to demonstrating continued progress throughout Fiscal 2026. Now I would like to officially introduce Greg Hamm as our new Chief Financial Officer.

I have had the privilege to work with Greg for over 22 years at Limoneira Company since he was hired in 2004. He previously served as our Vice President and Corporate Controller since 2008. Greg succeeds Mark Palamountain, who served as our Chief Financial Officer since 2018 and was instrumental in our strategic transformation. As part of our commitment to succession planning, we identified Greg as a candidate for Chief Financial Officer, and we have worked closely with him over the years to prepare him for this role. I will now turn the call over to Greg for the financial results.

Greg Hamm: Thank you, Harold.

Greg Hamm: And good afternoon, everyone. I am pleased to be speaking with you today as Limoneira Company’s Chief Financial Officer. I have had the privilege of working alongside this talented team for a number of years. This marks my first earnings call in this role, and I am pleased to share our financial results with you. As Harold mentioned, we are executing a significant transformation that we believe positions Limoneira Company for sustainable long-term value creation. Let me walk you through the financial details of our first quarter performance and explain how our strategic initiatives are ready to deliver measurable results.

Before diving into specifics, I want to remind everyone that our business is best viewed on an annual basis due to its seasonal nature. With our transition to Sunkist, our quarterly rhythm has fundamentally shifted. Under our partnership with Sunkist, the first and second quarters are now our seasonally softer periods, while the third and fourth quarters will be stronger. As we move through Fiscal 2026, you will see this new cadence taking shape. Let me walk you through our revenue performance for the first quarter. Total net revenues were $18.2 million compared to $34.3 million in 2025. Agribusiness revenues totaled $16.8 million compared to $32.9 million in the prior-year first quarter.

The year-over-year decrease in total net revenue reflects the strategic transition to Sunkist for lemon sales and marketing and the resulting shift in quarterly sales cadence, as well as exiting our brokerage business in the first quarter of Fiscal 2026 and farm management business during Fiscal 2025, which further contributed to the year-over-year revenue decrease. Other operations revenue was $1.4 million and essentially flat compared to the prior-year quarter. Fresh packed lemon sales were $11.9 million compared to $21.2 million in the same period last year. We sold approximately 681,000 cartons of U.S.-packed fresh lemons at an average price of $17.41 per carton, compared to 1,147 cartons at $18.44 per carton in the prior-year first quarter.

The decrease in volume was entirely related to the change in cadence under the Sunkist agreement. It is important to note that per-carton prices for Fiscal 2026 are now net of the Sunkist marketing fee. Brokered lemons and other lemon sales were $1.0 million compared to $2.2 million in 2025, reflecting the transition of brokerage operations to Sunkist. There was no avocado revenue in 2026, compared to $162,000 in the prior-year period due to harvest timing. Orange revenue was $10,000 compared to $1.6 million in the same period last year, reflecting the sale of our Chilean agricultural properties and the transition of brokerage operations to Sunkist.

Specialty citrus, wine grape, and other revenues were $700,000 in 2026 compared to $500,000 in 2025. There was no farm management revenue in 2026, compared to $1.2 million in the prior-year period due to the termination of our farm management agreement effective 03/31/2025. Total costs and expenses in the first quarter were $28.8 million, down 27% from $39.7 million in 2025. The decrease was primarily driven by reduced agribusiness volumes and the elimination of citrus sales and marketing costs following the transition to Sunkist, which resulted in lower agribusiness costs and a meaningful decrease in selling, general, and administrative expenses. Operating loss for 2026 was $10.6 million compared to an operating loss of $5.3 million in the prior-year period.

The increase in operating loss was primarily due to decreased agribusiness revenues, as well as $1.0 million in packing house repairs, $500,000 of costs related to closing Chilean farming operations, and $1.5 million of gain on sales of water rights in Fiscal 2025. Additionally, total other expenses for Fiscal 2026 include $1.0 million in foreign exchange fluctuations on the receivables from the sale of our Chilean farming assets. Excluding these items, our underlying operational performance reflects the cost improvements we have been implementing. Net loss applicable to common stock after preferred dividends was $9.6 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, for 2026, compared to a net loss of $3.2 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, in 2025.

On an adjusted basis, adjusted net loss for diluted EPS in 2026 was $8.5 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, compared to an adjusted net loss of $2.5 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, in the prior-year period. A full reconciliation is provided in our earnings release. Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $7.7 million in 2026 compared to a loss of $2.3 million in the same period last year. A reconciliation of net loss attributable to Limoneira Company to adjusted EBITDA is also provided in our earnings release. Again, I want to emphasize that these first quarter results reflect the new seasonal cadence under our Sunkist partnership.

The specific expenses mentioned, and the strategic investments we are making, position the company for improved performance throughout the remainder of Fiscal 2026.

Operator: Turning to our balance sheet, we remain—

Greg Hamm: —in a solid position to execute on our strategic initiatives. Long-term debt as of 01/31/2026 was $89.9 million compared to $72.5 million at the end of Fiscal 2025. Our net debt position was $88.0 million at quarter end after accounting for $1.3 million of cash on hand. Let me provide more detail on the financial impact of our strategic initiatives, particularly our Sunkist partnership. We expect to realize approximately $10.0 million in total annual selling, general, and administrative savings for Fiscal 2026. These are real, tangible cost reductions that will flow through our P&L this fiscal year and position us for improved profitability as our revenue cadence normalizes in the second half of the year.

In summary, while our first quarter results reflect the new seasonal cadence and specific expenses, the underlying operational improvements are substantial. The 27% reduction in costs year over year demonstrates our disciplined execution. We have clear visibility into $10.0 million of selling, general, and administrative savings benefiting Fiscal 2026 through the Sunkist partnership, which fundamentally improves our cost structure. I will now turn the call back to Harold to discuss our Fiscal 2026 outlook and longer-term growth pipeline.

Operator: —and longer term growth pipeline.

Harold Edwards: Thank you, Greg. Looking at the remainder of Fiscal 2026, we expect this period to be when our strategic transformation begins delivering measurable financial results. We anticipate you will see these improvements on a sequential basis this year, as we expect our second quarter to show improvement compared to the first quarter and our third and fourth quarters being the strongest periods of the year. We ended this year with approximately $10.0 million in cost-saving initiatives based primarily on the benefits of our Sunkist partnership, which will be visible in our Fiscal 2026 results through improved cost structure and enhanced customer relationships.

Our avocado expansion continues on schedule with significant production increases expected in Fiscal 2027 as our nonbearing acreage matures. For full-year Fiscal 2026, we are reiterating the following guidance: fresh lemon volumes of 4.0 to 4.5 million cartons and avocado volumes of 5.0 to 6.0 million pounds. Beyond our core operations, we have several additional value-creation opportunities progressing. Our real estate pipeline remains strong, with $155 million in expected total proceeds over the next five fiscal years. The Limco Del Mar entitlement process represents another significant real estate development opportunity, and our planned organic recycling joint venture is expected to contribute meaningful EBITDA when the facility becomes operational in Fiscal 2027.

We have built a more resilient business model that is less dependent on commodity lemon pricing while creating multiple engines for profitable growth. We will now open for questions.

Operator: Thank you. At this time, we will be conducting a question-and-answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press 1 on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press 2 if you would like to remove your question from the queue. Our first question comes from Puran Sharma with Stephens. Your line is now live.

Puran Sharma: Good afternoon, and thanks for the question. This is Adam Shepherd on for Puran. On the $10 million in expected SG&A savings this year, I think you mentioned $10 million was to be realized this year. I was going to ask about how much would be visible in the first half versus the back half, and if that ramp kind of implies there might be a higher-than-$10 million run rate exiting the year. And then if there are any offsets to keep in mind as the Sunkist transition fully ramps, that would be great. Thanks.

Harold Edwards: Those are great questions, Adam. Thank you. I think that you will see we had some lingering or dragging costs from Fiscal 2025 that entered into 2026. So while we were pleased with our cost reduction, we think our run rate was slightly behind in Q1 versus what you will see in Q2, Q3, and Q4. The actual reduction is not going to be linear, so you will see it move around, and we have also tried to be conservative in our estimates. I think at the end of the year, though, you will see a total reduction of $10 million from the SG&A overhead line item.

As it relates to whether you will see a faster or higher run rate at the end of the fiscal year, I would not expect it. I think you will get to the end of the year and then see much more of a fixed overhead as we enter 2027.

Greg Hamm: I agree. It is not tied to volume. It is more of a steady savings throughout the year.

Puran Sharma: Okay. Great. Thank you. And then switching over to avocados for my follow-up, are you able to just give us an update on weather conditions, how the trees are looking—just color around that would be great too.

Harold Edwards: Sure. It has been pretty much an idyllic winter in California. It really never got cold, which is fantastic, and the winds, which can oftentimes be a real problem for holding fruit on the trees, have been moderate. The young trees look fantastic. We are actually entering a week here—it is March 12 today—of potentially record heat levels, which will not harm the trees. It will actually accelerate fruit growth, but also the bloom and the flower on the trees for next year’s crop setting. We have had really good rain conditions this year. You know, a normal year of rain in this part of the world is about 17 inches a year.

To date, we have received almost 25 inches in nice, steady, warm rains, and that has allowed us to realize good fruit growth. So there is good, big fruit hanging on the trees for this year, and it looks like the flowering and the blooming set for next year with the avocados looks as good as it can right now. So we feel like it has been almost idyllic weather conditions to set us up for a strong 2027 with avocados.

Puran Sharma: Okay. Great. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

Operator: Our next question comes from Mark Smith with Lake Street Capital. Your line is now live.

Harold Edwards: Hey guys. Similar to the last question, just wanted to talk around pricing around lemons, weather impact—anything that you are seeing there. I will start with avocados, Mark. Thanks for the question. So Mexico has an extraordinarily large crop this year, and through the last three months of weekly shipments, we have seen some of the highest weekly shipments coming into the United States from Mexico. Conventional wisdom was always that the U.S. consumed about 60 million pounds a week. The last week saw 75 million pounds of fruit from Mexico come into the U.S.

The good news is that fruit is all being consumed, but the issue is that with that much fruit coming in, it is putting downward pricing pressure on avocados right now. Size 48s are going for about $1.00 a pound right now, and 60s are going for about $1.05 to $1.10. So, ironically, the smaller sizing fruit is more valuable right now. As you see Mexico’s crop tapering off, I would expect pricing to buoy a little bit here in California—maybe $1.10 to $1.20—but right now, you are seeing pricing on the low end because of how much fruit is in the marketplace. Again, it is great news that the fruit is being consumed.

You are seeing per capita consumption growing when you see pricing this low as it works its way through the supply chain and consumers are able to access fruit more readily and less expensively. So that should set us up for a pretty strong environment in 2027. As it relates to lemons, we started out Q1 with pricing that was similar to 2025 in Q1, and then the market became supplied and full, and we have seen lower pricing for lemons. Greg, do you want to maybe comment on lemon pricing?

Greg Hamm: We ended up at $17.42 for this quarter versus $18.44, and Sunkist charges $0.60 a carton, so you take that into account, and then coming into February, it softened up to around $16.

Harold Edwards: Which is not as low as it was last year, but I predict this is probably the trough for pricing, and it will start picking back up again as we head towards May. And, Mark, the other comment I would make on that pricing is that a lemon is not a lemon is not a lemon, because buried into that average pricing is a product mix factor—how much of your valuable fancy fruit, how much of your middle-range choice fruit, and how much of your standards actually got sold fresh.

The comment that we made earlier about a much higher percentage of fresh utilization in the first quarter meant that a lot of the standards, which before—like last year—went to juice, actually made it to the fresh market. So the total impact is it drags your average price down, but your units are much higher, and throughout the course of the full season, that should work itself out in a very positive way for us, if that makes sense.

So while it seems like it is very, very low pricing on half the fruit, we sold a significantly higher amount of volume fresh in the first quarter than we saw last year, and that bodes very well for the rest of the year for us.

Mark Smith: Perfect.

Harold Edwards: Last question for me was just as we look at certain markets in the West with drought conditions and low snowpack, does this create opportunities for monetization of some of these water assets? Any update you can give us on how that process is going would be great. Thanks, Mark. That is a great question. I am glad we get to talk about it just a little bit. The two most opportunistic situations we have with our water assets are related to our conserved water in the Santa Paula Water Basin, and not much to report there other than that there remains demand for that water.

As you probably remember, we sold water last year at $30,000 an acre-foot and did that as a placeholder to show the potential value that could be created as more and more of that conserved water is made available into the marketplace in Santa Paula. The real opportunity right now—and I am sure this is what most people are focused on; we certainly are—is what is going on the Colorado River. For background, as you may recall, we have Class 3 Colorado River water rights. There are seven states now that are negotiating who gets what in terms of a new water accord that is put on the Colorado River.

The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation have mandated that one-third of the consumptive use of the Colorado River be cut, and so now each of the seven states who derive benefit off the river today are negotiating who gets what and what kind of cuts need to be made. The reality is that the actual agreements for future water use have not been reached. There continues to be quite a bit of turmoil between the states, and there has been an inability, at least to this point, to come up with an agreement for each of the seven states that is satisfactory.

With that being said, the amount of cuts that need to come off the river put Limoneira Company’s water rights off the Colorado River into a position of being very valuable. How they monetize at this point is still a little bit unclear, although we do believe that there will be long-term fallowing programs that we will be positioned to our advantage. We do expect to announce programs in the near term that we will be able to take advantage of, that will bring value and allow that water from the Colorado River to be monetized in the near term.

Nothing specific to report at this time; however, I would say that I would hope that by the next time we talk, at the conclusion of the second quarter, we will have specifics that we can address and speak to about the monetization of our Colorado River water rights.

Operator: Excellent. We have reached the end of the question-and-answer session. I would now like to turn the call back over to Harold Edwards for closing comments.

Harold Edwards: Great. Thank you very much for all of your questions and your interest in Limoneira Company.

Operator: Have a great day. Thank you.

Harold Edwards: This concludes today’s conference. You may disconnect your lines—

Operator: —at this time, and we thank you for your participation. Greetings, and welcome to Limoneira Company’s First Quarter 2026 Financial Results Conference Call. At this time, participants are in a listen-only mode. A brief question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, John Mills with ICR. Thank you. You may begin.

John Mills: Great. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us for Limoneira Company’s First Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Conference Call. On the call today are Harold Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Greg Hamm, Chief Financial Officer. By now, everyone should have access to the First Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 earnings release, which went out today after the market closed. If you have not had a chance to view the release, it is available on the Investor Relations portion of the company’s website at limoneira.com. This call is being webcast, and a replay will be available on Limoneira Company’s website as well.

Before we begin, we would like to remind everyone that prepared remarks contain forward-looking statements, and management may make additional forward-looking statements in response to your questions. Such statements involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the company’s control, and could cause its future results, performance, or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks detailed in the company’s Forms 10-Q and 10-K filed with the SEC and those mentioned in the earnings release.

Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking or other statements herein, whether a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Please note that during today’s call, we will be discussing non-GAAP financial measures, including results on an adjusted basis. We believe these adjusted financial measures can facilitate a more complete analysis and greater understanding of Limoneira Company’s ongoing results of operations, particularly when comparing underlying results from period to period. We have provided as much detail as possible on any items that are discussed on an adjusted basis. Also within the company’s earnings release and in today’s prepared remarks, we include adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted EPS, which are non-GAAP financial measures.

A reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted earnings per share to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the company’s press release, which has been posted to its website. I will now turn the call over to the company’s President and CEO, Harold Edwards.

Harold Edwards: Thanks, John, and good afternoon, everyone. Our first quarter results reflect the strategic transformation we have been executing to position Limoneira Company for sustainable long-term value creation. While the cadence of lemon sales will shift due to our return to Sunkist, with the first and second quarters expected to have lower sales and the third and fourth quarters higher, we are pleased that fresh utilization improved in the first quarter. Even though we incurred some specific costs, which we believe are nonrecurring during this transition quarter, the strategic foundation we have built is now delivering measurable results, and we remain firmly on track to achieve our Fiscal 2026 objectives, including our annual volume guidance for lemons and avocados.

I would like to add a little more color on the specific costs reflected in our first quarter results. We experienced $2.5 million in specific expenses, which consisted of $1.0 million in packing house repairs that we recovered from insurance proceeds in the second quarter, $0.5 million in costs related to the closing of our Chilean farming operations, and $1.0 million in foreign exchange fluctuations on the receivables from the sale of the Chilean farming assets. Adjusted net loss was a $0.48 loss per diluted share and includes approximately $0.06 per share of loss related to the packing house repairs and closing the Chilean farming operations. Additionally, we are expecting another $1.4 million of insurance proceeds in the second quarter.

Looking beyond these items, our underlying business performance demonstrates the strength of our strategic repositioning. Our Sunkist partnership is functioning as planned, our avocado operations continue to expand, and our asset monetization initiatives are progressing on schedule. The strategic initiatives we began implementing were driven by a clear assessment of market realities. We took decisive action to reduce our exposure to volatile lemon pricing while building sustainable competitive advantages. In 2025, we accelerated this work by reducing future costs to position us for stronger Fiscal 2026 results. In Fiscal 2026, we expect the enhancements we are making to our cost structure will generate $10 million in selling, general, and administrative savings compared to Fiscal 2025.

Importantly, Sunkist provides enhanced customer access to premium accounts and major U.S. retailers through a full-category citrus offering. This positions us to deliver comprehensive solutions for retail buyers while removing pricing pressure from the marketplace and strengthening both our packing margins and grower partner relationships. Another key initiative involved expanding our avocado production. Today, we have 1,600 acres planted, with only 800 acres currently bearing fruit. The additional 800 acres will begin bearing fruit over the next two to four years, representing a near 100% increase in our avocado production capacity. California avocados command premium pricing due to superior quality, and our strategic location provides logistical advantages to the highest per capita consumption markets in the Western United States.

Our strategic initiatives extend well beyond agriculture. We have our planned 50/50 organic recycling joint venture with Agerman that we expect to process 300,000 tons of organic waste annually and contribute to EBITDA when the facility becomes operational in Fiscal 2027. We also have our real estate development project, Harvest at Limoneira. We continue to expect future proceeds from Harvest, Limoneira Lewis Community Builders 2, and East Area 2 to total $155 million over the next five fiscal years. Phase 3 of the project consists of approximately 550 home lots and 300 apartments. Plus, we have 35 acres of East Area 2 Medical Pavilion development that we believe could begin to be monetized in Fiscal 2026.

Additionally, we have Lincodelmar, our 221-acre agricultural infill property in the City of Ventura, California, which represents a strategic asset with potential for residential development and significant long-term value creation. We are also unlocking value by divesting nonstrategic assets and monetizing our water rights to fuel this transformation and strengthen our balance sheet. We are now advancing the monetization of our Windfall Farms vineyard in Paso Robles and our Argentina agricultural assets, with Windfall Farms completion targeted by the end of Fiscal 2026. Our water monetization strategy is also progressing well.

Following last year’s $1.7 million realization from Santa Paula Basin water rights sales, we are actively working to realize meaningful value from our Class 3 Colorado River water rights and Santa Paula Basin conserved pumping rights. These water assets represent high-value nonoperational resources that we can convert to cash while maintaining our agricultural operations. The proof points are clear. Our cost structure is dramatically improved, our customer access enhanced, our product mix is optimized, and our asset base is being monetized. These are strategic initiatives that we believe will drive financial results throughout Fiscal 2026. In summary, our First Quarter Fiscal 2026 results reflect the company in transition, absorbing specific costs while building the foundation for sustained profitability.

The strategic initiatives we have implemented are now delivering tangible financial benefits. We anticipate you will see these improvements on a sequential basis this year, as we expect our second quarter to show improvement compared to the first quarter and our third and fourth quarters being the strongest periods of the year. We have transformed our cost structure, focused our revenue streams, optimized our asset base, and positioned ourselves for sustainable EBITDA growth. The Limoneira Company of today is a fundamentally stronger company, more focused and better positioned for long-term value creation. We look forward to demonstrating continued progress throughout Fiscal 2026. Now I would like to officially introduce Greg Hamm as our new Chief Financial Officer.

I have had the privilege to work with Greg for over 22 years at Limoneira Company since he was hired in 2004. He previously served as our Vice President and Corporate Controller since 2008. Greg succeeds Mark Palamountain, who served as our Chief Financial Officer since 2018 and was instrumental in our strategic transformation. As part of our commitment to succession planning, we identified Greg as a candidate for Chief Financial Officer, and we have worked closely with him over the years to prepare him for this role. Now let me turn it over to Greg for the financial details, and then we will take your questions.

Greg Hamm: Thank you, Harold.

Greg Hamm: And good afternoon, everyone. I am pleased to be speaking with you today as Limoneira Company’s Chief Financial Officer. I have had the privilege of working alongside this talented team for a number of years. This marks my first earnings call in this role. I am pleased to share our financial results with you. As Harold mentioned, we are executing a significant transformation that we believe positions Limoneira Company for sustainable long-term value creation. Let me walk you through the financial details of our first quarter performance and explain how our strategic initiatives are ready to deliver measurable results.

Before diving into specifics, I want to remind everyone that our business is best viewed on an annual basis due to its seasonal nature. With our transition to Sunkist, our quarterly rhythm has fundamentally shifted. Under our partnership with Sunkist, the first and second quarters are now our seasonally softer periods, while the third and fourth quarters will be stronger. As we move through Fiscal 2026, you will see this new cadence taking shape. Let me walk you through our revenue performance for the first quarter. Total net revenues were $18.2 million, compared to $34.3 million in 2025. Agribusiness revenues totaled $16.8 million compared to $32.9 million in the prior-year first quarter.

The year-over-year decrease in total net revenue reflects the strategic transition to Sunkist for lemon sales and marketing and the resulting shift in quarterly sales cadence, as well as exiting our brokerage business in 2026 and farm management business during Fiscal 2025, which further contributed to the year-over-year revenue decrease. Other operations revenue was $1.4 million and essentially flat compared to the prior-year quarter. Fresh packed lemon sales were $11.9 million compared to $21.2 million in the same period last year. We sold approximately 681,000 cartons of U.S.-packed fresh lemons at an average price of $17.41 per carton, compared to 1,147 cartons at $18.44 per carton in the prior-year first quarter.

The decrease in volume was entirely related to the change in cadence under the Sunkist agreement. It is important to note that per-carton prices for Fiscal 2026 are now net of the Sunkist marketing fee. Brokered lemons and other lemon sales were $1.0 million compared to $2.2 million in 2025, reflecting the transition of brokerage operations to Sunkist. There was no avocado revenue in 2026 compared to $162,000 in the prior-year period due to harvest timing. Orange revenue was $10,000 compared to $1.6 million in the same period last year, reflecting the sale of our Chilean agricultural properties and the transition of brokerage operations to Sunkist.

Specialty citrus, wine grape, and other revenues were $700,000 in 2026 compared to $500,000 in 2025. There was no farm management revenue in 2026 compared to $1.2 million in the prior-year period due to the termination of our farm management agreement effective 03/31/2025. Total costs and expenses in the first quarter were $28.8 million, down 27% from $39.7 million in the first quarter of Fiscal 2025. The decrease was primarily driven by reduced agribusiness volumes and the elimination of citrus sales and marketing costs—

Operator: —following the transition to Sunkist, which resulted in lower agribusiness costs—

Greg Hamm: —and a meaningful decrease in selling, general, and administrative expenses. Operating loss for 2026 was $10.6 million compared to an operating loss of $5.3 million in the prior-year period. The increase in operating loss was primarily due to decreased agribusiness revenues, as well as $1.0 million in packing house repairs, $500,000 of costs related to closing the Chilean farming operation—

John Mills: —and $1.5 million of gain on sales of water rights—

Greg Hamm: —in Fiscal 2025. Additionally, total other expenses for Fiscal 2026 includes $1.0 million in foreign exchange fluctuations on the receivables from the sale of our Chilean farming assets. Excluding these items, our underlying operational performance reflects the cost improvements we have been implementing. Net loss applicable to common stock after preferred dividends was $9.6 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, for 2026, compared to a net loss of $3.2 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, in 2025. On an adjusted basis, adjusted net loss for diluted EPS in 2026 was $8.5 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, compared to an adjusted net loss of $2.5 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, in the prior-year period.

A full reconciliation is provided in our earnings release. Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $7.7 million in 2026 compared to a loss of $2.3 million in the same period last year. A reconciliation of net loss attributable to Limoneira Company to adjusted EBITDA is also provided in our earnings release. Again, I want to emphasize that these first quarter results reflect the new seasonal cadence under our Sunkist partnership. The specific expenses mentioned, and the strategic investments we are making, position the company for improved performance throughout the remainder of Fiscal 2026. Turning to our balance sheet, we remain in a solid position to execute on our strategic initiatives.

Long-term debt as of 01/31/2026 was $89.9 million compared to $72.5 million at the end of Fiscal 2025. Our net debt position was $88.0 million at quarter end after accounting for $1.3 million of cash on hand. Let me provide more detail on the financial impact of our strategic initiatives, particularly our Sunkist partnership. We expect to realize approximately $10.0 million in total annual selling, general, and administrative savings for Fiscal 2026. These are real, tangible cost reductions that will flow through our P&L this fiscal year and position us for improved profitability as our revenue cadence normalizes in the second half of the year.

John Mills: In summary—

Greg Hamm: —while our first quarter results reflect the new seasonal cadence and specific expenses, the underlying operational improvements are substantial. The 27% reduction in costs year over year demonstrates our disciplined execution. We have clear visibility into $10.0 million of selling, general, and administrative savings benefiting Fiscal 2026 through the Sunkist partnership, which fundamentally improves our cost structure. Now I would like to turn the call back to Harold to discuss our Fiscal 2026 outlook and longer-term growth pipeline. Thank you, Greg. Looking at the remainder of Fiscal 2026, we expect this period to be when our strategic transformation begins delivering measurable financial results.

We anticipate you will see these improvements on a sequential basis this year, as we expect our second quarter to show improvement compared to the first quarter and our third and fourth quarters being the strongest periods of the year. We ended this year with approximately $10.0 million in cost-saving initiatives based primarily on the benefits of our Sunkist partnership, which will be visible in our Fiscal 2026 results through improved cost structure and enhanced customer relationships. Our avocado expansion continues on schedule with significant production increases expected in Fiscal 2027 as our nonbearing acreage matures.

For full-year Fiscal 2026, we are reiterating the following guidance: fresh lemon volumes of 4.0 to 4.5 million cartons and avocado volumes of 5.0 to 6.0 million pounds. Beyond our core operations, we have several additional value-creation opportunities progressing. Our real estate pipeline remains strong, with $155 million in expected total proceeds over the next five fiscal years. The Limco Del Mar entitlement process represents another significant real estate development opportunity, and our planned organic recycling joint venture is expected to contribute meaningful EBITDA when the facility becomes operational in Fiscal 2027. We have built a more resilient business model that is less dependent on commodity lemon pricing while creating multiple engines for profitable growth.

Operator, we will now open for questions. Thank you. At this time, we will be conducting a question-and-answer session.

Operator: If you would like to ask a question, please press 1 on your telephone keypad. You may press 2 if you would like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. One moment please while we poll for questions. Our first question comes from Puran Sharma with Stephens. Your line is now live.

Puran Sharma: Good afternoon, and thanks for the question. This is Adam Shepherd on for Puran. On the $10 million in expected SG&A savings this year, I think you mentioned $10 million was to be realized this year. I was going to ask about how much would be visible in the first half versus the back half, and if that ramp kind of implies there might be a higher-than-$10 million run rate exiting the year. And then if there are any offsets to keep in mind as the Sunkist transition fully ramps, that would be great. Thanks.

Harold Edwards: Those are great questions, Adam. Thank you. I think that you will see we had some lingering or dragging costs from Fiscal 2025 that entered into 2026. So while we were pleased with our cost reduction, we think our run rate was slightly behind in Q1. The actual reduction is not going to be linear versus what you will see in Q2, Q3, Q4, so you will see it move around, and we have also tried to be conservative in our estimates. I think at the end of the year, though, you will see a total reduction of $10 million from the SG&A overhead line item.

As it relates to whether you will see a faster or higher run rate at the end of the fiscal year, I would not expect it. I think you will get to the end of the year and then see much more of a fixed overhead as we enter 2027.

Greg Hamm: I agree. It is not tied to volume. It is more of a steady savings throughout the year.

Puran Sharma: Okay. Great. Thank you. And then switching over to avocados for my follow-up, are you able to just give us an update on weather conditions, how the trees are looking—just color around that would be great too.

Harold Edwards: Sure. It has been pretty much an idyllic winter in California. It really never got cold, which is fantastic, and the east winds, which can oftentimes be a real problem for holding fruit on the trees, have been moderate. The young trees look fantastic. We are actually entering a week here—it is March 12 today—of potentially record heat levels, which will not harm the trees. It will actually accelerate fruit growth, but also the bloom and the flower on the trees for next year’s crop setting. We have had really good rain conditions this year. You know, a normal year of rain in this part of the world is about 7 inches a year.

To date, we have received almost 25 inches in nice, steady, warm rains, and that has allowed us to realize good fruit growth. So there is good, big fruit hanging on the trees for this year, and it looks like the flowering and the blooming set for next year with the avocados looks as good as it can right now. So, we feel like it has been almost idyllic weather conditions to set us up for a strong 2027 with avocados.

Mark Smith: Okay. Great.

Puran Sharma: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

Operator: Our next question comes from Mark Smith with Lake Street Capital. Your line is now live.

Harold Edwards: Hey, guys. Similar to the last question, just wanted to talk around pricing around lemons, weather impact—anything that you are seeing there. I will start with avocados, Mark. Thanks for the question. So Mexico has an extraordinarily large crop this year, and through the last three months of weekly shipments, we have seen some of the highest weekly shipments coming into the United States from Mexico. Conventional wisdom was always that the U.S. consumed about 6 million pounds a week. The last week saw 75 million pounds of fruit from Mexico come into the U.S.

The good news is that fruit is all being consumed, but the issue is that with that much fruit coming in, it is putting downward pricing pressure on avocados right now. Size 48s are going for about $1.00 a pound right now, and 60s are going for about $1.05 to $1.10. So, ironically, the smaller sizing fruit is more valuable right now. As you see Mexico’s crop tapering off, I would expect pricing to buoy a little bit here in California—maybe $1.10 to $1.20—but right now, you are seeing pricing on the low end because of how much fruit is in the marketplace. Again, it is great news that the fruit is being consumed.

You are seeing per capita consumption growing when you see pricing this low as it works its way through the supply chain and consumers are able to access fruit more readily and less expensively. So that sets us up for, you know, a pretty strong environment in 2027. As it relates to lemons, we started out Q1 with pricing that was similar to 2025 in Q1, and then the market became supplied and full, and we have seen lower pricing for lemons. Greg, do you want to maybe comment on lemon pricing?

Greg Hamm: We ended up at $17.42 for this quarter versus $18.44, and Sunkist charges $0.60 a carton, so you take that into account, and then coming into February, it softened up to around $16.

Harold Edwards: Which is not as low as it was last year, but I predict this is probably the trough for pricing, and it will start picking back up again as we head into—towards May. And, Mark, the other comment I would make on that pricing is that a lemon is not a lemon is not a lemon, because buried into that average pricing is a product mix factor—how much of your valuable fancy fruit, how much of your middle-range choice fruit, and how much of your standards actually got sold fresh.

The comment that we made earlier about a much higher percentage of fresh utilization in the first quarter meant that a lot of the standards, which before—like last year—went to juice, actually made it to the fresh market. So the total impact is it drags your average price down, but your units are much higher, and throughout the course of the full season, that should work itself out in a very positive way for us. If that makes sense.

So while it seems like it is very, very low pricing on half the fruit, we sold a significantly higher amount of volume fresh in the first quarter than we saw last year, and that bodes very, very well for the rest of the year for us.

Mark Smith: Perfect. And—

Harold Edwards: —last question for me was just as we look at, you know, certain markets in the West with drought conditions and low snowpack, does this create opportunities for monetization of some of these water assets? Any update you can give us on how that process is going would be great. Thank—yeah. Thanks, Mark. That is a great question. I am glad we get to talk about it just a little bit. So the two most opportunistic situations we have with our water assets are related to our conserved water in the Santa Paula Water Basin, and not much to report there other than that there remains demand for that water.

As you probably remember, we sold water last year at $30,000 an acre-foot and did that as a placeholder to show the potential value that could be created as more and more of that water that is conserved is made available into the marketplace in Santa Paula. The real opportunity right now, and I am sure this is what most people are focused on—we certainly are—is what is going on the Colorado River. For background, as you may recall, we have Class 3 Colorado River water rights. There are seven states now that are negotiating who gets what in terms of a new water accord that is put on the Colorado River.

The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation have mandated that one-third of the consumptive use of the Colorado River be cut, and so now each of the seven states who derive benefit off the river today are negotiating who gets what and what kind of cuts need to be made. The reality is that the actual agreements for future water use have not been reached. There continues to be quite a bit of turmoil between the states, and there has been an inability, at least to this point, to come up with an agreement for each of the seven states that is satisfactory.

With that being said, though, the amount of cuts that need to come off the river put Limoneira Company’s water rights off the Colorado River into a position of being very, very valuable. How they monetize at this point is still a little bit unclear. Although we do believe that there will be long-term fallowing programs that will be positioned for our advantage, and we do expect to announce programs in the near term that we will be able to take advantage of, that will bring value and allow that water from the Colorado River to be monetized in the near term.

So nothing specific to report at this time; however, I would say that I would hope that by the next time we talk, at the conclusion of the second quarter, we will have specifics which we can address and speak to about the monetization of our Colorado River water—

Mark Smith: Excellent.

Puran Sharma: Thank you.

Operator: We have reached the end of the question-and-answer session. I would now like to turn the call back over to Harold Edwards for closing comments.

Harold Edwards: Great. Thank you very much for all of your questions and your interest in Limoneira Company. Have a great day. Thank you. This concludes today’s conference. You may disconnect your lines at this time, and we thank you for your participation.

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