Arcosa (ACA) Q2 EPS Jumps 40%

Key Points

• Arcosa’s non-GAAP EPS of $1.27 exceeded estimates by 20.95%, showing strong margin management and acquisition benefits.

• Revenue (GAAP) of $736.9 million missed consensus by 2.3%. Revenue of $736.9 million increased 11% for the quarter ended June 30, 2025, boosted by acquisitions.

• Record adjusted EBITDA margin reached 20.9% (non-GAAP), up 3.9 percentage points for Adjusted EBITDA Margin, with contributions from the Stavola acquisition and cost discipline.

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Arcosa (NYSE:ACA), a diversified infrastructure products provider focused on construction materials, engineered structures, and transportation products, released its second-quarter 2025 results on August 7, 2025. The notable headlines included a record non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of $1.27, surpassing analyst expectations of $1.05 (non-GAAP) by a significant margin. Revenue (GAAP) was $736.9 million but falling short of the $754.2 million GAAP consensus estimate. Despite the revenue miss, profitability and margin expansion stood out as highlights, with non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA margin reaching 20.9%, reflecting recent portfolio changes and successful integration of the Stavola acquisition. Overall, the quarter demonstrated strong earnings growth and improved operating metrics, tempered by softer organic sales growth in certain areas.

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

Business Overview and Recent Strategic Focus

Arcosa is a U.S.-based company that supplies construction materials, engineered structures including utility and wind towers, and transportation products such as barges. It holds significant positions in natural and recycled aggregates and engineered steel structures for power delivery and renewable energy markets. The company is also known for its focus on infrastructure markets, including public highways, power grid, renewable energy, and communications sectors.

In recent years, Arcosa has sharpened its strategy around several core areas: strategic acquisitions to accelerate growth, alignment with large-scale infrastructure spending and renewable energy trends, and managing risks such as raw material price volatility. The $1.2 billion Stavola acquisition, completed in late 2024, has been central to expanding Arcosa's aggregates platform, especially in the northeast U.S. region. Among its critical success factors are effective integration of acquired businesses, optimizing product pricing, maintaining efficient production, and navigating cyclical market conditions.

Performance This Quarter: Highlights and Trends

Arcosa delivered record operating profitability, propelled largely by margin expansion and contributions from recent acquisitions. The headline non-GAAP EPS of $1.27 beat expectations by $0.22, reflecting those operational improvements. Revenue (GAAP), up 11% year-over-year, was below analyst expectations, echoing softness in organic growth offset by strong acquisition impact. Segment performance and product-specific factors played essential roles in the period’s results.

The Construction Products segment led growth with revenue up 28%. The Stavola acquisition alone added $90.3 million to this segment and was responsible for a notable lift in margins, pushing construction products adjusted segment EBITDA up 44% with a margin improvement to 28.3%. However, organic revenue in this segment fell 4%, as pricing gains were offset by lower shipment volumes, influenced by wet weather and revenue lost from recent divestitures. Aggregate products -- basic construction materials like crushed stone and sand -- saw 6% shipment growth and an 8% increase in freight-adjusted average sales price, leading to a 15% improvement in Aggregates Adjusted Cash Gross Profit per Ton. These numbers highlight the balancing act between price and volume as local conditions and cost absorption come into play.

Within Engineered Structures, which encompasses steel utility poles and wind towers, revenue climbed 7%. as demand for electric grid infrastructure and wind energy generation remained steady. Notably, the company's New Mexico wind tower facility contributed to higher volumes. The adjusted segment EBITDA rose 31%, pushing its Adjusted Segment EBITDA margin to a record 18.7%. Backlog for utility and related structures hit a record $450.0 million, up 9% from the start of the year. Meanwhile, wind towers saw a 23% drop in backlog compared to the start of the year. Volatility in steel prices reduced reported revenues, but risk was managed through contracts and price escalation clauses.

The Transportation Products segment, now focused on inland barges following a divestiture, reported revenue up 18% year-on-year, backed by increased tank barge deliveries. The Adjusted Segment EBITDA margin, excluding the divested steel components business, was 15.1%, slightly lower than the prior year but in line with company expectations. Book-to-bill, a ratio measuring new orders to units shipped, stood at 1.0 for the first half of 2025, signifying steady demand. The company’s order book for barges remains robust, with $122 million in additional orders booked after the close of the quarter, extending backlog into 2026.

Financially, the quarter was marked by record adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) and margin expansion, with the latter rising to 20.9% (an improvement of 3.9 percentage points) for Adjusted EBITDA Margin (non-GAAP). Free cash flow (non-GAAP) saw a turnaround, swinging to a positive $39.2 million from a negative result in Q2 2024. However, working capital requirements were sizable due to increased receivables and inventories associated with growth and acquisition integration. The company’s net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio improved to 2.8x for the trailing twelve months. Interest expenses more than doubled, largely due to additional borrowing for the Stavola acquisition.

Looking Ahead: Guidance and Key Watch Areas

Management refined its guidance for FY2025, now forecasting revenue between $2.85 and $2.95 billion, and adjusted EBITDA in the range of $555 to $585 million. This range was narrowed from previous outlooks for both revenue and EBITDA but maintained the midpoint, indicating management’s increased confidence in the overall trend. The company signaled ongoing focus on deleveraging, with a stated aim to reduce the net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio below 2.5x within the next three quarters.

Arcosa’s leadership noted that strong backlog in utility structures supports visibility for the engineered structures segment, while infrastructure spending from federal programs underpins ongoing demand for aggregates and construction materials. Residential demand is anticipated to stay below average for the year. Organic growth in construction products remains a watch area, given weather-related disruptions and some volume softness earlier in the year. Declines in wind tower backlog and the effect of steel price volatility are other focal points for future periods.

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

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