TEXTILES.ORG
CMC, parent company of Tensar, announced financial results for its fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal year ended August 31, 2026.
“Fiscal 2026 marked a transformational step forward for CMC. We continued to build organizational strength and enhance margin durability in our early-stage construction portfolio through our precast acquisitions, our successful TAG program, and our key growth investments, including our West Virginia micro mill. We also established a clear roadmap to fiscal 2029, setting ambitious and achievable targets with a focus on delivering long-term shareholder value,” said Peter Matt, President and CEO. “Our fourth quarter core EBITDA performance delivered solid year-over-year growth, driven by strong execution of our North American steel franchise and continued momentum of enterprise-wide TAG benefits. While broader demand conditions remain supportive, residential softness weighed on precast results in the period. With backlogs near record levels, a differentiated portfolio of solutions, and multiple value creation levers, we are well-positioned to deliver strong financial results and achieve our strategic goals in fiscal 2027.”
For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, the Company reported consolidated net earnings of $212.5 million or $1.91 per diluted share, up from $1.35 in the prior year period, due in part to a lower effective tax rate. Adjusted earnings were $233.6 million, or $2.09 per diluted share, an increase of 52.6% on a per-share basis versus the comparable prior year period.
Consolidated core EBITDA for the fiscal fourth quarter increased 35.1% year-over-year to $393.7 million, while core EBITDA margins expanded 100 basis points to 14.8%, driven by metal margin expansion and the inclusion of the higher-margin precast business. Relative to the fiscal third quarter, 11.3% core EBITDA growth was led by the North America Steel Group, where stronger margins and volume growth drove 60 basis points of core EBITDA margin expansion.
Business Segments – Fiscal Fourth Quarter 2026 Review
North America Steel Group
Fourth quarter North America Steel Group adjusted EBITDA increased 32.6% year-over-year to $317.5 million, while adjusted EBITDA margin increased to 16.4%, up from 14.8% in the prior year period. Segment performance reflects a combination of higher average selling price for steel products, merchant bar-led volume growth, and ongoing benefits from the Company’s TAG program.
Compared with the prior year period, metal margins increased $84 per ton to $652. Sequentially, metal margins improved by $42 per ton, driven primarily by a $32 per ton increase in average selling price while scrap costs declined $10 per ton. Sequential pricing growth reflects a balanced supply-demand environment, continued momentum in rebar and MBQ pricing, and ongoing commercial discipline.
Finished goods shipment volumes for the North America Steel Group increased 5.3% versus the prior year period. Merchant bar shipment volumes surged 27.5% year-over-year, and 16.0% sequentially, driven by continued strength in industrial applications, including data center-related activity, as well as our expanded merchant bar production capabilities at the Arizona 2 micro mill. Taken together, rebar and downstream product shipment volumes were essentially flat year-over-year and up 4.4% sequentially, reflecting our commercial discipline as well as our differentiated capabilities that position us well to meet the complexity associated with large-scale megaproject demand.
Market conditions remain solid, with demand strength across the energy build-out, semiconductor manufacturing, industrial manufacturing, and key public infrastructure markets. These conditions have contributed to a healthy and growing backlog, with downstream backlog volumes increasing 5.0% sequentially and 15.5% year-over-year. Similarly, backlog pricing continues to trend higher, reflecting disciplined execution, healthy demand, and our differentiated market position across core end markets.
Construction Solutions Group
Construction Solutions Group (“CSG”) fourth quarter net sales increased 94.5% to $431.4 million and adjusted EBITDA of $101.7 million was up 100.9% year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 23.6% was up 80 basis points relative to the prior year period. In the period, precast sales and adjusted EBITDA were $190.8 million and $57.0 million, respectively. Precast adjusted EBITDA fell below management’s prior expectations, primarily due to regional residential softness, which reduced volumes and created regional margin mix headwinds. Precast shipments decreased year-over-year with weakness in the Southeast that more than offset strong shipment growth in the Mid-Atlantic. Underlying precast demand remains healthy, with strong momentum in non-residential and infrastructure end markets. In the fourth quarter, bookings were up year-over-year and up 12.6% sequentially. Backlog increased roughly 3% from the prior year and nearly 4% from the fiscal third quarter, and average selling price continued to move higher, reflecting solid market fundamentals. These indicators reinforce our confidence in the outlook for the precast business and its ability to deliver higher growth, greater earnings stability, and stronger returns for CMC in 2027.
Tensar delivered results that were largely consistent with both the prior quarter and the year-ago period, capping off a strong fiscal 2026 in which profitability increased approximately 50%. Performance was driven by favorable construction activity across several key end markets, including data centers, energy, and infrastructure. Construction Services and Impact Metals also delivered strong revenue and adjusted EBITDA growth year on year. Performance Reinforcing Steel’s results were lower due to a significant unplanned outage at Galvabar that impacted shipments during the quarter. Encouragingly, bookings, backlogs and pricing trends for that business remain strong, and the operational flexibility coming from the second Galvabar line, which will be commissioned later in calendar 2026, will further enhance our ability to serve demand and support future growth.
Europe Steel Group
For the fourth quarter, Europe Steel Group generated adjusted EBITDA of $15.6 million, versus $39.1 million in the prior year period, with the year-over-year comparison impacted by a $30.7 million CO credit recognized in the prior year, while no credit was recognized in the current period. Metal margin expanded by $32 per ton year-over-year as average selling price increased $44 per ton and outpaced scrap costs, which increased $12 per ton over the same period. Finished goods shipment volumes for the Europe Steel Group increased 0.8% as lower rebar volumes were more than offset by strong growth in merchant bar and wire rod. Improved trade policies via the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”) as well as the tariff-rate quota (“TRQ”) system implemented July 1, 2026 are supporting a more constructive operating environment. Combined with gradually improving end-market demand trends, these developments reinforce our confidence in a return to mid-cycle performance levels.
Balance Sheet & Capital Allocation
As of August 31, 2026, cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $778.9 million and available liquidity was over $2.0 billion. Net leverage adjusted for acquisitions ended the quarter at 1.9x reflecting strong cash generation and balance sheet discipline.
During the quarter, CMC repurchased 383,333 shares of common stock valued at $26.7 million in the aggregate. As of August 31, 2026, $702.1 million remained available under the current share repurchase authorization.
On October 13, 2026, the board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share of CMC common stock payable to stockholders of record on October 28, 2026. The dividend, to be paid on November 11, 2026, will mark the 248th consecutive quarterly payment by the Company.
Outlook
Matt added, “We expect fiscal 2027 will be another strong year for CMC, supported by a healthy and balanced market backdrop and the growing contribution from our value creation levers, including TAG, our growth investments, and an evolving early-stage construction portfolio. Our focus remains on delivering profitable growth, improving free cash flow generation, enhancing shareholder returns, and, above all, continuing to advance our strategic agenda for a stronger CMC.”
For the first quarter of fiscal 2027, we continue to expect healthy operating performance across the portfolio with normal seasonal factors and input cost dynamics to impact results sequentially:
- For the North America Steel Group, improved pricing is expected to largely offset higher scrap costs, startup expenses, and a slight seasonal decline in shipments, resulting in adjusted EBITDA that is expected to be nearly flat in comparison to the fourth quarter.
- Within the Construction Solutions Group, adjusted EBITDA is expected to be down sequentially reflecting typical seasonal trends impacting the end market activity of this segment.
- Meaningful sequential growth in adjusted EBITDA is anticipated for the Europe Steel Group with the first quarter benefiting from improving operating conditions and a CO2 credit.