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Bridger Aerospace GroupB
Nasdaq / Commercial & Professional Services
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2026-08-13
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Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-13

Bridger Aerospace (BAER) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Motley Fool
Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET Chief Financial Officer - Anne Hayes President and Chief Executive Officer - Sam Davis Operator: Greetings, and welcome to the Bridger Aerospace Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Call. As a reminder, today's call is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Anne Hayes, CFO. You may begin. Anne Hayes: Thank you, and welcome, everyone to our second quarter 2026 earnings call. Joining me today is our President and Chief Executive Officer, Sam Davis. Before we begin, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that during the course of this call, management may make forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements as described in our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings we make with the SEC from time to time. Except to the extent otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements. In addition, we may discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures such as Adjusted EBITDA. Please refer to our earnings release for the calculation of these measures and the appropriate GAAP reconciliation. With that, I'd like to turn the call over to Sam. Sam Davis: Thank you, Anne, and welcome, everyone. As we entered 2026, our focus was on ensuring our fleet, our technology, and our people were fully prepared for what we believe would be another active wildfire year. Today, just a few months later, we're seeing that preparation translate into execution, and I'm incredibly proud of the long hours and diligence the Bridger team has shown throughout the year so far. Our second quarter financial results were in line with our expectations. Revenue was $30.5 million, essentially flat compared to, the prior year period, reflecting the timing of non-recurring return-to-service work on our Spanish Scoopers in 2025. Excluding that impact, revenue increased year over year, which Anne will walk through in more detail shortly. First, I'd like to start with an update on some of the highlights from the second quarter. During the quarter, the U.S. Forest Service awarded us two 160-day task orders covering four of our Super Scoopers, the longest guaranteed task orders in Bridger's history. These or…Read full document

Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET Chief Financial Officer - Anne Hayes President and Chief Executive Officer - Sam Davis Operator: Greetings, and welcome to the Bridger Aerospace Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Call. As a reminder, today's call is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Anne Hayes, CFO. You may begin. Anne Hayes: Thank you, and welcome, everyone to our second quarter 2026 earnings call. Joining me today is our President and Chief Executive Officer, Sam Davis. Before we begin, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that during the course of this call, management may make forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements as described in our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings we make with the SEC from time to time. Except to the extent otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements. In addition, we may discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures such as Adjusted EBITDA. Please refer to our earnings release for the calculation of these measures and the appropriate GAAP reconciliation. With that, I'd like to turn the call over to Sam. Sam Davis: Thank you, Anne, and welcome, everyone. As we entered 2026, our focus was on ensuring our fleet, our technology, and our people were fully prepared for what we believe would be another active wildfire year. Today, just a few months later, we're seeing that preparation translate into execution, and I'm incredibly proud of the long hours and diligence the Bridger team has shown throughout the year so far. Our second quarter financial results were in line with our expectations. Revenue was $30.5 million, essentially flat compared to, the prior year period, reflecting the timing of non-recurring return-to-service work on our Spanish Scoopers in 2025. Excluding that impact, revenue increased year over year, which Anne will walk through in more detail shortly. First, I'd like to start with an update on some of the highlights from the second quarter. During the quarter, the U.S. Forest Service awarded us two 160-day task orders covering four of our Super Scoopers, the longest guaranteed task orders in Bridger's history. These orders will activate on a staggered basis into October and November, reflecting the agency's anticipated need for wildfire suppression well into the fourth quarter. Longer contract durations like these improve our fleet utilization, give us greater operational visibility and allow us to better plan maintenance and staffing, and we believe they reflect a broader shift toward year-round wildfire preparedness among our government partners. We also deployed our most advanced platform, the King Air 350, under a Department of the Interior task order. This aircraft incorporates dual sensor capability and real-time data dissemination into a software. As wildfire response becomes increasingly intelligence-driven, we believe these aircraft are becoming force multipliers, providing incident commanders with real-time situational awareness that improves proactive decision-making throughout an incident. Shortly after quarter end, we announced a $58 million contract with the Texas A&M Forest Service to acquire, modify and deliver three King Air 360 multi-mission aircraft over the next three years. Texas is building one of the nation's most advanced state wildfire aviation programs, and we are proud to have been selected to help design and deliver that capability. This contract is a notable example of how our opportunity extends beyond simply operating aircraft into engineering, modification, and integrated intelligence work. And we believe it represents an attractive new avenue of non-seasonal long-term growth. Also, following the quarter, we announced a collaboration with Avincis, Europe's leading provider of emergency aerial services, deploying our two newest Super Scoopers in Portugal. We are glad to support one of Europe's most demanding fire seasons in recent history. Commitments there came somewhat later than expected, but consistent with Europe's more cautious approach to long-term contracts with private operators. This has been more than offset, however, by the demand we're seeing here with our U.S.-based Super Scoopers. Now let's turn to look at the fire conditions. Fire conditions today accelerated throughout the quarter with above normal activity across multiple regions of the West. As of early August, more than 5.5 million acres have burned across the U.S., while Europe is experiencing one of its most severe wildfire seasons in years. We are currently at Preparedness Level 5, the highest level on a national scale, meaning firefighting resources nationally are fully committed. We've even seen international crews mobilized to support U.S. efforts, including more than 60 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand in recent weeks. Current drought conditions and long-range forecasts suggest this activity will continue, and we expect demand for our services to remain strong through the remainder of the season. Now let me provide a quick update on Ignis. Technology continues to be an important differentiator for Bridger. During the quarter, we expanded Ignis through a strategic partnership with TracPlus, integrating real-time aircraft tracking, mission information, and aerial suppression intelligence into a unified operating picture. Over time, we believe software and data will become an increasingly valuable complement to our aviation assets. These developments reinforce our conviction that Bridger has an evolving integration into a solution that combines aerial suppression, airborne intelligence, engineering and expertise, and software, not simply an aerial operator. And we believe this diversification can help smooth our revenue and earnings visibility over the long term. This provides a competitive edge to our aviation contracts, increases our utilization while we're deployed, and opens the door for standalone use of our software in the field. While the second quarter reflects the seasonal ramp-up of our business, the underlying fundamentals remain strong. With demand continuing to build and our fleet fully engaged, we believe Bridger is well positioned and we remain focused on executing our mission with the utmost focus on safety and efficiency. I want to thank our employees for their continued dedication and vigilance in the field and our government partners and shareholders for their continued trust and support. With that, I'll turn the call back over to Anne to review our financial results in more detail. Anne Hayes: Thanks, Sam. Bridger continues to execute against significant growth opportunity. And as the business scales, we're focused on ensuring we have the financial infrastructure, processes and discipline to support that growth over the long term. As mentioned last quarter, I am focused on continuing to build and strengthen the finance function at the company and to support anticipated growth, especially as we ramp up for new programs with new fleets. With that, let me walk through our second quarter results. Looking at our results for the second quarter of 2026, revenue was $30.5 million compared to $30.8 million in the second quarter of 2025. While revenue was generally consistent with the prior year period, it's important to note that the prior year quarter benefited from $5.1 million of non-recurring return-to-service work on the Spanish Super Scoopers, which was mostly non-contributing to margins, compared to $0.8 million in the current quarter, a delta of $4.3 million. Excluding this non-recurring activity, revenue increased 16% year over year, primarily reflecting increased Super Scooper flight hours during the quarter and continued demand for our aerial firefighting services. Cost of revenues was $19.2 million compared to $18.7 million for the second quarter of 2025. When excluding the return-to-service work on the Spanish Scoopers, cost of revenues increased 32%. The increase primarily reflects the operating costs required to support increased fleet utilization during the quarter. It also captures fleet expansion, including sensor modifications to our two new King Air 350 aircraft and fleet readiness as we entered peak fire season towards the end of June. As a reminder, and given the continued volatility in fuel prices, I'd like to briefly touch on Bridger's exposure to fuel costs. Fuel expense is largely a pass-through cost across our portfolio. Under all of our Super Scooper fire suppression contracts, fuel is fully reimbursed by the customer while on contract. Across the majority of our light fixed-wing contracts, we either benefit from economic price adjustment mechanisms or fuel is similarly treated as a pass-through expense. As a result, fluctuations in fuel prices generally have limited impact to on-contract flying. Where we do see an impact is across support areas like airfare and other workforce travel and costs for our MRU or mobile repair unit diesel trucks that follow our fleet and act as on-the-ground repair stations when aircraft are not operating at night. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $5.3 million compared to $6.5 million in the prior year period. The year-over-year decline was primarily driven by lower non-cash expenses, including changes in the fair value of warrants, stock-based compensation, and contingent consideration. Interest expense for the second quarter was $6.6 million compared to $5.7 million in the prior year period, reflecting an additional $25 million drawn for fleet expansion and $10 million in short-term borrowings on the credit facility revolver during heavy maintenance periods in Q1. For the second quarter of 2026, we reported a net loss of $0.5 million compared to net income of $0.3 million in the prior year period. As a reminder, our reported earnings per share include the impact of the adjustment to the redemption value of our Series A preferred stock. Loss attributable to common stockholders was $7.6 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to a loss of $6.3 million in the prior year period, or $0.12 per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDA was $8.1 million compared to $10.8 million in the second quarter of 2025. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income is included in Exhibit A of the earnings release we issued today. Turning to the balance sheet, we ended the second quarter with $7.2 million of cash and cash equivalents compared to $31.4 million at year-end 2025. The decrease primarily reflects seasonal working capital usage, including the timing of customer receipts, strategic investment in aircraft production slots, continued investment in modernizing our fleet with sensor and other technology capabilities, capital expenditures and continued investment in fleet readiness to support peak fire season operations. As expected, the second quarter represents a period of elevated working capital investment, as aircraft are deployed and operations ramp up during the peak fire season. We continue to expect cash generation to improve as the fire season progresses and receivables convert to cash. We also continue to maintain significant financial flexibility through our credit facility, including a delayed draw feature of up to $100 million, which is designed to support future fleet expansion and capitalize on growing demand for our services. As of June 30th, we had approximately $75 million of remaining availability under the facility. Turning to our outlook, we are reiterating our full year 2026 guidance of $135 million to $145 million in revenue and $55 million to $60 million in Adjusted EBITDA. This represents continued strong growth, including 29% growth in revenue when excluding non-recurring return-to-service work recognized in 2025 on the two Spanish Super Scoopers. As Sam mentioned, our 2 Spanish Super Scoopers are flying a shorter-than-planned summer fire season in Europe, after which we intend to reposition these aircraft to the U.S. for higher value opportunities. The third and fourth Spanish Scoopers are still undergoing return-to-service work. We continue to expect improved operating cash flow generation over the course of the year, driven by increased fleet utilization and higher levels of fire activity during the peak season. As we expand our multi-mission fleet mid-year, we expect the sensor-enabled Air Attack Program to contribute to growth in 2026 and support attractive margin expansion in our fleet over time. With that, operator, we are now ready for questions. Operator: [Operator Instructions] Our first question is from Austin Moeller with Canaccord. Please go ahead. Your line is open. Austin Moeller: Hi, good afternoon. You have the lease agreement in place for two Scoopers with Portugal. Can you just talk about where we're at with European negotiations, just considering the catastrophic wildfire season there? And could those planes be moved to the U.S. in October if there's not further progress? Sam Davis: Hey, Austin, good to hear from you. Great question. Yes, I'll just be candid. The late pickup of those aircraft on contract is just an indication of the hesitancy for Europe to turn to private operators until things are developing like we see overseas right now. That is heavily influencing our decision, given the demand we see in our U.S. fleet, for what happens to those aircraft as they finish their work there in Portugal. We did partner with Avincis to lease those to Avincis as they operate them, so that was a great outcome for us, just later than anticipated. And we do think there will be continued talks with European countries based on the year they're having. And we think the success they'll see with having these two Scoopers in Portugal. But for Bridger's internal purposes, we're planning on a move to the U.S. without that commitment with the economics and demand we see here. Austin Moeller: Okay. And if we think about next year and the overall fleet, is the goal to lock up as many of your scoopers and MMAs as possible into a 120-day or longer task order? Sam Davis: Absolutely. That's been a deep part of our strategy and we've chipped away at that methodically year after year. This year we look at 8 of our 9 surveillance aircraft on multi-year guaranteed commitments. We have 4 of our 6 here in the U.S. on guaranteed 160 days. And that's been a long and drawn out process of improving that. So, we continue to capitalize on that. And I will say, given the demand we see, the extensions into Q3 and Q4 with the Forest Service, the Department of the Interior, we now consider this to be the norm and something we can continue to move the baseline for the entire fleet. We also see that the more those days are guaranteed, the higher flight hours we see across the fleet, because once we're committed and pre-positioned we're effective for flying in initial and direct attack, and so those 2 things seem to be symbiotic in our utilization. Operator: Our next question comes from Jon Siegmann with Stifel. Please go ahead. Your line is open. Unknown Analyst: This is actually Sebastian Rivera on for Jon Siegmann today. Apologies if I may have missed this in the opening remarks, but can you maybe -- is there any portion of these recent contracts with Texas A&M, Avincis, the DOI King Air 350 baked into this 2026 revenue guide? Sam Davis: Yes, I will say that for Avincis and for the King Air that we have at the Department of the Interior, we anticipated those and had those into our guidance. The Texas A&M, because that's a 3-year program that starts more towards the end of this year, it's going to be a slow ramp-up, but we don't think it will be impacting our guidance overall. So, that's why we're reiterating what we have. The Texas contract is a delivery of three aircraft starting in 2028, actually, to the customer. And so, over the next three years, we recognize milestones with most of those starting effectively in 2027, if that makes sense. Unknown Analyst: And then, yes, on that Texas contract, can you maybe just walk through the accounting treatment there, given it's a little bit different nature contract.. Sam Davis: Yes. I'll turn that. Unknown Analyst: [indiscernible] recognition. Sam Davis: I'll turn that to Anne. Anne Hayes: Yes, you're exactly right. So this will be a different, you know, a different business for us. It's modification. So it's more of cost-to-cost accounting. That's why in 2026, the majority of the work will not be done until 2027. We may, you know, we may place orders for the three King Airs from Textron, and we may receive some cash payments. But as far as recognizing revenue, we anticipate, you know, it's preliminary to say, but very little to be in this year. And if so, it may not be margin-generating revenue. Operator: Thank you for your question. Our next question is from Mark Smith with Lake Street. Please go ahead. Your line is open. Mark Smith: Hi, guys. I wanted to ask a little bit about the guidance here, kind of looking at what we've booked year to date in revenue versus reiterated guidance. Just walk us through kind of back-half ramp, you know, what's already contracted versus kind of dependent on fire activity and what gives you the confidence in holding the guidance range. Sam Davis: Hey, Mark, good to hear from you. I'll take that, and then I'll let Anne add a little bit of flavor. So going into this year, last year I'll remind you that we had a below-average fire year in terms of overall activity. And we saw some unique fire activity, especially in Q1 with the Palisades fire that made our typical bell curve a little bit different than normal. And then activity kind of dropped off in terms of fires in September and October. This year we saw a fairly normal ramp-up and we see the activity in Q3 now at an all-time high and continued outlooks into Q3 and the commitments that we have that are coupled with that from the Forest Service and the DOI going into Q4, which we've never had, is kind of the shift from a 1H, you know, to a 2H, you know, half of the year recognition of the bulk of our revenue. Even more so than maybe last year, but fairly typical with what we see in Q3 being the bulk of our revenue. And then kind of the last comment I'll make there is there could be a few days here or there or the fleet flying 30 hours in a day, which we've been seeing across the Scooper fleet that could really move the needle a few million bucks, whether it's June 30th or July 1st, that we've kind of seen that take effect as things got ramped up. And maybe last comment there, we've also seen a little bit of a strategy with our agencies as they've committed later into Q3 and Q4 to making sure that our assets are set for the peak of the season. So, as we got deployed, we noticed a little bit of a staggered deployment so that they had the last half of the year covered for fire activity. Mark Smith: Okay. And then just as we think about revenue coming out of Europe with this new contract in Portugal, can you give us any more insight into maybe how much of an impact that this makes and maybe how much was maybe disappointing on a late start to that contract? Anne Hayes: I can speak to it at a high level. I will tell you there's two components to this lease. We are leasing not by months but also by hours. And as we've seen even the headlines from Europe hitting over here that they are having a very active fire season. So, there is a variability to that contract as well. So, I can't say for sure how much we will make up. I can say that we did miss in Q2, in our internal estimates, just when we thought Europe would pick up. Kind of what Sam has said, though, between the U.S. flying more than, you know, a fire season like last year, as well as Europe, you know, potentially flying these harder than we are anticipating now, there is room to, you know, make up all of that gap that we have and then some. Mark Smith: Okay. And then I did just want to confirm, it sounds like the plan is still to roll these two planes into the U.S. after the season's done? Sam Davis: Yes, that's currently the plan, Mark. Obviously, we have to see what materializes overseas, especially what we hope is the commitment is now there for, unfortunately, the terrible headlines we see on the activity, but I will tell you with the economics and the utilization demand here in the U.S., until that commitment materializes in a like-for-like comparison, the plan is to finish out the fire season and begin to move those over to the U.S. Operator: Thank you for your question. At this time, there are no further questions. I will now turn the call back to Sam Davis for closing comments. Sam Davis: Thank you again for joining us today and your interest in Bridger. Please reach out to our Investor Relations team with any questions, and we'll be participating in a fireside chat at the Canaccord Growth Conference in Boston next week for any interested investors. Have a great day. Operator: Thank you. This brings us to the end of today's meeting. We appreciate your time and participation. You may now disconnect. Before you buy stock in Bridger Aerospace Group, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bridger Aerospace Group wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $400,209!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,375,393!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 964% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 215% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 13, 2026. This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Bridger Aerospace (BAER) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-06

Bridger Aerospace Group Q2 Earnings Call Highlights

MarketBeat
Interested in Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Second-quarter revenue was $30.5 million, essentially flat year over year, though adjusted for non-recurring Spanish Super Scooper work, revenue rose 16%. Adjusted EBITDA declined to $8.1 million, while cash fell to $7.2 million due to seasonal working-capital needs, fleet investments and peak-season preparations. Bridger secured longer-term wildfire commitments, including two 160-day U.S. Forest Service task orders for four Super Scoopers, amid elevated wildfire activity and national preparedness reaching Level 5. The company also won a $58 million Texas A&M contract to modify and deliver three King Air 360 aircraft, expanding its engineering and intelligence-services business. The company reiterated 2026 guidance for revenue of $135 million to $145 million and adjusted EBITDA of $55 million to $60 million, with most revenue expected in the second half. Bridger also expects to benefit from its Portugal Super Scooper deployment and the expanded IGNIS technology platform. Airline Stocks Off the Beaten Path: 3 Key Picks for Investors Bridger Aerospace Group (NASDAQ:BAER) reported second-quarter revenue that was essentially unchanged from a year earlier, while reiterating its full-year outlook and citing increasing wildfire activity, longer-duration government task orders and expansion into aircraft modification and intelligence services. Revenue for the second quarter of 2026 was $30.5 million, compared with $30.8 million in the prior-year period. Chief Executive Officer Sam Davis said the comparable period benefited from non-recurring return-to-service work involving the company’s Spanish Super Scoopers. Excluding that work, Chief Financial Officer Anne Hayes said revenue increased 16% year over year, driven primarily by increased Super Scooper flight hours and demand for aerial firefighting services. → 3 Drone Stocks That Should Soar After the Summer Slump Cost of revenue rose to $19.2 million from $18.7 million a year earlier. Excluding the return-to-service work on the Spanish aircraft, Hayes said costs increased 32%, reflecting higher fleet utilization, readiness work ahead of peak fire season and investments including sensor modifications for two new King Air 350 aircraft. Selling, general and administrative expense declined to $5.3 million from $6.5 million, which…Read full document

Interested in Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Second-quarter revenue was $30.5 million, essentially flat year over year, though adjusted for non-recurring Spanish Super Scooper work, revenue rose 16%. Adjusted EBITDA declined to $8.1 million, while cash fell to $7.2 million due to seasonal working-capital needs, fleet investments and peak-season preparations. Bridger secured longer-term wildfire commitments, including two 160-day U.S. Forest Service task orders for four Super Scoopers, amid elevated wildfire activity and national preparedness reaching Level 5. The company also won a $58 million Texas A&M contract to modify and deliver three King Air 360 aircraft, expanding its engineering and intelligence-services business. The company reiterated 2026 guidance for revenue of $135 million to $145 million and adjusted EBITDA of $55 million to $60 million, with most revenue expected in the second half. Bridger also expects to benefit from its Portugal Super Scooper deployment and the expanded IGNIS technology platform. Airline Stocks Off the Beaten Path: 3 Key Picks for Investors Bridger Aerospace Group (NASDAQ:BAER) reported second-quarter revenue that was essentially unchanged from a year earlier, while reiterating its full-year outlook and citing increasing wildfire activity, longer-duration government task orders and expansion into aircraft modification and intelligence services. Revenue for the second quarter of 2026 was $30.5 million, compared with $30.8 million in the prior-year period. Chief Executive Officer Sam Davis said the comparable period benefited from non-recurring return-to-service work involving the company’s Spanish Super Scoopers. Excluding that work, Chief Financial Officer Anne Hayes said revenue increased 16% year over year, driven primarily by increased Super Scooper flight hours and demand for aerial firefighting services. → 3 Drone Stocks That Should Soar After the Summer Slump Cost of revenue rose to $19.2 million from $18.7 million a year earlier. Excluding the return-to-service work on the Spanish aircraft, Hayes said costs increased 32%, reflecting higher fleet utilization, readiness work ahead of peak fire season and investments including sensor modifications for two new King Air 350 aircraft. Selling, general and administrative expense declined to $5.3 million from $6.5 million, which Hayes attributed primarily to lower non-cash expenses, including changes in the fair value of warrants, stock-based compensation and contingent consideration. → Meta’s Earnings Drop Shows Wall Street Wants More Than Ad Growth Interest expense increased to $6.6 million from $5.7 million in the second quarter of 2025. Hayes said the rise reflected an additional $25 million drawn for fleet expansion and $10 million in short-term borrowings under the company’s credit facility revolver during heavy maintenance periods in the first and second quarters. Net loss was $0.5 million, compared with net income of $0.3 million a year earlier. Loss attributable to common stockholders was $7.6 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared with $6.3 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA was $8.1 million, down from $10.8 million a year earlier. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $7.2 million at June 30, down from $31.4 million at the end of 2025. Hayes said the cash decline was primarily related to seasonal working-capital needs, the timing of customer payments, investments in aircraft production slots, fleet technology upgrades, capital expenditures and preparations for the peak fire season. She said the company expects cash generation to improve as the season progresses and receivables are collected. → Jersey Mike's Serves Fresh Gains After IPO Stumble Bridger had approximately $75 million of remaining availability under its credit facility as of June 30, according to Hayes. The facility includes a delayed-draw feature of up to $100 million intended to support future fleet expansion. During the quarter, the U.S. Forest Service awarded Bridger two 160-day task orders covering four Super Scoopers. Davis said the orders, which will activate on a staggered basis through October and November, are the longest guaranteed task orders in the company’s history. “Longer contract durations like these improve our fleet utilization, give us greater operational visibility, and allow us to better plan maintenance and staffing,” Davis said. Davis said the orders reflect what the company views as a broader move by government partners toward year-round wildfire preparedness. He added that Bridger now has eight of its nine surveillance aircraft under multiyear guaranteed commitments and four of its six U.S.-based Super Scoopers on guaranteed 160-day commitments. The company also deployed a King Air 350 under a Department of the Interior task order. The aircraft includes dual-sensor capability and real-time data dissemination software intended to provide incident commanders with situational awareness during wildfire incidents. Davis said that, as of early August, more than 5.5 million acres had burned across the U.S. and the national preparedness level had reached Level 5, indicating firefighting resources were fully committed. He said current drought conditions and longer-range forecasts supported expectations for continued demand through the balance of the season. After the quarter ended, Bridger announced a $58 million contract with the Texas A&M Forest Service to acquire, modify and deliver three King Air 360 multi-mission aircraft over three years. Davis said the agreement expands the company’s opportunity beyond aircraft operations into engineering, modification and integrated intelligence services. Hayes said the Texas contract is expected to have minimal impact on 2026 results because most work is expected to occur in 2027. The aircraft are expected to begin delivery to the customer in 2028, and revenue will be recognized under a cost-to-cost accounting model, she said. Bridger also partnered with Avincis to deploy two of its newest Super Scoopers in Portugal. Davis said the European commitments came later than expected, reflecting what he described as greater caution among European customers toward long-term agreements with private operators. The company currently plans to move those two aircraft to the U.S. after the Portugal fire season unless comparable commitments materialize in Europe, Davis said. Hayes noted that the Portugal arrangement includes monthly lease payments as well as hourly components, making its financial contribution dependent in part on aircraft usage. Separately, Bridger expanded its IGNIS technology platform through a partnership with TracPlus. The integration combines real-time aircraft tracking, mission information and aerial-suppression intelligence into a unified operating picture. Davis said the company sees software and data as increasingly important complements to its aviation operations and as a potential standalone offering. Bridger reiterated its full-year 2026 guidance for revenue of $135 million to $145 million and adjusted EBITDA of $55 million to $60 million. Hayes said the outlook implies 29% revenue growth when excluding the non-recurring Spanish Super Scooper return-to-service work recognized in 2025. Davis said the company expects the bulk of annual revenue to occur in the second half, particularly the third quarter, as wildfire activity and fleet utilization rise. He also pointed to Forest Service and Department of the Interior commitments extending into the fourth quarter, which he said represent a change from prior operating patterns. Bridger Aerospace Group, Inc operates as an aerial services company specializing in wildfire management and aviation support. The company's core business activities include aerial wildfire suppression, providing rapid-response water and fire-retardant drops from fixed-wing air tankers. In addition to firefighting, Bridger Aerospace offers aviation services such as cloud seeding for weather modification, aerial inspection and mapping, environmental monitoring, and logistics support for remote sites. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Heber City, Utah, Bridger Aerospace Group deploys a fleet of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft under contract to federal, state and local government agencies as well as commercial customers. This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. The article "Bridger Aerospace Group Q2 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat. View MarketBeat's top stocks for August 2026.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-06

Bridger Aerospace Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results

GlobeNewswire
Second quarter 2026 revenue of $30.5 million, in line with prior-year period New contracts and longer task orders continue to expand Company’s footprint The Company reiterates 2026 guidance, including revenue expectations of $135 million to $145 million BELGRADE, Mont., Aug. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. (“Bridger,” “Bridger Aerospace” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BAER, BAERW), one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. Q2 2026 Financial Highlights: Second quarter 2026 revenue of $30.5 million, essentially flat when compared to the prior-year period of $30.8 million. When excluding non-recurring return-to-service work which is mostly non-contributing to margin, revenue in the second quarter of 2026 was $29.7 million versus $25.7 million in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 16%. Net loss for the second quarter was $(0.5) million, with Adjusted EBITDA of $8.1 million compared to second quarter 2025 net income of $0.3 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $10.8 million. Reiterating full year 2026 guidance: “Our second quarter results reflect expected performance. At the same time, we saw a meaningful increase in preparation from our agency partners, from the longest task orders we’ve received for our Super Scoopers, to the new task order for our dual-sensor King Air 350. These commitments extend aircraft utilization into the fourth quarter, reflecting how seriously our government partners are treating the wildfire outlook for the remainder of the season,” shared Sam Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bridger Aerospace. “This year, wildfires have continued to intensify globally. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), U.S. wildfire activity has already surpassed 5 million acres burned as of late July, roughly 2 million acres more year-over-year, with several Western regions seeing above normal fire conditions, while Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire years. It’s in years like this that having dependable aerial firefighting capacity in place matters most.” Mr. Davis continued, “Heading into Q3, fleet activity is reflecting the alarming wildfire reality we are facing and we are positioning the full fleet to respond as conditions demand it. As circumstances grow increasingly severe, governmen…Read full document

Second quarter 2026 revenue of $30.5 million, in line with prior-year period New contracts and longer task orders continue to expand Company’s footprint The Company reiterates 2026 guidance, including revenue expectations of $135 million to $145 million BELGRADE, Mont., Aug. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. (“Bridger,” “Bridger Aerospace” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BAER, BAERW), one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. Q2 2026 Financial Highlights: Second quarter 2026 revenue of $30.5 million, essentially flat when compared to the prior-year period of $30.8 million. When excluding non-recurring return-to-service work which is mostly non-contributing to margin, revenue in the second quarter of 2026 was $29.7 million versus $25.7 million in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 16%. Net loss for the second quarter was $(0.5) million, with Adjusted EBITDA of $8.1 million compared to second quarter 2025 net income of $0.3 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $10.8 million. Reiterating full year 2026 guidance: “Our second quarter results reflect expected performance. At the same time, we saw a meaningful increase in preparation from our agency partners, from the longest task orders we’ve received for our Super Scoopers, to the new task order for our dual-sensor King Air 350. These commitments extend aircraft utilization into the fourth quarter, reflecting how seriously our government partners are treating the wildfire outlook for the remainder of the season,” shared Sam Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bridger Aerospace. “This year, wildfires have continued to intensify globally. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), U.S. wildfire activity has already surpassed 5 million acres burned as of late July, roughly 2 million acres more year-over-year, with several Western regions seeing above normal fire conditions, while Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire years. It’s in years like this that having dependable aerial firefighting capacity in place matters most.” Mr. Davis continued, “Heading into Q3, fleet activity is reflecting the alarming wildfire reality we are facing and we are positioning the full fleet to respond as conditions demand it. As circumstances grow increasingly severe, government agencies have worked diligently to secure our aircraft well into the end of the year – a length in commitment that we have not experienced in years past. Our job is to be ready whenever communities need us most for as long as we’re needed, and our focus remains on saving lives, property, and the environment through the end of the year.” Q2 2026 and Recent Operational Highlights: In May secured two 160-day U.S. Forest Service task orders for four CL-415EAF Super Scoopers, representing at least $30 million of guaranteed standby revenue for the 2026 fire season. The awards increased guaranteed deployment from 120 to 160 days per aircraft, representing the longest guaranteed task orders in the Company's history and extending operations into the fourth quarter. In July awarded a 112-day 2026 U.S. Department of the Interior task order for its most advanced Multi-Mission Aircraft, deploying a newly enhanced King Air 350 featuring dual-sensor capabilities, Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI), EO/IR technology and real-time data dissemination to support wildfire and emergency response operations across the United States. In July secured a $58 million contract with Texas A&M Forest Service to acquire, modify, and deliver three King Air 360 multi-mission aircraft as the foundation of the state's new wildfire aviation surveillance program, with deliveries over the next three years and all aircraft modifications performed in Texas. In July entered into a lease agreement with Avincis, Europe's leading provider of emergency aerial services, deploying two Bridger-owned Super Scoopers to support active wildfire suppression efforts in Portugal, marking Bridger's first revenue-generating operations in Europe, with the aircraft under contract through mid-October 2026, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable agreements. In July expanded the capabilities of the IGNIS wildfire intelligence platform through a strategic partnership with TracPlus, integrating real-time aircraft tracking, mission data and aerial suppression intelligence into a unified operating picture designed to enhance situational awareness and decision-making for firefighters and incident management teams. Second Quarter 2026 Results Revenue for the second quarter of 2026 was $30.5 million compared to $30.8 million in the second quarter of 2025, a decrease of 1%. This decrease was primarily a result of non-recurring return-to-service revenue of $0.8 million in the second quarter of 2026 compared to $5.1 million in the same period of 2025, offset by increased flight hours for the Super Scoopers. When excluding the non-recurring revenue from both periods, revenue increased 16%. Cost of revenues was $19.2 million in the second quarter of 2026 compared to $18.7 million in the second quarter of 2025. Cost of revenues from non-recurring return-to-service was $0.8 million in the second quarter of 2026 compared to $4.8 million in the same period of 2025. When excluding the non-recurring cost of revenues from both periods, cost of revenues increased 32%, primarily due to increased aircraft depreciation expense, fuel expense, and workforce costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) were $5.3 million in the second quarter of 2026 compared to $6.5 million in the second quarter of 2025, primarily reflecting a change in the fair value of our warrants, stock-based compensation and contingent consideration. Interest expense for the second quarter of 2026 was $6.6 million compared to $5.7 million in the second quarter of 2025. Net loss was $(0.5) million in the second quarter of 2026 compared to net income of $0.3 million in the second quarter of 2025. Loss per diluted share was $(0.13) for the second quarter of 2026 compared to $(0.12) per diluted share in the second quarter of 2025. Adjusted EBITDA was $8.1 million in the second quarter of 2026 compared to $10.8 million in the second quarter of 2025. Definitions and reconciliations of net (loss) income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are attached as Exhibit A to this release. As of June 30, 2026, cash and cash equivalents were $7.2 million compared to $31.4 million as of December 31, 2025. The decrease over year-end reflects seasonal working capital usage and the timing of customer receipts. Business Outlook The Company is reiterating its full year 2026 guidance. Revenue is expected to be between $135 million and $145 million, representing 14% growth at the midpoint of the range and 29% growth when excluding revenue associated with return-to-service work in 2025. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $55 million and $60 million, representing 27% growth at the midpoint of the range. Definitions and reconciliations of net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are attached as Exhibit A to this release. Conference Call Bridger Aerospace will hold an investor conference call today, August 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (3:00 p.m. Mountain Time) to discuss these results and its business outlook. Interested parties can access the conference call by dialing 1-800-343-5172 or 1-203-518-9856. When prompted, please provide the Conference ID: BRIDGER. The conference call will also be broadcast live on the Investor Relations section of our website at https://ir.bridgeraerospace.com. An audio replay will be available through August 12, 2026, by calling 844-512-2921 or 412-317-6671 and using the passcode 11162159. The replay will also be accessible at https://ir.bridgeraerospace.com. About Bridger Aerospace Based in Belgrade, Montana, Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest aerial firefighting companies. Bridger provides aerial firefighting and wildfire management services to federal and state government agencies, including the United States Forest Service, across the nation, as well as internationally. More information about Bridger Aerospace is available at https://www.bridgeraerospace.com. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts (including any statements concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations or economic performance, or assumptions or forecasts related thereto) are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “predict,” “poised,” “positioned,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” “target,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: (1) Bridger’s full-year 2026 financial guidance, including expected revenue and Adjusted EBITDA; (2) expected aircraft utilization, deployment levels, flight hours and fleet availability; (3) the anticipated expansion of Bridger’s operations and increased deployment of Bridger’s aircraft fleet, including the expansion of operations into new geographic markets, the anticipated benefits therefrom and the ultimate structure of such acquisitions and/or right to use arrangements; (4) Bridger’s business and growth plans and future financial performance, including anticipated revenues and benefits associated with customer contracts, task orders and other commercial arrangements; (5) the current and future demand for aerial firefighting services, including the duration, severity, timing and geographic scope of domestic and international wildfire activity; (6) the timing and performance of aircraft modifications and deliveries; (7) the magnitude, timing and benefits from any cost reduction actions; (8) Bridger’s exploration of, need for, or completion of any future financings; (9) Bridger’s expected liquidity, cash flows and capital resources; and (10) anticipated investments in additional aircraft, technology, capital resources, research and development and operational capabilities and the effect of these investments. These statements are based on various assumptions and estimates, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of Bridger’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by any investor as a guarantee, an assurance or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Bridger. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: the timing, location, duration or severity of wildfire activity; the extent to which wildfire activity results in aircraft deployments, flight hours and revenue opportunities; changes in customer demand or funding levels; risks that government contracts, task orders or other customer commitments are delayed, modified, reduced, terminated or not renewed; changes in domestic and foreign general economic business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; Bridger’s failure to realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions; aircraft availability, maintenance requirements, weather events, parts shortages, supply chain disruptions or certification issues; Bridger’s ability to successfully operate and deploy its fleet; Bridger’s successful integration of any aircraft (including achievement of synergies and cost reductions); Bridger’s ability to successfully and timely develop, sell and expand its services and otherwise implement its growth strategy; risks relating to Bridger’s operations and business, including information technology, cybersecurity and data privacy risks, loss of requisite licenses, flight safety risks, loss of key customers and deterioration in relationships between Bridger and its employees; risks related to increased competition; risks relating to potential disruption of current plans, operations and infrastructure of Bridger, including as a result of the consummation of any acquisition; risks that Bridger is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; risks that Bridger experiences difficulties managing its growth and expanding operations; Bridger’s ability to compete with existing or new companies that could cause downward pressure on prices, fewer customer orders, reduced margins, the inability to take advantage of new business opportunities and the loss of market share; the ability to successfully select, execute or integrate future acquisitions into Bridger’s business, which could result in material adverse effects to operations and financial condition; the availability of capital and liquidity; and those factors discussed in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included in Bridger’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 6, 2026 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 and in subsequent filings made by Bridger with the SEC from time to time. If any of these risks materialize or Bridger’s management’s assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties above are not exhaustive and there may be additional risks that Bridger presently does not know or that Bridger currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Bridger’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Bridger anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Bridger’s assessments to change. However, while Bridger may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, except as required by applicable law, Bridger specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Bridger’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. EXHIBIT ANon-GAAP Results and Reconciliations Although Bridger believes that net income or loss, as determined in accordance with GAAP, is the most appropriate earnings measure, we use EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as key profitability measures to assess the performance of our business. Bridger believes these measures help illustrate underlying trends in our business and use the measures to establish budgets and operational goals, and communicate internally and externally, in managing our business and evaluating its performance. Bridger also believes these measures help investors compare our operating performance with its results in prior periods in a way that is consistent with how management evaluates such performance. Each of the profitability measures described below is not recognized under GAAP and does not purport to be an alternative to net income or loss determined in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance. Such measures have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider any of such measures in isolation or as substitutes for our results as reported under GAAP. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA exclude items that can have a significant effect on our profit or loss and should, therefore, be used only in conjunction with our GAAP profit or loss for the period. Bridger’s management compensates for the limitations of using non-GAAP financial measures by using them to supplement GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting the business than GAAP results alone. Because not all companies use identical calculations, these measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Bridger does not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking measures where Bridger believes such a reconciliation would imply a degree of precision and certainty that could be confusing to investors and is unable to reasonably predict certain items contained in the GAAP measures without unreasonable efforts, such as acquisition costs, integration costs and loss on the disposal or obsolescence of aging aircraft. This is due to the inherent difficulty of forecasting the timing or amount of various items that have not yet occurred and are out of Bridger’s control or cannot be reasonably predicted. For the same reasons, Bridger is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. Forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures provided without the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures may vary materially from the corresponding GAAP financial measures. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA EBITDA is a non-GAAP profitability measure that represents net income or loss for the period before the impact of the interest expense, income tax (benefit) expense and depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets. EBITDA eliminates potential differences in performance caused by variations in capital structures (affecting financing expenses), the cost and age of tangible assets (affecting relative depreciation expense) and the extent to which intangible assets are identifiable (affecting relative amortization expense). Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP profitability measure that represents EBITDA before certain items that are considered to hinder comparison of the performance of our businesses on a period-over-period basis or with other businesses. During the periods presented, we exclude from Adjusted EBITDA certain costs that are required to be expensed in accordance with GAAP, including Adjusted EBITDA non-cash stock-based compensation, business development and integration expenses, offering costs, non-cash adjustments to fair value of earnout consideration, and non-cash adjustments to the fair value of warrants. Our management believes that the inclusion of supplementary adjustments to EBITDA applied in presenting Adjusted EBITDA is appropriate to provide additional information to investors about certain material non-cash items and about unusual items that we do not expect to continue at the same level in the future. The following table reconciles net (loss) income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025. Represents non-cash stock-based compensation expense associated with employee and non-employee equity and liability classified awards. Represents expenses related to integration costs for completed acquisitions and expenses related to potential acquisition targets and additional business lines. Represents non-cash fair value adjustment for earnout consideration issued in connection with the acquisitions of Ignis Technologies, Inc. and Flight Test & Mechanical Solutions, Inc. Represents the non-cash fair value adjustment for Warrants issued in connection with the Reverse Recapitalization. Represents one-time costs for professional service fees related to the preparation for potential offerings that have been expensed during the period. Represents expenses associated with the build out and transition of the executive leadership team. Investor ContactTom [email protected] Media ContactDevin JohnsonBridger [email protected]

TranscriptFY2026 Q22026-08-06

FY2026 Q2 earnings call transcript

Earnings source - 51 paragraphs
Operator

Greetings, welcome to the Bridger Aerospace second quarter 2026 earnings call. As a reminder, today's call is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Anne Hayes, CFO. You may begin.

Anne Hayes

Thank you, welcome everyone to our second quarter 2026 earnings call. Joining me today is our President and Chief Executive Officer, Sam Davis. Before we begin, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that during the course of this call, management may make forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, as described in our 2025 annual report on Form 10-K and other filings we make with the SEC from time to time. Except to the extent otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements. In addition, we may discuss certain Non-GAAP financial measures such as Adjusted EBITDA. Please refer to our earnings release for the calculation of these measures and the appropriate GAAP reconciliation.

Anne Hayes

With that, I'd like to turn the call over to Sam.

Sam Davis

Thank you, Anne, welcome everyone. As we entered 2026, our focus was on ensuring our fleet, our technology, and our people were fully prepared for what we believed would be another active wildfire year. Today, just a few months later, we're seeing that preparation translate into execution, and I'm incredibly proud of the long hours and diligence the Bridger team has shown throughout the year so far. Our second quarter financial results were in line with our expectations. Revenue was $30.5 million, essentially flat compared to the prior year period, reflecting the timing of non-recurring return to service work on our Spanish Scoopers in 2025. Excluding that impact, revenue increased year-over-year, which Anne will walk through in more detail shortly. First, I'd like to start with an update on some of the highlights from the second quarter.

Sam Davis

During the quarter, the U.S. Forest Service awarded us two 160-day task orders covering four of our Super Scoopers, the longest guaranteed task orders in Bridger's history. These orders will activate on a staggered basis into October and November, reflecting the agency's anticipated need for wildfire suppression well into the fourth quarter. Longer contract durations like these improve our fleet utilization, give us greater operational visibility, and allow us to better plan maintenance and staffing. We believe they reflect a broader shift toward year-round wildfire preparedness among our government partners. We also deployed our most advanced platform, the King Air 350, under a Department of the Interior task order. This aircraft incorporates dual sensor capability and real-time data dissemination into a software.

Sam Davis

As wildfire response becomes increasingly intelligence-driven, we believe these aircraft are becoming force multipliers, providing incident commanders with real-time situational awareness that improves proactive decision-making throughout an incident. Shortly after quarter end, we announced a $58 million contract with the Texas A&M Forest Service to acquire, modify, and deliver three King Air 360 multi-mission aircraft over the next three years. Texas is building one of the nation's most advanced state wildfire aviation programs, We are proud to have been selected to help design and deliver that capability. This contract is a notable example of how our opportunity extends beyond simply operating aircraft into engineering, modification, and integrated intelligence work, We believe it represents an attractive new avenue of non-seasonal, long-term growth. Following the quarter, we announced a collaboration with Avincis, Europe's leading provider of emergency aerial services, deploying our two newest Super Scoopers in Portugal.

Sam Davis

We are glad to support one of Europe's most demanding fire seasons in recent history. Commitments there came somewhat later than expected, Consistent with Europe's more cautious approach to long-term contracts with private operators. This has been more than offset, however, by the demand we're seeing here with our U.S.-based Super Scoopers. Let's turn to look at the fire conditions. Fire conditions today accelerated throughout the quarter with above normal activity across multiple regions of the West. As of early August, more than five and a half million acres have burned across the U.S., while Europe is experiencing one of its most severe wildfire seasons in years. We are currently at a preparedness level of 5, the highest level on a national scale, meaning firefighting resources nationally are fully committed.

Sam Davis

We've even seen international crews mobilize to support U.S. efforts, including more than 60 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand in recent weeks. Current drought conditions and long-range forecasts suggest this activity will continue, We expect demand for our services to remain strong through the remainder of the season. Let me provide a quick update on IGNIS. Technology continues to be an important differentiator for Bridger. During the quarter, we expanded IGNIS through a strategic partnership with TracPlus, integrating real-time aircraft tracking, mission information, and aerial suppression intelligence into a unified operating picture. Over time, we believe software and data will become an increasingly valuable complement to our aviation assets.

Sam Davis

These developments reinforce our conviction that Bridger has an evolving integration into a solution that combines aerial suppression, airborne intelligence, engineering expertise, and software, not simply an aerial operator, and we believe this diversification can help smooth our revenue and earnings visibility over the long term. This provides a competitive edge to our aviation contracts, increases our utilization while we're deployed, and opens the door for standalone use of our software in the field. While the second quarter reflects the seasonal ramp-up of our business, the underlying fundamentals remain strong. With demand continuing to build and our fleet fully engaged, we believe Bridger is well-positioned, and we remain focused on executing our mission with the utmost focus on safety and efficiency. I'd like to thank our employees for their continued dedication and vigilance in the field, and our government partners and shareholders for their continued trust and support.

Sam Davis

With that, I'll turn the call back over to Anne to review our financial results in more detail.

Anne Hayes

Thanks, Sam. Bridger continues to execute against significant growth opportunity. As the business scales, we're focused on ensuring we have the financial infrastructure, processes, and discipline to support that growth over the long term. As mentioned last quarter, I am focused on continuing to build and strengthen the finance function at the company and to support anticipated growth, especially as we ramp up for new programs with new fleets. With that, let me walk through our second quarter results. Looking at our results for the second quarter of 2026, revenue was $30.5 million, compared to $30.8 million in the second quarter of 2025.

Anne Hayes

While revenue was generally consistent with the prior year period, it's important to note that the prior year quarter benefited from $5.1 million of non-recurring return to service work on the Spanish Super Scoopers, which was mostly non-contributing to margin, compared to $0.8 million in the current quarter, a delta of $4.3 million. Excluding this non-recurring activity, revenue increased 16% year-over-year, primarily reflecting increased Super Scooper flight hours during the quarter and continued demand for our aerial firefighting services. Cost of revenues was $19.2 million, compared to $18.7 million for the second quarter of 2025. When excluding the return to service work on the Spanish Scoopers, cost of revenues increased 32%. The increase primarily reflects the operating costs required to support increased fleet utilization during the quarter.

Anne Hayes

It also captures fleet expansion, including sensor modifications to our two new King Air 350 aircraft and fleet readiness as we entered peak fire season towards the end of June. As a reminder, and given the continued volatility in fuel prices, I'd like to briefly touch on Bridger's exposure to fuel costs. Fuel expense is largely a pass-through cost across our portfolio. Under all of our Super Scooper fire suppression contracts, fuel is fully reimbursed by the customer while on contract. Across the majority of our light fixed-wing contracts, we either benefit from economic price adjustment mechanisms or fuel is similarly treated as a pass-through expense. As a result, fluctuations in fuel prices generally have limited impact through on-contract flying.

Anne Hayes

Where we do see an impact is across support areas like airfare and other workforce travel and costs for our MRU or Mobile Repair Unit diesel trucks that follow our fleet and act as on-the-ground repair stations when aircraft are not operating at night. Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $5.3 million, compared to $6.5 million in the prior year period. The year-over-year decline was primarily driven by lower non-cash expenses, including changes in the fair value of warrants, stock-based compensation, and contingent consideration. Interest expense for the second quarter was $6.6 million compared to $5.7 million in the prior year period, reflecting an additional $25 million drawn for fleet expansion and $10 million in short-term borrowings on the credit facility revolver during heavy maintenance periods in Q1 and Q2.

Anne Hayes

For the second quarter of 2026, we reported a net loss of $0.5 million compared to net income of $0.3 million in the prior year period. As a reminder, our reported earnings per share include the impact of the adjustment to the redemption value of our Series A Preferred Stock. Loss attributable to common stockholders was $7.6 million or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to a loss of $6.3 million in the prior year period or $0.12 per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDA was $8.1 million compared to $10.8 million in the second quarter of 2025. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income is included in Exhibit A of the earnings release we issued today. Turning to the balance sheet, we ended the second quarter with $7.2 million of cash and cash equivalents compared to $31.4 million at year-end 2025.

Anne Hayes

The decrease primarily reflects seasonal working capital usage, including the timing of customer receipts, strategic investment in aircraft production slots, continued investment in modernizing our fleet with sensor and other technology capabilities, capital expenditures, and continued investment in fleet readiness to support peak fire season operations. As expected, the second quarter represents a period of elevated working capital investment as aircraft are deployed and operations ramp up during the peak fire season. We continue to expect cash generation to improve as the fire season progresses and receivables convert to cash. We also continue to maintain significant financial flexibility through our credit facility, including a delayed draw feature of up to $100 million, which is designed to support future fleet expansion and capitalize on growing demand for our services. As of June 30th, we had approximately $75 million of remaining availability under the facility.

Anne Hayes

Turning to our outlook, we are reiterating our full year 2026 guidance of $135 million-$145 million in revenue and $55 million-$60 million in Adjusted EBITDA. This represents continued strong growth, including 29% growth in revenue when excluding non-recurring return to service work recognized in 2025 on the two Spanish Scoopers. As Sam mentioned, our two Spanish Scoopers are flying a shorter than planned summer fire season in Europe, after which we intend to reposition these aircraft to the U.S. for higher value opportunities. The third and fourth Spanish Scoopers are still undergoing return to service work. We continue to expect improved operating cash flow generation over the course of the year, driven by increased fleet utilization and higher levels of fire activity during the peak season.

Anne Hayes

As we expand our multi-mission fleet mid-year, we expect the sensor-enabled Air Attack program to contribute to growth in 2026 and support attractive margin expansion in our fleet over time. With that, operator, we are now ready for questions.

Operator

Thank you. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. To leave the queue at any time, press star two. Once again, that is star one to ask a question. Our first question is from Austin Moeller with Canaccord. Please go ahead. Your line is open.

Austin Moeller

Hi, good afternoon. You have the lease agreement in place for two Scoopers with Portugal. Can you just talk about where we're at with European negotiations, just considering the catastrophic wildfire season there? Could those planes be moved to the USA in October if there's not further progress?

Sam Davis

Hey, Austin. Good to hear from you. Great question. Yeah, I'll just be candid. The delayed pickup of those aircraft on contract is just an indication of the hesitancy for Europe to turn to private operators until things are developing like we see overseas right now. That is heavily influencing our decision, given the demand we see in our U.S. fleet, for what happens to those aircraft as they finish their work there in Portugal. We did partner with Avincis to lease those two Avincis as they operate them. That was a great outcome for us, just later than anticipated. We do think there will be continued talks with European countries based on the year they're having, and we think the success they'll see with having these two Scoopers in Portugal.

Sam Davis

For Bridger's internal purposes, we're planning on a move to the U.S. without that commitment with the economics and demand we see here.

Austin Moeller

Okay. If we think about next year and the overall fleet, is the goal to lock up as many of your Scoopers and MMAs as possible into a 120-day or longer task order?

Sam Davis

Absolutely. That's been a deep part of our strategy, and we've chipped away at that methodically year after year. This year, we look at eight of our nine surveillance aircraft on multi-year guaranteed commitments. We have four of our six here in the U.S. on guaranteed 160 days, and that's been a long and drawn-out process of improving that. We continue to capitalize on that. I will say, given the demand we see, the extensions into Q3 and Q4 with the Forest Service, the Department of the Interior, we now consider this to be the norm and something we can continue to move the baseline for the entire fleet.

Sam Davis

We also see that the more those days are guaranteed, the higher flight hours we see across the fleet, because once we're committed and pre-positioned, we're effective for flying in initial and direct attack, those two things seem to be symbiotic in our utilization.

Austin Moeller

Great. I'll pass it back there. Thank you.

Sam Davis

Thank you.

Operator

Thank you for your question. Our next question comes from John Sigmund with Stifel. Please go ahead. Your line is open.

Sebastian Rivera

Hey, good afternoon, guys. This is actually Sebastian Rivera for John Sigmund today. Apologies if I may have missed this in the opening remarks, is there any portion of these recent contracts with Texas A&M, Avincis, and the DOI King Air 350 baked into this 2026 revenue guide?

Sam Davis

Yes. I will say that for the Avincis and for the King Air that we have with the Department of the Interior, we anticipated those and had those into our guidance. The Texas A&M, because that's a three-year program that starts more towards the end of this year, it's going to be a slow ramp-up, we don't think it will be impacting our guidance overall. That's where we're reiterating what we have. The Texas contract is a delivery of three aircraft starting in 2028, actually, to the customer. Over the next three years, we recognize milestones with most of those starting effectively in 2027, if that makes sense.

Sebastian Rivera

On that Texas contract, can you maybe just walk through the accounting treatment there, given it's a little bit different nature contract?

Sam Davis

Yes, I'll turn that.

Sebastian Rivera

As far as rev recognition.

Sam Davis

I'll turn to Anne.

Anne Hayes

You're exactly right. This will be a different business for us. It's modification, so it's more of cost to cost accounting. That's why in 2026, the majority of the work will not be done until 2027. We may place orders for the three King Airs from Textron, and we may receive some cash payments, but as far as recognizing revenue, it's preliminary to say, but very little to be in this year. If so, it may not be margin-generating revenue.

Sebastian Rivera

Thanks. I'll turn it over.

Sam Davis

Thank you.

Operator

Thank you for your question. Our next question is from Mark Smith with Lake Street. Please go ahead. Your line is open.

Mark Smith

Hi, guys. I wanted to ask a little bit about the guidance here. Kind of looking at what we've booked year-to-date in revenue versus reiterated guidance. Could you just walk us through kind of back-half ramp, what's already contracted versus kind of dependent on fire activity, and what gives you the confidence in holding the guidance range?

Sam Davis

Hey, Mark. Good to hear from you. I'll take that. I'll let Anne add a little bit of flavor. Going into this year, last year, I'll remind you that we had a below-average fire year in terms of overall activity. We saw some unique fire activity, especially in Q1 with the Palisades Fire, that made our typical bell curve a little bit different than normal. Activity kind of dropped off in terms of fires in September and October. This year, we saw a fairly normal ramp-up, and we see the activity in Q3 now at an all-time high and continued outlooks into Q3.

Sam Davis

The commitments that we have that are coupled with that from the Forest Service and the DOI going into Q4, which we've never had, is kind of the shift from a 1H to a 2H half of the year recognition of the bulk of our revenue. Even more so than maybe last year, but fairly typical with what we see in Q3 being the bulk of our revenue. Kind of the last comment I'll make there is, there could be a few days here or there, or the fleet flying 30 hours in a day, which we've been seeing across the scooper fleet that could really move the needle a few million dollars. Whether it's June 30th or July 1st, that we've kind of see that take effect as things got ramped up.

Sam Davis

Maybe last comment there, we've also seen a little bit of a strategy with our agencies as they've committed later into Q3 and Q4 to making sure that our assets are set for the peak of the season. As we got deployed, we noticed a little bit of a staggered deployment so that they had the last half of the year covered for fire activity.

Mark Smith

Okay. Just as we think about revenue coming out of Europe with this new contract in Portugal, can you give any more insight into maybe how much of an impact that this makes and maybe how much was maybe disappointing on a late start to that contract?

Anne Hayes

I can speak to it at a high level. I will tell you there's two components to this lease. We are leasing by month, but also by hours. As we've seen even the headlines from Europe hitting over here that they are having a very active fire season. There is a variability to that contract as well. I can't say for sure how much we will make up. I can say that we did miss in Q2 in our internal estimates, just when we thought Europe would pick up. Kind of what Sam has said, though, between the U.S. flying more than a fire season like last year as well as Europe potentially flying these harder than we are anticipating now, there is room to make up all of that gap that we have and then some.

Mark Smith

I did just want to confirm, it sounds like the plan is still to roll these two planes into the U.S. after the season's done.

Sam Davis

Yeah, that's currently the plan, Mark. Obviously, we have to see what materializes overseas, especially what we hope is the commitment is now there for, unfortunately, the terrible headlines we see on the activity. I will tell you with the economics and the utilization demand here in the U.S., until that commitment materializes in a like for like comparison, the plan is to finish out the fire season and begin to move those over to the U.S.

Mark Smith

Great. Thank you, guys.

Sam Davis

Thanks, Mark.

Operator

Thank you for your question. At this time, there are no further questions. I will now turn the call back to Sam Davis for closing comments.

Sam Davis

Thank you again for joining us today and your interest in Bridger. Please reach out to our investor relation team with any questions, and we'll be participating in a fireside chat at the Canaccord Growth Conference in Boston next week for any interested investors. Have a great day.

Operator

Thank you. This brings us to the end of today's meeting. We appreciate your time and participation. You may now disconnect.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-05

Earnings To Watch: Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc (BAER) Q2 2026 -- GF Value Sees 273% Upside

GuruFocus.com

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:BAER) is set to release its Q2 2026 earnings on Aug 6, 2026. The consensus estimate for Q2 2026 revenue is 37.04 million, and the earnings are expected to come in at -0.03 per share. The full year 2026's revenue is expected to be $138.16 million and the earnings are expected to be $-0.52 per share. More detailed estimate data can be found on the Forecast page Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with BAER. Is BAER fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Revenue estimates for Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:BAER) have declined from $140.25 million to $138.16 million for the full year 2026 and declined from $159 million to $156.24 million for 2027 over the past 90 days. Earnings estimates for Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:BAER) have declined from $-0.22 per share to $-0.52 per share for the full year 2026 and declined from $-0.06 per share to $-0.08 per share for 2027 over the past 90 days. In the previous quarter of 2026-03-31, Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc's (NASDAQ:BAER) actual revenue was $8.51 million, which missed analysts' revenue expectations of $17.25 million by -50.66%. Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc's (NASDAQ:BAER) actual earnings were $-0.69 per share, which missed analysts' earnings expectations of $-0.37 per share by -86.49%. After releasing the results, Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:BAER) was up by 2.04% in one day. Based on the one-year price targets offered by 3 analysts, the average target price for Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:BAER) is $4.12 with a high estimate of $4.5 and a low estimate of $3.35. The average target implies an upside of 132.58% from the current price of $1.77. Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:BAER) in one year is $6.6, suggesting an upside of 272.88% from the current price of $1.77. Based on the consensus recommendation from 3 brokerage firms, Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc's (NASDAQ:BAER) average brokerage recommendation is currently 1.7, indicating an "Outperform" status. The rating scale ranges from 1 to 5, where 1 signifies Strong Buy, and 5 denotes Sell.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-23

Bridger Aerospace Announces Schedule for its Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Release and Conference Call

GlobeNewswire

BELGRADE, Mont., July 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. (“Bridger” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BAER, BAERW), one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, today announced that it will release financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026 on Thursday, August 6, 2026, after the market close. Management will conduct an investor conference call on Thursday August 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (3:00 p.m. Mountain Time) to discuss these results and business outlook. Interested parties can access the conference call by dialing 1-800-343-5172 or 1-203-518-9856. When prompted, please provide the Conference ID: BRIDGER. The conference call will also be broadcast live on the Investor Relations section of our website at https://ir.bridgeraerospace.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available through August 12, 2026, by calling 844-512-2921 or 412-317-6671 and using the passcode 11162159. The replay will also be accessible at https://ir.bridgeraerospace.com. About Bridger AerospaceBased in Belgrade, Montana, Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest aerial firefighting companies. Bridger provides aerial firefighting and wildfire management services to federal and state government agencies, including the United States Forest Service, across the nation, as well as internationally. More information about Bridger Aerospace is available at https://www.bridgeraerospace.com. Investor ContactTom [email protected] Media ContactDevin JohnsonBridger [email protected] Source: Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-07

Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. Common Stock Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary

Moby
Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Revenue decline was primarily attributed to nonrecurring return-to-service work on Spanish Scoopers in 2025 and an unusually early 2025 deployment for the Palisades fire. Management is pivoting from a seasonal mindset to a year-round 'fire year' intensity, implementing staggered maintenance cycles to ensure immediate fleet readiness across all mission sets. The company is seeing rapid adoption of sensor-enhanced aircraft for initial attack guidance, with flight hours for these platforms nearly doubling compared to the first quarter of last year. Strategic leadership expansion, including a new COO and General Counsel, is intended to support the transition from a build-out phase to a disciplined, public-company growth scale. Performance attribution for the quarter reflects typical seasonal lows, but with record early dispatches to Oklahoma and Texas indicating a shift toward longer, more proactive fire seasons. The company is leveraging its in-house engineering division, FMS Aerospace, to drive high-margin fleet modifications and capture growing defense budget allocations for aviation sensor upgrades. Full-year guidance assumes a 29% growth rate in core operations, excluding 2025's nonrecurring Spanish Scooper work, supported by increased fleet utilization during peak season. Management anticipates a high-risk summer fire season driven by record-high temperatures, low snowpack, and a significant fuel buildup from a below-average 2025 fire year. The official Q2 launch of the Ignis platform is expected to transition the company toward a year-round SaaS-style subscription revenue model for wildfire data ecosystems. Guidance includes contributions from the European summer fire season, though management has handicapped these expectations for shorter durations and lower contract economics compared to U.S. contracts. The company expects to benefit from federal moves toward a unified U.S. Wildland Fire Service, which is anticipated to streamline agency coordination and favor longer-term contracts. The third and fourth Spanish Scoopers remain in the return-to-service phase, representing a pending capacity increase once maintenance is finalized. Fuel price volatility is mitigated by contract structures where fuel is eit…Read full document

Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Revenue decline was primarily attributed to nonrecurring return-to-service work on Spanish Scoopers in 2025 and an unusually early 2025 deployment for the Palisades fire. Management is pivoting from a seasonal mindset to a year-round 'fire year' intensity, implementing staggered maintenance cycles to ensure immediate fleet readiness across all mission sets. The company is seeing rapid adoption of sensor-enhanced aircraft for initial attack guidance, with flight hours for these platforms nearly doubling compared to the first quarter of last year. Strategic leadership expansion, including a new COO and General Counsel, is intended to support the transition from a build-out phase to a disciplined, public-company growth scale. Performance attribution for the quarter reflects typical seasonal lows, but with record early dispatches to Oklahoma and Texas indicating a shift toward longer, more proactive fire seasons. The company is leveraging its in-house engineering division, FMS Aerospace, to drive high-margin fleet modifications and capture growing defense budget allocations for aviation sensor upgrades. Full-year guidance assumes a 29% growth rate in core operations, excluding 2025's nonrecurring Spanish Scooper work, supported by increased fleet utilization during peak season. Management anticipates a high-risk summer fire season driven by record-high temperatures, low snowpack, and a significant fuel buildup from a below-average 2025 fire year. The official Q2 launch of the Ignis platform is expected to transition the company toward a year-round SaaS-style subscription revenue model for wildfire data ecosystems. Guidance includes contributions from the European summer fire season, though management has handicapped these expectations for shorter durations and lower contract economics compared to U.S. contracts. The company expects to benefit from federal moves toward a unified U.S. Wildland Fire Service, which is anticipated to streamline agency coordination and favor longer-term contracts. The third and fourth Spanish Scoopers remain in the return-to-service phase, representing a pending capacity increase once maintenance is finalized. Fuel price volatility is mitigated by contract structures where fuel is either a direct pass-through to customers or covered by economic price adjustment clauses. Cash usage in Q1 was driven by strategic investments in aircraft production slots and fleet modernization, which management views as necessary preparation for peak-season revenue generation. The company maintains significant financial flexibility through a credit facility with approximately $90 million in remaining capacity to support future fleet expansion. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here. Management expects more significant revenue fruition in 2027 as the software is sold on a stand-alone basis to other operators and state agencies. The platform allows for contract bundling at a premium, moving toward a standard SaaS subscription model that generates revenue year-round rather than just during fire deployments. Bridger is currently listed on seven IDIQs (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity) across various military branches, positioning them to capture increased defense spending on aviation sensor technology. Management noted a lag in program commitments last year but reports that significant orders are now returning to the pipeline. While administrative reorganization may cause short-term 'growing pains,' management believes it will lead to more streamlined dispatching and aggressive wildfire management techniques. The full legislative and contract benefits of this consolidation are expected to take shape more clearly in 2027. The contract provides exclusive use of two aircraft with surge capacity options, reflecting a trend of states committing to their own dedicated aviation assets to meet unmet demand. This multiyear agreement allows Bridger to secure work earlier in the year and provides a template for similar pursuits with other Western states.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-07

Bridger Aerospace Group Q1 Earnings Call Highlights

MarketBeat
Management is focused on readiness for an active wildfire season, highlighting unusually early mobilizations, expanded sensor-enhanced aircraft (hours nearly doubled YoY), and a planned Q2 launch of the Ignis platform for live-fire surveillance and situational awareness. First-quarter results showed revenue of $8.5 million (down from $15.6M YoY) and a net loss of $31.3 million with adjusted EBITDA negative $14.5 million; cash fell to $9.0 million, but the company has about $90 million of delayed-draw credit capacity available. Bridger reiterated full-year guidance of $135–$145 million revenue and $55–$60 million adjusted EBITDA, saying seasonality and European work are factored in and that revenue/cash generation should improve in Q2–Q3 as fire activity increases. Interested in Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Airline Stocks Off the Beaten Path: 3 Key Picks for Investors Bridger Aerospace Group (NASDAQ:BAER) reported first-quarter 2026 results that management said were in line with internal expectations and its full-year plan, reflecting the seasonal nature of the aerial firefighting business and the timing of revenue recognition. On the company’s earnings call, Chief Executive Officer Sam Davis said the year began with a “clear focus on readiness” as the company prepares for what it expects to be an active wildfire season. Chief Financial Officer Anne Hayes, participating in her first earnings call in the role, emphasized that Bridger is focused on “disciplined, profitable growth” and continued investment in the business to support scaling operations. → The Real SpaceX Play: 5 Chip Stocks Powering the IPO Before It Launches Davis highlighted what he described as unusually early mobilization across several parts of the business. For the first time in company history, Bridger began its multi-mission aircraft contract on Feb. 1 and dispatched to support heightened fire activity in Oklahoma, he said. Bridger also saw its earliest dispatch of its air attack aircraft to Texas in February for command and control missions. Davis said the early activity aligns with broader market trends the company is observing: fire activity “beginning later, lasting longer, and requiring more proactive engagement” from government partners. → Tyson Foods' Total Returns: Tasty Treats for Income Investors? During the quarter, the company co…Read full document

Management is focused on readiness for an active wildfire season, highlighting unusually early mobilizations, expanded sensor-enhanced aircraft (hours nearly doubled YoY), and a planned Q2 launch of the Ignis platform for live-fire surveillance and situational awareness. First-quarter results showed revenue of $8.5 million (down from $15.6M YoY) and a net loss of $31.3 million with adjusted EBITDA negative $14.5 million; cash fell to $9.0 million, but the company has about $90 million of delayed-draw credit capacity available. Bridger reiterated full-year guidance of $135–$145 million revenue and $55–$60 million adjusted EBITDA, saying seasonality and European work are factored in and that revenue/cash generation should improve in Q2–Q3 as fire activity increases. Interested in Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Airline Stocks Off the Beaten Path: 3 Key Picks for Investors Bridger Aerospace Group (NASDAQ:BAER) reported first-quarter 2026 results that management said were in line with internal expectations and its full-year plan, reflecting the seasonal nature of the aerial firefighting business and the timing of revenue recognition. On the company’s earnings call, Chief Executive Officer Sam Davis said the year began with a “clear focus on readiness” as the company prepares for what it expects to be an active wildfire season. Chief Financial Officer Anne Hayes, participating in her first earnings call in the role, emphasized that Bridger is focused on “disciplined, profitable growth” and continued investment in the business to support scaling operations. → The Real SpaceX Play: 5 Chip Stocks Powering the IPO Before It Launches Davis highlighted what he described as unusually early mobilization across several parts of the business. For the first time in company history, Bridger began its multi-mission aircraft contract on Feb. 1 and dispatched to support heightened fire activity in Oklahoma, he said. Bridger also saw its earliest dispatch of its air attack aircraft to Texas in February for command and control missions. Davis said the early activity aligns with broader market trends the company is observing: fire activity “beginning later, lasting longer, and requiring more proactive engagement” from government partners. → Tyson Foods' Total Returns: Tasty Treats for Income Investors? During the quarter, the company continued expanding and enhancing its fleet, including modification work on additional surveillance aircraft added at the end of 2025. Davis said these aircraft will introduce new intelligence capabilities into wildfire response in 2026. He also said Bridger’s sensor-enhanced aircraft have flown “millions of acres” in early 2026 to support real-time mapping, live streaming, and situational awareness across multiple states. According to Davis, hours flown on sensor planes nearly doubled in the first quarter compared with the prior year. Bridger also invested in winter maintenance and flight training as part of its readiness efforts. Davis said the company’s “newly staggered maintenance cycle” is designed to keep aircraft from each mission set ready to deploy within hours. He added that Bridger qualified two new Super Scooper captains and two initial attack captains, bringing the company to four initial attack captains total, which he said should help Bridger stay deployed longer into the fourth quarter and dispatch earlier in the first quarter next year. → Berkshire Hathaway’s Record Cash Hoard: Why and What's Next? From an organizational standpoint, Davis noted recent additions of a chief operating officer and a general counsel, which he said add operational and public company experience as Bridger scales with an emphasis on safety, execution, and governance. Davis cited environmental indicators he said point to elevated fire risk, including record-high temperatures, low snowpack, and extensive drought conditions. He noted March was the warmest on record for the U.S. in more than 130 years, and said a below-average 2025 could mean fuel buildup has not yet fully impacted fire conditions. He also referenced a memo from Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins directing the U.S. Forest Service to heighten national wildfire readiness in response to low snowpack and predicted warmer and drier conditions. Davis said the President’s budget includes language calling for consolidation of wildfire programs between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, and advocates creation of a Wildfire Intelligence Center under a unified U.S. Wildland Fire Service. Asked during Q&A about the potential benefits and timing of any consolidation, Davis said Bridger supports the effort, though he acknowledged potential “growing pains.” He said some benefits may not take shape in legislative appropriation and contract form until next year, while adding that Bridger is “already benefiting from some of those moves.” Davis provided an update on the company’s Ignis software platform and its in-house engineering division, FMS Aerospace. He said Ignis has enabled live streaming of fire surveillance into mobile and desktop environments, and in the first quarter alone the aviation module was used by emergency operation centers, pilots, and ground firefighters. Davis said the company plans to officially launch Ignis as part of its aviation capabilities in the second quarter. In response to a question from Canaccord Genuity’s Austin Moeller about commercialization and pricing, Davis said the company has “a very small amount of revenue” budgeted for Ignis this year. He said the near-term opportunity is bundling the software into aviation contracts via contract modifications and that the platform could generate more traction next year, including potential standalone sales under a subscription-based software-as-a-service model, which could be priced at a premium when coupled with aviation services. Davis also said FMS Aerospace supports Bridger’s internal aircraft modifications and pursues defense and commercial contract work. He noted the company is listed on seven indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts spanning various military branches and said Bridger’s capabilities align with defense budget priorities around aviation upgrades and sensor technology. Asked about the growth outlook for the FMS upgrade and maintenance business, Davis said the company was on track to meet its revenue expectations for that segment this year, and that orders that had lagged last year were returning with “significant commitment” in the existing pipeline. He added that Bridger intends to put “concerted effort” into business development opportunities over the summer. Hayes reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $8.5 million, down from $15.6 million in the first quarter of 2025. She said the year-over-year decline was primarily due to non-recurring return-to-service work on Spanish Super Scoopers in 2025, as well as early deployment activity last year related to the Palisades fire. Return-to-service revenue: $1.7 million in Q1 2026 vs. $5.9 million in Q1 2025 Cost of revenues: $17.0 million in Q1 2026 vs. $17.2 million in Q1 2025 SG&A: $16.7 million in Q1 2026 vs. $8.6 million in Q1 2025 Interest expense: $6.2 million in Q1 2026 vs. $5.7 million in Q1 2025 Net loss: $31.3 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, in Q1 2026 vs. $15.5 million, or $0.41 per diluted share, in Q1 2025 Adjusted EBITDA: negative $14.5 million in Q1 2026 vs. negative $5.1 million in Q1 2025 Hayes attributed the higher SG&A in part to non-cash items, including stock-based compensation and an increase in the fair value of warrants, as well as cash investments in workforce leadership, technology build-out, and business development. She also addressed fuel-price exposure, saying fuel is largely a pass-through cost under the company’s Super Scooper contracts, and that for most light fixed-wing contracts Bridger either benefits from economic price adjustment clauses or treats fuel as a pass-through expense. On liquidity, Hayes said the company ended the quarter with $9.0 million in cash and cash equivalents, down from $31.4 million at year-end 2025. She attributed the decrease primarily to strategic investment in aircraft production slots, modernization of the fleet with sensors and other technology, and continued spending on readiness and operations ahead of fire season. Hayes said this early-season cash usage is consistent with the company’s business model, and she expects revenue and cash generation to improve as activity increases in the second and third quarters. Hayes said the company has “significant financial flexibility” through its credit facility, including a delayed draw feature of up to $100 million, and that as of March 31 it had about $90 million remaining. Hayes reiterated full-year 2026 guidance of $135 million to $145 million in revenue and $55 million to $60 million in adjusted EBITDA. She said the outlook includes contribution from Europe’s summer fire season, though assumptions are “handicapped for a shorter fire season and lower contract economics in Europe.” Hayes added that the third and fourth Spanish Super Scoopers are still undergoing return-to-service work. During Q&A, Stifel’s John Saunders asked about an Alaska contract the company announced in early March. Davis said Bridger has two aircraft in Alaska under an “exclusive use multi-year contract.” He described it as a call-when-needed arrangement that allows Alaska to retain additional aviation assets earlier, later, or through the peak of the season, and said Bridger has additional aircraft that could backfill under surge capacity. Davis said the company is pursuing more state-level aviation contracts, particularly throughout the Western U.S. In closing remarks, Davis encouraged investors to reach out to the company’s investor relations team with questions and said Bridger plans to participate in June at the Stifel Cross Sector Insight Conference. Bridger Aerospace Group, Inc operates as an aerial services company specializing in wildfire management and aviation support. The company's core business activities include aerial wildfire suppression, providing rapid-response water and fire-retardant drops from fixed-wing air tankers. In addition to firefighting, Bridger Aerospace offers aviation services such as cloud seeding for weather modification, aerial inspection and mapping, environmental monitoring, and logistics support for remote sites. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Heber City, Utah, Bridger Aerospace Group deploys a fleet of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft under contract to federal, state and local government agencies as well as commercial customers. The article "Bridger Aerospace Group Q1 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-07

Bridger Aerospace Reports First Quarter 2026 Results

Business Wire
First quarter 2026 revenue of $8.5 million, in line with guidance as the Company prepares for fire season Based on current weather and environmental conditions, Bridger anticipates a highly active fire season The Company reiterates 2026 guidance, including revenue expectations of $135 million to $145 million BELGRADE, Mont., May 06, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. ("Bridger," or "Bridger Aerospace" the "Company") (NASDAQ: BAER, BAERW), one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. Q1 2026 Financial Highlights: Results reflected normal winter maintenance costs and seasonal flight activity while Bridger readies the fleet for flight activity during fire season Continued progress on fleet expansion, including modification of additional surveillance aircraft with next-generation technology to support increased deployment capacity First quarter 2026 revenue of $8.5 million compared to $15.6 million in the prior-year period, reflecting a return to typical seasonal trends due to an unusually strong prior-year period driven by the Palisades fire and lower Super Scooper aircraft deployment ahead of peak fire season Net loss for the first quarter of 2026 was $(31.3) million, with Adjusted EBITDA of $(14.5) million, driven by normal winter maintenance costs and seasonal flight activity. First quarter 2025 net loss of $(15.5) million and Adjusted EBITDA of $(5.1) million was driven by increased revenue reflecting an unusually strong period driven by the Palisades fire Active pursuit of wildfire contracting opportunities for Spanish Super Scoopers in Europe and in the U.S. Reiterating full year 2026 guidance: Revenue expected to be between $135 million and $145 million, representing 14% growth at the midpoint of the range and growth of 29% when excluding non-recurring return to service work on the Spanish Super Scoopers in 2025 Adjusted EBITDA expected to be between $55 million and $60 million, representing 27% growth at the midpoint of the range "We entered 2026 focused on ensuring our industry-leading fleet was fully prepared for what we expect to be a very active fire season. We achieved our earliest-ever mobilization of a multi-mission aircraft, with flight activity beginning in February in Oklahoma. Our continued emphasis on year-round readiness dro…Read full document

First quarter 2026 revenue of $8.5 million, in line with guidance as the Company prepares for fire season Based on current weather and environmental conditions, Bridger anticipates a highly active fire season The Company reiterates 2026 guidance, including revenue expectations of $135 million to $145 million BELGRADE, Mont., May 06, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. ("Bridger," or "Bridger Aerospace" the "Company") (NASDAQ: BAER, BAERW), one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. Q1 2026 Financial Highlights: Results reflected normal winter maintenance costs and seasonal flight activity while Bridger readies the fleet for flight activity during fire season Continued progress on fleet expansion, including modification of additional surveillance aircraft with next-generation technology to support increased deployment capacity First quarter 2026 revenue of $8.5 million compared to $15.6 million in the prior-year period, reflecting a return to typical seasonal trends due to an unusually strong prior-year period driven by the Palisades fire and lower Super Scooper aircraft deployment ahead of peak fire season Net loss for the first quarter of 2026 was $(31.3) million, with Adjusted EBITDA of $(14.5) million, driven by normal winter maintenance costs and seasonal flight activity. First quarter 2025 net loss of $(15.5) million and Adjusted EBITDA of $(5.1) million was driven by increased revenue reflecting an unusually strong period driven by the Palisades fire Active pursuit of wildfire contracting opportunities for Spanish Super Scoopers in Europe and in the U.S. Reiterating full year 2026 guidance: Revenue expected to be between $135 million and $145 million, representing 14% growth at the midpoint of the range and growth of 29% when excluding non-recurring return to service work on the Spanish Super Scoopers in 2025 Adjusted EBITDA expected to be between $55 million and $60 million, representing 27% growth at the midpoint of the range "We entered 2026 focused on ensuring our industry-leading fleet was fully prepared for what we expect to be a very active fire season. We achieved our earliest-ever mobilization of a multi-mission aircraft, with flight activity beginning in February in Oklahoma. Our continued emphasis on year-round readiness drove typical first-quarter investments in winter maintenance and flight training, positioning us to ramp revenue as fire activity increases," said Sam Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Bridger Aerospace. Mr. Davis continued, "Looking ahead, early indicators point to elevated wildfire risk, driven by historically low snowpack in the West and widespread drought conditions across much of the country. We believe these dynamics have yet to fully manifest, as fuel build-up and fire severity continue to develop. March was the warmest on record in the U.S. in 132 years, underscoring the urgency of the environment we are operating in. Against this backdrop, Bridger stands ready to protect lives, property, and the environment." Q1 2026 and Recent Operational Highlights: Secured a five-year, $18.6 million Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract with the U.S. Department of the Interior to provide on-call fixed-wing transportation services in Alaska, supporting personnel and cargo transport to remote locations; contract runs from April 2026 through March 2031 and is expected to increase utilization of the Company’s expanded light fixed-wing fleet Appointed Bill Andrews as Chief Operating Officer, effective March 2026, bringing more than 30 years of aerospace and aviation leadership experience to oversee fleet operations, maintenance, and mission support, with a focus on enhancing operational readiness, safety, and scalable growth Appointed Justin Mogford as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, effective April 2026, bringing extensive public company legal and aviation experience to lead the Company’s legal, compliance, and governance functions and support continued growth Earliest deployment in Company history with federal multi-mission sensor aircraft indicates active management of year-round wildfire threats and positioning for peak activity Millions of acres flown with sensor aircraft to map and live-stream situational awareness to fire teams in states seeing early and intense fire activity such as Nebraska, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and North Carolina First Quarter 2026 Results Revenue for the first quarter of 2026 was $8.5 million compared to $15.6 million in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 46%. Excluding a decrease in the return-to-service work performed on the Spanish Scoopers in connection with our partnership agreement with MAB Funding, LLC, the decrease in revenue was primarily driven by the seasonal nature of Bridger’s business, as the first quarter typically reflects lower wildfire activity and reduced aircraft deployment relative to peak fire season. The Company utilized the quarter to position its fleet and operations in advance of the 2026 fire season. Cost of revenues was $17.0 million in the first quarter of 2026 compared to $17.2 million in the first quarter of 2025. Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") were $16.7 million in the first quarter of 2026 compared to $8.6 million in the first quarter of 2025, reflecting higher non-cash stock-based compensation expense, an increase in the fair value of warrants, and an increase in workforce costs. Interest expense for the first quarter of 2026 was $6.2 million compared to $5.7 million in the first quarter of 2025. Net loss was $31.3 million in the first quarter of 2026 compared to a net loss of $15.5 million in the first quarter of 2025. Loss per diluted share was $(0.69) for the first quarter of 2026 compared to $(0.41) per diluted share in the first quarter of 2025. Adjusted EBITDA was $(14.5) million in the first quarter of 2026 compared to $(5.1) million in the first quarter of 2025. Definitions and reconciliations of net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are attached as Exhibit A to this release. As of March 31, 2026, cash and cash equivalents were $9.0 million compared to $31.4 million as of December 31, 2025. The decrease in cash from year end primarily reflects seasonal working capital usage, timing of receipts, strategic investment for future contracts and continued investment in fleet readiness and operations ahead of the fire season. Business Outlook The Company is reiterating its full year 2026 guidance. Revenue is expected to be between $135 million and $145 million, representing 14% growth at the midpoint of the range and 29% growth when excluding revenue associated with return to service work in 2025. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $55 million and $60 million, representing 27% growth at the midpoint of the range. Definitions and reconciliations of net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are attached as Exhibit A to this release. Conference Call Bridger Aerospace will hold an investor conference call today, May 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (3:00 p.m. Mountain Time) to discuss these results and its business outlook. Interested parties can access the conference call by dialing 1-800-225-9448 or 1-203-518-9708. When prompted, please provide the Conference ID: BRIDGER The conference call will also be broadcast live on the Investor Relations section of our website at https://ir.bridgeraerospace.com. An audio replay will be available through May 12, 2026, by calling 844-512-2921 or 412-317-6671 and using the passcode 11161408. The replay will also be accessible at https://ir.bridgeraerospace.com. About Bridger Aerospace Based in Belgrade, Montana, Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest aerial firefighting companies. Bridger provides aerial firefighting and wildfire management services to federal and state government agencies, including the United States Forest Service, across the nation, as well as internationally. More information about Bridger Aerospace is available at https://www.bridgeraerospace.com. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts (including any statements concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations of economic performance, or assumptions or forecasts related thereto) are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "plan," "project," "forecast," "predict," "poised," "positioned," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future," "outlook," "target," and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, 1) the anticipated expansion of Bridger’s operations and increased deployment of Bridger’s aircraft fleet, the anticipated benefits therefrom and the ultimate structure of such acquisitions and/or right to use arrangements; (2) Bridger’s business and growth plans and future financial performance; (3) current and future demand for aerial firefighting services, including the duration or severity of any domestic or international wildfire seasons; (4) the magnitude, timing and benefits from any cost reduction actions; (5) Bridger’s exploration of, need for, or completion of any future financings; (6) Bridger’s potential sources of liquidity and capital resources; and (7) anticipated investments in additional aircraft, capital resources and research and development and the effect of these investments. These statements are based on various assumptions and estimates, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of Bridger’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Bridger. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: the duration or severity of any domestic or international wildfire seasons; changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; Bridger’s failure to realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions; Bridger’s successful integration of any aircraft (including achievement of synergies and cost reductions); Bridger’s ability to successfully and timely develop, sell and expand its services, and otherwise implement its growth strategy; risks relating to Bridger’s operations and business, including information technology and cybersecurity risks, loss of requisite licenses, flight safety risks, loss of key customers and deterioration in relationships between Bridger and its employees; risks related to increased competition; risks relating to potential disruption of current plans, operations and infrastructure of Bridger, including as a result of the consummation of any acquisition; risks that Bridger is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; risks that Bridger experiences difficulties managing its growth and expanding operations; Bridger's ability to compete with existing or new companies that could cause downward pressure on prices, fewer customer orders, reduced margins, the inability to take advantage of new business opportunities, and the loss of market share; the ability to successfully select, execute or integrate future acquisitions into Bridger's business, which could result in material adverse effects to operations and financial conditions; and those factors discussed in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" included in Bridger’s Annual Report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 6, 2026 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 and in subsequent filings made by Bridger with the SEC from time to time. If any of these risks materialize or Bridger management's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties above are not exhaustive, and there may be additional risks that Bridger presently does not know or that Bridger currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Bridger’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Bridger anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Bridger’s assessments to change. However, while Bridger may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Bridger specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Bridger’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. EXHIBIT A Non-GAAP Results and Reconciliations Although Bridger believes that net income or loss, as determined in accordance with GAAP, is the most appropriate earnings measure, we use EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as key profitability measures to assess the performance of our business. Bridger believes these measures help illustrate underlying trends in our business and use the measures to establish budgets and operational goals, and communicate internally and externally, in managing our business and evaluating its performance. Bridger also believes these measures help investors compare our operating performance with its results in prior periods in a way that is consistent with how management evaluates such performance. Each of the profitability measures described below is not recognized under GAAP and does not purport to be an alternative to net income or loss determined in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance. Such measures have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider any of such measures in isolation or as substitutes for our results as reported under GAAP. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA exclude items that can have a significant effect on our profit or loss and should, therefore, be used only in conjunction with our GAAP profit or loss for the period. Bridger’s management compensates for the limitations of using non-GAAP financial measures by using them to supplement GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting the business than GAAP results alone. Because not all companies use identical calculations, these measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Bridger does not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking measures where Bridger believes such a reconciliation would imply a degree of precision and certainty that could be confusing to investors and is unable to reasonably predict certain items contained in the GAAP measures without unreasonable efforts, such as acquisition costs, integration costs and loss on the disposal or obsolescence of aging aircraft. This is due to the inherent difficulty of forecasting the timing or amount of various items that have not yet occurred and are out of Bridger’s control or cannot be reasonably predicted. For the same reasons, Bridger is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. Forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures provided without the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures may vary materially from the corresponding GAAP financial measures. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA EBITDA is a non-GAAP profitability measure that represents net income or loss for the period before the impact of the interest expense, income tax expense (benefit) and depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets. EBITDA eliminates potential differences in performance caused by variations in capital structures (affecting financing expenses), the cost and age of tangible assets (affecting relative depreciation expense) and the extent to which intangible assets are identifiable (affecting relative amortization expense). Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP profitability measure that represents EBITDA before certain items that are considered to hinder comparison of the performance of our businesses on a period-over-period basis or with other businesses. During the periods presented, we exclude from Adjusted EBITDA certain costs that are required to be expensed in accordance with GAAP, including Adjusted EBITDA non-cash stock-based compensation, business development and integration expenses, offering costs, non-cash adjustments to fair value of earnout consideration, and non-cash adjustments to the fair value of warrants. Our management believes that the inclusion of supplementary adjustments to EBITDA applied in presenting Adjusted EBITDA is appropriate to provide additional information to investors about certain material non-cash items and about unusual items that we do not expect to continue at the same level in the future. The following table reconciles net (loss) income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260506992372/en/ Contacts Investor Contact Tom Cook [email protected] Media Contact Devin Johnson Bridger Aerospace 406-919-5980 [email protected]

TranscriptFY2026 Q12026-05-06

FY2026 Q1 earnings call transcript

Earnings source - 45 paragraphs
Operator

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to today's Bridger Aerospace first quarter 2026 earnings conference call. It is now my pleasure to turn the meeting over to Ms. Anne Hayes, Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Hayes, please go ahead.

Anne Hayes

Thank you, Beau, and welcome everyone to our first quarter 2026 earnings call. Joining me today is Chief Executive Officer, Sam Davis. Before we begin, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that during the course of this call, management may make forward-looking statements which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, as described in our 2025 annual report on Form 10-K and other filings we make with the SEC from time to time. Except to the extent otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement. In addition, we may discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as adjusted EBITDA. Please refer to our earnings release for the calculation of these measures and the appropriate GAAP reconciliation.

Anne Hayes

With that, I'd like to turn the call over to Sam.

Sam Davis

Thank you, Anne, and welcome everyone. 2026 began with a clear focus on readiness, ensuring our fleet, our technology, and our teams are fully prepared for what we expect to be a very active wildfire season. I'm extremely proud of the team and their tireless focus on the mission to save lives and property, focusing on readiness year-round to answer the call and respond to fires quickly when it matters most. The devastation of fires only continues to increase. Bridger prides itself on its ability to find them and extinguish them quickly and effectively before these fires become the next avoidable headline. Overall, our 1st quarter results were in line with internal expectations and our full-year plan, reflecting the quarterly nature of our business and the timing of revenue recognition.

Sam Davis

Revenue of $8.5 million was lower year-over-year, primarily due to non-recurring return to service work on our Spanish Scoopers in 2025 and our early deployment activity last year in January related to the Palisades Fire in California. First, I'd like to start with an update of some highlights in the first quarter. For the first time in company history, we began our multi-mission aircraft contract on February 1st and dispatched to support heightened fire activity in Oklahoma. We also saw our earliest dispatch of our air attack aircraft to Texas in February for command and control missions. This early mobilization is consistent with what we are seeing more broadly across the market, fire activity beginning later, lasting longer, and requiring more proactive engagement from our federal and state partners.

Sam Davis

During the quarter, we continued to make progress expanding and enhancing our fleet, including the modification of additional surveillance aircraft. These aircraft, which were added to the fleet at the end of 2025, will have unique configurations that introduce new intelligence capabilities into wildfire response in 2026 and will continue to drive the innovation of our multi-mission platforms. Our current sensor-enhanced aircraft, which are already deployed, have flown millions of acres in early 2026 to support real-time mapping, live streaming, and situational awareness for fire teams across multiple states, from Nebraska to Florida and Arizona to North Carolina. We're seeing rapid adoption of our sensor aircraft to detect fires and guide initial attack with our hours flown on our sensor planes nearly doubling Q1 of this year versus last.

Sam Davis

This early and broad-based deployment highlights both the increasing demand for our services and the growing importance of our technology-enhanced capabilities, particularly in supporting initial attack and real-time decision-making on the ground. Safety is paramount to everything we do, and we believe every hour spent safely fighting fires is an extension of how we focus on preparation. In the 1st quarter, we invested in fleet readiness, including winter maintenance and flight training. Through focusing on the intensity of the fire year and not the fire season, our newly staggered maintenance cycle ensures we have aircraft from each mission set ready to deploy within hours. This spring, we maximized our time in field training for the firefighting operations and using extensive time in both classroom and on the wing.

Sam Davis

With our readiness and specialized fleet, we are prepared to fulfill our mission to intercept and extinguish fires before they can bring widespread devastation. As a part of these efforts, we are proud to have qualified two new Super Scooper captains and two initial attack captains, bringing us to a total of four initial attack captains. The addition of these initial attack captains will allow us to remain out longer in Q4 and dispatch earlier in Q1 next year. From an organizational perspective, we continue to build the leadership team required to support our growth. The recent additions of a Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel bring significant operational and public company experience and will help ensure we scale the business with a continued focus on safety, execution, and governance. Let's turn to the outlook on fire conditions and an update on federal legislation.

Sam Davis

Across the nation, states are seeing record high temperatures, low snowpack, and extensive droughts. For the entire U.S., March was the warmest it's been on record in over 130 years. These environmental factors point to elevated fire risk. Importantly, the below-average year in 2025 suggests that we have not yet seen the full impact of its fuel buildup. We see multiple signals that heightened fire conditions are starting to converge. Just last week, the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, issued a memo directing the U.S. Forest Service to heighten national wildfire readiness in the face of historic lack of winter snowpack, predicted above normal temperatures and drier than normal conditions across the U.S. She even went so far as to state that large wildfires are predicted to threaten homes, communities, and natural resources this summer.

Sam Davis

In addition to the Secretary's comments, wildland fire managers have similar interest in more robust wildfire response and increased preparedness. Within the President's budget, the administration is explicit about the need for the consolidation of wildfire programs between the USDA and the DOI. In addition to urging Congress to streamline fire suppression efforts, they've also advocated for the creation of a new Wildfire Intelligence Center under the new unified U.S. Wildland Fire Service. The Wildfire Intelligence Center will be focused on incorporating technology to assess and model wildfires and inform rapid response, coordinate suppression, promote fuel management, and advance recovery and rehabilitation. With Bridger's unique services, we're well-positioned to not only meet the directives with the most effective suppression of surveillance aircraft, but also to introduce our leading-edge technology solution, Ignis, which I'll discuss more shortly.

Sam Davis

Through these shifting environmental conditions and the notable devastation from megafires like the Palisades and Smokehouse Creek Fire, we've seen a move toward progressive wildfire management at the federal level to streamline agency coordination, commit to longer-term contracts, and proactively station and use aviation resources. We're continuing to monitor progress and active legislation regarding the consolidation of these agencies. Let me now provide a quick update on Ignis and FMS. With our software platform, Ignis, we've been able to live stream our fire surveillance into mobile and desktop environments. In Q1 alone, the aviation module of Ignis has been used by emergency operation centers, pilots, and ground firefighters. In Q2, we are officially launching the Ignis platform as a part of our aviation capabilities and introducing a new way for the industry to access an entire fire data ecosystem in one place.

Sam Davis

Our ability to be first to market and introduce leading-edge solutions into firefighting is due in part to the capabilities of our in-house engineering division, FMS Aerospace. They continue to not only contribute to the modifications of our internal fleet, but also in the defense and commercial contract work they pursue. With the recent increase to the defense budget, we feel we're well-positioned with our awarded programs being able to grow in existing capacity and pursue strategic new work on larger IDIQs that are a good fit for our integrated services. We are currently listed on seven IDIQs covering various military branches. Much of the defense budget is focused on the upgrade of aviation assets and the advancement of sensor technology, both of which we specialize in.

Sam Davis

While the first quarter reflects the planned slower revenue winter maintenance period of the wildfire industry, the underlying fundamentals remain strong. Demand continues to build. Bridger is entering the 2026 season with greater scale, enhanced capabilities with higher return profiles, and a broader operational footprint than ever before. We are focused on executing through the upcoming fire season and translating this positioning into a year of strong growth and performance. I'll turn the call back over to Anne, and she can go through our financials in more detail.

Anne Hayes

Thank you, Sam. It is a pleasure to be joining you all for my first earnings call as CFO, especially after having the privilege of serving on the board and engaging with the team as they delivered such strong results. Before getting into the numbers, I wanted to share some initial observations. Bridger is at a pivotal stage. We've built a best-in-class aerial firefighting platform with one of the largest suppression fleets in the industry, and we're now squarely focused on executing our next phase of disciplined, profitable growth. The demand environment for our services remains exceptionally strong, and with our expanded Super Scooper and sensor-enabled air attack capabilities already positioned for the 2026 season, we're well-prepared to scale operations, win additional contracts, and drive meaningful revenue and cash flow generation.

Anne Hayes

From a leadership perspective on the finance team, my focus is on building and enhancing a high-performing organization that serves as a true strategic partner to the business. We're investing in talent to strengthen our planning, analysis, and capital allocation capabilities so that we can support this accelerated growth phase while maintaining financial discipline, operational leverage, and transparency. I'm committed to fostering a culture of accountability and excellence that not only scales with the company but also helps us deliver sustainable long-term value for our shareholders. Looking at our results for the first quarter of 2026, revenue was $8.5 million, compared to $15.6 million in the first quarter of 2025.

Anne Hayes

The decline year-over-year was primarily driven by non-recurring return to service work performed on the Spanish scoopers in 2025, as well as early deployment activity last year related to the Palisades fire. Return to service revenue was $1.7 million in the first quarter of 2026, compared to $5.9 million in the prior year period. Excluding this impact, revenue from ongoing operations reflects the normal quarterly nature of the business, with the first quarter typically representing a period of lower aircraft deployment ahead of peak fire season. This year, we saw typical dispatch orders in the southern states that we've been seeing in recent years.

Anne Hayes

Cost of revenues was $17 million in the first quarter of 2026, compared to $17.2 million in the first quarter of 2025, reflecting continued investment in fleet readiness and operational positioning ahead of the fire season. Given the turbulence in fuel-impacted industries, I do wanna touch on Bridger's exposure to fluctuations in fuel prices. Fuel expenses are largely a pass-through cost. Under all of our fire suppression Super Scooper contracts, fuel is fully passed through to the customer. For the majority of our light fixed-wing contracts, we either benefit from economic price adjustment clauses that mitigate fuel price impacts or fuel is treated as a pass-through expense. Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $16.7 million in the first quarter of 2026, compared to $8.6 million in the prior period.

Anne Hayes

The increase was primarily driven by non-cash items such as stock-based compensation and an increase in the fair value of warrants, as well as cash items, including an investment in our workforce, specifically leadership and technology build-out, as well as business development investment. Interest expense for the first quarter was $6.2 million, compared to $5.7 million in the prior year period. For the first quarter of 2026, we reported a net loss of $31.3 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $15.5 million or $0.41 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2025. Adjusted EBITDA was negative $14.5 million compared to negative $5.1 million in the prior year period.

Anne Hayes

A reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net loss is included in Exhibit A of our earnings release distributed earlier today. Turning to the balance sheet. We ended the first quarter with total cash and cash equivalents of $9 million, compared to $31.4 million at year-end 2025. The decrease was primarily driven by strategic investment in aircraft production slots, investment modernizing our fleet with sensor and other technology capabilities, and continued investment in fleet readiness and operations ahead of the fire season. Importantly, the first quarter cash usage is consistent with the early season nature of our business, where we invest in aircraft maintenance, training, and operational positioning in advance of peak deployment periods. As activity increases through the second and third quarters, we expect to see a corresponding improvement in revenue and cash generation.

Anne Hayes

We continue to have access to significant financial flexibility through our credit facility, including a delayed draw feature of up to $100 million, which is designed to support future fleet expansion and capitalize on growing demand for our services. As of March 31st, we have approximately $90 million remaining. Turning to our outlook, we are reiterating our full year 2026 guidance of $135 million-$145 million in revenue and $55 million-$60 million in adjusted EBITDA. This represents continued strong growth, including approximately 29% growth when excluding non-recurring return to service work recognized in 2025 on the two Super Scoopers. We are in active discussions in Europe to deploy the Super Scoopers for the summer fire season, followed by a planned repositioning of the two aircraft for higher value U.S. contracts.

Anne Hayes

Contribution from Europe's summer fire season is included in our guidance but handicapped for a shorter fire season and lower contract economics in Europe. The third and fourth Spanish Scoopers are still undergoing return to service work. We continue to expect improved operating cash flow generation over the course of the year, driven by increased fleet utilization and higher levels of fire activity during peak season. As we expand our MMA fleet mid-year, we expect the sensor-enabled Air Attack program to contribute to growth in 2026 and support attractive margin expansion over time. With that, operator, we are now ready for questions.

Operator

Certainly. Thank you, Ms. Hayes. Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, if you do have any questions, please press star one. You can always remove yourself from the queue by pressing star two. We'll go first this afternoon to Austin Moeller with Canaccord Genuity.

Austin Moeller

Hi, good afternoon. My first question is, I know that Ignis has been demoed by a couple of different government agencies, but is there a timeline on when that might start to be included in some contracts? Would there be, like, a pricing premium associated with bundling Ignis with air attack and surveillance services?

Sam Davis

Hey, Austin, good to talk to you again. Yeah, that's a great question. We have a very small amount of revenue, budgeted this year intentionally for Ignis.

Sam Davis

This is more about the aviation contract bundling opportunity this gets us, both, for existing contracts as we provide unique configurations with our planes and our hardware sensors, as well as the ability to live stream down to customers. We're already having them use it, so we're able to do some contract modifications to add the software piece. Probably this is gonna see a lot more fruition going into next year as we can sell this on a standalone basis for operators, state-owned drones and planes, as well as what we can couple in with our aviation contracts and price in at a premium. More of a, you know, standard SaaS model revenue, year-round, subscription-based versus aviation contracts.

Sam Davis

It's an exciting time for us to introduce because the industry is now ready for all of the capabilities that we're able to deliver with our real-time situational awareness, and we've been able to build it into one ecosystem, even most recently, bringing in some modeling capabilities, which don't quite exist in one place yet in the industry.

Austin Moeller

Okay. If we think about the FMS upgrade and maintenance business in Huntsville, just given the record defense budget possibly up to 50% increase year over year in fiscal year 2027, how should we think about the top line growth profile of that business just as you get more orders from the Air Force and other service branches?

Sam Davis

That's something we'll have to define a little bit further into the year. What I will say is that we're on track with that portion of the business to hit their revenue this year. We've noticed where there was a little bit of a lag in the commitment to expand the program orders that we had last year. We've been seeing these orders come back with some significant commitment for what we have in our existing pipeline, let alone what we believe will be accessible through the many IDIQ that we have in place, as primes, the larger primes get more of these awards and pass along the work to us.

Sam Davis

We're gonna put concerted effort in what BD opportunities we pursue there going into the summer months here so that we can position uniquely with all the integrated services we have to get the right-sized jobs that incorporate all parts of Bridger's services, which are, you know, flight operations, maintenance, modification, flight testing, and engineering, all the pieces that we have in place today.

Austin Moeller

Super exciting. I'll pass it back there. Thanks.

Sam Davis

Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. We go next now to John Saunders with Stifel.

John Saunders

Hey, good afternoon. Thank you for taking my question, Sam and Anne.

Sam Davis

Thank you, John.

John Saunders

The earlier comments. Appreciate the earlier commentary on some of the moving parts in the federal policy. Just for outsiders, what are some things that we should be looking for and any benefit of consolidating this funding? Could this benefit this year, this fire season, or is this kind of more a longer term benefit of any changes? Thank you.

Sam Davis

Good question, John. I think we at Bridger are in full support of the consolidation, although there are growing pains associated with a big move like this, we don't trivialize that. The movements we've already seen in what the consolidation would mean, which would be more streamlined organization across the regions, dispatching, pre-positioning to help meet some of the directives for more aggressive wildfire management are all important tenets to have as the framework for those more aggressive wildfire management techniques to take place. We think that that will come more to fruition in an actual form next year because there are studies being done and some administrative reorganizations that are happening. I will say that we've seen more meaningful commitment.

Sam Davis

There's been a little bit of a lag here in Q1 of this year, but as we have the outlook of the fire year ahead of us and something significant as the USDA putting out a memo talking about the fire year and the significance and the preparedness that needs to be taking place is significant, a significant indicator of the movements in that direction for the collaborative effort of a centralized U.S. Wildland Fire Service and the moves to making those longer term commitments. Short answer, I think it's starting to have the right movements underway. I think before it takes shape in a more legislative appropriation and contract form, that's gonna be more to next year, but we're already benefiting from some of those moves.

John Saunders

Great. We'll watch it. Just a question on what you announced in early March, the $18.6 million Alaska contract. Can you just talk a little bit about how that contract works? Is an aircraft dedicated exclusively to that region? Just any kind of color would be appreciated. Thank you.

Sam Davis

Yeah, you bet. We have two aircraft in Alaska right now on a exclusive use multi-year contract. Alaska has seen, year-over-year, like the rest of the U.S., a lot of heightened fire activity. That call when needed contract gives them the opportunity to call and retain more aviation assets either early in the season, later in the season or extended through the peak of the season. It gives us the additional capacity to get more work earlier end of the year. We also have additional aircraft that could backfill that for that to be a surge capacity contract.

Sam Davis

It's a great one for us because it's what more of the trends that we see at the state level where they're willing to commit to their own aviation contracts and make sure they have assets available when there's a catch up in the unmet demand and the capacity that's out there. We're pursuing more of these with a lot more of the states throughout the West specifically.

John Saunders

Great. Good luck with the upcoming busy season.

Sam Davis

Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. Just a quick reminder, ladies and gentlemen, star one, please, for any further questions today. We'll pause for just a moment to allow everyone a chance to respond. Mr. Davis, it appears we have no further questions today, sir. I'll turn the conference back to you for any closing comments.

Sam Davis

All right. Thank you again for joining us today and your interest in Bridger. Please reach out to our investor relation teams with any questions. We will be participating in June at the Stifel Cross Sector Insight Conference for any interested investors. Thank you all so much and have a great day.

Operator

Thank you, Mr. Davis. Thank you, Ms. Hayes. Again, ladies and gentlemen, this will conclude the Bridger Aerospace first quarter earnings call. Again, thanks so much for joining us, everyone. We wish you all a great afternoon. Goodbye.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-22

Bridger Aerospace Announces Schedule for its First Quarter 2026 Earnings Release and Conference Call

Business Wire

BELGRADE, Mont., April 22, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. ("Bridger" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: BAER), one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, today announced that it will release financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026 on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, after the market close. Management will conduct an investor conference call on Wednesday May 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (3:00 p.m. Mountain Time) to discuss these results and business outlook. Interested parties can access the conference call by dialing 1-800-225-9448 or 1-203-518-9708. When prompted, please provide the Conference ID: BRIDGER. The conference call will also be broadcast live on the Investor Relations section of our website at https://ir.bridgeraerospace.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available through May 12, 2026, by calling 844-512-2921 or 412-317-6671 and using the passcode 11161408. The replay will also be accessible at https://ir.bridgeraerospace.com. About Bridger Aerospace Based in Belgrade, Montana, Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest aerial firefighting companies. Bridger provides aerial firefighting and wildfire management services to federal and state government agencies, including the United States Forest Service, across the nation, as well as internationally. More information about Bridger Aerospace is available at https://www.bridgeraerospace.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260422501081/en/ Contacts Investor Contact Tom Cook [email protected] Media Contact Devin Johnson Bridger Aerospace 406-919-5980 [email protected]

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-03-11

Bridger Aerospace Stock Slips Post Q4 Earnings Despite Revenue Growth

Zacks
Shares of Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. BAER have lost 13.3% since the company reported its earnings for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025. This compares to the S&P 500 Index’s 0.9% loss over the same time frame. Over the past month, the stock lost 22.1% compared with the S&P 500’s 2.1% decline. For the fourth quarter of 2025, Bridger Aerospace reported revenues of $8.5 million, down 45.2% from $15.6 million in the year-ago quarter. Net loss widened to $15.1 million, or $(0.40) per diluted share, from a loss of $12.8 million, or $(0.36) per share, in the fourth quarter of 2024. Adjusted EBITDA loss for the quarter was $9.5 million compared with a loss of $2.9 million a year earlier. For the full year, revenue increased 24.6% to $122.8 million from $98.6 million. BAER posted net income of $4.1 million for 2025 against a net loss of $15.6 million in 2024, while adjusted EBITDA rose 21.3% to $45.3 million from $37.3 million. Bridger Aerospace reported a loss per share of $0.42 for 2025 compared with $0.81 in 2024. Bridger Aerospace attributed its full-year revenue growth primarily to increased activity from its Super Scooper firefighting aircraft and surveillance platforms, despite what management described as a generally below-average wildfire season. Higher utilization of these assets supported improved operational results across 2025. Fourth-quarter revenue declined partly due to lower return-to-service work associated with Spanish Super Scooper aircraft under a partnership with MAB Funding. Excluding this work, revenue was $7.7 million in the quarter compared with $10.5 million in the comparable period of 2024. BAER also noted that the timing of aircraft deployments contributed to the year-over-year decline, as some deployments occurred later in the fourth quarter of 2024. Costs and expenses also affected profitability in the quarter. Cost of revenues declined 8.4% to $14.1 million from $15.4 million in the prior-year quarter, but selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses rose 75.4% to $13.4 million from $7.7 million. The increase was largely tied to higher fair-value adjustments for warrants and higher earnout consideration relative to the year-ago period. Other income surged to $10 million in the fourth quarter compared with $0.3 million in the prior year. This change was primarily driven by a $16.9 million gain related to a sale-leasebac…Read full document

Shares of Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. BAER have lost 13.3% since the company reported its earnings for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025. This compares to the S&P 500 Index’s 0.9% loss over the same time frame. Over the past month, the stock lost 22.1% compared with the S&P 500’s 2.1% decline. For the fourth quarter of 2025, Bridger Aerospace reported revenues of $8.5 million, down 45.2% from $15.6 million in the year-ago quarter. Net loss widened to $15.1 million, or $(0.40) per diluted share, from a loss of $12.8 million, or $(0.36) per share, in the fourth quarter of 2024. Adjusted EBITDA loss for the quarter was $9.5 million compared with a loss of $2.9 million a year earlier. For the full year, revenue increased 24.6% to $122.8 million from $98.6 million. BAER posted net income of $4.1 million for 2025 against a net loss of $15.6 million in 2024, while adjusted EBITDA rose 21.3% to $45.3 million from $37.3 million. Bridger Aerospace reported a loss per share of $0.42 for 2025 compared with $0.81 in 2024. Bridger Aerospace attributed its full-year revenue growth primarily to increased activity from its Super Scooper firefighting aircraft and surveillance platforms, despite what management described as a generally below-average wildfire season. Higher utilization of these assets supported improved operational results across 2025. Fourth-quarter revenue declined partly due to lower return-to-service work associated with Spanish Super Scooper aircraft under a partnership with MAB Funding. Excluding this work, revenue was $7.7 million in the quarter compared with $10.5 million in the comparable period of 2024. BAER also noted that the timing of aircraft deployments contributed to the year-over-year decline, as some deployments occurred later in the fourth quarter of 2024. Costs and expenses also affected profitability in the quarter. Cost of revenues declined 8.4% to $14.1 million from $15.4 million in the prior-year quarter, but selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses rose 75.4% to $13.4 million from $7.7 million. The increase was largely tied to higher fair-value adjustments for warrants and higher earnout consideration relative to the year-ago period. Other income surged to $10 million in the fourth quarter compared with $0.3 million in the prior year. This change was primarily driven by a $16.9 million gain related to a sale-leaseback transaction, partly offset by a $7.8 million loss from extinguishing debt as part of a refinancing completed during the quarter. Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. Quote For the full year, cost of revenues increased 23.8% to $71.1 million from $57.5 million in 2024, reflecting higher operating activity and additional expenses related to the return-to-service work on Spanish Super Scoopers aircraft. SG&A expenses were $36.3 million for 2025, up 1.3% from $35.8 million in the previous year. Interest expense decreased 1.9% to $23.3 million from $23.7 million. Other income rose sharply to $11.8 million from $2.1 million in 2024, primarily due to the previously noted sale-leaseback gain. Chief Executive Officer Sam Davis highlighted the company’s 2025 performance as a milestone, noting that Bridger Aerospace delivered record results despite a below-average wildfire year. According to Davis, increased emphasis from customers on early detection and the pre-positioning of aircraft helped drive greater fleet utilization and operational efficiency. Management also pointed to longer-term contracts and diversification of revenue streams as contributors to BAER’s improved financial performance. The CEO said the company’s operational readiness and expanded fleet position Bridger Aerospace to continue benefiting from rising demand for aerial firefighting and wildfire management services. Bridger Aerospace ended 2025 with cash and cash equivalents of $31.4 million compared with $39.3 million at the end of 2024. Operating cash flow improved significantly, reaching $16.7 million for the year compared with $9.4 million in 2024. BAER also completed a $331.5 million financing package during the year, which included debt refinancing and the establishment of a $100 million delayed-draw facility. Management indicated that this financing strengthens liquidity and provides capital for future fleet expansion as demand for aerial firefighting services grows. For 2026, Bridger Aerospace expects revenues between $135 million and $145 million, representing roughly 14% growth at the midpoint of the range. Excluding non-recurring return-to-service work recorded in 2025, the midpoint implies revenue growth of about 29%. The company forecasts adjusted EBITDA between $55 million and $60 million, reflecting approximately 27% growth at the midpoint of the range. Management expects this growth to be supported by the addition of four air surveillance aircraft and the integration of the first two Spanish Scooper aircraft into the operational fleet. During 2025, Bridger Aerospace advanced its fleet expansion strategy. The company added two Spanish Scooper aircraft to its operational fleet and four air surveillance aircraft to its balance sheet. These additions are intended to expand firefighting capacity and support growing demand from government agencies for aerial wildfire suppression and monitoring services. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. (BAER): Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

As of 2026-08-15 • Updated weeklySource: Earnings sourceIngestion runbook