Flowserve EPS Jumps 25 Percent in Q2

Key Points

• - Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) surged 24.7% year over year to $0.91 for Q2 2025, topping analyst expectations by $0.13 (non-GAAP).

• - Despite higher earnings, revenue (GAAP) grew just 2.7% to $1,188.1 million in Q2 2025, falling short of the $1,225.8 million GAAP estimate.

• - Flowserve raised its full-year 2025 adjusted EPS guidance and will receive a one-time $266 million cash payment after the termination of its planned merger with Chart Industries in July 2025.

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Flowserve (NYSE:FLS), a global provider of pumps, valves, and mechanical seals serving the process industries, released its Q2 2025 financial results on July 29, 2025. The headline news was a substantial earnings beat, with adjusted earnings per share reached $0.91, compared to the $0.78 consensus estimate. Revenue, meanwhile, increased to $1,188.1 million but missed GAAP expectations by 3.1%. The quarter was notable for its margin improvement, healthy cash flow, and the impact of the canceled merger with Chart Industries. Overall, the quarter showed strong operational execution but raised some questions about future bookings and segment performance.

Source: Analyst estimates provided by FactSet. Management expectations based on management's guidance, as provided in Q1 2025 earnings report.

Company Overview and Key Business Focus

Flowserve (NYSE:FLS) produces and services industrial pumps, flow control valves, and mechanical sealing systems. Its customers include companies in energy, chemicals, water management, nuclear, and other process industries. The company also offers aftermarket services, which include maintenance, diagnostics, and quick response repairs. These aftermarket services are considered a reliable source of revenue, given the critical need for uptime in industrial operations.

In recent years, Flowserve has emphasized diversification, energy transition, digitization, and aftermarket services as priority areas. To reduce reliance on oil and gas, it has expanded into water, specialty chemicals, and energy transition markets like nuclear and carbon capture. Investment in digital solutions, such as its RedRaven remote monitoring platform, supports this strategy. Service delivery through its Quick Response Centers offers additional value and differentiates the business from competitors.

Quarter Highlights: Financial and Operational Performance

Adjusted earnings per share climbed to $0.91 for Q2 2025, outpacing consensus forecasts and rising 24.7% versus the prior year. This earnings outperformance was the result of improved adjusted gross margin, which increased by 2.6 percentage points to 34.9%, and higher adjusted operating margin, now at 14.6%. Management attributed these margin gains to initiatives from the Flowserve Business System framework and progress on operating initiatives.

Revenue (GAAP) was $1,188.1 million for Q2 2025, a modest 2.7% increase on the same period last year, but missed the $1,225.8 million GAAP analyst target. Segment performance was mixed: the Flowserve Pumps Division (which includes pumps and related systems) grew sales slightly and expanded operating margin to 19.9% (GAAP). The Flow Control Division (which produces industrial valves and control systems) showed higher sales and bookings, but its gross margin (GAAP) declined by 2.6 percentage points.

Bookings--a measure of incoming orders and an indicator for future revenue--fell 13.8% to $1.074 billion in Q2 2025. Within this, original equipment (new machinery and systems for projects) slumped 28.3%, while aftermarket bookings (maintenance and replacement parts) rose 1.1%. The backlog, representing confirmed future work, increased 6.3% compared to a year earlier, finishing at $2,853.2 million. This provides revenue visibility for coming quarters but raises questions about the outlook for new project wins, especially as original equipment orders soften.

Cash from operations staged a sharp turnaround, finishing the quarter at $154.1 million, compared to a negative $12.8 million a year earlier. This improvement supports continued investment and returned capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. The company reported paying $55.2 million in dividends for the first half of 2025 and $52.8 million on share buybacks.

One significant event for the quarter was the termination of the planned merger with Chart Industries. After Chart accepted a higher competing offer, Flowserve received a $266 million breakup fee. This provides extra cash.

Management cited ongoing tariff pressures, inflation in material costs, and global macroeconomic uncertainty. Tariff headwinds are estimated at an annualized $90 million to $100 million, partially offset by price increases and sourcing actions. The impact is expected to become more pronounced in the second half of FY2025, especially in the Flow Control Division. The company’s response includes moving manufacturing and supply sources, implementing price increases, and using complexity reduction programs. However, leadership noted a potential timing mismatch between cost mitigation and actual tariff exposure, which could add pressure to future margins.

Product Portfolio: Context and Trends

Flowserve’s business revolves around two main product families: pumps (used for moving fluids in industrial processes) and flow control valves (which regulate flow in pipelines and production systems). The company's installed base worldwide supports an aftermarket segment, which contributed over half of total bookings. Growing the aftermarket has been a strategic focus, with management citing it as a pillar of stability and profitability.

Apart from pumps and valves, the company continues to invest in digital platforms such as RedRaven, which leverages Industrial Internet of Things technology to offer real-time equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance. While no major product launches were cited in this period, process and technology improvements continue under operational excellence programs like 80/20, which targets complexity and margin efficiency.

Outlook and Management Guidance

Management raised the full-year 2025 adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $3.25 to $3.40, up from $3.10 to $3.30 previously. Total sales growth for FY2025 is forecast at 5% to 6%, with organic sales growth of 3% to 4%--the lower end of the prior target range. The revision in guidance reflects confidence in margin gains and cost control but acknowledges headwinds in original equipment bookings and external risks like tariffs and inflation. The company also noted that the impact from acquisitions will contribute about 2 percentage points to growth in 2025, down from 3 points previously expected. The adjusted tax rate for FY2025 was also revised down slightly to 20%.

Looking ahead, investors should monitor recovery in project bookings, especially in original equipment, and the timing of tariff mitigation. The durability of aftermarket services will remain important for stable earnings, as will progress on digitization and innovation. The company reports a strong cash position supported by the Chart Industries breakup fee. However, management's commentary cautioned that margin pressure is likely to increase in the second half of 2025 due to tariffs, especially in the Flow Control Division, where the timing of pricing actions may not match up perfectly with rising costs.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.

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JesterAI is a Foolish AI, based on a variety of Large Language Models (LLMs) and proprietary Motley Fool systems. All articles published by JesterAI are reviewed by our editorial team, and The Motley Fool takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this article. JesterAI cannot own stocks and so it has no positions in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Flowserve. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.