Commercial Metals Company CMC reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.73 in third-quarter fiscal 2026 (ended May 31, 2026), beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.60 by 8.1%. The bottom line surged 147.1% from 70 cents in the year-ago quarter.
CMC’s Revenues & Margins Rise Y/Y in Q3
Net revenues in the reported quarter were $2.48 billion compared with $2.02 billion in the year-ago quarter. The reported figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.37 billion.
The cost of goods sold in the quarter rose 17.9% year over year to $2.03 billion. Core EBITDA surged 78.6% year over year to $353.6 million during this period. The core EBITDA margin expanded 440 basis points year over year to 14.2%, aided by metal margin expansion, contributions from the recently acquired precast businesses and an improved Europe Steel Group performance.
Commercial Metals Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Commercial Metals Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Commercial Metals Company Quote
Commercial Metals’ Q3 Segmental Performance
The North America Steel Group segment generated net revenues of $1.79 billion in the fiscal third quarter compared with $1.56 billion in the year-ago quarter. We expected net revenues of $1.67 billion in the quarter. The segment registered an adjusted EBITDA of around $253 million compared with $180 million in the year-ago quarter. Our model predicted an adjusted EBITDA of $262 million.
The North America Steel Group segment benefited from higher margins over scrap costs and gains from the Transform, Advance, Grow program. However, finished steel products shipments declined 1.7% year over year due to planned downtime, heavy rainfall that curbed construction activity in select markets and greater focus on value over volume.
The Europe Steel Group segment’s revenues were $291 million, up 17.6% from the year-ago quarter. Our model predicted net revenues of $280 million. The adjusted EBITDA was $34.7 million in the fiscal third quarter compared with $3.6 million in the year-ago quarter. We expected an adjusted EBITDA of $5 million for the quarter. The segment benefited from a $20.4-million CO2 credit and improved market conditions.
The Construction Solutions Group segment generated net revenues of around $395 million in the fiscal third quarter compared with $197 million in the year-ago quarter. Our model predicted net revenues of $335 million. The segment registered an adjusted EBITDA of $97 million compared with $41 million in the year-ago quarter. We expected an adjusted EBITDA of $92 million for the quarter.
The recently acquired precast businesses contributed $175.7 million to the Construction Solutions Group segment’s revenues and $52.9 million to adjusted EBITDA.
CMC's Cash Flow & Balance Sheet Updates
As of May 31, 2026, cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $0.56 billion compared with $1 billion at the end of fiscal 2025. The company’s long-term debt was $3.31 billion at the end of the fiscal third quarter. Cash generated from operating activities for the nine months ended May 31, 2026, was $603 million compared with $400 million in the year-ago period.
On June 24, the company declared a quarterly dividend of 20 cents per share. The dividend will be paid out on July 15 to shareholders of record as of July 6, 2026.
Commercial Metals’ Q4 Outlook
For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, CMC expects core EBITDA to increase sequentially. The outlook reflects healthy domestic demand, strong backlogs and ongoing benefits from strategic initiatives.
North America Steel Group’s adjusted EBITDA is expected to improve, helped by the absence of a $20-million fiscal third-quarter mill outage headwind, and the benefits of volume growth and margin expansion. Construction Solutions Group’s adjusted EBITDA is projected to grow in the mid-teens, while Europe Steel Group’s performance is expected to be modestly higher, excluding CO2 credits.
Commercial Metals Stock’s Price Performance
The company’s shares have gained 49.3% in the past year compared with the industry’s 74.8% surge.
A Steel - Specialty Stock Awaiting Results
ArcelorMittal S.A. MT is expected to release second-quarter 2026 results soon.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ArcelorMittal’s EPS is pegged at $1.25 for the fiscal second quarter, suggesting a dip from the $1.32 reported in the year-ago period. For total revenues, the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pinned at $16.94 billion, indicating a year-over-year increase of 6.3%.
CMC’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Commercial Metals currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks from the basic materials space are Albemarle Corporation ALB and Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. ASM. ALB and ASM carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Albemarle has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 74.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $12.45 per share, indicating year-over-year growth from a loss of 79 cents. ALB shares have skyrocketed 124% so far this year.
Avino Silver has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 125%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Avino Silver’s 2026 earnings is pegged at 39 cents per share, indicating 34.5% year-over-year growth. Its shares have surged 62.7% in a year.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).