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Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-04Brunswick (BC) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Motley Fool
Brunswick (BC) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - David Foulkes Chief Financial Officer - Ryan Gwillim Senior Vice President and Deputy CFO - Stephen Weiland Operator: Good morning, and welcome to Brunswick Corporation's Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. All participants will be in a listen-only mode until the question-and-answer period. Today's meeting will be recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I would now like to introduce Stephen Weiland, Senior Vice President and Deputy CFO, Brunswick Corporation. Stephen Weiland: Good morning, and thank you for joining us. With me on the call this morning are David Foulkes, Brunswick's Chairman and CEO and Ryan Gwillim, Brunswick's CFO. Before we begin with our prepared remarks, I would like to remind everyone that during this call, our comments will include certain forward-looking statements about future results. Please keep in mind that our actual results could differ materially from these expectations. For details on the factors to consider, please refer to our recent SEC filings in today's press release. All of these documents are available on our website at brunswick.com. During our presentation, we will be referring to certain non-GAAP financial information. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures are provided in the appendix to this presentation and the reconciliation section of the unaudited consolidated financial statements accompanying today's results. I will now turn the call over to David. David Foulkes: Thank you, Steve. Brunswick delivered a strong second quarter despite the turbulent external backdrop. With financial performance ahead of expectations and year-over-year sales growth across all reporting segments, for the fourth consecutive quarter. Our premium and core bias portfolio remained resilient. And our first half boat retail sales were essentially flat when adjusted for the purposeful value model rationalization actions initiated last year. Marine OEM growth rates moderated somewhat from the exceptional first quarter growth but remained very healthy. Drove gains for Mercury Marine and Navico Group Boating participation also remains very strong and continues to drive our recurring revenue parts and accessories aftermarket and subscription boating businesses. Boat and engine pi…Read full documentShow less
Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - David Foulkes Chief Financial Officer - Ryan Gwillim Senior Vice President and Deputy CFO - Stephen Weiland Operator: Good morning, and welcome to Brunswick Corporation's Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. All participants will be in a listen-only mode until the question-and-answer period. Today's meeting will be recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I would now like to introduce Stephen Weiland, Senior Vice President and Deputy CFO, Brunswick Corporation. Stephen Weiland: Good morning, and thank you for joining us. With me on the call this morning are David Foulkes, Brunswick's Chairman and CEO and Ryan Gwillim, Brunswick's CFO. Before we begin with our prepared remarks, I would like to remind everyone that during this call, our comments will include certain forward-looking statements about future results. Please keep in mind that our actual results could differ materially from these expectations. For details on the factors to consider, please refer to our recent SEC filings in today's press release. All of these documents are available on our website at brunswick.com. During our presentation, we will be referring to certain non-GAAP financial information. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures are provided in the appendix to this presentation and the reconciliation section of the unaudited consolidated financial statements accompanying today's results. I will now turn the call over to David. David Foulkes: Thank you, Steve. Brunswick delivered a strong second quarter despite the turbulent external backdrop. With financial performance ahead of expectations and year-over-year sales growth across all reporting segments, for the fourth consecutive quarter. Our premium and core bias portfolio remained resilient. And our first half boat retail sales were essentially flat when adjusted for the purposeful value model rationalization actions initiated last year. Marine OEM growth rates moderated somewhat from the exceptional first quarter growth but remained very healthy. Drove gains for Mercury Marine and Navico Group Boating participation also remains very strong and continues to drive our recurring revenue parts and accessories aftermarket and subscription boating businesses. Boat and engine pipelines continue to be lean and fresh, with balanced channel dynamics. With global boat pipelines down approximately 1,800 units for the year, we are well positioned for wholesale growth with any future market improvement. Our overall net sales of $1.6 billion increased 8% year-over-year, with growth across all segments driven by pricing actions taken in recent periods, improved mix, new product traction, continued healthy OEM demand and strong operational execution. Adjusted earnings per share of $1.56 increased 34% versus last year, benefiting from the same underlying business drivers as well as recognized tariff refunds partially offset by cost inflation, higher variable compensation, incremental tariffs and continued product investment. Absent the net IEEPA benefit, including its associated influence on variable compensation, adjusted EPS was still significantly ahead of expectations. Demonstrating the strength of our underlying business performance. All segments increased adjusted operating earnings and margin with the exception of propulsion. Which incurred additional tariffs and higher product development expenses as expected. Later, Ryan will discuss the overall financial impact of the IEEPA refunds on our results and guidance for the year. Finally, we repurchased $35 million of shares year-to-date. And will retire $160 million or more of debt by year end. Underscoring our commitment to both maintaining an investment-grade balance sheet and returning capital to our shareholders. Turning now to external conditions. While fuel prices have clearly not dampened enthusiasm for boating participation, the prolonged conflict in the Middle East, combined with the impacts of inflation on affordability, are negatively impacting consumer sentiment. Particularly amongst buyers of our valued products. We continue to closely monitor the tariff environment and successfully drive mitigation actions. We now expect total gross IEEPA refunds of approximately $60 million to $70 million. We recognized approximately $30 million of submitted and accepted refunds in the quarter. With the remaining expected Phase 2 refunds of approximately $10 million reflected in full-year guidance. The window for the balance of our refund submissions beyond Phase II is not yet open. And not yet reflected in guidance. We are also monitoring the newly introduced Section 301 and Canadian tariffs. Which we currently estimate will drive roughly $5 million of net negative incremental 2026 impact. And we will continue to adjust our mitigation actions as the environment evolves. Dealer and OEM sentiment is stable but cautious. With wholesale order rates remaining fairly steady. We continue to outperform the market. Expanding our share of wallet and capturing new OEM wins with well-received new products. Moving to segment performance, our sustained momentum across our businesses and product lines is evident from the fact that all segments delivered year-over-year sales growth for the fourth consecutive quarter. As discussed earlier, adjusted operating margin also expanded across the enterprise in the quarter except in the propulsion segment. However, our incremental 2026 tariff payments are first-half-biased. And we expect all segments will expand operating margin over the next two quarters. After a very strong first quarter, U.S. Outboard engine industry retail units finished the first half slightly down versus prior year. However, our propulsion business delivered another strong quarter. With year-over-year sales growth driven by steady OEM demand, continued high market share, and strong international momentum. First half global and U.S. Outboard orders were up over 10%, with very strong June order activity. U.S. Outboard rolling 12-month share was down slightly to 46%, driven primarily by below 5 horsepower registration declines at volume retailers. And a strong 2025 comp. With OEM share remaining robust. Internationally, Mercury is driving strong share gains, with double-digit unit order increases year-to-date. And rolling 12-month outboard share up across most regions significant gains in Asia and Latin America. Notably in Brazil, we have increased share 600 basis points since 2019. Our five new engine platforms are on track for launching in the next two years. We are also pursuing growth opportunities in repower, government, and commercial markets. Which we will share more about at our upcoming Investor Day. Engine pipelines remain lean, with U.S. Outboard pipelines down 7% in the quarter versus prior year. Engine parts and accessories delivered another strong quarter. Supported by healthy boating participation and resulting product demand along with past pricing actions. Combined with continued distribution gains, this drove higher sales and the products and distribution businesses both contributed to improved profitability. Underscoring the stability and attractive operating leverage, of this recurring revenue business. Our second quarter sales were the best since 2022, and up across all global regions. With Land 'N' Sea rolling 12-month distribution share increasing again by 130 basis points. The Engine P&A business and Navico Group continue to work together to exploit combined footprint opportunities. Navico Group continued its strong performance trajectory. With sales growth across its business lines, supported by new products, multiple OEM wins, sustained aftermarket demand and ongoing operational improvement actions. And exclusive of the net IEEPA impact, expanded its core operating margin by over 250 basis points versus prior year. We were also excited to finalize our first OEM supply agreement with Saxdor for Simrad autopilot. With more expected to be finalized soon. Lastly, our Boat segment grew both sales and margins, benefiting from the increased emphasis on premium and core brands, pricing actions and continued growth in Freedom Boat Club. And we expect continued strong margin expansion over the remainder of the year. Benefiting from mix portfolio actions and operating efficiencies. The latest SSI data for June year-to-date shows U.S. Main powerboat segment retail down approximately 4% impacted by sentiment, affordability and poor weather in some northern markets. Overall, Brunswick U.S. internal retail is performing at similar levels. But with premium fiberglass and core product lines flat to prior year. And pressure on value product lines as anticipated. When adjusted for our purposeful rationalization of value models, our first-half U.S. retail was roughly flat versus last year. Pipelines are lean and healthy. ending down approximately 1,800 units. The Business Acceleration portfolio continues to deliver growth and attractive margins. led by Freedom Boat Club. We recently announced our 450th global network location and member trips were up a record 13% for the first half of the year. I will now hand the call over to Ryan for more details on our financial performance. Ryan Gwillim: Thank you, David, and good morning, everyone. Brunswick's second quarter performance came in ahead of expectations with strong sales and earnings growth over last year. On a consolidated basis, sales were up 8% reflecting steady OEM orders continued strong P&A and aftermarket performance driven by healthy boating participation, and pricing taken in previous periods. As Dave mentioned earlier, it was fantastic to see the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year sales growth for all segments. Adjusted operating earnings and margins were up driven by the higher sales IEEPA refunds and positive mix impacts more than offsetting higher inflationary pressures, increased variable compensation, incremental tariffs versus Q2 of 2025, and continued spending on product development primarily in propulsion. Even absent the net impact of the IEEPA refund recognized in the quarter, adjusted operating earnings were up strongly versus the second quarter of 2025. This resulted in adjusted EPS of $1.56 up $0.34 over last year. An outstanding result. We delivered a robust $278 million of free cash flow in the quarter, just slightly behind Q2 of 2025 due solely to the second quarter timing of our annual profit sharing payment. This simple bridge shows the key factors of our Q2 adjusted EPS performance. From our Q2 guidance midpoint of $1.15, we had a net beat of a little less than $0.20 in the quarter due to our outstanding business performance. We then recognized a net IEEPA benefit of slightly more than $0.20 which is the gross IEEPA refunds accrued in Q2 netted against the related earnings impact of our enterprise-wide compensation plans. The result was an adjusted EPS of $1.56 Now looking at the first half of the year, sales were up 10%. Reflecting the prior second quarter factors just mentioned together with the exceptionally strong first quarter results. First half adjusted operating earnings increased 18% over the prior year. Adjusted EPS is up 32% and free cash flow of $161 million is ahead of last year, after normalizing for the impact of enterprise compensation paid versus 2025. Moving to our segments, propulsion had another fantastic quarter with sales increasing 8% versus the prior year, driven by steady OEM demand and market share and pricing actions taken in recent quarters. Adjusted operating earnings were up and margins essentially flat versus prior year due to the increased sales, favorable absorption and net IEEPA refund offsetting elevated material labor inflation, product spend and tariffs. Absent the net IEEPA refund, adjusted operating earnings and margins declined year-over-year due to the incremental costs just mentioned offsetting the earnings from the increased sales and positive absorption impact. As year-over-year tariff costs reverse, and elevated product spend normalizes in the back half of the year, we anticipate significant margin expansion in the second half of the year resulting in full-year margin growth of more than 100 basis points for the Propulsion segment. Our Engine Parts and Accessories business delivered another strong quarter of 9% sales growth, with 16% growth in the higher-margin products business. Growth in the quarter reflected strong boating participation and the resulting demand for P&A together with past pricing actions. Adjusted operating earnings were up 19% and adjusted operating margin increased 200 basis points driven by the increased mix from products, and the leverage on higher sales, with the net IEEPA refund offering a very slight benefit. Now turning to Navico Group, that had another quarter of solid growth and improved profitability. Sales grew 7% over prior year and were up across all business lines and regions driven by increased OEM demand for new products, pricing, and boating participation supporting very strong aftermarket performance. Adjusted operating earnings increased 143% propelled by leverage on their higher revenue and their net IEEPA refund, with the adjusted operating margin expanding by 680 basis points. Absent the net IEEPA refund impact, both adjusted earnings and margins were still up significantly. Navico Group is solidly on track for its full-year target of increasing adjusted operating margin in excess of 100 basis points without any assistance from tariff refunds and despite inflationary impacts on inputs, including memory costs and other raw materials. Wrapping up segment results, our Boat Group sales were up 5%. Driven by beneficial mix from premium models, improved pricing and discounts, and Freedom Boat Club. Adjusted operating earnings were up 45%, with margins up 120 basis points reflecting higher sales, the flow through of pricing and lower discounts, and the continued focus on operational efficiencies designed to lower costs and increase gross margins throughout the portfolio. Freedom Boat Club had a very strong quarter announcing its 450th global network location and continued increases in members and trips. IEEPA refunds had a de minimis impact on this segment. I will now share our updated guidance for the third quarter and full-year. While certain new boat retail markets remain pressured due to continued elevated rates and geopolitical uncertainty, our portfolio of leading premium boat and engine products continues to grow sales and capture OEM and consumer share and our recurring revenue businesses continue to benefit from committed, healthy boating participation. Our disciplined execution and improvement actions also continue to drive strong operating leverage and are expected to result in materially increased adjusted operating margins and earnings this year. Overcoming the approximately $40 million impact of incremental tariffs, which is slightly elevated since our last estimate due to the anticipated impact of Section 301 replacing Section 122. Our overall tariff impact is first-half-weighted. With the year-over-year second half impact lower than 2025. The overall result is revenue of $5.7 billion to $5.8 billion up strongly over 2025, adjusted operating margins of approximately 8%, up 100 basis points year-over-year and adjusted EPS of $4.35 to $4.75 up almost 40% at the midpoint. We are also increasing our free cash flow guidance to more than $400 million on the back of strong earnings, prudent working capital management and the benefit of the net IEEPA refunds. Given all the moving pieces, we thought one last bridge would be helpful to show the components of our adjusted EPS guidance raise. As I mentioned earlier, absent any tariff refund impacts, our Q2 performance beat was about $0.20. From there, we anticipate a full-year net IEEPA benefit of a little more than $0.30 which includes the refunds accrued in Q2 plus the remainder of our Phase 2 refunds which we believe will be approved in the second half of the year. We are not anticipating or including in guidance any Phase 4 refunds in 2026, which could add more than $0.20 once approved. Offsetting these benefits are two primary factors. First, we anticipate incurring an additional $0.15 of material inflation in the back half of the year versus what was included in our April guidance. Mostly incurred at Mercury and Navico Group. Second, we believe the tariff changes just discussed will add another approximately $0.05 to our overall cost base. These costs and benefits net to an approximate $0.30 of adjusted EPS benefit and we are flowing through to the full-year with our EPS midpoint now $4.55 for the year reflecting a balanced view of risks and opportunities as we navigate the continued challenging macro environment. I will now pass the call back over to David for concluding remarks. David Foulkes: Thanks, Ryan. This year, Brunswick earned 15 Boating Industry Top Products Awards. The most we have ever received in a single year. With 13 different brands represented spanning both propulsion, vessel controls and marine electronics. This extraordinary performance along with many other domestic and international product design and technology awards clearly illustrates the increasing breadth and depth of our product leadership. Overall, through the first half of the year, Brunswick has secured a company record 86 awards, and we remain firmly on track to surpass 100 enterprise awards for the fifth consecutive year. As in prior years, this recognition spans products, innovation, workplace culture, leadership and corporate reputation. And reflects the strength and consistency of our organization and values. Thank you to all of our Brunswick employees whose talent and dedication makes this recognition possible. Before we open the line for questions, while I am very pleased and excited about Brunswick's performance and trajectory Next Never Restsâ¢. And there is a lot more to come. Which we will share at Brunswick's Investor Day on August 11. We will release a prerecorded video strategy presentation on our website next week and address questions on those materials at the event's live Q&A session. The event, which will be held at Mercury Marine's headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, will also include facility tours and on-water product demonstrations. For those unable to attend, we will also be pleased to answer follow-up questions in post-event calls. We are approaching capacity for the event, so please register if you have not already done so. With that, we will now open the line for questions. Operator: Thank you. We will now be conducting a question-and-answer session. Lift your handset before pressing the star keys. The first question is from James Hardiman from Citi. Please go ahead. James Hardiman: Hey, good morning. Thanks for taking my questions. A real shocker, I have a question on tariffs just because there is a lot of moving pieces there. Obviously, the incentive comp makes it even more complicated. Think I get it for the quarter. Maybe as we just think about the full-year guide, EPS is up $0.30, tariffs are giving you $0.30. Those sort of roughly cancel each other out. there is some operational upside, but that is being offset by inflation and Canadian tariffs. Let me know if you think that is sort of good math then as we think about the margin guide, 25-basis-point increase, is that up or down at all, ex the refunds? Thanks. Ryan Gwillim: Hey, James. Maybe I will take this. And maybe I will be just a little bit broader to start just so that everyone gets the full picture. I think we consider the tariffs paid in 2026 and then the IEEPA refunds pretty different animals. So maybe I will take them in sections and that will help kind of everyone on the call. So on 2026, really the only major change in the quarter was the elimination of Section 122. It was replaced by Section 301. And then the additional potential Canadian tariffs. Together, we think that is probably a $5 million or so bad guy and that is really a second half hit. So if you think about our incremental tariff impact from last year, that takes it from our previous range where we thought we were at the bottom of that $35 million to $45 million range. Puts us squarely in the middle of approximately $40 million. And so that is embedded in the guidance. We will continue to mitigate. We will continue to lower our China impact. And that is, remember, first half loaded. As the way the timing worked through last year versus this year. Bad guy in the first half and actually a neutral positive in the second half of this year due to that timing. And then maybe on IEEPA refunds, we think about it in a couple of ways. We have been pretty public with a gross number. So just a gross before any other impacts to the P&L of $60 million of IEEPA refunds. You saw today in the materials, that looks to be now $60 million to $70 million, but 2 very key things here. So first, this is a gross number. We understand the refunds are a reduction of COGS, which ultimately is an increase to earnings, but that gross number does not include the associated impacts the refunds have on other parts of the P&L, namely variable compensation. that is why we are really we are talking about it as a net number which as we turn the calendar to 2027, will enable everyone to back out the net impact, which is really the correct way to think about it. And then the other item is there is a lot of timing involved here. IEEPA refunds are really in 3 phases. There is Phase 1, which is very small, received and recognized in the quarter in Q2, but very, very small. Phase 2, which is about 60% of the refunds, and I will get to that in a second, and then Phase 4, which is the remainder. And importantly, we are not anticipating currently any Phase 4 refunds to be accrued or any benefit in 2026. So we have not included that number in any guidance. So that is part of the $60 million to $70 million of gross that will eventually be received. But it is not included in any 2026 guidance. So that leaves the treatment of Phase 2 IEEPA and, simply, about $30 million of that as you correctly mentioned, $30 million was accepted in Q2 and therefore included in the results. And once netted for enterprise-wide variable comp impacts, that represented about a $0.20 benefit in the quarter. So that is what you saw on the bridge. The remaining, about $10 million of Phase 2 was not accepted in Q2 due to some technicalities in the system. But we are confident that they will be accepted. And so although not in the Q2 numbers, they are a benefit in the second half, which we included about $0.10 into the full-year guide. So that really is all things tariff. And then if you roll it forward to your full-year guidance question, we had a $0.20 beat in Q2 that had nothing to do with tariffs. We had another approximately $0.20 of net IEEPA, which we talked about resulting in the $0.40 overall beat versus our midpoint of $1.15 from April. And then if you look forward to the second half, we really we see about $0.20 of risk on the macros, which is in inflation, and the increased tariffs that I discussed, which is offset by that $0.10 of Phase 2 benefit. So if you think about what flowed through, you really got the whole Q2 beat that was not related to tariffs. And about half of the net IEEPA goodness in the quarter, for $0.30. So a raise from $4.25 to $4.55 in the midpoint. So long answer, but lots of things covered there. Hope that answers your question. James Hardiman: that is really good. And it is a I think it is a good way to frame it. I guess on to in theory, what should really matter, and that is sort of the demand environment. You talked about retail all in being down 4%, I think flattish ex the sort of value units rationalization. What can you tell us about the momentum within those numbers You guys started out the year really strong. I think January and February were up meaningfully, and then March was weaker. And then here in Q2, February was weaker than Q1 Is there anything that we should be drawing from that And I think the tiebreaker is always you know, the last month, right, which everybody will wanna focus on. But anything you can tell us to help us frame sort of where demand appears to be headed with the most updated data points that you have? Thank you. David Foulkes: Yes. Let me I will take that one. Yes, I think I mean, we clearly are continuing to see this K-shaped economy effect that we have seen for some time now, and it is almost like there are two distinct markets at the moment and maybe we should work to frame them as best we can going forward. There clearly is a premium market, which is very stable. We said that premium fiberglass was roughly flat, but in fact, it was almost exactly it was exactly flat, basically, almost to the unit. So, you know, Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, and NAVAN are very solid continue to be very solid. Also, our core portfolio is very solid, flat almost exactly which includes kind of premium pontoons, premium fishing, but what we are seeing that we--we talked about earlier really is that those kind of fiberglass runabout boats where people are not maybe as committed to boating as part of their lifestyle They are not typically fishing boats. They are not premium boats. that is why we are seeing the softness. And it is not new. it is exactly what we talked about and exactly why we rationalized the product line in that area and also the manufacturing footprint in that area. So we are kind of rightsizing our business in the softer part of the market. With still potential for rebound. Boat Group actually sacrificed some revenue to do this, but gained about 100 basis points of margin, is exactly what we intended. it is So I think we will continue to look at both parts of the market going forward, a part that is very solid and resilient and has good momentum. And we actually I think you will see some positive things going on particularly in saltwater fishing in the balance of the year. But the but this part of the market that we are, I guess, leaning away from, which is the less committed part of the market, the kind of general runabout fiberglass, but we are seeing people just more cautious and more fragile, I guess, from the overall economy. Got it. Thank you both. Operator: Thanks, James. The next question is from Randy Konik from Jefferies. Please go ahead. Randy Konik: Yes, thanks a lot and good morning. I guess, Ryan, for you, what I wanted to try to get to understand, maybe qualitatively, if you do not want to give quantitatively, is just how we should be thinking about the long-term margin power of the business You talked about it in the answers to questions or script in terms of continuing to work on things like reducing your manufacturing footprint i.e., fixed cost expense, in the business? So I am just trying to understand, as we think about over time, the demand environment improving, not focusing on what is going on in the next 90 days or the next last 30 days. But the next two, three, or five years, Just wanna understand that in an assumption of an improving long-term tailwind of demand, how we should be thinking about the margin power of the company overall And maybe just high-level how we think about the different segments as it compares to prior cycle high margins maybe achieved during COVID, etcetera. How we want to think about that similar or not similar this time around versus last time around? That would be super helpful. Thanks. Ryan Gwillim: Yes, Randy, I will take that. The very good news is in four days, you are going to get a whole lot of detail on exactly that, which is what do we think our earnings power is in a market that we think is going to--may not provide as much help as maybe in previous plans anticipated. We agree. We think there is still growth in the market. We think we are at a trough in terms of units. But there are different views on how fast that gets to a more normalized view. And the 1 constant is that Brunswick can continue to drive earnings in a variety of market conditions as we have proven already. Without getting too detailed, because I do want people to see all the specifics that will be in our investor materials, no one is going to be surprised to see the operating leverage that is embedded in our plan. It is north of 20%. It can get to something that is north of that. In various conditions. that is really across the portfolio. there is not one single business unit that is a laggard or far ahead I will give you a couple just things to think about. Navico Group continues to grow and have gross margin growth. That has the highest product and variable margins of anything across our company, and that will continue to be a strength, I think, as we progress through the next strategic plan. Our parts and accessories business also continues to be extremely strong from a margin standpoint. But just consistent as can be. I mean, this year, boating usage we know is up, and that has been reflected then in a very strong year from the P&A side. And then propulsion and boats both continue to grow margins throughout any conditions. You have seen the boat business at a wholesale level that they have not really seen in a decade still grow margins this year. As Dave mentioned a second ago, while propulsion continues to be flat to slightly up and will be up for the full-year, despite strong product spending and the tariff impact. So you are going to I think the investment community is going be very pleased to see the inherent growth across all of our businesses that would be supercharged if there is just a little bit of industry help or market help also given that the pipelines are at historic lows across our portfolio. So hope that helps. And certainly, Monday morning, the additional information will be very helpful. Super helpful. And then just can you just maybe quantify, remind us you just mentioned it, the extra spend and pull forward that is related to I think, some of these higher horsepower engine programs. I think you said 5 programs are in process; four of the five, I think, are launching in the next one to two years. Just curious on how we should be thinking about that extent of the pull forward and the duration of that expense such that when we get to, let's say, I do not know, second quarter, Q1 2027, is that an expense we lap and that those pull forward expenses start to pull off a little bit? Just high-level how we should be thinking of that as well? Yes. it is about $20 million to $25 million of spend. It has been spread across a couple of quarters. So yes, by the time you get to next year, the product spend may not be dramatically lower, this is a lumpier time. Remember, these engine programs ebb and flow over time and you may get to a point which we have over the last couple of quarters where each engine program is at a spot where it is at a little heavier spend. And so that is what you are seeing. But do not take away we are going to stop spending on engine product development because that is a core competency of ours and keeps us well ahead of our competition. So little bit lumpy. Think about it as about $20 million spread over a couple of quarters. But again, it will soften, but not dramatically so as we go to the out years. Awesome. Thanks, guys. Operator: The next question is from Matthew Boss from JPMorgan. Matthew Boss: Great, thanks. So David, could you just elaborate on the progression of boat retail sales through the core summer selling season with retail sales tracking down 4% year-to-date any change to flat to up slightly for the year? Or any change separately in your outlook for wholesale units this year? David Foulkes: Yes. On the retail side, I think given the softer value part of the market, I think flattish was probably where we will end up. Let me-- it could be slightly down on a unit basis. But entirely due to the value part of the market. We still see the premium and core parts of the market as very solid at the moment. So we would say that they are likely to be flat, those parts of the market. Through the balance of the year. By the end of July, which is where we are at right now, that is about 75% of retail for the year. So that will be modest kind of changes going forward. I think, you know, maybe what I did not say earlier is although we, you know, have to recognize that the markets behave different parts of the market behave differently. If you are looking in the automotive market at the moment at pickups and SUVs, you are having a pretty good time of it. If you are looking at passenger cars, you are not having quite such a good time of it. And that is you know, very analogous to what is going on in the boating market at the moment. And we lean into premium and core that is where the vast majority of our profitability is. So that remains very steady. With plenty of upside opportunity, which we will also talk about in Investor Day. The other thing I did not really say was, of course, we are participating in the if you like, the value part of the market through Freedom Boat Club. There are alternative ways to get at that consumer in ways that are less subject to inflation less subject to interest rates, all those kind of things. So I think that we are you know, mixing our approaches to the market appropriately exactly for how the market is behaving and will continue to do so. We did see really strong performance from Freedom Boat Club this year. The other part of the market that we do not talk about enough, even though we try to, is boating participation. Which has been incredibly strong. So if people own a boat, they are using it extensively despite fuel price increases as we anticipated. So there is no shortage of interest in going boating. We are just seeing this one part of the market, which is a bit less committed and a bit more economically fragile showing some softness. But that is really not super material to our results. As you have seen. Ryan Gwillim: And maybe just to add on that, you did have a wholesale question. And just to piggyback off of what David is saying, wholesale sales for our premium core products as we look at 2027 model year, which we are now in, continue to be very strong, especially at Whaler. So as we think about wholesale assumptions for the year, I do not think there is any material changes. If there were any changes in the numbers, just the raw numbers, it would be premium and core. It seems to be strong and maybe up a little bit. Over expectations while value would be slightly down. So really good momentum on wholesale as we think about the back half of this year. David Foulkes: Great color. Best of luck. Operator: The next question is from Joe Altobello from Raymond James. Please go ahead. Joseph Altobello: Thanks. Hey, guys. Good morning. I guess, first on shipments. In the back half of the year. How are you guys thinking about wholesale? Versus retail with respect to both boats and engines? Would you expect dealers to end the year higher in terms of weeks-on-hand? David Foulkes: Yeah. I think I think it will be flattish as, you know, on a weeks-on-hand basis, Joe. I think, what we are seeing from dealers and actually you see it in the dealer sentiment studies, is we think they think that they are approaching the right level of inventory and I speak about that on a total market basis. And for us, we have very lean and fresh inventory levels. So have not seen any diminishing trends in wholesale orders. We believe orders will remain very solid which will probably mean that weeks-on-hand will probably be pretty flat through this year. Got it. Joseph Altobello: And just moving on to The U.S. Outboard market, are you seeing any shifts in terms of pricing from some of your competitors at this point? David Foulkes: No, we are not seeing any material shifts in pricing. We continue to see very modest pricing, and we are continuing to follow that. As you know, we price at a premium. So we are continuing to maintain that premium, but we are not seeing a lot of pricing activity at the moment. Okay. Great. Thank you. Operator: The next question is from Anna Glaessgen from B. Riley. Please go ahead. Anna Glaessgen: Hi, good morning. Thanks for taking my question. I would like to ask on the boat segment rationalization. Do you expect that you would continue to see rationalizations spill into 2027? Or should 2026 be the end of that impact? Thanks. David Foulkes: I think we will continue to look at it, to be honest. I think we did really the product lines that we took out I think, were the right product lines at the time. But we will continue to see how the market develops. We do not believe that there are not new opportunities in the value part of the market, and we are at different kind of model architectures and ways to approach that part of the market that might offer something that market is desirable in that market and a little bit different. So we are going to continue to be innovative. But if we need to rationalize more, then, yeah, sure, we will rationalize some more. And try and make sure that we maintain scale, but, you know, lean into the growing parts of the market and the high margin parts of the market. So, yeah, it will be dynamic. I cannot say it is complete yet. We are continuing to look at it. Got it. Thanks. Anna Glaessgen: And then just one clarification. We have seen some pretty significant operating margin expansion in Navico through the first half of the year, but the full-year guide, I believe, is for up 200 basis points. Is that 200 excluding the IEEPA refunds that hit so on like an organic basis? Because otherwise, it seems to imply a potential compression in the back half? Ryan Gwillim: No, Anna, that does notâI'm sorry. Yes, the IEEPA refunds are included in all of our guidance kind of as anticipated. Navico benefited from that in the quarter. But even if you take that out, right, even if you take out any IEEPA goodness, they are still up 260 basis points in the quarter. So still an outstanding result. If you think about the remaining portion of the year, Q3 and Q4, we anticipate should be up, and Q4, probably close to flat to get to your guidance for the full-year. So it was a one-time kind of good guy for the quarter that will be then spread out for the full-year. But to be clear, they are growing margins absent the IEEPA refund throughout the full for a full-year basis. Similar to what they did last year. Okay. Got it. Thanks, Ryan. Super helpful. Operator: The next question is from Gerrick Johnson from Seaport Research Partners. Please go ahead. Gerrick Johnson: Hey, questions on the associated variable comp related to the tariff refunds. 1, can you explain the mechanics? I mean, is everyone getting like a retroactive bonus at Brunswick? And then and how much of this variable comp, what is the dollar number that we are offsetting these refunds within the second quarter and then also in the back half. And lastly, this, of those refunds, how are they spread? Across the segments? David Foulkes: Hey, Gerrick. Well, maybe Ryan and I can tag team this one a bit. Yeah. No, nobody is getting a retroactive bonus of any kind Our variable comp plans depend on free cash flow, which was stronger. And also on earnings or earnings per share, long-term is cash flow return on investment. Essentially, did not--and, you know, typically, we have some form of linear variable comp curve or almost linear comp curve. Where roughly 100% of kind of forecast earnings and cash flow for the year equals 100% of variable comp. When the tariffs hit last year, we did not ask for any adjustments to our variable comp. And so as they flowed through the P&L, we did not hit our target, and we did not get paid. At 100% variable comp. In fact, we took a pretty big hit to variable comp Now as the refunds flow through the P&L again, they drive our financial performance to above target, and therefore, people get paid at or above target. So it is simply our kind of linearity working from one year to the next. Last year, we got paid lower because of tariffs running through the P&L. This year, we get potentially paid more due to tariffs running through the P&L. And our curves are typically linear or close to linear. Ryan Gwillim: And then, Gerrick, just on the of the technicalities in terms of spread across, I mean, it is pretty even between Mercury and Navico Group and Boat and then obviously corporate And remember that there is it is not just incentive compensation on cash, there is the impact on equity. As well as the impact on profit sharing, which goes to all of our employees So this will support a payment that we obviously made this year that we hope to make next year again. That goes to not only the salaried folks, but also hourly as well. So there is a lot of components here, but David had the mechanics correct. And the nature of the nature of the KPIs are all publicly available. David Foulkes: Yeah. Gerrick Johnson: Okay. Okay. We can go over those later. As you know, I like to do my own math, but I appreciate it. I appreciate the explanation. Thank you. Ryan Gwillim: Of course. Operator: The next question is from Craig Kennison from Baird. Please go ahead. Craig Kennison: Hey, good morning. Thank you for taking my question as well. David, I am curious, what indicators do you track that give you confidence marine usage remains healthy? And then what signals do you need to see to believe that boat usage ultimately will lead to a stronger replenishment cycle. David Foulkes: Yeah. Hi, Craig. Yeah. We have a number of indicators. Obviously, some of them are more real-time than others. The most real-time really is Freedom Boat Club data, which shows member boat trips up 13% in the first half of the year. And the interesting thing there is if you wanted to design an experiment to look at the effect of fuel prices on boating, you could not have a better experimental design of Freedom Boat Club because it is the only variable. Basically, people pay their monthly fees, and then they pay fuel costs. You could not design a more pure experiment really. And what you have seen is that the effects of fuel prices have had no effect on boating participation. And in fact, Freedom boating activity is up substantially. So that is a nice unique insight that we have at Brunswick. You can also see, indirectly the strength of, our P&A business. And we can look into and analyze that more closely at what kind of categories are being sold. And that certainly supports the fact that people are using their boats extensively. We also track other indicators throughout the year, but unfortunately, it is really a trailing indicator. Obviously, we get registration data. But as you know, it has been very solid. And in fact is growing in terms of the parts of the market in which Brunswick participates. that is the kind of 7 million units out of the 10 that are registered, which has grown from around 6.5 million over the past 10 years or so. Thanks. Craig Kennison: And then a follow-up on Mercury. it has been taking share, I think, for several years now, and that typically comes with a P&A annuity maybe with a lag. So are you seeing any evidence that some of the share gains you have had in recent years are starting to impact P&A demand, you know, this year and beyond? David Foulkes: Yes. I think that, it is a very positive trend, and, certainly, we will talk more about it at investor day. As we gain share, particularly in high horsepower, we have more and more captive parts. And as you know, Craig, and as others will see, during Investor Day at the facility, there is almost it is almost impossible to create knockoffs of any of those parts. So any replacement is going to come from us. As the products get more sophisticated, it is very, very difficult for anybody to do anything independently to replace our own parts as well. I think at one point in time, you know, as sterndrive engines became less popular, there was a bit of a fear that the P&A annuity would be diluted a bit. But in fact, that is not the case. And those large outboards have really taken the place of the largest sterndrive engines with a lot more captive content. So, yeah, we are excited about the future of P&A. You know, we are talking about hundreds of thousands of units being added to the kind of P&A every year so that it is a little bit diluted. But, yeah, it is there are a lot of very positive trends about the, strength of our P&A annuity, both in terms of volume and margin. Obviously, the more captive content we have, the more margin opportunity we have as well. Thank you. I would just actually, even though you did not answer it, Craig, maybe I will throw in that part of the fastest growing part of the market in a lot of ways is the electronics part of the market. And so Navico's aftermarket is another really exciting part of the business that we obviously are now participating in more. Operator: Next question is from Tristan Thomas-Martin from BMO Capital Markets. Please go ahead. Tristan Thomas-Martin: Hey, good morning. Just 1 question on the P&A trend. Is there a way to think about a potential West Marine kind of bankruptcy store closure benefit And then have you--was that a benefit in the quarter and any way to think about it moving forward? Thanks. David Foulkes: Well, I think, yes, I mean, little bit of a short-term headwind, I would say, but reality is we are the biggest marine distributor in the world. And so our people are going to get their parts and supplies somehow. And so for the parts of the market that are more dealer and distributor oriented. Some of that business could certainly translate to our you know, Land 'N' Sea and Kellogg and other parts of our distribution network. So, yeah, that is a that is a possibility. Thank you. Operator: At this time, we would like to turn the call back to David for some concluding remarks. David Foulkes: Well, thank you, everybody, for, your questions. Another very encouraging quarter completing a very strong first half of 2026, solid retail, revenue up substantially across all businesses, margin expansion, strong leverage, and continued really strong free cash flow generation. Despite the new boat market that has stabilized but is, you know, certainly seeking a solid rebound, we are clearly firing on all cylinders: great new products, structural cost reductions coming through, Our portfolio is oriented towards and leaning into exactly the right parts of the market. And our recurring revenue businesses continue to really thrive and had a particularly strong first half. As I have said earlier, you will hear more about that and a lot of exciting new growth opportunities for Brunswick at our investor event on August 11. At Mercury Marine's headquarters. You will meet the leadership team, you will tour Mercury's facility and get some fantastic on-water experience as well. So, if you have not registered, please do soon. We really look forward to seeing you all. Thank you. Operator: This concludes today's teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation. Before you buy stock in Brunswick, 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 Brunswick 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 $386,727!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,232,139!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 906% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 208% 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 3, 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 recommends Brunswick. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Brunswick (BC) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-01Brunswick Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
MarketBeat
Brunswick Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
Interested in Brunswick Corporation? Here are five stocks we like better. Brunswick’s second-quarter results exceeded expectations: Net sales rose 8% year over year to $1.6 billion, while adjusted EPS increased 34% to $1.56, supported by growth across all reporting segments and stronger operating performance. Tariff refunds boosted earnings, but underlying operations also improved: Approximately $30 million in IEEPA tariff refunds contributed slightly more than $0.20 to adjusted EPS, while the company generated an additional business-performance beat of just under $0.20 per share before the refund benefit. The company raised its outlook and cited resilient premium demand: Full-year adjusted EPS guidance increased to $4.35–$4.75, and free-cash-flow guidance rose to more than $400 million. Premium and core boat buyers remained stable, while value-oriented products continued to face affordability and consumer-sentiment pressures. AST SpaceMobile Gets FCC Green Light for Direct-to-Device Service After Launch Setback Brunswick (NYSE:BC) reported second-quarter results that exceeded its expectations, supported by sales growth across all reporting segments, stronger operating performance and recognized tariff refunds. The marine products company said net sales rose 8% year over year to $1.6 billion, while adjusted earnings per share increased 34% to $1.56. Chairman and CEO David Foulkes said the company recorded its fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year sales growth in each segment. He attributed the performance to recent pricing actions, improved product mix, new-product traction, healthy original equipment manufacturer demand and operational execution. → Microsoft Just Flipped the AI Spending Narrative Overnight AST SpaceMobile Drops 15% After Blue Origin Satellite Mishap “Our premium and core buyers portfolio remained resilient,” Foulkes said, adding that first-half boat retail sales were essentially flat after adjusting for the company’s purposeful rationalization of value-oriented models. Brunswick’s quarterly results included approximately $30 million of submitted and accepted refunds related to IEEPA tariffs. CFO Ryan Gwillim said the net effect of those refunds, after the associated impact on enterprise-wide compensation plans, contributed slightly more than $0.20 to second-quarter adjusted EPS. → 2 Unique Space ETFs That Could Upend the Industry AST…Read full documentShow less
Interested in Brunswick Corporation? Here are five stocks we like better. Brunswick’s second-quarter results exceeded expectations: Net sales rose 8% year over year to $1.6 billion, while adjusted EPS increased 34% to $1.56, supported by growth across all reporting segments and stronger operating performance. Tariff refunds boosted earnings, but underlying operations also improved: Approximately $30 million in IEEPA tariff refunds contributed slightly more than $0.20 to adjusted EPS, while the company generated an additional business-performance beat of just under $0.20 per share before the refund benefit. The company raised its outlook and cited resilient premium demand: Full-year adjusted EPS guidance increased to $4.35–$4.75, and free-cash-flow guidance rose to more than $400 million. Premium and core boat buyers remained stable, while value-oriented products continued to face affordability and consumer-sentiment pressures. AST SpaceMobile Gets FCC Green Light for Direct-to-Device Service After Launch Setback Brunswick (NYSE:BC) reported second-quarter results that exceeded its expectations, supported by sales growth across all reporting segments, stronger operating performance and recognized tariff refunds. The marine products company said net sales rose 8% year over year to $1.6 billion, while adjusted earnings per share increased 34% to $1.56. Chairman and CEO David Foulkes said the company recorded its fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year sales growth in each segment. He attributed the performance to recent pricing actions, improved product mix, new-product traction, healthy original equipment manufacturer demand and operational execution. → Microsoft Just Flipped the AI Spending Narrative Overnight AST SpaceMobile Drops 15% After Blue Origin Satellite Mishap “Our premium and core buyers portfolio remained resilient,” Foulkes said, adding that first-half boat retail sales were essentially flat after adjusting for the company’s purposeful rationalization of value-oriented models. Brunswick’s quarterly results included approximately $30 million of submitted and accepted refunds related to IEEPA tariffs. CFO Ryan Gwillim said the net effect of those refunds, after the associated impact on enterprise-wide compensation plans, contributed slightly more than $0.20 to second-quarter adjusted EPS. → 2 Unique Space ETFs That Could Upend the Industry AST SpaceMobile Reports Big Revenue Beat as It Continues to Scale Gwillim said the company’s earnings outperformance was not solely attributable to the refunds. From the company’s prior adjusted EPS guidance midpoint of $1.15, Brunswick generated a business-performance beat of just under $0.20 per share before the tariff-refund benefit, he said. Brunswick now expects gross IEEPA refunds of approximately $60 million to $70 million. Its updated full-year guidance includes the refunds already recognized in the second quarter and roughly $10 million in remaining phase-two refunds expected in the second half. The company is not including potential phase-four refunds in 2026 guidance, which Gwillim said could add more than $0.20 per share once approved. → MarketBeat Week in Review – 07/27- 07/31 The company also expects approximately $40 million of incremental tariffs in 2026, including the effects of Section 301 tariffs replacing Section 232 and possible Canadian tariffs. Gwillim said the tariff impact is weighted toward the first half of the year, while the year-over-year impact in the second half should be lower than in 2025. Brunswick raised its full-year adjusted EPS outlook to a range of $4.35 to $4.75, with a midpoint of $4.55. The company said the higher outlook reflects second-quarter operating strength and net IEEPA benefits, partly offset by an expected $0.15 per-share increase in material inflation during the second half and roughly $0.50 per share in additional tariff-related costs. Propulsion: Sales increased 8% from a year earlier, driven by steady OEM demand, market share and pricing. Adjusted operating earnings rose, while margins were essentially flat due to inflation, tariffs and higher product-development spending. Brunswick expects propulsion margins to expand significantly in the second half and to rise by more than 100 basis points for the full year. Engine Parts & Accessories: Sales grew 9%, including 16% growth in the higher-margin products business. Adjusted operating earnings rose 19%, and adjusted operating margin expanded 200 basis points, supported by product mix and leverage on higher revenue. Navico Group: Sales rose 7%, with growth across business lines and regions. Adjusted operating earnings increased 143%, while adjusted operating margin expanded 680 basis points, aided by operating leverage and tariff refunds. Excluding the net IEEPA impact, core operating margin expanded by more than 250 basis points, according to Foulkes. Boat: Sales increased 5%, reflecting premium-model mix, pricing, lower discounts and Freedom Boat Club growth. Adjusted operating earnings rose 45%, and margin improved 120 basis points. Foulkes said Mercury Marine continued to benefit from strong OEM demand and international momentum. First-half global and U.S. outboard wholesale orders were up more than 10%, while U.S. outboard engine pipelines declined 7% from the prior year. Mercury’s U.S. rolling 12-month outboard market share slipped slightly to 46%, primarily due to registration declines in engines below five horsepower at volume retailers and a strong 2025 comparison, Foulkes said. Internationally, the company reported double-digit unit-order growth year to date and market-share gains across most regions, including Asia and Latin America. Brunswick said U.S. main powerboat retail sales were down approximately 4% year to date through June, according to SSI data. Foulkes cited consumer sentiment, affordability concerns and poor weather in certain northern markets. However, Brunswick’s premium fiberglass and core product lines were flat from the prior year, while its value-oriented products remained under pressure. Foulkes described the current market as “K-shaped,” with premium and core customers remaining resilient while less committed, more economically sensitive buyers of general fiberglass runabouts have become more cautious. The company has rationalized certain value-model offerings and manufacturing capacity in that market segment. Foulkes said Brunswick would continue assessing whether additional rationalization is warranted, while also exploring new product architectures and approaches for value-oriented consumers. Boat and engine channel inventories remained lean, according to management. Brunswick said global boat pipelines were down about 1,800 units for the year, and Foulkes said dealer inventory levels appear to be approaching appropriate levels. He expects dealer weeks-on-hand to remain broadly flat through year-end. Management emphasized continued boating participation as a driver for its recurring-revenue businesses, including parts and accessories, aftermarket products and subscriptions. Freedom Boat Club announced its 450th global network location during the quarter, while member trips climbed a record 13% in the first half. Foulkes said Freedom Boat Club data offered a direct indication that higher fuel prices have not curtailed boating activity, since club members pay monthly fees and fuel costs separately. He also cited the performance of the company’s parts and accessories businesses as evidence of sustained usage among boat owners. Brunswick generated $278 million of free cash flow in the second quarter and $161 million in the first half. It raised its full-year free-cash-flow outlook to more than $400 million, citing stronger earnings, working-capital management and tariff-refund benefits. The company repurchased $35 million of stock year to date and expects to retire at least $160 million of debt by year-end. Brunswick also said it had earned 86 company awards through the first half and plans to provide additional strategy and growth details at its Aug. 11 Investor Day in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Founded in 1845 by John Moses Brunswick, Brunswick Corporation is a global leader in recreation products. Headquartered in Mettawa, Illinois, the company has evolved from its origins as a billiard table manufacturer into a diversified supplier of leisure equipment, serving both consumer and commercial markets around the world. Brunswick operates through two primary segments: Marine and Bowling & Billiards. In its Marine segment, the company designs, manufactures and distributes recreational boats, outboard engines and aftermarket parts under recognized brands such as Sea Ray, Bayliner and Mercury Marine. 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 "Brunswick Q2 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat. View MarketBeat's top stocks for August 2026.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-31Brunswick (BC) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Motley Fool
Brunswick (BC) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - David Foulkes Chief Financial Officer - Ryan Gwillim Senior Vice President and Deputy CFO - Stephen Weiland Operator: Good morning, and welcome to Brunswick Corporation's Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. All participants will be in a listen-only mode until the question-and-answer period. Today's meeting will be recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I would now like to introduce Stephen Weiland, Senior Vice President and Deputy CFO, Brunswick Corporation. Stephen Weiland: Good morning, and thank you for joining us. With me on the call this morning are David Foulkes, Brunswick's Chairman and CEO and Ryan Gwillim, Brunswick's CFO. Before we begin with our prepared remarks, I would like to remind everyone that during this call, our comments will include certain forward-looking statements about future results. Please keep in mind that our actual results could differ materially from these expectations. For details on the factors to consider, please refer to our recent SEC filings in today's press release. All of these documents are available on our website at brunswick.com. During our presentation, we will be referring to certain non-GAAP financial information. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures are provided in the appendix to this presentation and the reconciliation section of the unaudited consolidated financial statements accompanying today's results. I will now turn the call over to David. David Foulkes: Thank you, Steve. Brunswick delivered a strong second quarter despite the turbulent external backdrop. With financial performance ahead of expectations and year-over-year sales growth across all reporting segments, for the fourth consecutive quarter. Our premium and core bias portfolio remained resilient. And our first half boat retail sales were essentially flat when adjusted for the purposeful value model rationalization actions initiated last year. Marine OEM growth rates moderated somewhat from the exceptional first quarter growth but remained very healthy. Drove gains for Mercury Marine and Navico Group Boating participation also remains very strong and continues to drive our recurring revenue parts and accessories aftermarket and subscription boating businesses. Boat and engine pi…Read full documentShow less
Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - David Foulkes Chief Financial Officer - Ryan Gwillim Senior Vice President and Deputy CFO - Stephen Weiland Operator: Good morning, and welcome to Brunswick Corporation's Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. All participants will be in a listen-only mode until the question-and-answer period. Today's meeting will be recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I would now like to introduce Stephen Weiland, Senior Vice President and Deputy CFO, Brunswick Corporation. Stephen Weiland: Good morning, and thank you for joining us. With me on the call this morning are David Foulkes, Brunswick's Chairman and CEO and Ryan Gwillim, Brunswick's CFO. Before we begin with our prepared remarks, I would like to remind everyone that during this call, our comments will include certain forward-looking statements about future results. Please keep in mind that our actual results could differ materially from these expectations. For details on the factors to consider, please refer to our recent SEC filings in today's press release. All of these documents are available on our website at brunswick.com. During our presentation, we will be referring to certain non-GAAP financial information. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures are provided in the appendix to this presentation and the reconciliation section of the unaudited consolidated financial statements accompanying today's results. I will now turn the call over to David. David Foulkes: Thank you, Steve. Brunswick delivered a strong second quarter despite the turbulent external backdrop. With financial performance ahead of expectations and year-over-year sales growth across all reporting segments, for the fourth consecutive quarter. Our premium and core bias portfolio remained resilient. And our first half boat retail sales were essentially flat when adjusted for the purposeful value model rationalization actions initiated last year. Marine OEM growth rates moderated somewhat from the exceptional first quarter growth but remained very healthy. Drove gains for Mercury Marine and Navico Group Boating participation also remains very strong and continues to drive our recurring revenue parts and accessories aftermarket and subscription boating businesses. Boat and engine pipelines continue to be lean and fresh, with balanced channel dynamics. With global boat pipelines down approximately 1,800 units for the year, we are well positioned for wholesale growth with any future market improvement. Our overall net sales of $1.6 billion increased 8% year-over-year, with growth across all segments driven by pricing actions taken in recent periods, improved mix, new product traction, continued healthy OEM demand and strong operational execution. Adjusted earnings per share of $1.56 increased 34% versus last year, benefiting from the same underlying business drivers as well as recognized tariff refunds partially offset by cost inflation, higher variable compensation, incremental tariffs and continued product investment. Absent the net IEEPA benefit, including its associated influence on variable compensation, adjusted EPS was still significantly ahead of expectations. Demonstrating the strength of our underlying business performance. All segments increased adjusted operating earnings and margin with the exception of propulsion. Which incurred additional tariffs and higher product development expenses as expected. Later, Ryan will discuss the overall financial impact of the IEEPA refunds on our results and guidance for the year. Finally, we repurchased $35 million of shares year-to-date. And will retire $160 million or more of debt by year end. Underscoring our commitment to both maintaining an investment-grade balance sheet and returning capital to our shareholders. Turning now to external conditions. While fuel prices have clearly not dampened enthusiasm for boating participation, the prolonged conflict in the Middle East, combined with the impacts of inflation on affordability, are negatively impacting consumer sentiment. Particularly amongst buyers of our valued products. We continue to closely monitor the tariff environment and successfully drive mitigation actions. We now expect total gross IEEPA refunds of approximately $60 million to $70 million. We recognized approximately $30 million of submitted and accepted refunds in the quarter. With the remaining expected Phase 2 refunds of approximately $10 million reflected in full-year guidance. The window for the balance of our refund submissions beyond Phase II is not yet open. And not yet reflected in guidance. We are also monitoring the newly introduced Section 301 and Canadian tariffs. Which we currently estimate will drive roughly $5 million of net negative incremental 2026 impact. And we will continue to adjust our mitigation actions as the environment evolves. Dealer and OEM sentiment is stable but cautious. With wholesale order rates remaining fairly steady. We continue to outperform the market. Expanding our share of wallet and capturing new OEM wins with well-received new products. Moving to segment performance, our sustained momentum across our businesses and product lines is evident from the fact that all segments delivered year-over-year sales growth for the fourth consecutive quarter. As discussed earlier, adjusted operating margin also expanded across the enterprise in the quarter except in the propulsion segment. However, our incremental 2026 tariff payments are first-half-biased. And we expect all segments will expand operating margin over the next two quarters. After a very strong first quarter, U.S. Outboard engine industry retail units finished the first half slightly down versus prior year. However, our propulsion business delivered another strong quarter. With year-over-year sales growth driven by steady OEM demand, continued high market share, and strong international momentum. First half global and U.S. Outboard orders were up over 10%, with very strong June order activity. U.S. Outboard rolling 12-month share was down slightly to 46%, driven primarily by below 5 horsepower registration declines at volume retailers. And a strong 2025 comp. With OEM share remaining robust. Internationally, Mercury is driving strong share gains, with double-digit unit order increases year-to-date. And rolling 12-month outboard share up across most regions significant gains in Asia and Latin America. Notably in Brazil, we have increased share 600 basis points since 2019. Our five new engine platforms are on track for launching in the next two years. We are also pursuing growth opportunities in repower, government, and commercial markets. Which we will share more about at our upcoming Investor Day. Engine pipelines remain lean, with U.S. Outboard pipelines down 7% in the quarter versus prior year. Engine parts and accessories delivered another strong quarter. Supported by healthy boating participation and resulting product demand along with past pricing actions. Combined with continued distribution gains, this drove higher sales and the products and distribution businesses both contributed to improved profitability. Underscoring the stability and attractive operating leverage, of this recurring revenue business. Our second quarter sales were the best since 2022, and up across all global regions. With Land 'N' Sea rolling 12-month distribution share increasing again by 130 basis points. The Engine P&A business and Navico Group continue to work together to exploit combined footprint opportunities. Navico Group continued its strong performance trajectory. With sales growth across its business lines, supported by new products, multiple OEM wins, sustained aftermarket demand and ongoing operational improvement actions. And exclusive of the net IEEPA impact, expanded its core operating margin by over 250 basis points versus prior year. We were also excited to finalize our first OEM supply agreement with Saxdor for Simrad autopilot. With more expected to be finalized soon. Lastly, our Boat segment grew both sales and margins, benefiting from the increased emphasis on premium and core brands, pricing actions and continued growth in Freedom Boat Club. And we expect continued strong margin expansion over the remainder of the year. Benefiting from mix portfolio actions and operating efficiencies. The latest SSI data for June year-to-date shows U.S. Main powerboat segment retail down approximately 4% impacted by sentiment, affordability and poor weather in some northern markets. Overall, Brunswick U.S. internal retail is performing at similar levels. But with premium fiberglass and core product lines flat to prior year. And pressure on value product lines as anticipated. When adjusted for our purposeful rationalization of value models, our first-half U.S. retail was roughly flat versus last year. Pipelines are lean and healthy. ending down approximately 1,800 units. The Business Acceleration portfolio continues to deliver growth and attractive margins. led by Freedom Boat Club. We recently announced our 450th global network location and member trips were up a record 13% for the first half of the year. I will now hand the call over to Ryan for more details on our financial performance. Ryan Gwillim: Thank you, David, and good morning, everyone. Brunswick's second quarter performance came in ahead of expectations with strong sales and earnings growth over last year. On a consolidated basis, sales were up 8% reflecting steady OEM orders continued strong P&A and aftermarket performance driven by healthy boating participation, and pricing taken in previous periods. As Dave mentioned earlier, it was fantastic to see the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year sales growth for all segments. Adjusted operating earnings and margins were up driven by the higher sales IEEPA refunds and positive mix impacts more than offsetting higher inflationary pressures, increased variable compensation, incremental tariffs versus Q2 of 2025, and continued spending on product development primarily in propulsion. Even absent the net impact of the IEEPA refund recognized in the quarter, adjusted operating earnings were up strongly versus the second quarter of 2025. This resulted in adjusted EPS of $1.56 up $0.34 over last year. An outstanding result. We delivered a robust $278 million of free cash flow in the quarter, just slightly behind Q2 of 2025 due solely to the second quarter timing of our annual profit sharing payment. This simple bridge shows the key factors of our Q2 adjusted EPS performance. From our Q2 guidance midpoint of $1.15, we had a net beat of a little less than $0.20 in the quarter due to our outstanding business performance. We then recognized a net IEEPA benefit of slightly more than $0.20 which is the gross IEEPA refunds accrued in Q2 netted against the related earnings impact of our enterprise-wide compensation plans. The result was an adjusted EPS of $1.56 Now looking at the first half of the year, sales were up 10%. Reflecting the prior second quarter factors just mentioned together with the exceptionally strong first quarter results. First half adjusted operating earnings increased 18% over the prior year. Adjusted EPS is up 32% and free cash flow of $161 million is ahead of last year, after normalizing for the impact of enterprise compensation paid versus 2025. Moving to our segments, propulsion had another fantastic quarter with sales increasing 8% versus the prior year, driven by steady OEM demand and market share and pricing actions taken in recent quarters. Adjusted operating earnings were up and margins essentially flat versus prior year due to the increased sales, favorable absorption and net IEEPA refund offsetting elevated material labor inflation, product spend and tariffs. Absent the net IEEPA refund, adjusted operating earnings and margins declined year-over-year due to the incremental costs just mentioned offsetting the earnings from the increased sales and positive absorption impact. As year-over-year tariff costs reverse, and elevated product spend normalizes in the back half of the year, we anticipate significant margin expansion in the second half of the year resulting in full-year margin growth of more than 100 basis points for the Propulsion segment. Our Engine Parts and Accessories business delivered another strong quarter of 9% sales growth, with 16% growth in the higher-margin products business. Growth in the quarter reflected strong boating participation and the resulting demand for P&A together with past pricing actions. Adjusted operating earnings were up 19% and adjusted operating margin increased 200 basis points driven by the increased mix from products, and the leverage on higher sales, with the net IEEPA refund offering a very slight benefit. Now turning to Navico Group, that had another quarter of solid growth and improved profitability. Sales grew 7% over prior year and were up across all business lines and regions driven by increased OEM demand for new products, pricing, and boating participation supporting very strong aftermarket performance. Adjusted operating earnings increased 143% propelled by leverage on their higher revenue and their net IEEPA refund, with the adjusted operating margin expanding by 680 basis points. Absent the net IEEPA refund impact, both adjusted earnings and margins were still up significantly. Navico Group is solidly on track for its full-year target of increasing adjusted operating margin in excess of 100 basis points without any assistance from tariff refunds and despite inflationary impacts on inputs, including memory costs and other raw materials. Wrapping up segment results, our Boat Group sales were up 5%. Driven by beneficial mix from premium models, improved pricing and discounts, and Freedom Boat Club. Adjusted operating earnings were up 45%, with margins up 120 basis points reflecting higher sales, the flow through of pricing and lower discounts, and the continued focus on operational efficiencies designed to lower costs and increase gross margins throughout the portfolio. Freedom Boat Club had a very strong quarter announcing its 450th global network location and continued increases in members and trips. IEEPA refunds had a de minimis impact on this segment. I will now share our updated guidance for the third quarter and full-year. While certain new boat retail markets remain pressured due to continued elevated rates and geopolitical uncertainty, our portfolio of leading premium boat and engine products continues to grow sales and capture OEM and consumer share and our recurring revenue businesses continue to benefit from committed, healthy boating participation. Our disciplined execution and improvement actions also continue to drive strong operating leverage and are expected to result in materially increased adjusted operating margins and earnings this year. Overcoming the approximately $40 million impact of incremental tariffs, which is slightly elevated since our last estimate due to the anticipated impact of Section 301 replacing Section 122. Our overall tariff impact is first-half-weighted. With the year-over-year second half impact lower than 2025. The overall result is revenue of $5.7 billion to $5.8 billion up strongly over 2025, adjusted operating margins of approximately 8%, up 100 basis points year-over-year and adjusted EPS of $4.35 to $4.75 up almost 40% at the midpoint. We are also increasing our free cash flow guidance to more than $400 million on the back of strong earnings, prudent working capital management and the benefit of the net IEEPA refunds. Given all the moving pieces, we thought one last bridge would be helpful to show the components of our adjusted EPS guidance raise. As I mentioned earlier, absent any tariff refund impacts, our Q2 performance beat was about $0.20. From there, we anticipate a full-year net IEEPA benefit of a little more than $0.30 which includes the refunds accrued in Q2 plus the remainder of our Phase 2 refunds which we believe will be approved in the second half of the year. We are not anticipating or including in guidance any Phase 4 refunds in 2026, which could add more than $0.20 once approved. Offsetting these benefits are two primary factors. First, we anticipate incurring an additional $0.15 of material inflation in the back half of the year versus what was included in our April guidance. Mostly incurred at Mercury and Navico Group. Second, we believe the tariff changes just discussed will add another approximately $0.05 to our overall cost base. These costs and benefits net to an approximate $0.30 of adjusted EPS benefit and we are flowing through to the full-year with our EPS midpoint now $4.55 for the year reflecting a balanced view of risks and opportunities as we navigate the continued challenging macro environment. I will now pass the call back over to David for concluding remarks. David Foulkes: Thanks, Ryan. This year, Brunswick earned 15 Boating Industry Top Products Awards. The most we have ever received in a single year. With 13 different brands represented spanning both propulsion, vessel controls and marine electronics. This extraordinary performance along with many other domestic and international product design and technology awards clearly illustrates the increasing breadth and depth of our product leadership. Overall, through the first half of the year, Brunswick has secured a company record 86 awards, and we remain firmly on track to surpass 100 enterprise awards for the fifth consecutive year. As in prior years, this recognition spans products, innovation, workplace culture, leadership and corporate reputation. And reflects the strength and consistency of our organization and values. Thank you to all of our Brunswick employees whose talent and dedication makes this recognition possible. Before we open the line for questions, while I am very pleased and excited about Brunswick's performance and trajectory Next Never Restsâ¢. And there is a lot more to come. Which we will share at Brunswick's Investor Day on August 11. We will release a prerecorded video strategy presentation on our website next week and address questions on those materials at the event's live Q&A session. The event, which will be held at Mercury Marine's headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, will also include facility tours and on-water product demonstrations. For those unable to attend, we will also be pleased to answer follow-up questions in post-event calls. We are approaching capacity for the event, so please register if you have not already done so. With that, we will now open the line for questions. Operator: Thank you. We will now be conducting a question-and-answer session. Lift your handset before pressing the star keys. The first question is from James Hardiman from Citi. Please go ahead. James Hardiman: Hey, good morning. Thanks for taking my questions. A real shocker, I have a question on tariffs just because there is a lot of moving pieces there. Obviously, the incentive comp makes it even more complicated. Think I get it for the quarter. Maybe as we just think about the full-year guide, EPS is up $0.30, tariffs are giving you $0.30. Those sort of roughly cancel each other out. there is some operational upside, but that is being offset by inflation and Canadian tariffs. Let me know if you think that is sort of good math then as we think about the margin guide, 25-basis-point increase, is that up or down at all, ex the refunds? Thanks. Ryan Gwillim: Hey, James. Maybe I will take this. And maybe I will be just a little bit broader to start just so that everyone gets the full picture. I think we consider the tariffs paid in 2026 and then the IEEPA refunds pretty different animals. So maybe I will take them in sections and that will help kind of everyone on the call. So on 2026, really the only major change in the quarter was the elimination of Section 122. It was replaced by Section 301. And then the additional potential Canadian tariffs. Together, we think that is probably a $5 million or so bad guy and that is really a second half hit. So if you think about our incremental tariff impact from last year, that takes it from our previous range where we thought we were at the bottom of that $35 million to $45 million range. Puts us squarely in the middle of approximately $40 million. And so that is embedded in the guidance. We will continue to mitigate. We will continue to lower our China impact. And that is, remember, first half loaded. As the way the timing worked through last year versus this year. Bad guy in the first half and actually a neutral positive in the second half of this year due to that timing. And then maybe on IEEPA refunds, we think about it in a couple of ways. We have been pretty public with a gross number. So just a gross before any other impacts to the P&L of $60 million of IEEPA refunds. You saw today in the materials, that looks to be now $60 million to $70 million, but 2 very key things here. So first, this is a gross number. We understand the refunds are a reduction of COGS, which ultimately is an increase to earnings, but that gross number does not include the associated impacts the refunds have on other parts of the P&L, namely variable compensation. that is why we are really we are talking about it as a net number which as we turn the calendar to 2027, will enable everyone to back out the net impact, which is really the correct way to think about it. And then the other item is there is a lot of timing involved here. IEEPA refunds are really in 3 phases. There is Phase 1, which is very small, received and recognized in the quarter in Q2, but very, very small. Phase 2, which is about 60% of the refunds, and I will get to that in a second, and then Phase 4, which is the remainder. And importantly, we are not anticipating currently any Phase 4 refunds to be accrued or any benefit in 2026. So we have not included that number in any guidance. So that is part of the $60 million to $70 million of gross that will eventually be received. But it is not included in any 2026 guidance. So that leaves the treatment of Phase 2 IEEPA and, simply, about $30 million of that as you correctly mentioned, $30 million was accepted in Q2 and therefore included in the results. And once netted for enterprise-wide variable comp impacts, that represented about a $0.20 benefit in the quarter. So that is what you saw on the bridge. The remaining, about $10 million of Phase 2 was not accepted in Q2 due to some technicalities in the system. But we are confident that they will be accepted. And so although not in the Q2 numbers, they are a benefit in the second half, which we included about $0.10 into the full-year guide. So that really is all things tariff. And then if you roll it forward to your full-year guidance question, we had a $0.20 beat in Q2 that had nothing to do with tariffs. We had another approximately $0.20 of net IEEPA, which we talked about resulting in the $0.40 overall beat versus our midpoint of $1.15 from April. And then if you look forward to the second half, we really we see about $0.20 of risk on the macros, which is in inflation, and the increased tariffs that I discussed, which is offset by that $0.10 of Phase 2 benefit. So if you think about what flowed through, you really got the whole Q2 beat that was not related to tariffs. And about half of the net IEEPA goodness in the quarter, for $0.30. So a raise from $4.25 to $4.55 in the midpoint. So long answer, but lots of things covered there. Hope that answers your question. James Hardiman: that is really good. And it is a I think it is a good way to frame it. I guess on to in theory, what should really matter, and that is sort of the demand environment. You talked about retail all in being down 4%, I think flattish ex the sort of value units rationalization. What can you tell us about the momentum within those numbers You guys started out the year really strong. I think January and February were up meaningfully, and then March was weaker. And then here in Q2, February was weaker than Q1 Is there anything that we should be drawing from that And I think the tiebreaker is always you know, the last month, right, which everybody will wanna focus on. But anything you can tell us to help us frame sort of where demand appears to be headed with the most updated data points that you have? Thank you. David Foulkes: Yes. Let me I will take that one. Yes, I think I mean, we clearly are continuing to see this K-shaped economy effect that we have seen for some time now, and it is almost like there are two distinct markets at the moment and maybe we should work to frame them as best we can going forward. There clearly is a premium market, which is very stable. We said that premium fiberglass was roughly flat, but in fact, it was almost exactly it was exactly flat, basically, almost to the unit. So, you know, Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, and NAVAN are very solid continue to be very solid. Also, our core portfolio is very solid, flat almost exactly which includes kind of premium pontoons, premium fishing, but what we are seeing that we--we talked about earlier really is that those kind of fiberglass runabout boats where people are not maybe as committed to boating as part of their lifestyle They are not typically fishing boats. They are not premium boats. that is why we are seeing the softness. And it is not new. it is exactly what we talked about and exactly why we rationalized the product line in that area and also the manufacturing footprint in that area. So we are kind of rightsizing our business in the softer part of the market. With still potential for rebound. Boat Group actually sacrificed some revenue to do this, but gained about 100 basis points of margin, is exactly what we intended. it is So I think we will continue to look at both parts of the market going forward, a part that is very solid and resilient and has good momentum. And we actually I think you will see some positive things going on particularly in saltwater fishing in the balance of the year. But the but this part of the market that we are, I guess, leaning away from, which is the less committed part of the market, the kind of general runabout fiberglass, but we are seeing people just more cautious and more fragile, I guess, from the overall economy. Got it. Thank you both. Operator: Thanks, James. The next question is from Randy Konik from Jefferies. Please go ahead. Randy Konik: Yes, thanks a lot and good morning. I guess, Ryan, for you, what I wanted to try to get to understand, maybe qualitatively, if you do not want to give quantitatively, is just how we should be thinking about the long-term margin power of the business You talked about it in the answers to questions or script in terms of continuing to work on things like reducing your manufacturing footprint i.e., fixed cost expense, in the business? So I am just trying to understand, as we think about over time, the demand environment improving, not focusing on what is going on in the next 90 days or the next last 30 days. But the next two, three, or five years, Just wanna understand that in an assumption of an improving long-term tailwind of demand, how we should be thinking about the margin power of the company overall And maybe just high-level how we think about the different segments as it compares to prior cycle high margins maybe achieved during COVID, etcetera. How we want to think about that similar or not similar this time around versus last time around? That would be super helpful. Thanks. Ryan Gwillim: Yes, Randy, I will take that. The very good news is in four days, you are going to get a whole lot of detail on exactly that, which is what do we think our earnings power is in a market that we think is going to--may not provide as much help as maybe in previous plans anticipated. We agree. We think there is still growth in the market. We think we are at a trough in terms of units. But there are different views on how fast that gets to a more normalized view. And the 1 constant is that Brunswick can continue to drive earnings in a variety of market conditions as we have proven already. Without getting too detailed, because I do want people to see all the specifics that will be in our investor materials, no one is going to be surprised to see the operating leverage that is embedded in our plan. It is north of 20%. It can get to something that is north of that. In various conditions. that is really across the portfolio. there is not one single business unit that is a laggard or far ahead I will give you a couple just things to think about. Navico Group continues to grow and have gross margin growth. That has the highest product and variable margins of anything across our company, and that will continue to be a strength, I think, as we progress through the next strategic plan. Our parts and accessories business also continues to be extremely strong from a margin standpoint. But just consistent as can be. I mean, this year, boating usage we know is up, and that has been reflected then in a very strong year from the P&A side. And then propulsion and boats both continue to grow margins throughout any conditions. You have seen the boat business at a wholesale level that they have not really seen in a decade still grow margins this year. As Dave mentioned a second ago, while propulsion continues to be flat to slightly up and will be up for the full-year, despite strong product spending and the tariff impact. So you are going to I think the investment community is going be very pleased to see the inherent growth across all of our businesses that would be supercharged if there is just a little bit of industry help or market help also given that the pipelines are at historic lows across our portfolio. So hope that helps. And certainly, Monday morning, the additional information will be very helpful. Super helpful. And then just can you just maybe quantify, remind us you just mentioned it, the extra spend and pull forward that is related to I think, some of these higher horsepower engine programs. I think you said 5 programs are in process; four of the five, I think, are launching in the next one to two years. Just curious on how we should be thinking about that extent of the pull forward and the duration of that expense such that when we get to, let's say, I do not know, second quarter, Q1 2027, is that an expense we lap and that those pull forward expenses start to pull off a little bit? Just high-level how we should be thinking of that as well? Yes. it is about $20 million to $25 million of spend. It has been spread across a couple of quarters. So yes, by the time you get to next year, the product spend may not be dramatically lower, this is a lumpier time. Remember, these engine programs ebb and flow over time and you may get to a point which we have over the last couple of quarters where each engine program is at a spot where it is at a little heavier spend. And so that is what you are seeing. But do not take away we are going to stop spending on engine product development because that is a core competency of ours and keeps us well ahead of our competition. So little bit lumpy. Think about it as about $20 million spread over a couple of quarters. But again, it will soften, but not dramatically so as we go to the out years. Awesome. Thanks, guys. Operator: The next question is from Matthew Boss from JPMorgan. Matthew Boss: Great, thanks. So David, could you just elaborate on the progression of boat retail sales through the core summer selling season with retail sales tracking down 4% year-to-date any change to flat to up slightly for the year? Or any change separately in your outlook for wholesale units this year? David Foulkes: Yes. On the retail side, I think given the softer value part of the market, I think flattish was probably where we will end up. Let me-- it could be slightly down on a unit basis. But entirely due to the value part of the market. We still see the premium and core parts of the market as very solid at the moment. So we would say that they are likely to be flat, those parts of the market. Through the balance of the year. By the end of July, which is where we are at right now, that is about 75% of retail for the year. So that will be modest kind of changes going forward. I think, you know, maybe what I did not say earlier is although we, you know, have to recognize that the markets behave different parts of the market behave differently. If you are looking in the automotive market at the moment at pickups and SUVs, you are having a pretty good time of it. If you are looking at passenger cars, you are not having quite such a good time of it. And that is you know, very analogous to what is going on in the boating market at the moment. And we lean into premium and core that is where the vast majority of our profitability is. So that remains very steady. With plenty of upside opportunity, which we will also talk about in Investor Day. The other thing I did not really say was, of course, we are participating in the if you like, the value part of the market through Freedom Boat Club. There are alternative ways to get at that consumer in ways that are less subject to inflation less subject to interest rates, all those kind of things. So I think that we are you know, mixing our approaches to the market appropriately exactly for how the market is behaving and will continue to do so. We did see really strong performance from Freedom Boat Club this year. The other part of the market that we do not talk about enough, even though we try to, is boating participation. Which has been incredibly strong. So if people own a boat, they are using it extensively despite fuel price increases as we anticipated. So there is no shortage of interest in going boating. We are just seeing this one part of the market, which is a bit less committed and a bit more economically fragile showing some softness. But that is really not super material to our results. As you have seen. Ryan Gwillim: And maybe just to add on that, you did have a wholesale question. And just to piggyback off of what David is saying, wholesale sales for our premium core products as we look at 2027 model year, which we are now in, continue to be very strong, especially at Whaler. So as we think about wholesale assumptions for the year, I do not think there is any material changes. If there were any changes in the numbers, just the raw numbers, it would be premium and core. It seems to be strong and maybe up a little bit. Over expectations while value would be slightly down. So really good momentum on wholesale as we think about the back half of this year. David Foulkes: Great color. Best of luck. Operator: The next question is from Joe Altobello from Raymond James. Please go ahead. Joseph Altobello: Thanks. Hey, guys. Good morning. I guess, first on shipments. In the back half of the year. How are you guys thinking about wholesale? Versus retail with respect to both boats and engines? Would you expect dealers to end the year higher in terms of weeks-on-hand? David Foulkes: Yeah. I think I think it will be flattish as, you know, on a weeks-on-hand basis, Joe. I think, what we are seeing from dealers and actually you see it in the dealer sentiment studies, is we think they think that they are approaching the right level of inventory and I speak about that on a total market basis. And for us, we have very lean and fresh inventory levels. So have not seen any diminishing trends in wholesale orders. We believe orders will remain very solid which will probably mean that weeks-on-hand will probably be pretty flat through this year. Got it. Joseph Altobello: And just moving on to The U.S. Outboard market, are you seeing any shifts in terms of pricing from some of your competitors at this point? David Foulkes: No, we are not seeing any material shifts in pricing. We continue to see very modest pricing, and we are continuing to follow that. As you know, we price at a premium. So we are continuing to maintain that premium, but we are not seeing a lot of pricing activity at the moment. Okay. Great. Thank you. Operator: The next question is from Anna Glaessgen from B. Riley. Please go ahead. Anna Glaessgen: Hi, good morning. Thanks for taking my question. I would like to ask on the boat segment rationalization. Do you expect that you would continue to see rationalizations spill into 2027? Or should 2026 be the end of that impact? Thanks. David Foulkes: I think we will continue to look at it, to be honest. I think we did really the product lines that we took out I think, were the right product lines at the time. But we will continue to see how the market develops. We do not believe that there are not new opportunities in the value part of the market, and we are at different kind of model architectures and ways to approach that part of the market that might offer something that market is desirable in that market and a little bit different. So we are going to continue to be innovative. But if we need to rationalize more, then, yeah, sure, we will rationalize some more. And try and make sure that we maintain scale, but, you know, lean into the growing parts of the market and the high margin parts of the market. So, yeah, it will be dynamic. I cannot say it is complete yet. We are continuing to look at it. Got it. Thanks. Anna Glaessgen: And then just one clarification. We have seen some pretty significant operating margin expansion in Navico through the first half of the year, but the full-year guide, I believe, is for up 200 basis points. Is that 200 excluding the IEEPA refunds that hit so on like an organic basis? Because otherwise, it seems to imply a potential compression in the back half? Ryan Gwillim: No, Anna, that does notâI'm sorry. Yes, the IEEPA refunds are included in all of our guidance kind of as anticipated. Navico benefited from that in the quarter. But even if you take that out, right, even if you take out any IEEPA goodness, they are still up 260 basis points in the quarter. So still an outstanding result. If you think about the remaining portion of the year, Q3 and Q4, we anticipate should be up, and Q4, probably close to flat to get to your guidance for the full-year. So it was a one-time kind of good guy for the quarter that will be then spread out for the full-year. But to be clear, they are growing margins absent the IEEPA refund throughout the full for a full-year basis. Similar to what they did last year. Okay. Got it. Thanks, Ryan. Super helpful. Operator: The next question is from Gerrick Johnson from Seaport Research Partners. Please go ahead. Gerrick Johnson: Hey, questions on the associated variable comp related to the tariff refunds. 1, can you explain the mechanics? I mean, is everyone getting like a retroactive bonus at Brunswick? And then and how much of this variable comp, what is the dollar number that we are offsetting these refunds within the second quarter and then also in the back half. And lastly, this, of those refunds, how are they spread? Across the segments? David Foulkes: Hey, Gerrick. Well, maybe Ryan and I can tag team this one a bit. Yeah. No, nobody is getting a retroactive bonus of any kind Our variable comp plans depend on free cash flow, which was stronger. And also on earnings or earnings per share, long-term is cash flow return on investment. Essentially, did not--and, you know, typically, we have some form of linear variable comp curve or almost linear comp curve. Where roughly 100% of kind of forecast earnings and cash flow for the year equals 100% of variable comp. When the tariffs hit last year, we did not ask for any adjustments to our variable comp. And so as they flowed through the P&L, we did not hit our target, and we did not get paid. At 100% variable comp. In fact, we took a pretty big hit to variable comp Now as the refunds flow through the P&L again, they drive our financial performance to above target, and therefore, people get paid at or above target. So it is simply our kind of linearity working from one year to the next. Last year, we got paid lower because of tariffs running through the P&L. This year, we get potentially paid more due to tariffs running through the P&L. And our curves are typically linear or close to linear. Ryan Gwillim: And then, Gerrick, just on the of the technicalities in terms of spread across, I mean, it is pretty even between Mercury and Navico Group and Boat and then obviously corporate And remember that there is it is not just incentive compensation on cash, there is the impact on equity. As well as the impact on profit sharing, which goes to all of our employees So this will support a payment that we obviously made this year that we hope to make next year again. That goes to not only the salaried folks, but also hourly as well. So there is a lot of components here, but David had the mechanics correct. And the nature of the nature of the KPIs are all publicly available. David Foulkes: Yeah. Gerrick Johnson: Okay. Okay. We can go over those later. As you know, I like to do my own math, but I appreciate it. I appreciate the explanation. Thank you. Ryan Gwillim: Of course. Operator: The next question is from Craig Kennison from Baird. Please go ahead. Craig Kennison: Hey, good morning. Thank you for taking my question as well. David, I am curious, what indicators do you track that give you confidence marine usage remains healthy? And then what signals do you need to see to believe that boat usage ultimately will lead to a stronger replenishment cycle. David Foulkes: Yeah. Hi, Craig. Yeah. We have a number of indicators. Obviously, some of them are more real-time than others. The most real-time really is Freedom Boat Club data, which shows member boat trips up 13% in the first half of the year. And the interesting thing there is if you wanted to design an experiment to look at the effect of fuel prices on boating, you could not have a better experimental design of Freedom Boat Club because it is the only variable. Basically, people pay their monthly fees, and then they pay fuel costs. You could not design a more pure experiment really. And what you have seen is that the effects of fuel prices have had no effect on boating participation. And in fact, Freedom boating activity is up substantially. So that is a nice unique insight that we have at Brunswick. You can also see, indirectly the strength of, our P&A business. And we can look into and analyze that more closely at what kind of categories are being sold. And that certainly supports the fact that people are using their boats extensively. We also track other indicators throughout the year, but unfortunately, it is really a trailing indicator. Obviously, we get registration data. But as you know, it has been very solid. And in fact is growing in terms of the parts of the market in which Brunswick participates. that is the kind of 7 million units out of the 10 that are registered, which has grown from around 6.5 million over the past 10 years or so. Thanks. Craig Kennison: And then a follow-up on Mercury. it has been taking share, I think, for several years now, and that typically comes with a P&A annuity maybe with a lag. So are you seeing any evidence that some of the share gains you have had in recent years are starting to impact P&A demand, you know, this year and beyond? David Foulkes: Yes. I think that, it is a very positive trend, and, certainly, we will talk more about it at investor day. As we gain share, particularly in high horsepower, we have more and more captive parts. And as you know, Craig, and as others will see, during Investor Day at the facility, there is almost it is almost impossible to create knockoffs of any of those parts. So any replacement is going to come from us. As the products get more sophisticated, it is very, very difficult for anybody to do anything independently to replace our own parts as well. I think at one point in time, you know, as sterndrive engines became less popular, there was a bit of a fear that the P&A annuity would be diluted a bit. But in fact, that is not the case. And those large outboards have really taken the place of the largest sterndrive engines with a lot more captive content. So, yeah, we are excited about the future of P&A. You know, we are talking about hundreds of thousands of units being added to the kind of P&A every year so that it is a little bit diluted. But, yeah, it is there are a lot of very positive trends about the, strength of our P&A annuity, both in terms of volume and margin. Obviously, the more captive content we have, the more margin opportunity we have as well. Thank you. I would just actually, even though you did not answer it, Craig, maybe I will throw in that part of the fastest growing part of the market in a lot of ways is the electronics part of the market. And so Navico's aftermarket is another really exciting part of the business that we obviously are now participating in more. Operator: Next question is from Tristan Thomas-Martin from BMO Capital Markets. Please go ahead. Tristan Thomas-Martin: Hey, good morning. Just 1 question on the P&A trend. Is there a way to think about a potential West Marine kind of bankruptcy store closure benefit And then have you--was that a benefit in the quarter and any way to think about it moving forward? Thanks. David Foulkes: Well, I think, yes, I mean, little bit of a short-term headwind, I would say, but reality is we are the biggest marine distributor in the world. And so our people are going to get their parts and supplies somehow. And so for the parts of the market that are more dealer and distributor oriented. Some of that business could certainly translate to our you know, Land 'N' Sea and Kellogg and other parts of our distribution network. So, yeah, that is a that is a possibility. Thank you. Operator: At this time, we would like to turn the call back to David for some concluding remarks. David Foulkes: Well, thank you, everybody, for, your questions. Another very encouraging quarter completing a very strong first half of 2026, solid retail, revenue up substantially across all businesses, margin expansion, strong leverage, and continued really strong free cash flow generation. Despite the new boat market that has stabilized but is, you know, certainly seeking a solid rebound, we are clearly firing on all cylinders: great new products, structural cost reductions coming through, Our portfolio is oriented towards and leaning into exactly the right parts of the market. And our recurring revenue businesses continue to really thrive and had a particularly strong first half. As I have said earlier, you will hear more about that and a lot of exciting new growth opportunities for Brunswick at our investor event on August 11. At Mercury Marine's headquarters. You will meet the leadership team, you will tour Mercury's facility and get some fantastic on-water experience as well. So, if you have not registered, please do soon. We really look forward to seeing you all. Thank you. Operator: This concludes today's teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation. Before you buy stock in Brunswick, 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 Brunswick 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 $397,081!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,166,221!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 889% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 203% 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 July 30, 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 recommends Brunswick. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Brunswick (BC) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Brunswick Tops Second-Quarter Expectations and Raises Full-Year Guidance
InvestorsHub
Brunswick Tops Second-Quarter Expectations and Raises Full-Year Guidance
Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC) delivered stronger-than-expected second-quarter results, beating Wall Street forecasts for both earnings and revenue as demand remained resilient across its marine recreation businesses. The company also increased its full-year outlook, helping lift its shares modestly in premarket trading on Thursday. The performance was supported by solid OEM demand, continued growth in parts and accessories, and healthy participation in recreational boating. Brunswick reported adjusted earnings of $1.56 per diluted share for the second quarter, exceeding analysts’ consensus estimate of $1.20. Revenue rose to $1.56 billion, ahead of the expected $1.52 billion and representing an 8% increase from the same period last year. On a GAAP basis, diluted earnings per share climbed to $1.66, up 84% year over year, while adjusted diluted earnings per share increased 35% from $1.16 in the second quarter of 2025. “Brunswick delivered a strong second quarter despite a turbulent macroeconomic and geopolitical environment, with financial performance ahead of expectations and year-over-year sales growth across all reporting segments for the fourth consecutive quarter,” said David Foulkes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The Propulsion segment generated revenue of $644.0 million, an increase of 8% from a year earlier. Engine Parts and Accessories recorded sales of $367.9 million, up 9%, while Navico Group revenue rose 7% to $215.8 million. The Boat segment also posted higher sales, increasing 5% year over year to $424.4 million. Brunswick’s adjusted operating margin improved to 9.6%, compared with 8.7% in the prior-year quarter. Following its stronger-than-expected first-half performance, Brunswick raised its financial guidance for the full year. The company now expects adjusted diluted earnings per share to range from $4.35 to $4.75. The midpoint of $4.55 is above the current analyst consensus estimate of $4.31. Brunswick also forecast full-year revenue between $5.7 billion and $5.8 billion, while projecting an adjusted operating margin of approximately 8.0%. For the third quarter, management expects revenue of between $1.4 billion and $1.5 billion, with adjusted diluted earnings per share in the range of $1.20 to $1.40. Brunswick stock price
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Brunswick Corp (BC) (Q2 2026) Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Sales and EPS Growth Amid Tariff ...
GuruFocus.com
Brunswick Corp (BC) (Q2 2026) Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Sales and EPS Growth Amid Tariff ...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Revenue: $1.6 billion, up 8% year-over-year, with growth across all segments for the fourth consecutive quarter. Adjusted EPS: $1.56, up 34% versus the prior year. Adjusted Operating Earnings: Increased across all segments except Propulsion, which incurred additional tariffs and higher product development expenses. Free Cash Flow: $278 million in the quarter. Propulsion Segment Sales: Up 8% year-over-year, driven by steady OEM demand, market share, and pricing actions. Engine Parts & Accessories Sales: Up 9% year-over-year, with the higher-margin products business growing 16%. Navico Group Sales: Up 7% year-over-year, with adjusted operating earnings increasing 143%. Boat Segment Sales: Up 5% year-over-year, with adjusted operating earnings up 45% and margins up 120 basis points. Full-Year Revenue Guidance: $5.7 billion to $5.8 billion. Full-Year Adjusted EPS Guidance: $4.35 to $4.75, up almost 40% at the midpoint. Full-Year Free Cash Flow Guidance: More than $400 million. Share Repurchases: $35 million year-to-date. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Signs with BC. Is BC fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: July 30, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Brunswick Corp (NYSE:BC) delivered a strong second quarter with 8% year-over-year sales growth and 34% adjusted EPS growth, exceeding expectations. All reporting segments achieved year-over-year sales growth for the fourth consecutive quarter, demonstrating broad-based momentum. The premium and core boat portfolio remained resilient, with retail sales flat year-over-year after adjusting for value model rationalization. Recurring revenue businesses, including engine parts and accessories and Freedom Boat Club, continued to thrive, with Freedom Boat Club member trips up a record 13% in the first half. Mercury Marine is gaining international market share, with double-digit unit order increases year-to-date and significant share gains in regions like Asia and Latin America. Consumer sentiment remains pressured due to prolonged geopolitical conflicts and inflation, negatively impacting the value segment of the boat market. Incremental tariffs, including the new Section 301 and Canadian tariffs, are expected to add approximately $5 million in net negative impac…Read full documentShow less
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Revenue: $1.6 billion, up 8% year-over-year, with growth across all segments for the fourth consecutive quarter. Adjusted EPS: $1.56, up 34% versus the prior year. Adjusted Operating Earnings: Increased across all segments except Propulsion, which incurred additional tariffs and higher product development expenses. Free Cash Flow: $278 million in the quarter. Propulsion Segment Sales: Up 8% year-over-year, driven by steady OEM demand, market share, and pricing actions. Engine Parts & Accessories Sales: Up 9% year-over-year, with the higher-margin products business growing 16%. Navico Group Sales: Up 7% year-over-year, with adjusted operating earnings increasing 143%. Boat Segment Sales: Up 5% year-over-year, with adjusted operating earnings up 45% and margins up 120 basis points. Full-Year Revenue Guidance: $5.7 billion to $5.8 billion. Full-Year Adjusted EPS Guidance: $4.35 to $4.75, up almost 40% at the midpoint. Full-Year Free Cash Flow Guidance: More than $400 million. Share Repurchases: $35 million year-to-date. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Signs with BC. Is BC fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: July 30, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Brunswick Corp (NYSE:BC) delivered a strong second quarter with 8% year-over-year sales growth and 34% adjusted EPS growth, exceeding expectations. All reporting segments achieved year-over-year sales growth for the fourth consecutive quarter, demonstrating broad-based momentum. The premium and core boat portfolio remained resilient, with retail sales flat year-over-year after adjusting for value model rationalization. Recurring revenue businesses, including engine parts and accessories and Freedom Boat Club, continued to thrive, with Freedom Boat Club member trips up a record 13% in the first half. Mercury Marine is gaining international market share, with double-digit unit order increases year-to-date and significant share gains in regions like Asia and Latin America. Consumer sentiment remains pressured due to prolonged geopolitical conflicts and inflation, negatively impacting the value segment of the boat market. Incremental tariffs, including the new Section 301 and Canadian tariffs, are expected to add approximately $5 million in net negative impact for 2026. The Propulsion segment's operating margin was flat year-over-year due to higher tariffs, material inflation, and increased product development expenses. US outboard engine retail units finished the first half slightly down year-over-year, indicating softness in the broader market. The company faces approximately $20 million to $25 million in elevated product development spending for new engine platforms, which is expected to persist into the near term. Here are the key highlights from the Brunswick Corp (NYSE:BC) Q2 2026 earnings call, focusing on the most significant Q&A exchanges. Q: Can you explain the full-year guidance bridge, specifically how the tariff refunds, operational performance, and new headwinds like inflation and Canadian tariffs net out to the $0.30 EPS raise?A: (Ryan Gwillim, CFO) Yes. The $0.30 raise from $4.25 to $4.55 at the midpoint is comprised of three main parts. First, we had a $0.20 operational beat in Q2 that was unrelated to tariffs. Second, we recognized a net EPA refund benefit of roughly $0.20 in Q2. Offsetting these gains in the second half are approximately $0.20 of headwinds from material inflation and new Section 301/Canadian tariffs, which are partially offset by an additional $0.10 benefit from remaining Phase 2 refunds. The net effect of the Q2 beat and half of the net EPA benefit flows through to the full-year raise. Q: What is the current state of the retail demand environment? Can you break down the performance between premium and value segments and discuss the momentum you are seeing?A: (David Foulkes, CEO) The market is essentially a tale of two segments. The premium and core parts of our portfolio (Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, premium pontoons) are very stable and flat year-over-year. The softness is concentrated in the value-oriented fiberglass runabout segment, where consumers are more economically fragile. This is exactly why we rationalized those product lines. Overall, US retail is down ~4%, but when adjusted for our value model rationalization, it is roughly flat. We expect premium and core to remain solid through the balance of the year. Q: How should we think about the long-term margin power of the business, especially compared to prior cycle highs, and what is the embedded operating leverage?A: (Ryan Gwillim, CFO) The embedded operating leverage in our plan is north of 20%, and it can be even higher in various conditions. This leverage is consistent across all segments. Navico Group has the highest product and variable margins and continues to grow. The Parts & Accessories business is extremely consistent and strong. Propulsion and Boats are also growing margins despite headwinds. We will provide much more detail on our earnings power at the upcoming Investor Day. Q: Can you quantify the extra product development spend related to the new engine programs and how we should think about the duration of that expense?A: (Ryan Gwillim, CFO) The elevated spend is about $20 million to $25 million spread over a couple of quarters. This is a lumpy period as several engine programs are in a heavy spending phase simultaneously. While the spend will soften as we move into next year, it will not drop dramatically as product development is a core competency. The key takeaway is that this spend is temporary and will normalize, contributing to margin expansion in the back half of the year. Q: What is your outlook for boat retail sales for the full year, and are there any changes to your wholesale unit expectations?A: (David Foulkes, CEO) For retail, we expect the full year to be roughly flat to slightly down on a unit basis, entirely due to the softness in the value segment. Premium and core should remain flat. For wholesale, there are no material changes to our expectations. Orders for premium and core products, especially for the 2027 model year, continue to be very strong, particularly at Boston Whaler. We see good momentum on wholesale for the back half of the year. Q: Are you seeing any shifts in pricing from your competitors in the US outboard market?A: (David Foulkes, CEO) No, we are not seeing any material shifts in pricing from competitors. We continue to see very modest pricing activity across the industry, and we are maintaining our premium pricing strategy. Q: Do you expect the boat segment rationalization to continue into 2027, or is 2026 the end of that impact?A: (David Foulkes, CEO) We will continue to look at it dynamically. While we believe we rationalized the right product lines, we are also exploring new model architectures to approach the value part of the market differently. If further rationalization is needed to maintain scale and lean into higher-margin segments, we will do so. It is not a complete process. Q: What indicators do you track that give you confidence marine usage remains healthy, and what signals would lead to a stronger replenishment cycle?A: (David Foulkes, CEO) The most real-time indicator is Freedom Boat Club data, which shows member boat trips up 13% in the first half, proving that fuel prices have not dampened participation. This is a pure experiment. We also see indirect evidence from the strength of our Parts & Accessories business. The strong usage data supports the thesis that the eventual replenishment cycle will be robust, as the installed base of boats is being used heavily. Q: Are the share gains Mercury has achieved in recent years starting to impact Parts & Accessories (P&A) demand?A: (David Foulkes, CEO) Yes, this is a very positive trend. As we gain share, particularly in high-horsepower outboards, we add more captive parts to the annuity. These parts are very difficult to replicate, ensuring replacement sales come to us. The large outboards have effectively replaced sterndrive engines with a higher margin, more captive content stream. This is a strong driver for the future of our P&A business. Q: Can you explain the mechanics of how the tariff refunds impact variable compensation and how that is spread across the segments?A: (David Foulkes, CEO & Ryan Gwillim, CFO) The mechanics are straightforward. Last year, tariffs hurt our financial performance, so variable comp was lower. This year, the refunds improve performance, so variable comp is higher. Our compensation plans are linear, so the P&L impact is a natural offset. The refunds are spread relatively evenly across Mercury, Navico Group, and Boat, and the variable comp impact includes not just cash incentives but also equity and profit sharing for all employees. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Brunswick Corporation Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary
Moby
Brunswick Corporation Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary
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. Management identified a 'K-shaped' market dynamic where premium fiberglass and core product lines remained flat and resilient, while value-oriented models faced significant pressure from inflation and affordability concerns. Performance was bolstered by the purposeful rationalization of value models initiated last year, which sacrificed some revenue to gain approximately 100 basis points of margin in the Boat segment. Propulsion growth was driven by steady OEM demand and significant international share gains, specifically noting a 600 basis point increase in Brazil share since 2019. Boating participation remains a primary driver of recurring revenue, with Freedom Boat Club member trips increasing by a record 13% in the first half of the year despite higher fuel prices. The Engine Parts & Accessories (P&A) business benefited from high captive content in large outboard engines, which limits third-party competition and secures a long-term service annuity. Operational execution focused on structural cost reductions and manufacturing footprint optimization to maintain leverage even in a trough unit market. Full-year guidance assumes a net IEEPA benefit of slightly more than $0.30 per share, which includes accrued Phase 2 refunds but excludes any potential Phase 4 benefits. Management expects all segments to expand operating margins over the next two quarters as first-half-biased tariff costs reverse and product development spending normalizes. The Propulsion segment is projected to deliver full-year margin growth of more than 100 basis points, supported by five new engine platform launches scheduled over the next two years. Guidance incorporates a $0.15 per share headwind from material inflation in the second half of the year, primarily impacting Mercury and Navico Group. Wholesale order rates are expected to remain steady as dealer pipelines are lean, ending the quarter down approximately 1,800 units year-over-year. The elimination of Section 122 tariffs and their replacement by Section 301, along with new Canadian tariffs, is estimated to create a $5 million net negative impact in the second half of 2026. Variable compensation expenses increased as a direct offset to tariff refunds, as the company's incentive p…Read full documentShow less
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. Management identified a 'K-shaped' market dynamic where premium fiberglass and core product lines remained flat and resilient, while value-oriented models faced significant pressure from inflation and affordability concerns. Performance was bolstered by the purposeful rationalization of value models initiated last year, which sacrificed some revenue to gain approximately 100 basis points of margin in the Boat segment. Propulsion growth was driven by steady OEM demand and significant international share gains, specifically noting a 600 basis point increase in Brazil share since 2019. Boating participation remains a primary driver of recurring revenue, with Freedom Boat Club member trips increasing by a record 13% in the first half of the year despite higher fuel prices. The Engine Parts & Accessories (P&A) business benefited from high captive content in large outboard engines, which limits third-party competition and secures a long-term service annuity. Operational execution focused on structural cost reductions and manufacturing footprint optimization to maintain leverage even in a trough unit market. Full-year guidance assumes a net IEEPA benefit of slightly more than $0.30 per share, which includes accrued Phase 2 refunds but excludes any potential Phase 4 benefits. Management expects all segments to expand operating margins over the next two quarters as first-half-biased tariff costs reverse and product development spending normalizes. The Propulsion segment is projected to deliver full-year margin growth of more than 100 basis points, supported by five new engine platform launches scheduled over the next two years. Guidance incorporates a $0.15 per share headwind from material inflation in the second half of the year, primarily impacting Mercury and Navico Group. Wholesale order rates are expected to remain steady as dealer pipelines are lean, ending the quarter down approximately 1,800 units year-over-year. The elimination of Section 122 tariffs and their replacement by Section 301, along with new Canadian tariffs, is estimated to create a $5 million net negative impact in the second half of 2026. Variable compensation expenses increased as a direct offset to tariff refunds, as the company's incentive plans are tied to earnings and free cash flow performance without manual adjustments for one-time items. Geopolitical uncertainty and prolonged conflict in the Middle East were cited as factors negatively impacting consumer sentiment among buyers of value-tier products. The company plans to retire $160 million or more of debt by year-end to maintain its investment-grade balance sheet while continuing share repurchases. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here. Management clarified that the $0.30 EPS guidance raise reflects a $0.20 operational beat from Q2 and a $0.10 net benefit from Phase 2 tariff refunds. The 'net' refund figure accounts for the associated increase in variable compensation and profit sharing, which acts as a natural offset to the gross refund amount. Management expects operating leverage to remain north of 20% across the portfolio, driven by high-margin electronics and recurring P&A revenue. The company is positioned to 'supercharge' earnings if the market improves, given that current inventory pipelines are at historic lows. Freedom Boat Club data serves as a 'pure experiment' showing that fuel prices have not dampened participation, as trips are up despite variable fuel costs. Increased share in high-horsepower outboards is creating a larger annuity for captive parts that are difficult for competitors to replicate.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Brunswick (BC) Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Zacks
Brunswick (BC) Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Brunswick (BC) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.56 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.2 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.16 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +30.00%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this boat and sporting goods company would post earnings of $0.46 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.7, delivering a surprise of +52.17%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Brunswick, which belongs to the Zacks Leisure and Recreation Products industry, posted revenues of $1.56 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.52%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.45 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Brunswick shares have added about 8.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.9%. While Brunswick has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Brunswick was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 R…Read full documentShow less
Brunswick (BC) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.56 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.2 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.16 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +30.00%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this boat and sporting goods company would post earnings of $0.46 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.7, delivering a surprise of +52.17%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Brunswick, which belongs to the Zacks Leisure and Recreation Products industry, posted revenues of $1.56 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.52%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.45 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Brunswick shares have added about 8.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.9%. While Brunswick has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Brunswick was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.47 on $1.44 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $4.31 on $5.74 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Leisure and Recreation Products is currently in the top 29% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. One other stock from the same industry, PLBY Group, Inc. (PLBY), is yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 10. This company is expected to post break-even quarterly earnings per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +100%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. PLBY Group, Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $29.3 million, up 4.1% from the year-ago quarter. 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 Brunswick Corporation (BC) : Free Stock Analysis Report PLBY Group, Inc. (PLBY) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Brunswick: Q2 Earnings Snapshot
Associated Press
Brunswick: Q2 Earnings Snapshot
METTAWA, Ill. (AP) — METTAWA, Ill. (AP) — Brunswick Corp. (BC) on Thursday reported second-quarter net income of $109.8 million. The Mettawa, Illinois-based company said it had net income of $1.68 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains and to account for discontinued operations, were $1.56 per share. The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.20 per share. The boat and sporting goods company posted revenue of $1.56 billion in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.53 billion. Brunswick expects full-year earnings in the range of $4.35 to $4.75 per share. Brunswick shares have climbed slightly more than 8% since the beginning of the year. The stock has climbed 31% in the last 12 months. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BC
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Brunswick (BC) Q2 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates
Zacks
Brunswick (BC) Q2 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates
Brunswick (BC) reported $1.56 billion in revenue for the quarter ended June 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 7.7%. EPS of $1.56 for the same period compares to $1.16 a year ago. The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.53 billion, representing a surprise of +1.52%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +30%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.20. While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health. As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately. Here is how Brunswick performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Net Sales- Propulsion: $644 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $637.46 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +7.7%. Net Sales- Engine Parts & Accessories: $367.9 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $356.45 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +8.9%. Net Sales- Boat: $424.4 million versus $434.18 million estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +4.6% change. Net Sales- Navico Group: $215.8 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $211.64 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +6.7%. Net Sales- Segment Eliminations: $-94.3 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $-104.06 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -2.7%. Operating Earnings (Loss) As Adjusted- Propulsion: $72.1 million compared to the $62.34 million average estimate based on three analysts. Operating Earnings (Loss) As Adjusted- Engine Parts & Accessories: $85.8 million versus $77.54 million estimated by three analysts on average. Operating Earnings (Loss) As Adjusted- Navico Group: $26.2 million versus $12.67 million estimated by three analysts on average. Operating Earnings (Loss) As Adjusted- Corporate/Other: $-53.1 million compared to the $-44.82 million average estimate based on three analysts. Operating Ear…Read full documentShow less
Brunswick (BC) reported $1.56 billion in revenue for the quarter ended June 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 7.7%. EPS of $1.56 for the same period compares to $1.16 a year ago. The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.53 billion, representing a surprise of +1.52%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +30%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.20. While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health. As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately. Here is how Brunswick performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Net Sales- Propulsion: $644 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $637.46 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +7.7%. Net Sales- Engine Parts & Accessories: $367.9 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $356.45 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +8.9%. Net Sales- Boat: $424.4 million versus $434.18 million estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +4.6% change. Net Sales- Navico Group: $215.8 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $211.64 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +6.7%. Net Sales- Segment Eliminations: $-94.3 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $-104.06 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -2.7%. Operating Earnings (Loss) As Adjusted- Propulsion: $72.1 million compared to the $62.34 million average estimate based on three analysts. Operating Earnings (Loss) As Adjusted- Engine Parts & Accessories: $85.8 million versus $77.54 million estimated by three analysts on average. Operating Earnings (Loss) As Adjusted- Navico Group: $26.2 million versus $12.67 million estimated by three analysts on average. Operating Earnings (Loss) As Adjusted- Corporate/Other: $-53.1 million compared to the $-44.82 million average estimate based on three analysts. Operating Earnings (Loss) As Adjusted- Boat: $19.1 million versus $14.55 million estimated by three analysts on average. View all Key Company Metrics for Brunswick here>>> Shares of Brunswick have returned -1.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term. 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 Brunswick Corporation (BC) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Brunswick Fiscal Q2 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise; Boosts 2026 Outlook
MT Newswires
Brunswick Fiscal Q2 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise; Boosts 2026 Outlook
Brunswick (BC) reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings Thursday of $1.56 per diluted share, up from $1.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Brunswick Corporation Releases 2026 Second Quarter Earnings
GlobeNewswire
Brunswick Corporation Releases 2026 Second Quarter Earnings
METTAWA, Ill. , July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), today, released its second quarter 2026 financial results. A complete and full-text financial results press release is available on the Company’s website at https://www.brunswick.com/. The results will also be available on the SEC’s website with the Form 8-K filing of the release. The company will hold a conference call at 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET) Thursday, July 30, 2026, hosted by David M. Foulkes, chief executive officer; Ryan M. Gwillim, executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief strategy officer; and Stephen Weiland, senior vice president, finance, and deputy chief financial officer. A copy of the presentation to be used during the call will be available when the results are released, as noted above. The webcast can be accessed at Brunswick.com and here: Webcast | Brunswick Corporation Q2 2026 Earnings Conference Call Security analysts and investors wishing to participate via telephone should call 877-900-9524 (no password needed). Callers outside of North America should call 412-902-0029 (no password needed) to be connected. These numbers can be accessed 15 minutes before the call begins, as well as during the call. To listen via the Internet, go to www.brunswick.com/investors. Please go to the website at least 15 minutes before the call to register, download, and install any audio software needed. A replay of the conference call will be available through 1 p.m. CT Thursday August 6, 2026, by calling 877-660-6853 or 201-612-7415 (Access ID: 13761336). The replay also will be available at www.brunswick.com/investors. About Brunswick Corporation Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) is a global leader in marine recreation, delivering innovation that transforms experiences on the water and beyond. Its technology-driven solutions are informed by deep consumer insights and guided by the belief that “Next Never Rests™.” Brunswick is home to more than 60 industry-leading brands across marine propulsion (including Mercury Marine), parts and accessories (including Attwood), and marine electronics (including Simrad and Lowrance), as well as boat brands including Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, Bayliner, Lund, and Harris. Headquartered in Mettawa, Illinois, Brunswick has approximately 14,000 employees operating in 26 countries. Learn more at Brunswick.com. Forward-Looking Stat…Read full documentShow less
METTAWA, Ill. , July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), today, released its second quarter 2026 financial results. A complete and full-text financial results press release is available on the Company’s website at https://www.brunswick.com/. The results will also be available on the SEC’s website with the Form 8-K filing of the release. The company will hold a conference call at 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET) Thursday, July 30, 2026, hosted by David M. Foulkes, chief executive officer; Ryan M. Gwillim, executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief strategy officer; and Stephen Weiland, senior vice president, finance, and deputy chief financial officer. A copy of the presentation to be used during the call will be available when the results are released, as noted above. The webcast can be accessed at Brunswick.com and here: Webcast | Brunswick Corporation Q2 2026 Earnings Conference Call Security analysts and investors wishing to participate via telephone should call 877-900-9524 (no password needed). Callers outside of North America should call 412-902-0029 (no password needed) to be connected. These numbers can be accessed 15 minutes before the call begins, as well as during the call. To listen via the Internet, go to www.brunswick.com/investors. Please go to the website at least 15 minutes before the call to register, download, and install any audio software needed. A replay of the conference call will be available through 1 p.m. CT Thursday August 6, 2026, by calling 877-660-6853 or 201-612-7415 (Access ID: 13761336). The replay also will be available at www.brunswick.com/investors. About Brunswick Corporation Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) is a global leader in marine recreation, delivering innovation that transforms experiences on the water and beyond. Its technology-driven solutions are informed by deep consumer insights and guided by the belief that “Next Never Rests™.” Brunswick is home to more than 60 industry-leading brands across marine propulsion (including Mercury Marine), parts and accessories (including Attwood), and marine electronics (including Simrad and Lowrance), as well as boat brands including Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, Bayliner, Lund, and Harris. Headquartered in Mettawa, Illinois, Brunswick has approximately 14,000 employees operating in 26 countries. Learn more at Brunswick.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, and projections about Brunswick’s business and by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Words such as “may,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “expect,” "anticipate," "project," "position," “intend,” “target,” “plan,” “seek,” “estimate,” “believe,” “predict,” “outlook,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations as of the date of this news release. These risks include, but are not limited to: the effect of adverse general economic conditions, including rising interest rates, and the amount of disposable income consumers have available for discretionary spending; changes to trade policy and tariffs, including retaliatory tariffs; fiscal and monetary policy changes; adverse capital market conditions; changes in currency exchange rates; competitive pricing pressures; higher energy and fuel costs; managing our manufacturing footprint and operations; loss of key customers; international business risks, geopolitical tensions or conflicts, sanctions, embargoes, or other regulations; actual or anticipated increases in costs, disruptions of supply, or defects in raw materials, parts, or components we purchase from third parties; supplier manufacturing constraints, increased demand for shipping carriers, and transportation disruptions; adverse weather conditions, climate change events and other catastrophic event risks; our ability to develop new and innovative products and services at a competitive price; absorbing fixed costs in production; our ability to meet demand in a rapidly changing environment; public health emergencies or pandemics; our ability to successfully implement our strategic plan and growth initiatives; attracting and retaining skilled labor, implementing succession plans for key leadership and executing organizational and leadership changes; our ability to integrate acquisitions and the risk for associated disruption to our business; the risk that restructuring or strategic divestitures will not provide business benefits; our ability to identify and complete targeted acquisitions; maintaining effective distribution; dealer and customer ability to access adequate financing; inventory reductions by dealers, retailers, or independent boat builders; requirements for us to repurchase inventory; risks related to the Freedom Boat Club franchise business model; outages, breaches, or other cybersecurity events regarding our technology systems, which have affected and could further affect manufacturing and business operations and could result in lost or stolen information and associated remediation costs; our ability to protect our brands and intellectual property; an impairment to the value of goodwill and other assets; product liability, warranty, and other claims risks; legal, environmental, and other regulatory compliance, including increased costs, fines, and reputational risks; risks associated with joint ventures that do not operate solely for our benefit; changes in income tax legislation or enforcement; managing our share repurchases; and risks associated with certain divisive shareholder activist actions. Additional risk factors are included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2025 and in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Brunswick does not undertake any obligation to update them to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release. CONTACT: Lee Gordon — Chief Communications Officer M: (904) 860-8848 | O: (847) 735-4003
TranscriptFY2026 Q22026-07-30FY2026 Q2 earnings call transcript
Earnings source - 90 paragraphs
FY2026 Q2 earnings call transcript
Good morning, and welcome to Brunswick Corporation's second quarter 2026 earnings conference call. All participants will be in a listen-only mode until the question and answer period. Today's meeting will be recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I would now like to introduce Stephen Weiland, Senior Vice President and Deputy CFO, Brunswick Corporation.
Good morning, and thank you for joining us. With me on the call this morning are David Foulkes, Brunswick's Chairman and CEO, and Ryan Gwillim, Brunswick's CFO. Before we begin with our prepared remarks, I would like to remind everyone that during this call, our comments will include certain forward-looking statements about future results. Please keep in mind that our actual results could differ materially from these expectations. For details on the factors to consider, please refer to our recent SEC filings and today's press release. All of these documents are available on our website at brunswick.com. During our presentation, we will be referring to certain non-GAAP financial information. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures are provided in the appendix to this presentation and the reconciliation sections of the unaudited consolidated financial statements accompanying today's results. I will now turn the call over to Dave.
Thank you, Steve. Brunswick delivered a strong second quarter despite the turbulent external backdrop, with financial performance ahead of expectations and year-over-year sales growth across all reporting segments for the fourth consecutive quarter. Our premium and core buyers portfolio remained resilient, and our first half boat retail sales were essentially flat when adjusted for the purposeful value model rationalization actions initiated last year. Marine OEM growth rates moderated somewhat from the exceptional first quarter growth, but remained very healthy and drove gains for Mercury Marine and Navico Group. Boating participation also remains very strong and continues to drive our recurring revenue parts and accessories, aftermarket, and subscription boating businesses. Boat and engine pipelines continue to be lean and fresh, with balanced channel dynamics. With global boat pipelines down approximately 1,800 units for the year, we're well-positioned for wholesale growth with any future market improvement.
Our overall net sales of $1.6 billion increased 8% year-over-year, with growth across all segments driven by pricing actions taken in recent periods, improved mix, new product traction, continued healthy OEM demand, and strong operational execution. Adjusted earnings per share of $1.56 increased 34% versus last year, benefiting from the same underlying business drivers as well as recognized tariff refunds, partially offset by cost inflation, higher variable compensation, incremental tariffs, and continued product investment. Absent the net IEEPA benefit, including its associated influence on variable compensation, adjusted EPS was still significantly ahead of expectations, demonstrating the strength of our underlying business performance. All segments increased adjusted operating earnings and margin, with the exception of propulsion, which incurred additional tariffs and higher product development expenses as expected. Later, Ryan will discuss the overall financial impact of the IEEPA refunds on our results and guidance for the year.
Finally, we've repurchased $35 million of shares year-to-date, and will retire $160 million or more of debt by year-end, underscoring our commitment to both maintaining an investment-grade balance sheet and returning capital to our shareholders. Turning now to external conditions. While fuel prices have clearly not dampened enthusiasm for boating participation, the prolonged conflict in the Middle East, combined with the impacts of inflation on affordability, are negatively impacting consumer sentiment, particularly amongst buyers of our valued products. We continue to closely monitor the tariff environment and successfully drive mitigation actions. We now expect total gross IEEPA refunds of approximately $60 million-$70 million. We recognized approximately $30 million of submitted and accepted refunds in the quarter, with the remaining expected phase two refunds of approximately $10 million reflected in full-year guidance.
The window for the balance of our refund submissions beyond phase two is not yet open and not yet reflected in guidance. We're also monitoring the newly introduced Section 301 and Canadian tariffs, which we currently estimate will drive roughly $5 million of net negative incremental 2026 impact, and we'll continue to adjust our mitigation actions as the environment evolves. Dealer and OEM sentiment is stable but cautious, with wholesale order rates remaining fairly steady, and we continue to outperform the market, expanding our share of wallet and capturing new OEM wins with well-received new products. Moving to segment performance, our sustained momentum across our businesses and product lines is evident from the fact that all segments delivered year-over-year sales growth for the fourth consecutive quarter. As discussed earlier, adjusted operating margin also expanded across the enterprise in the quarter, except in the propulsion segment.
However, our incremental 2026 tariff payments are first-half biased, and we expect all segments will expand operating margin over the next two quarters. After a very strong first quarter, U.S. outboard engine industry retail units finished the first-half slightly down versus prior year. However, our propulsion business delivered another strong quarter, with year-over-year sales growth driven by steady OEM demand, continued high market share, and strong international momentum. First-half global and U.S. outboard wholesale orders were up over 10%, with very strong June order activity. U.S. outboard rolling 12 share was down slightly to 46%, driven primarily by below five horsepower registration declines at volume retailers and a strong 2025 comp, with OEM share remaining robust. Internationally, Mercury is driving strong share gains, with double-digit unit order increases year-to-date and rolling 12 outboard share up across most regions, with significant gains in Asia and Latin America.
Notably in Brazil, we've increased share 600 basis points since 2019. Our five new engine platforms are on track, with four launching in the next two years. We're also pursuing growth opportunities in repower, government, and commercial markets, which we'll share more about at our upcoming Investor Day. Engine pipelines remain lean, with U.S. outboard pipelines down 7% in the quarter versus prior year. Engine Parts & Accessories delivered another strong quarter, supported by healthy boating participation and resulting product demand, along with past pricing actions. Combined with continued distribution gains, this drove higher sales and the products and distribution businesses both contributed to improved profitability, underscoring the stability and attractive operating leverage of this recurring revenue business. Our second quarter sales were the highest since 2022 and up across all global regions, with Land Sea rolling 12 distribution share increasing again by 130 basis points.
The Engine P&A business and Navico Group continue to work together to exploit combined footprint opportunities. Navico Group continued its strong performance trajectory, with sales growth across its business lines supported by new products, multiple OEM wins, sustained aftermarket demand, and ongoing operational improvement actions, exclusive of the net IEEPA impact, expanded its core operating margin by over 250 basis points versus prior year. We were also excited to finalize our first OEM supply agreement with Saxdor for Simrad Autopilot, with more expected to be finalized soon. Lastly, our boat segment grew both sales and margins, benefiting from the increased emphasis on premium core brands, pricing actions, and continued growth in Freedom Boat Club. We expect continued strong margin expansion over the remainder of the year, benefiting from mix, portfolio actions, and operating efficiencies.
The latest SSI data for June year to date shows U.S. main powerboat segment retail down approximately 4%, impacted by sentiment, affordability, and poor weather in some northern markets. Overall, Brunswick U.S. internal retail is performing at similar levels, but with premium fiberglass and core product lines flat to prior year and pressure on value product lines as anticipated. When adjusted for our purposeful rationalization of value models, our first half U.S. retail was roughly flat versus last year. Pipelines are lean and healthy, ending down approximately 1,800 units. The business acceleration portfolio continues to deliver growth and attractive margins led by Freedom Boat Club. We recently announced our 450th global network location, and member trips were up a record 13% for the first half of the year. I will now hand the call over to Ryan for more details on our financial performance.
Thank you, Dave, and good morning, everyone. Brunswick's second quarter performance came in ahead of expectations, with strong sales and earnings growth over last year. On a consolidated basis, sales were up 8%, reflecting steady OEM orders, continued strong P&A and aftermarket performance driven by healthy boating participation and pricing taken in previous periods. As Dave mentioned earlier, it was fantastic to see the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year sales growth for all segments. Adjusted operating earnings and margins were up, driven by the higher sales, IEEPA refunds, and positive mix impacts, more than offsetting higher inflationary pressures, increased variable compensation, incremental tariffs versus Q2 of 2025, and continued spending on product development, primarily in propulsion. Even absent the net impact of the IEEPA refund recognized in the quarter, adjusted operating earnings were up strongly versus the second quarter of 2025.
This resulted in adjusted EPS of $1.56, up $0.34 over last year, an outstanding result. We delivered a robust $278 million of free cash flow in the quarter, just slightly behind Q2 of 2025 due solely to the second quarter timing of our annual profit-sharing payment. This simple bridge shows the key factors of our Q2 adjusted EPS performance. From our Q2 guidance midpoint of $1.15, we had a net beat of a little less than $0.20 in the quarter due to our outstanding business performance. We then recognized a net IEEPA benefit of slightly more than $0.20, which is the gross IEEPA refunds accrued in Q2, netted against the related earnings impact of our enterprise-wide compensation plans. The result was an adjusted EPS of $1.56.
Looking at the first half of the year, sales were up 10%, reflecting the prior second quarter factors just mentioned, together with the exceptionally strong first quarter results. First half adjusted operating earnings increased 18% over the prior year, adjusted EPS is up 32%, and free cash flow of $161 million is ahead of last year after normalizing for the impact of enterprise compensation paid versus 2025. Moving to our segments, Propulsion had another fantastic quarter, with sales increasing 8% versus the prior year, driven by steady OEM demand and market share and pricing actions taken in recent quarters. Adjusted operating earnings were up and margins essentially flat versus prior year due to the increased sales, favorable absorption, and net IEEPA refund offsetting elevated material labor inflation, product spend, and tariffs.
Absent the net IEEPA refund, adjusted operating earnings and margins declined year-over-year due to the incremental costs just mentioned offsetting the earnings from the increased sales and positive absorption impact. As year-over-year tariff costs reverse and elevated product spend normalizes in the back half of the year, we anticipate significant margin expansion in the second half of the year, resulting in full year margin growth of more than 100 basis points for the Propulsion segment. Our Engine Parts & Accessories business delivered another strong quarter of 9% sales growth, with 16% growth in the higher margin products business. Growth in the quarter reflected strong boater participation and the resulting demand for P&A, together with past pricing actions.
Adjusted operating earnings were up 19% and adjusted operating margin increased 200 basis points, driven by the increased mix from products and the leverage on higher sales, with the net IEEPA refund offering a very slight benefit. Turning to Navico Group that had another quarter of solid growth and improved profitability. Sales grew 7% over prior year and were up across all business lines and regions, driven by increased OEM demand for new products, pricing, and boating participation supporting very strong aftermarket performance. Adjusted operating earnings increased 143%, propelled by leverage on their higher revenue and their net IEEPA refund, with the adjusted operating margin expanding by 680 basis points. Absent the net IEEPA refund impact, both adjusted earnings and margins were still up significantly.
Navico Group is solidly on track for its full-year target of increasing adjusted operating margin in excess of 100 basis points without any assistance from tariff refunds and despite inflationary impacts on inputs, including memory costs and other raw materials. Wrapping up segment results, our Boat segment increased sales by 5%, driven by beneficial mix from premium models, improved pricing and discounts, and Freedom Boat Club. Adjusted operating earnings were up 45%, with margins up 120 basis points, reflecting higher sales, the flow-through of pricing and lower discounts, and the continued focus on operational efficiencies designed to lower costs and increase gross margins throughout the portfolio. Freedom Boat Club had a very strong quarter, announcing its 450th global network location and continued increases in members and trips. IEEPA refunds had a de minimis impact on this segment.
I will now share our updated guidance for the third quarter and full year. While certain new boat retail markets remain pressured due to continued elevated macro and geopolitical uncertainty, our portfolio of leading premium boat and engine products continue to grow sales and capture OEM and consumer share, and our recurring revenue businesses continue to benefit from committed healthy boating participation. Our disciplined execution and improvement actions also continue to drive strong operating leverage and are expected to result in materially increased adjusted operating margins and earnings this year, overcoming the approximately $40 million impact of incremental tariffs, which is slightly elevated since our last estimate due to the anticipated impact of Section 301 replacing Section 232. Our overall tariff impact is first half weighted, with the year-over-year second half impact lower than 2025. The overall result is revenue of $5.7 billion-$5.8 billion, up strongly over 2025.
Adjusted operating margins of approximately 8%, up 100 basis points year-over-year, and adjusted EPS of $4.35-$4.75, up almost 40% at the midpoint. We are also increasing our free cash flow guidance to more than $400 million on the back of strong earnings, prudent working capital management, and the benefit of the net IEEPA refunds. Given all the moving pieces, we thought one last bridge would be helpful to show the components of our adjusted EPS guidance raise. As I mentioned earlier, absent any tariff refund impacts, our Q2 performance beat was about $0.20. From there, we anticipate a full year net IEEPA benefit of a little more than $0.30, which includes the refunds accrued in Q2, plus the remainder of our phase two refunds, which we believe will be approved in the second half of the year.
We are not anticipating or including in guidance any phase four refunds in 2026, which could add more than $0.20 once approved. Offsetting these benefits are two primary factors. First, we anticipate incurring an additional $0.15 of material inflation in the back half of the year versus what was included in our April guidance, mostly incurred at Mercury and Navico Group. Second, we believe the tariff changes just discussed will add another approximately $0.50 to our overall cost base. These costs and benefits net to an approximate $0.30 of adjusted EPS benefit, and we are flowing it through to the full year with our EPS midpoint now $4.55 for the year, reflecting a balanced view of risks and opportunities as we navigate the continued challenging macro environment. I will now pass the call back over to Dave for concluding remarks.
Thanks, Ryan. This year, Brunswick earned 15 boating industry top product awards, the most we have ever received in a single year, with 13 different brands represented spanning boats, propulsion, vessel control, and marine electronics. This extraordinary performance, along with many other domestic and international product design and technology awards, clearly illustrates the increasing breadth and depth of our product leadership. Overall, through the first half of the year, Brunswick has secured a company record 86 awards, and we remain firmly on track to surpass 100 enterprise awards for the fifth consecutive year. As in prior years, this recognition spans products innovation, workplace culture, leadership, and corporate reputation, and reflects the strength and consistency of our organization and values. Thank you to all of our Brunswick employees whose talent and dedication makes this recognition possible.
Before we open the line for questions, while I'm very pleased and excited about Brunswick Corporation's performance and trajectory, next never rests, and there is a lot more to come, which we will share at Brunswick Corporation's Investor Day on August 11th. We'll release a prerecorded video strategy presentation on our website next week and address questions on those materials at the event's live Q&A session. The event, which will be held at Mercury Marine's headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, will also include facility tours and on-water product demonstrations. For those unable to attend, we'll also be pleased to answer follow-up questions in post-event calls. We're approaching capacity for the event, so please register if you've not already done so. With that, we'll now open the line for questions.
Thank you. We will now be conducting a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press star two if you would like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. One moment please while we poll for questions. The first question is from James Hardiman from Citi. Please go ahead.
Hey, good morning. Thanks for taking my questions. Real shocker. I have a question on tariffs just because there's a lot of moving pieces there. Obviously, the incentive comp makes it even more complicated. I think I get it for the quarter. Maybe as we just think about the full year guide, EPS is up $0.30. Tariffs are giving you $0.30. Those sort of roughly cancel each other out. There's some operational upside, but that's being offset by inflation and Canadian tariffs. Let me know if you think that's sort of good math. As we think about the margin guide, a 25 basis point increase, is that up or down at all ex the refunds? Thanks.
Hey, James. Maybe I'll take this. Maybe I'll be just a little bit broader to start just so that everyone gets the full picture. I think we consider the tariffs paid in 2026 and then the IEEPA refunds pretty different animals. Maybe I'll take them in sections, and that'll help kind of everyone on the call. On 2026, really the only major change in the quarter was the elimination of 122. It was replaced by Section 301, and then the additional potential Canadian tariffs. Together, we think that's probably a $5 million or so bad guy, and that's really a second half hit. If you think about our incremental tariff impact from last year, that takes it from our previous range where we thought we were at the bottom of that $35 million-$45 million range and puts us squarely in the middle of approximately $40 million.
That is embedded in the guidance. We will continue to mitigate. We'll continue to lower our China impact. That is, remember, first half loaded as the way the timing worked through last year versus this year. Bad guy in the first half and actually a neutral positive in the second half of this year due to that timing. Maybe on IEEPA refunds, we think about it in a couple of ways. We've been pretty public with Gross numbers. Just a gross before any other impacts to the P&L of $60 million of IEEPA refunds. You saw today in the materials that looks to be now between $60 million and $70 million. Two very key things here. First, this is a gross number.
We understand the refunds are a reduction of COGS, which ultimately is an increase to earnings, but that gross number does not include the associated impacts the refunds have on other parts of the P&L, namely variable compensation. That's why we're talking about it as a net number, which as we turn the calendar to 2027, will enable everyone to back out the net impact, which is really the correct way to think about it. The other item is there's a lot of timing involved here. IEEPA refunds are really in three phases. There's phase one, which is very small, received and recognized in the quarter in Q2, but very small. Phase two, which is about 60% of the refunds, and I'll get to that in a second. Phase four, which is the remainder.
Importantly, we are not anticipating currently any phase four refunds to be accrued or any benefit in 2026. Have not included that number in any guidance. That's part of the $60 million to $70 million of gross that will eventually be received, but it is not included in any 2026 guidance. That leaves the treatment of phase two IEEPA, simply about $30 million of that, as you correctly mentioned, $30 million was accepted in Q2 and therefore included in the results. Once netted for enterprise-wide variable comp impacts, it represented about a 20% benefit in the quarter. That's what you saw on the bridge. The remaining, about $10 million of phase two, was not accepted in Q2 due to some technicalities in the system.
We are confident that they will be accepted, although not in the Q2 numbers, they are a benefit in the second half, which we included about $0.10 into the full year guidance. That really is all things tariff. To roll it forward to your full year guidance question. We had a $0.20 beat in Q2, that had nothing to do with tariffs. We had another approximately $0.20 of net IEEPA, which we talked about, resulting in the $0.40 overall beat versus our midpoint of $1.15 from April. If you look forward to the second half, we see about $0.20 of risk on the macros, which is inflation and the increased tariffs that I discussed, which is offset by that $0.10 of phase two goodness.
If you think about what flowed through, you really got the whole Q2 beat that was not related to tariffs and about half of the net IEEPA goodness in the quarter is for $0.30. A raise from $4.25 to $4.55 in the midpoint. Long answer, but lots of things covered there. Hope that answers your question.
That's really good. I think it's a good way to frame it. I guess on to theory what should really matter, and that's sort of the demand environment. You talked about retail all in being down four, I think flattish ex the sort of value units rationalization. What can you tell us about the momentum within those numbers? You guys started out the year really strong. I think January and February were up meaningfully, then March was weaker. Here in Q2 was weaker than 1Q. Is there anything that we should be drawing from that? I think the tiebreaker is always the last month, right? Which everybody will want to focus on. Anything you can tell us to help us frame sort of where demand appears to be headed with the most sort of updated data points that you have. Thank you.
Thank you, Jimmy. I'll take that one. I think we clearly are continuing to see this K-shaped economy effect that we've seen for some time now, and it's almost like there are two distinct markets at the moment, and maybe we should work to frame them as best we can going forward. There clearly is a premium market which is very stable. We said that premium fiberglass was roughly flat, but in fact it was exactly flat, basically almost to the unit. Boston Whaler and Sea Ray and Navan are very solid. Continue to be very solid. Also, our core portfolio is very solid, flat almost exactly, which includes kind of premium pontoons, premium fishing.
What we are seeing that we talked about earlier really, is that those kind of fiberglass runabout boats where people are not maybe as committed to boating as part of their lifestyle. They're not typically fishing boats. They're not premium boats. That's where we're seeing the softness. It's not new. It's exactly what we talked about and exactly why we rationalize the product line in that area and also rationalize the manufacturing footprint in that area. We're kind of right sizing our business in the softer part of the market with still potential for rebound. Boat Group actually probably sacrificed some revenue to do this, but gained about 100 basis points of margin, which is exactly what we intended. I think, we will continue to look at both parts of the market going forward. A part that is very solid and resilient and has good momentum.
I think you'll see some positive things going on, particularly in saltwater fishing in the balance of the year. This part of the market that we're, I guess, leaning away from, which is the less committed part of the market, that kind of general runabout fiberglass, where we are seeing people just more cautious and more fragile, I guess, from the overall economy.
Got it. Thank you both.
Thanks, James.
The next question is from Randy Konik from Jefferies. Please go ahead.
Yeah, thanks a lot, and good morning. I guess, Ryan, for you, what I wanted to try to get to understand, maybe qualitatively, if you don't want to give quantitatively, is just how we should be thinking about the long-term margin power of the business. You talked about it in the answers to questions or script, in terms of continuing to work on things like reducing your manufacturing footprint, i.e., fixed cost expense in the business. I'm just trying to understand, as we think about over time, the demand environment improving, not focusing on what's going on in the next 90 days or the last 30 days, but the next two to three to five years.
Just want to understand that in an assumption of an improving long-term detail of demand, how we should be thinking about the margin power of the company overall, and maybe just high level, how we think about the different segments as it compares to prior cycle high margins maybe achieved during COVID, et cetera. How we want to think about that, similar or not similar this time around versus last time around? That'd be super helpful. Thanks.
Yeah, Randy, I'll take that. The very good news is in four days, you're going to get a whole lot of detail on exactly that, which is what do we think our earnings power is in a market that we think may not provide as much help as maybe in previous plans anticipated. We agree. We think there is still growth in the market. We think we're at a trough in terms of units. There's different views on how fast that returns to a more normalized view. The one constant is that Brunswick can continue to drive earnings in a variety of market conditions, as we've proven already. Without getting too detailed, because I do want people to see all the specifics that will be in our investor materials, no one's going to be surprised to see the operating leverage that's embedded in our plan.
It's north of 20%. It can get to something that's north of that in various conditions, and that's really across the portfolio. There's not one single business unit that is a laggard or far ahead. I will give you a couple just things to think about. Navico Group continues to grow and have gross margin growth. That has the highest product and variable margins of anything across our company, and that will continue to be a strength, I think, as we progress through the next strategic plan. Our parts and accessories business also continues to be extremely strong from a margin standpoint, but just consistent as can be. This year, boating usage we know is up, and that's been reflected then in a very strong year from the P&A side. Propulsion and boats both continue to grow margins throughout any conditions.
You've seen the boat business at a wholesale level that they haven't really seen in a decade still grow margins this year, as Dave mentioned a second ago, while propulsion continues to be flat to slightly up and will be up for the full year despite strong product spending and the tariff impact. I think the investor community is going to be very pleased to see the innate growth across all of our businesses that would be supercharged in the event there's just a little bit of industry help or market help. Also given that the pipelines are kind of at historic lows across our portfolio. Hope that helps, and certainly Monday morning, the additional information, it will be very helpful.
Super helpful. Then can you just maybe quantify or remind us, you just mentioned it, the extra spend and pull forward that is related to, I think, some of these higher horsepower engine programs. I think you said four or five programs are in process. A couple or four of the five, I think, are launching in the next one to two years. Just curious on how we should be thinking about that extent of the pull forward and the duration of that expense, such that when we get to, let's say, I don't know, second quarter, first quarter 2027, is that an expense we lap and those pull forwarded expenses start to kind of pull off a little bit? Just high level how we should be thinking of that as well.
It's about $20 million-$25 million of spend, and that's been spread across a couple of quarters. Yes, by the time you get to next year, the product spend may not be dramatically lower, this is a lumpier time. Remember, these engine programs ebb and flow over time, and you may get to a point which we have over the last couple of quarters where each engine program is at a spot where it's at a little heavier spend, that's what you're seeing. Do not take away that we're going to stop spending on engine product development because that is a core competency of ours and keeps us well ahead of our competition. A little bit lumpy. Think about it as about $20 million spread over a couple of quarters.
Again, it'll soften not dramatically so as we go to the out years.
Awesome. Thanks, guys.
The next question is from Matthew Boss, from JPMorgan. Please go ahead.
Great. Thanks. Dave, could you just elaborate on the progression of boat retail sales into the core summer selling season? With retail sales tracking down 4% year-to-date, any change to flat to up slightly for the year? Any change separately in your outlook for wholesale units this year?
On the retail side, I think given the softer value part of the market, I think flattish is probably where we'll end up. It could be slightly down on a unit basis. Entirely due to the value part of the market. We still see the premium and core parts of the market as very solid at the moment. We would say that they're likely to be flat, those parts of the market, through the balance of the year. By the end of July, which is where we're at right now, that's about 75% of retail for the year. That will be modest kind of changes going forward. I think maybe what I didn't say earlier is, although we have to recognize that different parts of the market behave differently.
If you're looking in the automotive market at the moment at pickups and SUVs, you're having a pretty good time of it. If you're looking at passenger cars, you're not having quite such a good time of it. That is very analogous to what's going on in the boating market at the moment. We lean into premium and core. That is where the vast majority of our profitability is. That remains very steady with plenty of upside opportunity, which we'll also talk about in Investor Day. The other thing I didn't really say was, of course, we are participating in, if you like, the value part of the market through Freedom Boat Club. There are alternative ways to get at that consumer, in ways that are less subject to inflation, less subject to interest rates, all those kind of things.
I think that we are mixing our approaches to the market appropriately, exactly for how the market is behaving and will continue to do so. We did see really strong performance from Freedom Boat Club this year. The other part of the market that we don't talk about enough, even though we try to, is boating participation, which has been incredibly strong. If people own a boat, they are using it extensively despite fuel price increases as we anticipated. There is no shortage of interest in going boating. We're just seeing this one part of the market, which is a bit less committed and a bit more economically fragile, showing some softness. That is really not super material to our results, as you've seen.
Maybe just to add on that, you did have a wholesale question and just to piggyback off of what Dave is saying, wholesale sales for our premium core products as we look at the 2027 model year, which we're now in, continue to be very strong, especially at Whaler. As we think about wholesale assumptions for the year, I don't think there's any material changes. If there'd be any changes in the numbers, just the raw numbers, it would be premium and core continue to be strong and maybe up a little bit over expectations while value would be slightly down. Really good momentum on wholesale as we think about the back half of this year.
Great color. That's the block.
The next question is from Joe Altobello from Raymond James. Please go ahead.
Thanks. Hey, guys. Good morning. I guess first on shipments, in the back half of the year, how are you guys thinking about wholesale versus retail with respect to both boats and engines? Would you expect dealers to end the year higher in terms of weeks on hand?
Yeah, I think it'll be flattish as on a weeks on hand basis, Joe. I think what we are seeing from dealers, and actually you see it in the dealer sentiment studies, is they think that they are approaching the right level of inventory, and I speak about that on a total market basis. For us, we have very lean and fresh inventory levels, so we have not seen any diminishing trends in wholesale orders. We believe orders will remain very solid, which will probably mean that weeks on hand will probably be pretty flat through this year.
Got it. Just moving on to the U.S. outboard market, are you seeing any shifts in terms of pricing from some of your competitors at this point?
No. We are not seeing any material shifts in pricing. We continue to see very modest pricing. We are continuing to follow that. As you know, we price at a premium. We're continuing to maintain that premium, but we're not seeing a lot of pricing activity at the moment.
Okay, great. Thank you.
The next question is from Anna Glaessgen of B. Riley. Please go ahead.
Hi, good morning. Thanks for taking my questions. I'd like to ask on the Boat segment rationalization, do you expect that you would continue to see rationalization spill into 2027, or should 2026 be the end of that impact? Thanks.
I think we'll continue to look at it, to be honest. I think we did. Really, the product lines that we took out, I think were the right product lines at the time, but we'll continue to see how the market develops. We don't believe that there aren't new opportunities in the value part of the market, and we're looking at different kind of model architectures and ways to approach that part of the market that might offer something desirable in that market and a little bit different. We're going to continue to be innovative, but if we need to rationalize more, then yeah, sure, we'll rationalize some more, and try and make sure that we maintain scale, but lean into the growing parts of the market and the higher margin parts of the market. Yeah, it'll be dynamic. I can't say it's complete yet.
We're continuing to look at it.
Got it. Thanks. Just one clarification. We've seen some pretty significant operating margin expansion in Navico through the first half of the year. The full-year guide, I believe, is for up 200 basis points. Is that 200 excluding the IEEPA refunds that hit, so on an organic basis? Because otherwise it seems to imply a potential compression in the back half.
No, Anna, that is not. I'm sorry. Yes, the IEEPA refunds are included in all of our guidance, kind of as anticipated. Navico benefited from that in the quarter. Even if you take that out, right, even if you take out any IEEPA goodness, they are still up 260 basis points in the quarter. Still an outstanding result. If you think about the remaining portion of the year, Q3 we anticipate should be up. Q4 probably closer to flat to get to your guidance for the full year. It was a one-time kind of good guy for the quarter that will be then spread out for the full year. To be clear, they are growing margins absent the IEEPA refund for a full-year basis, similar to they did last year.
Okay. Got it. Thanks, Ryan. Super helpful.
The next question is from Gerrick Johnson of Seaport Research Partners. Please go ahead.
All right. Good morning. Thank you. Hey, some questions on the associated variable comp related to the tariff refunds. One, can you explain the mechanics? Is everyone getting a retroactive bonus at Brunswick? How much of this variable comp, what's the dollar number that we're offsetting these refunds with in the second quarter and then also in the back half? Lastly on this, of those refunds, how are they spread across the segments?
Hey, Gerrick. Well, maybe Ryan and I can tag team this one a bit. No, nobody is getting a retroactive bonus of any kind. Our variable comp plans depend on free cash flow, which was stronger, and also on earnings or earnings per share. Long term is cash flow return on investment. Essentially, and typically we have some form of linear variable comp curve or almost linear comp curve, where roughly 100% of kind of forecast earnings and cash flow for the year equals 100% of variable comp. When the tariffs hit last year, we did not ask for any adjustments to our variable comp. As they flowed through the P&L, we did not hit our target, and we did not get paid at 100% variable comp. In fact, we took a pretty big hit to variable comp.
As the refunds flow through the P&L again, they drive our financial performance to above target, and therefore people get paid at or above target. It is simply our kind of linearity working from one year to the next. Last year, we got paid lower because of tariffs running through the P&L. This year, we get potentially paid more due to tariffs running through the P&L. Our curves are typically linear or close to linear.
Gerrick, just on some of the technicalities in terms of spread across, it's pretty even between Mercury and Navico Group and Boat and then obviously corporate. Remember that it's not just incentive compensation on cash, there's the impact on equity as well as the impact on profit sharing. Our profit sharing, which goes to all of our employees. This will support a payment that we obviously made this year that we hope to make next year again, that goes to not only the salary folks, but also hourly as well. There's a lot of components here, but Dave had the mechanics correct.
The nature of the KPIs are all publicly available. Yeah.
Okay. We can go over those later. As you know, I like to do my own math, but I appreciate it and appreciate the explanation. Thank you.
Of course.
The next question is from Craig Kennison from Baird. Please go ahead.
Hey, good morning. Thank you for taking my question as well. Dave, I'm curious, what indicators do you track that give you confidence marine usage remains healthy? Then what signals do you need to see to believe that boat usage ultimately will lead to a stronger replenishment cycle?
Yeah. Hi, Craig. Yeah. We have a number of indicators. Obviously, some of them are more real-time than others. The most real-time really is Freedom Boat Club data, which shows member boat trips up 13% in the first half of the year. The interesting thing there is, if you wanted to design an experiment to look at the effect of fuel prices on boating, you couldn't have a better experimental design than Freedom Boat Club, because it's the only variable. Basically, people pay their monthly fees, and then they pay fuel costs. You couldn't design a more pure experiment, really. What you've seen is that the effects of fuel prices have no effect on boating participation. In fact, Freedom boating is up substantially. That's a nice unique insight that we have at Brunswick. You can also see, indirectly, the strength of our P&A business.
We can look into and analyze that more closely at what kind of categories are being sold. That certainly supports the fact that people are using their boats extensively. We also track other indicators after the year, but unfortunately, it's really a trailing indicator. Obviously, we get registration data that, as you know, has been very solid and, in fact, is growing in terms of the parts of the market in which Brunswick participates. That's the kind of seven million units out of the 10 that are registered, which has grown from around six and a half over the past 10 years or so.
Thanks. A follow-up on Mercury. It's been taking share, I think, for several years now, and that typically comes with a P&A annuity, maybe with a lag. Are you seeing any evidence that some of the share gains you've had in recent years are starting to impact P&A demand this year and beyond?
Yes. I think that it's a very positive trend, and certainly, we'll talk more about it at Investor Day. As we gain share, particularly in high horsepower, we have more and more captive parts. As you know, Craig, and as others will see during Investor Day at the facility, it's almost impossible to create knockoffs of any of those parts. Any replacement is going to come from us. As the products get more sophisticated, it is very, very difficult for anybody to do anything independently to replace our own parts as well. I think at one point in time, as stern drive engines became less popular, there was a bit of a fear that the P&A annuity would be diluted a bit, but in fact, that's not the case.
Those large outboards have really taken the place of larger stern drive engines with a lot more captive content. Yeah, we're excited about the future of P&A. We're talking about hundreds of tens of thousands of units being added to the kind of P&A annuity every year, so that it is a little bit dilute. Yeah, there are a lot of very positive trends about the strength of our P&A annuity, both in terms of volume and margin. Obviously, the more captive content we have, the more margin opportunity we have as well.
Thank you.
Actually, even though you didn't ask for it, Craig, maybe I'll throw in there that the fastest growing part of the market in a lot of ways is the electronics part of the market. Navico's aftermarket is another really exciting part of the business that we obviously are now participating in more.
Next question is from Tristan Thomas-Martin from BMO Capital Markets. Please go ahead.
Hey, good morning. Just wanted one question on the P&A trend. Is there a way to think about the potential West Marine kind of bankruptcy store closure benefit? As in, was that a benefit in the quarter in any way to think about it moving forward? Thanks.
I think a little bit of a short-term headwind, I would say. The reality is we are the biggest marine distributor in the world. Our people are going to get their parts and supplies somehow. For the parts of the market that are more dealer and distributor oriented, some of that business could certainly translate to our Land Sea and Kellogg and other parts of our distribution network. Yeah, that's a possibility.
Thank you.
At this time, we would like to turn the call back to Dave for some concluding remarks.
Thank you, everybody, for your questions. Another very encouraging quarter, completing a very strong first half of 2026. Solid retail, revenue up substantially across all businesses, margin expansion, strong leverage, and continued really strong free cash flow generation. Despite the new boat market that has stabilized but is certainly seeking a solid rebound, we are clearly firing on all cylinders. Great new products, structural cost reductions coming through. Our portfolio is oriented towards and leaning into exactly the right parts of the market, and our recurring revenue businesses continue to really thrive and had a particularly strong first half. As I've said earlier, you'll hear more about that and a lot of exciting new growth opportunities for Brunswick at our investor event on August 11th at Mercury Marine's headquarters. You'll meet the leadership team, you'll tour Mercury's facility, and get some fantastic on-water experience as well.
If you haven't registered, please do soon, and we really look forward to seeing you all. Thank you.
This concludes today's teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.

