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Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-08Minerals Technologies (MTX) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Motley Fool
Minerals Technologies (MTX) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, July 31, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET Head of Investor Relations - Lydia Kopylova Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - Douglas Dietrich Chief Financial Officer - Erik Aldag Operator: Good day, and welcome to the Minerals Technologies Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. Please note this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Lydia Kopylova, Head of Investor Relations. Please go ahead. Lydia Kopylova: Thank you, Dave. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our second quarter 2026 earnings conference call. Today's call will be led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Doug Dietrich; and Chief Financial Officer, Erik Aldag. Following Doug and Erik's prepared remarks, we'll open it up to questions. As a reminder, some of the statements made during this call may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Please note the cautionary language about forward-looking statements contained in our earnings release and on the slide. Our SEC filings disclose certain risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Please also note that some of our comments today refer to non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation to GAAP financial measures can be found in our earnings release in the appendix of this presentation, which are posted on our website. Now I'll turn it over to Doug. Doug? Douglas Dietrich: Thanks, Lydia. Good morning, everyone, and thanks for joining today. I'm going to kick us off with a review of our second quarter financials. Erik will then take you through the numbers in more detail and provide our outlook. And at the end of our presentation, I'll briefly share some of the highlights from our sustainability report, which we just published, and provide a preview of our upcoming Investor Day on September 22. After that, we'll open the call to questions. First, a quick overview of the quarter results. Sales were $548 million, up 4% over last year, with operating income of $75 million. Earnings per share were $1.60, up 3% from last year. We continue to be a strong cash generator with cash flow improving over last year, and our balance sheet is in great shape with our net leverage reducing to 1.6x EBITDA. Our top line momentum has continued, with sales growing 7% for the…Read full documentShow less
Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, July 31, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET Head of Investor Relations - Lydia Kopylova Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - Douglas Dietrich Chief Financial Officer - Erik Aldag Operator: Good day, and welcome to the Minerals Technologies Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. Please note this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Lydia Kopylova, Head of Investor Relations. Please go ahead. Lydia Kopylova: Thank you, Dave. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our second quarter 2026 earnings conference call. Today's call will be led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Doug Dietrich; and Chief Financial Officer, Erik Aldag. Following Doug and Erik's prepared remarks, we'll open it up to questions. As a reminder, some of the statements made during this call may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Please note the cautionary language about forward-looking statements contained in our earnings release and on the slide. Our SEC filings disclose certain risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Please also note that some of our comments today refer to non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation to GAAP financial measures can be found in our earnings release in the appendix of this presentation, which are posted on our website. Now I'll turn it over to Doug. Doug? Douglas Dietrich: Thanks, Lydia. Good morning, everyone, and thanks for joining today. I'm going to kick us off with a review of our second quarter financials. Erik will then take you through the numbers in more detail and provide our outlook. And at the end of our presentation, I'll briefly share some of the highlights from our sustainability report, which we just published, and provide a preview of our upcoming Investor Day on September 22. After that, we'll open the call to questions. First, a quick overview of the quarter results. Sales were $548 million, up 4% over last year, with operating income of $75 million. Earnings per share were $1.60, up 3% from last year. We continue to be a strong cash generator with cash flow improving over last year, and our balance sheet is in great shape with our net leverage reducing to 1.6x EBITDA. Our top line momentum has continued, with sales growing 7% for the first half of the year. I'll highlight that this has been quality revenue growth driven by higher volumes from our new growth projects and from stronger end market conditions. Another highlight is that our Engineered Solutions segment delivered a particularly impressive performance this quarter, generating a record margin of 17.8% and a record quarterly income of $49 million. Both segments continue to be positioned for solid growth this year. with our strategic projects in each segment remaining on track. As a result, we have a clear line of sight to hitting our mid-single-digit growth guidance for the company for the full year. In our Consumer & Specialty segment, our cat litter sales have grown 9% through the first half of the year, driven by the introduction of new products, and this business remains on track for a mid- to high single-digit growth year. We're also excited about our [ Ratinol ] bleaching earth expansion, which is now ramping up, and we can begin working through a very strong order book from sustainable aviation fuel customers. Our new Fabric Care product production is also ramping up, and we expect sales to strengthen early in the fourth quarter. Paper and Packaging sales were also strong, up 7% so far this year and our 3 new satellite facility launches are all progressing. In our Engineered Solutions segment, high-temperature Technologies is having a strong sales year driven by our Refractories business, where sales were up 14%, driven by Mensscan installations and the corresponding contractual refractory volumes as well as from higher foundry sales in Asia, which are up 11%. We also saw strong sales in environmental and infrastructure where sales were up 19% this year, driven by higher volumes of environmental lining products, building materials and drilling products as well as from strong demand for our offshore energy services business. Our main challenge this year has been dealing with the higher level and persistent inflation. As we mentioned would happen this quarter, we absorbed quite a bit of higher energy, transportation and raw material costs, the majority of which hit our Consumer and Specialty segment. We've adjusted pricing across all product lines but due to contractual price increase timing to many customers in the Consumer and Specialty segment, the majority of the positive pricing impact is only now beginning to take effect. Margins in the quarter for the Consumer & Specialty segment were impacted as a result. Erik will outline all of the price cost dynamics for you in detail, but we continue to make contractual price adjustments and expect to recover segment margins as we move through the second half of the year. A few other items I'd like to touch on before handing the call over to Erik. First, I want to mention that we've made organizational changes that I believe will result in even closer collaboration and greater efficiency across our 4 product lines. We've elevated 4 experienced leaders to oversee each product line, leveraging their deep knowledge of our markets, operations and technologies. This change will more closely align the people, products, facilities and core technologies that serve similar markets and strengthen execution across the organization. We believe these changes -- we expect these changes to drive efficiencies, further accelerate innovation and speed to market for new products and accelerate best practice sharing and adoption across our business. Second, as we previously announced, this past quarter, we also filed a plan of reorganization in the Chapter 11 cases of our subsidiaries, DMI OldCo, formerly known as Barrett Minerals and has affiliated debtors to comply with the court deadline. Concurrently with the filing of the plan, we recorded a charge of $290 million to increase our reserve for funding the proposed potential trust and for estimated costs related to this matter. More recently, the judge has abated the bankruptcy court cases in order to await the outcome of a district court proceeding on the underlying talc causation issue. We continue to maintain that all talc sold by BMI OldCo has always been safe and remain committed to a fair and final resolution for the company and all stakeholders. Lastly, I'm pleased to announce that we published our 18th annual sustainability report earlier this week. It's packed with information about the company and our journey over the past several years. I'm going to take a moment at the end of our presentation to run you through some of the highlights. Now let me hand the call over to Erik, who will take you through our second quarter financials in more detail. Erik? Erik Aldag: Thanks, Doug, and good morning, everyone. I'll start by providing a summary of our financial results, followed by a review of our segments and I'll wrap up with our outlook for the third quarter. Following my remarks, I'll turn the call back over to Doug. Now let's review our results. Second quarter sales were $548 million, up 4% versus last year, driven by strength in high-temperature Technologies and environmental and infrastructure. After a strong first quarter, second quarter sales in Consumer and Specialties were down slightly from last year, primarily due to some volume that shifted into the second half in Household and Personal Care. Second quarter operating income was $75 million. You can see from the bridge on the lower left that volume contributed $4 million and pricing contributed $8 million to income. However, overall cost increases totaled $16 million in the quarter as we experienced higher freight, energy and energy-linked costs such as mining. The cost environment remains dynamic and further price adjustments will be necessary until costs stabilize and we fully offset these increases. Moving to the top right side of the slide. Sales have grown 7% in the first half over last year with 5% growth in Consumer & Specialties and 10% growth in Engineered Solutions. We'll show year-to-date figures in a few places today to highlight the growth so far this year and to highlight the magnitude of the cost impacts that we expect to fully recover once these higher costs playing over. The first half operating bridge on the bottom right shows that volume delivered $13 million of additional income and higher pricing contributed $14 million. The biggest challenge this year has been the higher costs I just mentioned, which ramped up significantly in the second quarter. Earnings per share, excluding special items, grew 3% in the second quarter and are up 11% year-to-date. I'd also like to note that EBITDA is up 5% year-to-date. Now let's turn to a review of our segments, beginning with Consumer & Specialties. Second quarter sales in the Consumer and Specialty segment were $275 million. Sales in our Household and Personal Care product line were $123 million. Following a very strong first quarter, cat litter sales moderated in the second quarter. Q2 is typically a slower seasonal period for cat litter, and customer orders also ease off following the new item fill in Q1. It's worth noting that cat litter sales have increased 9% in the first half versus prior year, and our outlook for this business remains solid. Our edible oil and renewable fuel expansion hit target production levels at the end of the second quarter. Our order book is solid, and we expect sales to ramp up steadily through the third quarter. Lastly, in Personal Care, we had a large customer campaign in the second quarter of last year and this year, a similar campaign has moved to the second half. Second quarter sales in Specialty Additives were up 1% from prior year and are 3% higher year-to-date. Global sales to paper and packaging customers are up 7% year-to-date, driven by higher volumes from our newest satellites in Asia, and this growth is helping to offset slower demand for residential construction products. Segment operating income was $29 million in the quarter and $62 million year-to-date. I'm showing you a first half operating income bridge on the bottom left to highlight the price versus cost lag in this segment. In the second quarter, we saw a significant increase in freight and energy costs. As we mentioned on the last call, this segment and the household and personal care product line, in particular, is bearing the majority of the cost increases. And it's also the segments with the majority of the contractual lag on pricing. Due to the nature of our contracts in this business, we typically have a lag between cost decreases and price increases. You may recall that several years ago, it used to take us 3 quarters on average to catch up from a price versus cost perspective. Since then, we've shortened that time to around 3 to 4 months on average by making changes to our contracts to better line up our cost price timing, and we continue to drive improvement in this area. However, until cost pressures playing over, we're still about 90 days away from fully catching up in this segment. Looking ahead to the third quarter, we expect segment sales to increase in the 3% to 5% range versus prior year, driven primarily by growth in the household and personal care product line. Now let's turn to the Engineered Solutions segment. Second quarter sales in the Engineered Solutions segment increased 9% from prior year to $274 million, extending the growth momentum we saw at the start of the year. In total, segment sales are up 10% through the first half of the year. In High Temperature Technologies, sales of $190 million were up 7% for the quarter, and sales are also up 7% year-to-date for this product line. Sales to steel customers in North America remained strong, and we've started to see signs of improved demand in Europe as well. Sales growth to foundry customers in Asia was very strong with second quarter sales up 14% versus prior year. Environmental and Infrastructure sales were $84 million in the second quarter, representing a 15% increase from prior year and year-to-date sales are up 19%. Demand for our building materials products was strong this quarter with sales up 41% versus prior year, driven by some large projects in the quarter. Growth in Drilling Products also remained strong with sales up 20% versus prior year. And sales for Environmental lining solutions were up 18% in the second quarter driven by higher project activity levels, particularly in the mining sector. Operating income for the quarter was $49 million and totaled $88 million year-to-date. You can see in the year-to-date operating income bridge that sales growth is translating well to operating income, which is up 13% versus last year. And price adjustments are keeping pace with the cost increases we're seeing. Operating income represented 17.8% of sales in the second quarter, a record for the segment. Looking ahead to the third quarter, we're expecting sales growth of 3% to 5% versus prior year for the segment. Now let me turn to a summary of our balance sheet and cash flow highlights. We had another strong cash flow performance in the second quarter, bringing year-to-date cash from operations to $95 million, up $37 million from last year. Capital expenditure was $27 million in the second quarter, and we continue to expect full year CapEx in the $90 million to $100 million range. Year-to-date free cash flow of $45 million is up significantly versus prior year. Cash flow is expected to continue to build through the second half and we expect full year free cash flow to be in the range of 6% to 7% of sales. Our balance sheet remains solid, with our net leverage ratio at 1.6x EBITDA. Now I'll summarize our outlook for the third quarter. Overall, we expect a similar performance sequentially with third quarter sales of approximately $550 million representing an increase of around 4% from prior year. In the Consumer & Specialties segment, we expect sales to grow 3% to 5% versus prior year, driven primarily by the household and personal care product line. We're seeing stronger sales for cat litter early in the quarter, and we expect this will continue. And with our natural oil purification expansion running at target rates, we're expecting a solid quarter growth for this business. The only area where we're not seeing improvement for this segment is the residential construction market, which remains soft relative to last year. In the Engineered Solutions segment, we also anticipate third quarter growth in the 3% to 5% range versus prior year. And overall, we expect similar market conditions sequentially for this segment. We're expecting growth in high temperature technologies to be driven by another quarter of steady demand from steel customers. And in environmental infrastructure, we expect year-over-year demand improvement to continue into the third quarter. Overall, for MTI, we expect similar operating income sequentially of around $75 million and earnings per share of between $1.55 and $1.60. We expect to fully leverage these higher levels of sales into income as soon as our price/cost dynamics take hold in Consumer and specialties. We expect overall operating margin to recover in the fourth quarter to slightly above prior year levels with the normal seasonality moving from Q3 to Q4. We remain confident in our growth trajectory and we continue to expect full year sales growth in the mid-single-digit range. And with several growth initiatives ramping up in the second half of this year, we expect this growth rate to continue into next year. With that, I'll turn the call back over to Doug. Douglas Dietrich: Thanks, Erik. A couple of other items I'd like to touch on before we finish. This month, we're proud to publish our 18th annual sustainability report. Sustainability has always been a part of the DNA of our company. not only because it's one of our core values, but also because we believe it supports our continued growth as well as our customers' growth. You can download the full report on the Sustainability page of our website at mineralstech.com. But let me take you through some of the highlights. In 2025, we achieved a company best and world-class safety performance, reflecting our continuous improvement culture tied to our deep commitment to keeping all employees safe. 2025 was also the target year for achieving the 12 of the environmental goals we set for ourselves back in 2018 and are pleased to report that most of our results exceeded our expectations. Let me give you some highlights of what we accomplished. First, we reduced our CO2 emissions by approximately 40%. We also eliminated the use of coal at all but one of our facilities, reducing consumption by 70% and converted 34% of our fuel oil usage to renewable alternatives. We reduced landfill waste by 44% and now divert approximately 56,000 tons of waste annually through beneficial reuse. We reduced water consumption by over 30% and water discharge by almost 60%, which equates to over 660 million gallons of water saved each year. That's enough water to supply a midsized American town annually. In this year's report, we also announced our new 10-year targets through 2035, which build on the successful achievement of the previous targets we established in 2018. We are aiming to reduce our environmental impact by another 20% on an absolute basis and 30% on a per ton basis. Sustainability continues to be a meaningful driver of MTI's long-term growth strategy. Over the last 5 years, 67% of the products commercialized by MTI have had a sustainable profile. Many of these products, like [indiscernible] for sustainable aviation fuel, [indiscernible] for PFAS remediation and our new yield line of products are examples of how we have tied together our minerals and our technologies to create sustainable solutions. These efforts are impressive by any measure and were achieved by the employees at MTI who are dedicated to continuous improvement in all that we do. And I'd like to thank all of our employees for their support. Lastly, a plug for our upcoming Investor Day, which will be held on September 22 at our R&D facility in Beth line, Pennsylvania. At our last Investor Day, we showcased the innovation and technical capabilities that support our bentonite-based businesses at our R&D facility in Hoffman Estates near Chicago. This time, in Betham we'll focus on innovations related to our crystal engineering technology in the calcium carbonate side of our business as well as the engineered blend technologies used in our high-temperature products for steel and other metal industries. We're excited to take you through these innovation pipelines and introduce some exciting new strategic projects that we see driving growth over the next 5 years. If you'd like to attend in person, please reach out to Lydia Kopylova, our Head of Investor Relations, and I hope to see many of you there. With that, let me open the call for questions. Operator: Our first question comes from Daniel Moore with CJS Securities. Dan Moore: Start with the -- obviously, year-to-date, still really good strength in consumer and specialties and cat litter, personal and household products. Just if you could dive a little bit deeper into the kind of timing trends in Q2, particularly on the cat litter side, and then talk to your confidence about like getting back to kind of mid-single-digit growth trajectory in Q3 in the back half. Douglas Dietrich: Yes, sure. So I think you're talking more about the sales in HPC. I think it was really in the first -- driven in the first quarter by cat litter. You remember, I think sales were up like 19% in cat litter in the first quarter. A lot of that, we think, was due. We saw it was due to the channel fill distribution centers of all of our new products really came in strong. As Erik mentioned, I think, over the second quarter, with those distribution full, I think some of the order pattern slowed down a bit, but we're seeing that picking up again to a regular pace during the third quarter, and we still have a really strong outlook for that business for this year. D.J., you want to add any color to some of the new products, things that are going on? D. J. Monagle: Yes. Thanks, Doug. So Dan, just to bring into it a little bit, these new products that we're launching, we're pretty excited about them. And right now, as we're going into the third quarter, we're getting some good traction on that. But as I look back, I'm pretty happy with the top line growth with pet care? I mean it's at that 9%, it's double what the ongoing markets are in North America and Europe, the same thing. We're well above what the market rates are, and that's been mostly driven by these new products and just lining up with some major retailers. So we see that continuing strong for the second half of the year. And in the meantime, working as Erik was talking about on getting pricing up to offset some of the persistent inflationary increases that we're seeing. Douglas Dietrich: Dan, on the on the other go ahead. The only other thing I'd add to that, you were talking about timing and some of that Erik mentioned in his comments was our Bleaching Earth or the oil purification business. strong order book. As Erik mentioned, that facility, our expansion is now fully ramped up. It came online fully online at the end of the second quarter. We thought some of that -- some of those new sales would come into the second quarter, but it looks like with that ramp-up late in the second, those are going to be ramping up to 1/3. So the timing should be some growth in HPC, not only from pet litter, but the sustainable aviation fuel orders that we have on the books for the back half of the year. Dan Moore: Helpful. On the cost side, you've been -- you clearly demonstrated the ability to take pricing to offset inflation over the last several years. This environment, clearly unusual. If costs level off to some degree, should we be able to get back to that, say, 14% plus operating margin next year? And again, that's assuming that not necessarily flat but a more normal environment. Just kind of talk to where you think the business should be as things normalize over time? Erik Aldag: Yes. Thanks, Dan. This is Erik. So yes, I mean, we do think that. So right now, year-to-date, we're at around 13% operating margin. We're guiding to about 13.5% for the third quarter. The fourth is going to be between 13% and 13.5%. So this year, we're looking at between 13% and 13.5% for the full year operating margin. That's going to depend a little bit on how costs play out for the rest of the year. The reason that we haven't caught up on the cost increases yet is because costs are still increasing for us. We had increases from Q1 to Q2, and we're actually seeing increases from Q2 to Q3 as well. So the pricing that we have going into place in Q3, which is meant to cover the cost increases from Q2, it's catching us up -- but we're still going to be upside down from a price versus cost perspective in the third quarter by something like $5 million to $6 million. That being said, when costs do play over, we do expect to make up that price versus cost gap. And I think we've shown historically that on the back end of that, we actually expand the margins. So I think we're going to be exiting this year, assuming our current outlook on cost, exiting this year in a much better position to get back to our target margin level, assuming we're at 13.5% in the fourth quarter, that's not a bad place to be for a full year run rate of 15%. You'd want to be closer to 14% perhaps. But -- we do have that typical seasonality in Q4 and Q1 every year. Dan Moore: Yes. Very helpful. One more, I'll jump out. Maybe just a little bit more color on sort of update on the BMI case. How did we come to the determination of the funding, the trust and the $290 million charge? And I know it's not apples-to-apples, but obviously, J&J just came to an agreement. How does that sort of impact your confidence about the ability to get this settled and put it behind you? Any commentary there would be helpful, if possible. Douglas Dietrich: Yes. So maybe I'll answer the second part first. We saw the news on other J&Js and their settlement. That really doesn't -- it's a different torque. It doesn't have much bearing it's probably some positive news for them to get through that or at least come to some final, but that really doesn't have a bearing on ours, our cases. What I will say is, yes, we determined to increase our reserve for the potential for the funding of a potential plan that we filed to meet that core deadline. We were in mediation for many weeks before that. we wanted to put in a plan that we felt provided finality to the company and that we felt was a fair settlement. And through that mediation in those discussions, we determined that, that was a very rich offer to be able to put that down and get finality for the company. Since then, I think you might have seen that the bankruptcy has been abated, and the gating causation issue has been moved into district court, and that's where we sit now. Right now, we're just in the scheduling. So there's not much to talk about there, but we're in the scheduling aspects of that trial and that resolving that issue. So that's where we are. That's how we came to that determination. We wanted some finality for the company and get this behind us and we'll see where we go from here. Operator: The next question comes from Mike Harrison with Seaport Research Partners. Michael Harrison: Was hoping that we could get just maybe a little bit more color on what's going on in the PC and H business. Just really surprised that you guys were guiding to a high single-digit growth number, and I believe it was a 3-ish percent decline. I understand there were some pieces that didn't play out relative to your expectations. But I guess, what were some of the key drivers of that meaningful shortfall? And I guess, what gives you confidence that you're going to see momentum pick back up in Q3. Erik Aldag: Yes, Mike, I guess, let me start just with kind of bridging the shortfall to our expectations. I mean it was really 3 things. The easing off of the cat litter orders from the strong Q1, we probably overestimated where we were going to be just based on how strong the first quarter was -- but like DJ said, I think we're pretty happy with the year-to-date 9% growth and then seeing the orders pick back up into the third quarter. No real concerns there, but it was a difference from where our expectations were. The other piece was the bleaching earth expansion. Doug already mentioned, fully ramped up at the end of the second quarter, but we had assumed some sales in the second quarter for that expansion. The only other piece I would mention is the personal care campaign that was in the second quarter last year. We were expecting it earlier in the year this year. that's moved to the second half as well. So we had a few things shift, I would say, from the second quarter after the second half, but we're still feeling confident about the growth rates for those businesses going forward. D. J. Monagle: Yes, Mike, I would just add to that, that -- so Erik summarize as well the -- our interpretation of what we were thinking going into the second quarter. What I'm telling you what I'm seeing as we're going into the third is pretty strong pull that supports some promotional activity with some key retailers that we've got. That is a combination of new products with them and some new SKUs of old products, repackaging of old products. And so right now, that poll looks very strong on the pet side. We got some increased momentum really across the U.S. on pet. On the Bleaching Earth, we're very bullish about that. We -- some minor delays in getting the project up and running, but we're also impeded by some shipping challenges that were associated with some geopolitical issues. We've worked through that. We've got the strong supply chain going forward, supplying the sustainable aviation fuels that also got a good base of edible oils underneath it. So we're feeling really good about leaching earth, supporting that pet care growth. And again, the personal care item was just a shift from the second quarter into the third versus -- on that. And so that still looks like it's going to take off. So we feel very good about this quarter coming up. Michael Harrison: All right. And while we're on the topic, I believe last quarter, you referenced a new laundry innovation or new product that a customer was going to be launching. Any update on the timing of any benefit from the laundry business. D. J. Monagle: Yes. Thanks for the question, Mike. Glad to address that. We have done a -- the team has done a great job on our end on getting -- our portion of that lined up. It is in dry laundry. It is supporting some innovations out there in the market. So everything on our end is good. Everything is qualified. The supply chain is set and ready to go, and now we just are success will be dependent on how that new product responds in the market. So we feel good about that. I don't know that it's so much in the third quarter as the fourth, but it's entirely dependent on the success of our partner and how the market is embracing that. Michael Harrison: All right. And then over on the refractory side, you noted some improved pull from European steel customers. I assume that's Mican that's driving that. But I guess any additional detail on what you're seeing and whether you think that momentum could continue. Douglas Dietrich: Go ahead, Brett. Brett Argirakis: \ Yes, this is Brett. Mike, look, the European market is -- it's still soft, but it has improved over the prior quarter. There's been some carbon regulation safeguards that have finally been put into place, and that's really helped the threat of imports and it's improved production. We're seeing really a lot of that production in Germany that is improving. But overall, we're starting to see some improvements. The U.K. just nationalized one of their major steel mills that's going to be positive. It's been a plan that we've had business with for many, many years. So when that -- they're going to actually expand and put a third blast furnace into that production. Of course, we're seeing some -- our Middle East business, which is part of the European growth. We're doing pretty well despite the Iran conflict, but of course, the lanes and the logistics have been -- caused a little bit of commotion. But overall, we haven't lost any business. We continue to sell and we are seeing a little bit bigger uptick in the steel production. So we -- that's a good sign. As far as the min scans in Europe, we have 4 units now outside of the U.S. and we installed 1 in Europe this year. So there's more to come when we see more opportunities in Europe as the electric furnace steel production expands. Operator: And the next question comes from Pete Osterland with Julius Securities. Peter Osterland: So I wanted to start just by digging in a little more specifically on the CNS margins. You mentioned that higher costs haven't yet been fully recovered due to some contractual timing. What percentage of your sales within CNS are still awaiting contract resets? I guess right way to think about it? And should we be thinking about maybe a 200 basis point or higher margin snapback specifically in the third quarter? Or will this more likely be a multi-quarter recovery trajectory? Erik Aldag: Yes. Pete, this is Eric. Thanks for the question. So look, yes, in terms of getting the consumer and Specialties margins back to target, the biggest thing right now is the price cost catch up. And the fact that costs are continuing to rise, means that, that's going to be pushed out to the fourth quarter. So we're not expecting a major improvement Q2 to Q3. I would say the other things we have going for us longer term is just the growth of higher margin these consumer specialties that we talk about, that's going to help the mix overall. And just higher volumes in general just will help with fixed cost leverage. But in terms of your specific questions around the percent of contracts with a delay, a lot of that sits in the household and personal care product line within Consumer and Specialties. Historically, we've had more of a pricing lag within Specialty Additives, for example, in the paper and packaging business. We've done a lot of work there in terms of tightening up those legs and less so of an impact these days in that product line. Peter Osterland: Got it. Very helpful. And then also just on the record margins within Engineered Solutions. Was there any degree of the second quarter margin performance that you view as overearning as opposed to permanent operational efficiency improvements. I guess, is it fair for us to be thinking about 17% plus is the structural floor for the segment going forward? Erik Aldag: Yes. Those margins are solid. The segment is performing very well. I wouldn't call anything out of special or unusual for the second quarter. I would say, if you're looking sequentially Q2 to Q3, you do have some typical seasonality in terms of customer and maintenance shutdowns in Europe for some of the more industrial businesses. But I think we're setting a new baseline for this business from a margin perspective. Douglas Dietrich: Yes. And Peter, I think the only thing I'd add to that is we kind of signaled that there was some pent-up profitability in this business, right? So the high temperature Technologies business, operating really well, new products, midscans, contractual volumes coming through. Steel markets are in Europe are improving. North America has been strong for the past year or so. But we've had almost 2 years of kind of a lull in our Environmental Products business, and that's starting to turn a little bit. We've had 5 quarters of growth in that business in that product line. And we said as that starts to turn, that's a lot of contribution that comes through its project-based, a little bit lumpy still. But at the same time, we're starting to see our offshore oil grew 22% in the first half of the year. Drilling products and infrastructure for infrastructure drilling has been really doing well. Building products is starting to turn in our environmental products and water products and Fluororb is in there, too. So we still see there's more growth potential. So that business, as you start to see these volumes of 1 of these product lines start to move really drops to the bottom line and good contribution, and that's what you're seeing. We think that's stable. Now the other side of the business, still good growth, right? We've got, as Erik mentioned, that lag that we're going to move ourselves through and those costs park there, a lot of transportation, energy, we'll get that pushed through, but that growth is there, and we start to leverage that growth to the bottom line. I think that's a -- yes, we've got some work to do in the household and personal care business and cost. But once we get that work done, I think we got to both sides of the business kind of moving along. That's where we see that margin improvement. With the 17 on 1 side and moving the other side up to 14, you start to start to see that 15%, 16% as we push through. Now a lot of things have to line up. It's got some work to do, but I think we're setting up for that margin improvement. It's unfortunate we have this delay still, but we'll move through it and we'll deliver that profitability. Operator: The next question comes from David Silver with Freedom Capital Markets. David Silver: A little trouble joining the call at the beginning, so apologies if I make you repeat yourself. I wanted to drill down, I guess, with DJ on a couple of the expansion projects that are underway. And in particular, I guess, there was a series of PCC satellites that were due to turn on this year. Just wondering where we are on that and what the contribution might have been in the second quarter? And then just on the edible oil, you did explain the timing. It's complete. The order book is full, but revenues will probably start in the third quarter. With the full order book and the project complete, I'm just wondering about next steps there, like what might be the cadence for the next incremental expansion, assuming the SAF market continues to progress, which I think is a pretty sure thing myself personally. And then is the expansion program, 1 where the incremental additions are more of a modular nature. In other words, they can be added relatively quickly? Or is this more of a discrete project with its own separate, I don't know, off-sites or supporting utilities? Just what might be the cadence that we should think about for growth in your capacity on the edible oil side, edible oil purification side? D. J. Monagle: So David, I'm going to try and unpack that a little bit. Let me let me deal with the first part of the question on the PCC. I would say, as Erik had indicated and Doug had indicated, all 3 of those are up, running, contributed in the second quarter, and they'll they look like they're going to be a good business for us moving forward. There's another 1 that we have mentioned in the past, it comes online in -- so we're building another satellite right now. It's a pretty substantial satellite that supports packaging growth in Asia. And so that's -- so we had the 3 that came up running in the second quarter contributing in the second quarter and another one still to come that will be early in '27. So paper is looking solid. And then I would say that the nature of that pipeline still remains healthy. 20-plus projects in the pipeline, a blend of packaging and new yield and PCC and the new products we've introduced. So we feel pretty good on that side of things. Shifting gears now to the question. So we just put in that expansion. It's reasonable for you to think of that 1 as a modular expansion, pretty efficient in getting it up and running and designing the products specifically for these customers getting them qualified with the customer. And so we're up and running, and that will be -- you'll start seeing that pretty much running full out in this third quarter. We are looking further at expansions. The next one probably is a bigger magnitude one, but we still got to line up some volumes on that. I would tell you, though, that from what we've been able to do with both the quality of the ore and the reserves that we've got, especially in Turkey, plus the scientists that we've got working at Hoffman states. We feel very good about that product line and what it's able to contribute differently in the market, especially in sustainable aviation fuel. So we're happy with this last expansion. We are happy with the qualifications that we've been able to do and the pace in which we've been able to bring them in and we'll get ready to expand further, but nothing to announce on that just yet. David Silver: Okay. Great. And I hope you'll indulge me here, but I wanted to go back to the $290 million charge that was taken. And I just want to make sure I have things lined up. But back in -- so there's a total funding of the 524G trust of $450 million. And I believe in first quarter of 2025, you allocated, I believe, 185 of your total charge then for the trust. Is it correct to say that of the $290 million, I guess, the 265 were the balance to get to 450. So $265 million of the $290 million goes to the trust and the balance of $25 million or so is for estimated other costs -- is that correct? Or... Erik Aldag: Dave, this is Erik. So you're close. There's a portion in there that's to fund the ongoing process. And so right now, there's about $450 million in terms of potential 529G funding and about $35 million in terms of ongoing process funding. And that's made up of the charge we just took and the one from 2025. David Silver: Okay. Great. And then I don't know if you can answer this or not, but -- so you have set up a trust that you believe is acceptable to settle all the ultimate claims. However, the bankruptcy judge as you pointed out, has abated his process in favor of letting the District Court work on the issue of causation. Doug, I guess this is how determined or how do you feel about letting that district court process run its course versus maybe pursuing something sooner, but that may ultimately prove to be a little more expensive for your company. How do you kind of weigh the pros and cons of settling sooner versus letting the district court process or on its course? Douglas Dietrich: Yes, David, I'm not going to answer that question. I don't -- we're right in the midst of the beginning of litigation. And so I don't want to speculate on outcomes in district courts or the ramifications of that right now. I think where we are is we filed a plan that we feel is there and provides finality to the company -- for the company. We've always maintained that as Minerals BMI Old [indiscernible] has been safe. And so the District Court taking on that issue, we see that as a positive because we've always maintained this to be the case. But we're right in the beginning of that, and we're going to be going through the process of scheduling and seeing how that goes. And I just don't want to speculate on where we land at the moment right now, given where we are. David Silver: Fair enough. I appreciate that. And then last thing for me. I did just want to get a PFAS update. I believe last quarter, -- the plan was to have 10 commercial projects start up through 2026. And then I am curious, but I did watch the EPA panel discussion where your company was 1 of just a hand full featured. And I'm just wondering if that presentation and that opportunity for interested parties has resulted in an acceleration of trial and beta testing. So just an update on progress with commercializing PFAS and then your take on what has happened since the -- your participation in the EPA panel? Brett Argirakis: David, it's Brett. Let me just give you a quick update on where we stand with FLUORO-SORB and hopefully, I can answer your questions. FLUORO-SORB are really, it continues to gain traction. And we do have the 10 full-scale municipal drinking water plants up and running. The good news is we now have 18 municipal systems specified for upcoming installations. Most of those will start. They're all -- most of them are under construction. Several of them will start in '26 and others will start in '27. So in that, we're gaining traction. We also expect to see more of the pilot projects for the small groundwater treatment plants move into full scale. So a lot of that will start to move over the next several months. We do -- as you know, we also use the FLUORO-SORB in-situ remediation and we're working with the Department of War and other aviation-related fields based on the success we've seen with the Department of War, we're expanding that project. And we have -- actually, we have 2 big projects that will happen in the third quarter and both our airports and one is a military site. So that is working. And it's really based on the absorption technology of the FLUORO-SORB. So it's working very well. The other update I'll give you is we also continue our discussions with the U.S. EPA Office of Water and Office of and emergency management. Both are really committed to the PFAS remediation and disposal research. So we're working with them to wrap this up and the Croda agreement. And I think once that is finalized, then the research will expand much more rapidly. But it's Things are moving well, and we expect to see additional municipalities taking on the floors here. Operator: This concludes our question-and-answer session. I would like to turn the conference back over to Doug Dietrich for any closing remarks. Douglas Dietrich: Thank you, Dave. Appreciate it. I appreciate everyone joining the call today. If you have any follow-up questions, happy to answer them after the call, but we'll talk to you in about 3 months. Thank you. Operator: The conference has now concluded. Thank you for attending today's presentation. You may now disconnect. Before you buy stock in Minerals Technologies, 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 Minerals Technologies wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and 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 $397,405!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,344,091!* That performance is why people listen. With a track record of beating the S&P 500 by 4x, Stock Advisor offers a distinct advantage. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built for the long haul. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 7, 2026. This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Minerals Technologies (MTX) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-31Minerals Technologies Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
MarketBeat
Minerals Technologies Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
Interested in Minerals Technologies Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Minerals Technologies reported solid Q2 results: Sales rose 4% to $548 million, operating income reached $75 million, and EPS increased 3% to $1.60. Year-to-date operating cash flow improved by $37 million to $95 million, while net leverage declined to 1.6 times EBITDA. Engineered Solutions delivered record profitability, with sales up 9% and operating margin reaching 17.8%, supported by strength in steel, Asian foundry demand, and infrastructure projects. Consumer & Specialties faced higher freight, energy and mining costs, with pricing expected to lag costs by $5 million to $6 million in Q3. The company forecast Q3 sales of approximately $550 million and EPS of $1.55–$1.60, while maintaining its mid-single-digit full-year sales-growth outlook. It also recorded a $290 million charge related to the BMI OldCo talc bankruptcy cases and disclosed potential funding of about $450 million for a proposed trust. Minerals Technologies (NYSE:MTX) reported second-quarter sales of $548 million, up 4% from a year earlier, while operating income totaled $75 million. Earnings per share were $1.60, up 3% year over year, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Doug Dietrich said on the company’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call. For the first half of 2026, sales rose 7%, including 5% growth in Consumer & Specialties and 10% growth in Engineered Solutions. The company said volume growth from strategic projects and improved end-market conditions supported the increase. Excluding special items, second-quarter earnings per share increased 3%, while year-to-date earnings per share rose 11%, according to Chief Financial Officer Erik Aldag. → Why SK hynix Could Be the Best AI Chip Stock to Buy Now The company also reported improved cash generation, with year-to-date cash from operations reaching $95 million, up $37 million from the prior-year period. Year-to-date free cash flow was $45 million, and net leverage declined to 1.6 times EBITDA. Engineered Solutions delivered second-quarter sales of $274 million, an increase of 9% from the prior year, and operating income of $49 million. The segment’s operating margin reached a record 17.8%, which Aldag said reflected sales growth translating effectively into income as price adjustments kept pace with cost increases. → Microsoft Just Flipped the AI Spending Nar…Read full documentShow less
Interested in Minerals Technologies Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Minerals Technologies reported solid Q2 results: Sales rose 4% to $548 million, operating income reached $75 million, and EPS increased 3% to $1.60. Year-to-date operating cash flow improved by $37 million to $95 million, while net leverage declined to 1.6 times EBITDA. Engineered Solutions delivered record profitability, with sales up 9% and operating margin reaching 17.8%, supported by strength in steel, Asian foundry demand, and infrastructure projects. Consumer & Specialties faced higher freight, energy and mining costs, with pricing expected to lag costs by $5 million to $6 million in Q3. The company forecast Q3 sales of approximately $550 million and EPS of $1.55–$1.60, while maintaining its mid-single-digit full-year sales-growth outlook. It also recorded a $290 million charge related to the BMI OldCo talc bankruptcy cases and disclosed potential funding of about $450 million for a proposed trust. Minerals Technologies (NYSE:MTX) reported second-quarter sales of $548 million, up 4% from a year earlier, while operating income totaled $75 million. Earnings per share were $1.60, up 3% year over year, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Doug Dietrich said on the company’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call. For the first half of 2026, sales rose 7%, including 5% growth in Consumer & Specialties and 10% growth in Engineered Solutions. The company said volume growth from strategic projects and improved end-market conditions supported the increase. Excluding special items, second-quarter earnings per share increased 3%, while year-to-date earnings per share rose 11%, according to Chief Financial Officer Erik Aldag. → Why SK hynix Could Be the Best AI Chip Stock to Buy Now The company also reported improved cash generation, with year-to-date cash from operations reaching $95 million, up $37 million from the prior-year period. Year-to-date free cash flow was $45 million, and net leverage declined to 1.6 times EBITDA. Engineered Solutions delivered second-quarter sales of $274 million, an increase of 9% from the prior year, and operating income of $49 million. The segment’s operating margin reached a record 17.8%, which Aldag said reflected sales growth translating effectively into income as price adjustments kept pace with cost increases. → Microsoft Just Flipped the AI Spending Narrative Overnight High-Temperature Technologies sales rose 7% to $190 million in the quarter. The company cited continued strength among North American steel customers, improved demand signs in Europe, and strong sales to Asian foundry customers. Foundry sales in Asia rose 14% during the quarter. Environmental & Infrastructure sales increased 15% to $84 million. Building materials sales climbed 41%, aided by large projects, while drilling products sales rose 20% and environmental lining solutions sales increased 18%, supported by mining-sector project activity. → Carrier Earnings Could Send the Stock to a New All-Time High Brett Argirakis, Group President of Engineered Solutions, said European steel markets remain soft but have improved from the preceding quarter. He cited carbon-regulation safeguards intended to address imports, improved production in Germany, and the nationalization of a major U.K. steel mill that the company has served for many years. The company expects Engineered Solutions sales to grow 3% to 5% year over year in the third quarter, led by steady steel demand and continued improvement in Environmental & Infrastructure markets. Consumer & Specialties generated second-quarter sales of $275 million. Sales in Household & Personal Care totaled $123 million, with cat litter demand moderating after a strong first quarter. Dietrich said first-quarter cat litter sales benefited from distribution-center inventory fills tied to new products, while order patterns slowed during the second quarter as those distribution centers became stocked. Still, cat litter sales increased 9% during the first half of the year. D.J. Monagle III, Group President of Consumer & Specialties, said the business is gaining traction with new products and major retailers and remains positioned for strong second-half growth. Minerals Technologies said its edible oil and renewable fuel expansion reached target production levels at the end of the second quarter. The RAFINOL bleaching earth expansion is intended to support a strong order book from sustainable aviation fuel customers, with sales expected to ramp through the third quarter. The company also said a new Fabricare production program is ramping up and is expected to strengthen sales early in the fourth quarter. Specialty Additives sales rose 1% in the quarter and 3% year to date. Paper and packaging sales increased 7% in the first half, supported by volumes from new satellite facilities in Asia. The company said slower demand for residential construction products partially offset that growth. Consumer & Specialties operating income was $29 million in the quarter and $62 million for the first half. Aldag said the segment absorbed much of the company’s higher freight, energy and energy-linked costs, including mining costs. Contractual pricing mechanisms have created a lag between cost increases and customer price adjustments, particularly in Household & Personal Care. “Until cost pressures plateau,” Aldag said, “we’re still about 90 days away from fully catching up in this segment.” He added that the company expects to remain about $5 million to $6 million behind on pricing versus costs in the third quarter as costs continued rising from the second to third quarter. Consumer & Specialties sales are expected to increase 3% to 5% in the third quarter, driven primarily by Household & Personal Care. The company said it is seeing stronger early-quarter cat litter sales and expects continued growth from natural oil purification products, while residential construction remains soft compared with last year. For the third quarter, Minerals Technologies expects sales of approximately $550 million, representing growth of about 4% from the prior-year period. The company forecast operating income of about $75 million and earnings per share of $1.55 to $1.60. It continues to expect full-year sales growth in the mid-single-digit range. Aldag said the company expects overall operating margin to recover in the fourth quarter to slightly above prior-year levels as pricing catches up with costs in Consumer & Specialties. The company expects full-year capital expenditures of $90 million to $100 million and free cash flow of 6% to 7% of sales. Dietrich also discussed the Chapter 11 cases involving BMI OldCo, formerly Barretts Minerals, and affiliated debtors. The company filed a reorganization plan and recorded a $290 million charge to increase its reserve for potential trust funding and estimated related costs. Aldag said potential funding for a 524G trust is approximately $450 million, with about $35 million designated for ongoing process funding. The bankruptcy cases have since been abated while a district court considers the underlying talc causation issue. Dietrich said the company maintains that talc sold by BMI OldCo “has always been safe” and that the company is seeking a fair, final resolution. The company also released its 18th annual sustainability report. Dietrich said Minerals Technologies reduced carbon dioxide emissions by about 40% from its 2018 baseline, reduced landfill waste by 44%, and cut water consumption by more than 30%. The company established new 2035 targets to reduce environmental impacts by another 20% on an absolute basis and 30% on a per-ton basis. Minerals Technologies Inc develops, produces and processes a broad range of mineral-based products and solutions that serve a variety of industrial applications. Its offerings include bentonite, perlite, precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), mineral sands, foundry additives, performance minerals and specialty chemicals designed to enhance performance in markets such as paper, steel, construction, oil and gas, environmental remediation and consumer products. The company operates through several business segments, including Specialty Minerals, Refractory Minerals, Performance Materials and Recycled Materials. 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 "Minerals Technologies Q2 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat. View MarketBeat's top stocks for July 2026.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-31LIN Q2 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates on Volume & Pricing Growth
Zacks
LIN Q2 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates on Volume & Pricing Growth
Linde plc LIN reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $4.50 per share, up 10% from $4.09 per share a year ago. The bottom line topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.49 per share by 0.22%. Sales increased 9% to $9.29 billion from $8.49 billion in the prior-year quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.96 billion by 3.68%. The strong quarterly results were driven by higher pricing, volume growth, favorable currency movements and acquisition. Electronics was the strongest end market. Linde PLC price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Linde PLC Quote Underlying sales advanced 4% from the prior-year quarter, reflecting 2% higher pricing and 2% volume growth. Currency translation added 2% to reported sales, acquisitions contributed 1%, cost pass-through added 1% and Engineering provided another 1%. Volume gains were led by electronics, manufacturing and chemicals and energy. Electronics sales grew 18%, the strongest increase among Linde’s major end markets. Manufacturing advanced 5%, metals and mining rose 4%, food and beverage increased 3%, and healthcare, chemicals and energy each gained 2%. Americas sales increased 7% to $4.08 billion. Underlying sales grew 4%, supported equally by 2% higher pricing and 2% volume growth. Electronics and manufacturing, led by commercial aerospace, were the primary volume drivers. Operating profit rose 5% to $1.27 billion. The operating margin declined 50 basis points to 31.2% as price increases and productivity initiatives were partly offset by cost inflation in the U.S. homecare business. Excluding that business, the region’s margin improved 20 basis points. APAC sales increased 13% to $1.87 billion, representing the strongest growth among Linde’s main geographic segments. Underlying sales rose 8% as volumes increased 6% and pricing improved 2%. Project start-ups, equipment sales and demand from electronics and chemicals and energy supported volume growth. Operating profit increased 8% to $531 million. However, the margin fell 120 basis points to 28.4%. Excluding cost pass-through effects, the decline was 70 basis points, reflecting the lower-margin sale of equipment and helium-related dislocation costs. EMEA sales advanced 7% to $2.30 billion. Favorable currency translation contributed 3%, while pricing and cost pass-through each added 2%. Acquisitions contributed another 1%. Underlying sales increased…Read full documentShow less
Linde plc LIN reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $4.50 per share, up 10% from $4.09 per share a year ago. The bottom line topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.49 per share by 0.22%. Sales increased 9% to $9.29 billion from $8.49 billion in the prior-year quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.96 billion by 3.68%. The strong quarterly results were driven by higher pricing, volume growth, favorable currency movements and acquisition. Electronics was the strongest end market. Linde PLC price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Linde PLC Quote Underlying sales advanced 4% from the prior-year quarter, reflecting 2% higher pricing and 2% volume growth. Currency translation added 2% to reported sales, acquisitions contributed 1%, cost pass-through added 1% and Engineering provided another 1%. Volume gains were led by electronics, manufacturing and chemicals and energy. Electronics sales grew 18%, the strongest increase among Linde’s major end markets. Manufacturing advanced 5%, metals and mining rose 4%, food and beverage increased 3%, and healthcare, chemicals and energy each gained 2%. Americas sales increased 7% to $4.08 billion. Underlying sales grew 4%, supported equally by 2% higher pricing and 2% volume growth. Electronics and manufacturing, led by commercial aerospace, were the primary volume drivers. Operating profit rose 5% to $1.27 billion. The operating margin declined 50 basis points to 31.2% as price increases and productivity initiatives were partly offset by cost inflation in the U.S. homecare business. Excluding that business, the region’s margin improved 20 basis points. APAC sales increased 13% to $1.87 billion, representing the strongest growth among Linde’s main geographic segments. Underlying sales rose 8% as volumes increased 6% and pricing improved 2%. Project start-ups, equipment sales and demand from electronics and chemicals and energy supported volume growth. Operating profit increased 8% to $531 million. However, the margin fell 120 basis points to 28.4%. Excluding cost pass-through effects, the decline was 70 basis points, reflecting the lower-margin sale of equipment and helium-related dislocation costs. EMEA sales advanced 7% to $2.30 billion. Favorable currency translation contributed 3%, while pricing and cost pass-through each added 2%. Acquisitions contributed another 1%. Underlying sales increased 1% as 2% higher pricing more than offset a 1% volume decline. The weakness was mainly tied to manufacturing. Operating profit rose 6% to $823 million, while the margin decreased 40 basis points to 35.7%. Excluding cost pass-through, the margin improved 10 basis points on pricing and productivity actions. Linde Engineering sales increased 13% to $625 million, while operating profit rose 11% to $100 million. The operating margin was 16%, compared with 16.3% a year earlier, reflecting project timing and the mix of intercompany and third-party plant sales. Quarterly order intake increased to $871 million from $311 million. The sale-of-plant backlog stood at $3 billion. Global Other sales increased 30% to $408 million, led by advanced materials demand from electronics and commercial aerospace. The business posted operating profit of $18 million against a $13 million loss a year earlier. Adjusted operating profit rose 7% year over year to $2.74 billion. The adjusted operating margin declined 60 basis points to 29.5% as higher pricing and productivity benefits were offset by cost inflation. Adjusted net income increased 8% to $2.09 billion. At the end of the second quarter, the company’s high-quality project backlog amounted to $11.1 billion. Operating cash flow improved 3% to $2.27 billion. Capital expenditures increased 14% to $1.44 billion, including a 27% rise in project spending to $780 million. As a result, free cash flow declined to $833 million from $954 million. Linde returned $1.59 billion to shareholders through dividends and net share repurchases. Linde ended June 2026 with cash and cash equivalents of $4.90 billion. Total debt was $28.01 billion, comprising $4.86 billion in short-term debt, $2.47 billion in current long-term debt and $20.68 billion in long-term debt. For the third quarter, Linde expects adjusted earnings of $4.45-$4.55 per share, representing growth of 6% to 8% from the prior-year period. The midpoint assumes no improvement in economic conditions and no year-over-year currency impact. Full-year 2026 adjusted earnings are projected in the range of $17.70-$17.90 per share, indicating growth of 8-9%. Management expects currency to provide a 1% tailwind. Capital expenditures are forecast between $5.5 billion and $6 billion to fund maintenance and projects supporting the company’s $8.1 billion contractual sale-of-gas backlog. Linde currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks from the basic materials sector are Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. AXTA, Minerals Technologies Inc. MTX and Sensient Technologies Corporation SXT. SXT sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while AXTA and MTX carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each, at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here Axalta reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of 72 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 65 cents per share. As of June 30, 2026, AXTA had Long-term debt of $2.6 billion, and cash and cash equivalents of $636 million. Minerals Technologies reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.60 per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.64 per share. As of July 5, 2026, MTX had total debt of $964.9 million, and cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $346.2 million. Sensient Technologies reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.20 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.00 per share. As of June 30, 2026, SXT had long-term debt of $763.5 million, and cash and cash equivalents of $31 million. 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 Linde PLC (LIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Sensient Technologies Corporation (SXT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (AXTA) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-31Minerals Technologies Inc. Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary
Moby
Minerals Technologies Inc. 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. Performance was characterized by strong top-line momentum with 7% year-to-date sales growth, driven by new growth projects and robust end-market conditions in Asia and North America. The Engineered Solutions segment achieved record quarterly income and a record 17.8% margin, benefiting from high-temperature technology demand and a recovery in environmental infrastructure projects. Management attributed margin pressure in the Consumer & Specialty segment to persistent inflation in energy, freight, and raw materials, coupled with contractual pricing lags. Organizational restructuring was implemented to elevate four experienced leaders over specific product lines to accelerate innovation, speed to market, and operational best practices. Strategic growth initiatives, including the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) bleaching earth expansion and new fabric care products, are ramping up to meet a strong order book. The company continues to leverage its crystal engineering and bentonite technologies to pivot toward high-growth sustainable solutions, which now represent 67% of new products. Full-year guidance remains at mid-single-digit sales growth, supported by a clear line of sight into project ramp-ups in the second half of the year. Management expects to recover Consumer & Specialty margins by the fourth quarter as contractual price adjustments catch up to the current cost environment. Third-quarter sales are projected at approximately $550 million, assuming steady demand from steel customers and a seasonal pickup in cat litter orders. The company anticipates full-year free cash flow to reach 6% to 7% of sales, with capital expenditures maintained in the $90 million to $100 million range. New 10-year sustainability targets through 2035 aim for an additional 20% absolute reduction in environmental impact, building on the successful 2018-2025 goals. A $290 million charge was recorded to increase reserves for a potential trust and related costs following a reorganization plan filing for BMI OldCo subsidiaries. The bankruptcy court cases have been abated to await a district court ruling on the underlying talc causation issue, which management views as a venue to prove product safety. Persistent inflation remains the 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. Performance was characterized by strong top-line momentum with 7% year-to-date sales growth, driven by new growth projects and robust end-market conditions in Asia and North America. The Engineered Solutions segment achieved record quarterly income and a record 17.8% margin, benefiting from high-temperature technology demand and a recovery in environmental infrastructure projects. Management attributed margin pressure in the Consumer & Specialty segment to persistent inflation in energy, freight, and raw materials, coupled with contractual pricing lags. Organizational restructuring was implemented to elevate four experienced leaders over specific product lines to accelerate innovation, speed to market, and operational best practices. Strategic growth initiatives, including the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) bleaching earth expansion and new fabric care products, are ramping up to meet a strong order book. The company continues to leverage its crystal engineering and bentonite technologies to pivot toward high-growth sustainable solutions, which now represent 67% of new products. Full-year guidance remains at mid-single-digit sales growth, supported by a clear line of sight into project ramp-ups in the second half of the year. Management expects to recover Consumer & Specialty margins by the fourth quarter as contractual price adjustments catch up to the current cost environment. Third-quarter sales are projected at approximately $550 million, assuming steady demand from steel customers and a seasonal pickup in cat litter orders. The company anticipates full-year free cash flow to reach 6% to 7% of sales, with capital expenditures maintained in the $90 million to $100 million range. New 10-year sustainability targets through 2035 aim for an additional 20% absolute reduction in environmental impact, building on the successful 2018-2025 goals. A $290 million charge was recorded to increase reserves for a potential trust and related costs following a reorganization plan filing for BMI OldCo subsidiaries. The bankruptcy court cases have been abated to await a district court ruling on the underlying talc causation issue, which management views as a venue to prove product safety. Persistent inflation remains the primary headwind, with costs continuing to rise from Q2 into Q3, extending the timeline for full price-cost recovery. Residential construction markets remain a localized area of softness, contrasting with the broader strength in industrial and consumer segments. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here. Management clarified that Q2 cat litter moderation followed a massive 19% growth in Q1 due to channel filling; they expect a return to mid-single-digit growth in the second half. The bleaching earth expansion for sustainable aviation fuel is now fully operational, with the order book expected to drive significant volume starting in Q3. Management views the 17.8% margin as a new baseline rather than an anomaly, driven by the convergence of strong steel demand and a recovery in high-margin environmental projects. The segment is benefiting from a 'turn' in environmental products after a two-year lull, providing significant bottom-line contribution. The company has 10 full-scale municipal plants running and 18 additional systems specified for upcoming installations in 2026 and 2027. Management is expanding in-situ remediation projects with the Department of Defense and major airports, citing strong absorption technology performance.
TranscriptFY2026 Q22026-07-31FY2026 Q2 earnings call transcript
Earnings source - 85 paragraphs
FY2026 Q2 earnings call transcript
Good day, welcome to the Minerals Technologies Q2 2026 earnings conference call. All participants will be in listen-only mode. Should you need assistance, please signal a conference specialist by pressing the star key followed by zero. After today's presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. To ask a question, you may press star then one on a touch-tone phone. To withdraw your question, please press star and then two. Please note this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Lydia Kopylova, Head of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.
Thank you, Dave. Good morning, everyone, welcome to our Q2 2026 earnings conference call. Today's call will be led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Doug Dietrich, and Chief Financial Officer, Erik Aldag. Following Doug and Erik's prepared remarks, we'll open it up to questions. As a reminder, some of the statements made during this call may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Please note the cautionary language about forward-looking statements contained in our earnings release and on the slides. Our SEC filings disclose certain risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Please also note that some of our comments today refer to non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation to GAAP financial measures can be found in our earnings release in an appendix of this presentation, which are posted on our website.
I'll turn it over to Doug. Doug?
Thanks, Lydia. Good morning, everyone, thanks for joining today. I'm gonna kick us off with a review of our Q2 financials. Erik will take you through the numbers in more detail and provide our outlook. At the end of our presentation, I'll briefly share some of the highlights from our sustainability report, which we just published, and provide a preview of our upcoming Investor Day on September 22nd. After that, we'll open the call to questions. First, a quick overview of the quarter results. Sales were $548 million, up 4% over last year, with operating income of $75 million. Earnings per share were $1.60, up 3% from last year. We continue to be a strong cash generator, with cash flow improving over last year, our balance sheet is in great shape, with our net leverage reducing to 1.6x EBITDA.
Our top-line momentum has continued, with sales growing 7% for the H1 of the year. I'll highlight that this has been quality revenue growth, driven by higher volumes from our new growth projects and from stronger end market conditions. Another highlight is that our Engineered Solutions segment delivered a particularly impressive performance this quarter, generating a record margin of 17.8% and a record quarterly income of $49 million. Both segments continue to be positioned for solid growth this year, with our strategic projects in each segment remaining on track. As a result, we have a clear line of sight to hitting our mid-single-digit growth guidance for the company for the full year.
In our Consumer & Specialties segment, our cat litter sales have grown 9% through the H1 of the year, driven by the introduction of new products, and this business remains on track for a mid to high single digit growth year. We're also excited about our RAFINOL bleaching earth expansion, which is now ramping up, and we can begin working through a very strong order book from sustainable aviation fuel customers. Our new Fabricare product production is also ramping up. We expect sales to strengthen early in the Q4. Paper and packaging sales were also strong, up 7% so far this year, and our three new satellite facility launches are all progressing.
In our Engineered Solutions segment, High-Temperature Technologies is having a strong sales year, driven by our refractories business, where sales are up 14%, driven by MinScan installations and the corresponding contractual refractory volumes, as well as from higher foundry sales in Asia, which are up 11%. We also saw strong sales in Environmental & Infrastructure, where sales are up 19% this year, driven by higher volumes of environmental lining products, building materials, and drilling products, as well as from strong demand for our offshore energy services business. Our main challenge this year has been dealing with the higher level and persistent inflation. As we mentioned would happen, this quarter, we absorbed quite a bit of higher energy, transportation, and raw material costs, the majority of which hit our Consumer & Specialties segment.
We've adjusted pricing across all product lines, due to contractual price increase timing to many customers in the Consumer & Specialties segment, the majority of the positive pricing impact is only now beginning to take effect. Margins in the quarter for the Consumer & Specialties segment were impacted as a result. Erik will outline all of the price cost dynamics for you in detail, we continue to make contractual price adjustments and expect to recover segment margins as we move through the H2 of the year. A few other items I'd like to touch on before handing the call over to Erik. First, I wanted to mention that we've made organizational changes that I believe will result in even closer collaboration and greater efficiency across our four product lines.
We've elevated four experienced leaders to oversee each product line, leveraging their deep knowledge of our markets, operations, and technologies. This change will more closely align the people, products, facilities, and core technologies that serve similar markets and strengthen execution across the organization. We expect these changes to drive efficiencies, further accelerate innovation, and speed to market for new products, and accelerate best practice sharing and adoption across our business. Second, as we previously announced this past quarter, we also filed a plan of reorganization in the Chapter 11 cases of our subsidiaries, BMI OldCo, formerly known as Barretts Minerals. Its affiliated debtors to comply with the court deadline. Concurrently, with the filing of the plan, we recorded a charge of $290 million to increase our reserve for funding the proposed potential trust and for estimated costs related to this matter.
More recently, the judge has abated the bankruptcy court cases in order to await the outcome of a district court proceeding on the underlying talc causation issue. We continue to maintain that all talc sold by BMI OldCo has always been safe and remain committed to a fair and final resolution for the company and all stakeholders. Lastly, I'm pleased to announce that we published our 18th annual sustainability report earlier this week. It's packed with information about the company and our journey over the past several years. I'm going to take a moment at the end of our presentation to run you through some of the highlights. Now let me hand the call over to Erik, who will take you through our Q2 financials in more detail. Erik?
Thanks, Doug. Good morning, everyone. I'll start by providing a summary of our financial results, followed by a review of our segments. I'll wrap up with our outlook for the Q3. Following my remarks, I'll turn the call back over to Doug. Let's review our results. Second quarter sales were $548 million, up 4% versus last year, driven by strength in High-Temperature Technologies and Environmental & Infrastructure. After a strong Q1, Q2 sales in Consumer & Specialties were down slightly from last year, primarily due to some volume that shifted into the H2 in Household & Personal Care. Q2 operating income was $75 million. You can see from the bridge on the lower left that volume contributed $4 million and pricing contributed $8 million to income.
Overall cost increases totaled $16 million in the quarter as we experienced higher freight, energy, and energy-linked costs, such as mining. The cost environment remains dynamic. Further price adjustments will be necessary until costs stabilize and we fully offset these increases. Moving to the top right side of the slide, sales have grown 7% in the H1 over last year, with 5% growth in Consumer & Specialties and 10% growth in Engineered Solutions. We'll show year-to-date figures in a few places today to highlight the growth so far this year and to highlight the magnitude of the cost impacts that we expect to fully recover once these higher costs plane over. The H1 operating bridge on the bottom right shows that volume delivered $13 million of additional income. Higher pricing contributed $14 million.
The biggest challenge this year has been the higher costs I just mentioned, which ramped up significantly in the Q2. Earnings per share, excluding special items, grew 3% in the Q2 and are up 11% year-to-date. I'd also like to note that EBITDA is up 5% year-to-date. Let's turn to a review of our segments, beginning with Consumer & Specialties. Q2 sales in the Consumer & Specialties segment were $275 million. Sales in our Household & Personal Care product line were $123 million. Following a very strong Q1, cat litter sales moderated in the Q2. Q2 is typically a slower seasonal period for cat litter, and customer orders also ease off following the new item fill in Q1. It's worth noting that cat litter sales have increased 9% in the H1 versus the prior year, and our outlook for this business remains solid.
Our edible oil and renewable fuel expansion hit target production levels at the end of the Q2. Our order book is solid, and we expect sales to ramp up steadily through the Q3. Lastly, in personal care, we had a large customer campaign in the Q2 of last year, and this year, a similar campaign has moved to the H2. Q2 sales and Specialty Additives were up 1% from the prior year and are 3% higher year-to-date. Global sales to paper and packaging customers are up 7% year-to-date, driven by higher volumes from our newest satellites in Asia, and this growth is helping to offset slower demand for residential construction products. Segment operating income was $29 million in the quarter and $62 million year-to-date.
I'm showing you a H1 operating income bridge on the bottom left to highlight the price versus cost lag in this segment. In the Q2, we saw a significant increase in freight and energy costs. As we mentioned on the last call, this segment and the Household & Personal Care product line in particular, is bearing the majority of the cost increases, and it's also the segment with the majority of the contractual lag on pricing. Due to the nature of our contracts in this business, we typically have a lag between cost increases and price increases. You may recall that several years ago, it used to take us three quarters on average to catch up from a price versus cost perspective.
Since then, we've shortened that time to around three to four months on average by making changes to our contracts to better line up our cost-price timing, and we continue to drive improvement in this area. However, until cost pressures plateau over, we're still about 90 days away from fully catching up in this segment. Looking ahead to the Q3, we expect segment sales to increase in the 3%-5% range versus the prior year, driven primarily by growth in the Household & Personal Care product line. Let's turn to the Engineered Solutions segment. Q2 sales in the Engineered Solutions segment increased 9% from prior year to $274 million, extending the growth momentum we saw to start the year. In total, segment sales are up 10% through the H1 of the year.
In High-Temperature Technologies, sales of $190 million were up 7% for the quarter. Sales are also up 7% year-to-date for this product line. Sales to steel customers in North America remained strong. We've started to see signs of improved demand in Europe as well. Sales growth to foundry customers in Asia was very strong, with Q2 sales up 14% versus prior year. Environmental & Infrastructure sales were $84 million in the Q2, representing a 15% increase from prior year. Year-to-date sales are up 19%. Demand for our building materials products was strong this quarter, with sales up 41% versus prior year, driven by some large projects in the quarter. Growth in drilling products also remained strong with sales up 20% versus prior year.
Sales for environmental lining solutions were up 18% in the Q2, driven by higher project activity levels, particularly in the mining sector. Operating income for the quarter was $49 million and totaled $88 million year-to-date. You can see in the year-to-date operating income bridge that sales growth is translating well to operating income, which is up 13% versus last year. Price adjustments are keeping pace with the cost increases we're seeing. Operating income represented 17.8% of sales in the Q2, a record for the segment. Looking ahead to the Q3, we're expecting sales growth of 3%-5% versus prior year for the segment. Let me turn to a summary of our balance sheet and cash flow highlights.
We had another strong cash flow performance in the Q2, bringing year-to-date cash from operations to $95 million, up $37 million from last year. Capital expenditure was $27 million in the Q2. We continue to expect full year CapEx in the $90 million-$100 million range. Year-to-date free cash flow of $45 million is up significantly versus prior year. Cash flow is expected to continue to build through the H2. We expect full year free cash flow to be in the range of 6%-7% of sales. Our balance sheet remains solid, with our net leverage ratio at 1.6x EBITDA. I'll summarize our outlook for the Q3. Overall, we expect a similar performance sequentially with Q3 sales of approximately $550 million, representing an increase of around 4% from prior year.
In the Consumer & Specialties segment, we expect sales to grow 3%-5% versus prior year, driven primarily by the Household & Personal Care product line. We're seeing stronger sales for cat litter early in the quarter. We expect this will continue. With our natural oil purification expansion running at target rates, we're expecting a solid quarter growth for this business. The only area where we're not seeing improvement for this segment is the residential construction market, which remains soft relative to last year. In the Engineered Solutions segment, we also anticipate Q3 growth in the 3%-5% range versus prior year. Overall, we expect similar market conditions sequentially for this segment. We're expecting growth in High-Temperature Technologies to be driven by another quarter of steady demand from steel customers.
In Environmental & Infrastructure, we expect year-over-year demand improvement to continue into the Q3. Overall, for MTI, we expect similar operating income sequentially of around $75 million and earnings per share of between $1.55 and $1.60. We expect to fully leverage these higher levels of sales into income as soon as our price cost dynamics take hold in Consumer & Specialties. We expect overall operating margin to recover in the Q4 to slightly above prior year levels with the normal seasonality moving from Q3-Q4. We remain confident in our growth trajectory, and we continue to expect full year sales growth in the mid-single digit range. With several growth initiatives ramping up in the H2 of this year, we expect this growth rate to continue into next year. With that, I'll turn the call back over to Doug.
Thanks, Erik. A couple of other items I'd like to touch on before we finish. This month, we're proud to publish our 18th annual sustainability report. Sustainability has always been a part of the DNA of our company, not only because it's one of our core values, but also because we believe it supports our continued growth as well as our customers' growth. You can download the full report on the sustainability page of our website at mineralstech.com, but let me take you through some of the highlights. In 2025, we achieved a company best and world-class safety performance, reflecting our continuous improvement culture tied to our deep commitment to keeping all employees safe. 2025 was also the target year for achieving the 12 of the environmental goals we set for ourselves back in 2018, and are pleased to report that most of our results exceeded our expectations.
Let me give you some highlights of what we accomplished. First, we reduced our CO2 emissions by approximately 40%. We also eliminated the use of coal at all but one of our facilities, reducing consumption by 70%, and converted 34% of our fuel oil usage to renewable alternatives. We reduced landfill waste by 44% and now divert approximately 56,000 tons of waste annually through beneficial reuse. We reduced water consumption by over 30% and water discharge by almost 60%, which equates to over 660 million gallons of water saved each year. That's enough water to supply a mid-sized American town annually. In this year's report, we also announced our new ten-year targets through 2035, which build on the successful achievement of the previous targets we established in 2018. We are aiming to reduce our environmental impact by another 20% on an absolute basis and 30% on a per ton basis.
Sustainability continues to be a meaningful driver of MTI's long-term growth strategy. Over the last five years, 67% of the products commercialized by MTI have had a sustainable profile. Many of these products, like RAFINOL for sustainable aviation fuel, Fluoro-Sorb for PFOS remediation, and our new Yield line of products, are examples of how we have tied together our minerals and our technologies to create sustainable solutions. These efforts are impressive by any measure and were achieved by the employees at MTI who are dedicated to continuous improvement in all that we do. I'd like to thank all of our employees for their support. Lastly, a plug for our upcoming Investor Day, which will be held on September 22nd at our R&D facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
At our last Investor Day, we showcased the innovation and technical capabilities that support our bentonite-based businesses at our R&D facility in Hoffman Estates near Chicago. This time, in Bethlehem, we'll focus on innovations related to our crystal engineering technology in the calcium carbonate side of our business, as well as the engineered blends technologies used in our High-Temperature Technologies products for steel and other metal industries. We're excited to take you through these innovation pipelines and introduce some exciting new strategic projects that we see driving growth over the next five years. If you'd like to attend in person, please reach out to Lydia Kopylova, our Head of Investor Relations, and I hope to see many of you there. With that, let me open the call for questions.
We will now begin the question-and-answer session. To ask a question, you may press star then one on your touchtone phone. If you're using a speakerphone, please pick up your handset before pressing the keys. If at any time your question has been addressed and you would like to withdraw your question, please press star and then two. Our first question comes from Daniel Moore with CJS Securities. Please go ahead.
Thank you. Good morning, Doug. Good morning, Erik.
Hi, Dan.
Appreciate all the color. Thanks. Take the question.
Hi, Dan.
Start with the, obviously, year-to-date, you still really good strength in Consumer & Specialties and cat litter, personal and household products. Just if you could dive a little bit deeper into the kind of timing of trends in Q2, particularly on the cat litter side, and then talk to your confidence about getting back to mid-single-digit growth trajectory now in Q3, in the back half.
I think you're talking more about the sales, in HPC. I think it was really driven in the Q1 by cat litter. As you remember, I think sales were up, like, 19% in cat litter in the Q1. A lot of that we saw was due to the channel fill distribution centers of all of our new products really came in strong. As Erik mentioned, I think over the Q2, with those distributions full, I think some of the order patterns slowed down a bit. We're seeing that picking up again to a regular pace here in the Q3, and we still have a really strong outlook for that business for this year. D.J., you want to add any color to some of the new products, things that are going on?
Yeah, thanks, Doug. Dan, just to bring into it a little bit, these new products that we're launching, we're pretty excited about them. Right now, as we're going into the Q3, we're getting some good traction on that. As I look back, I'm pretty happy with the top-line growth with pet care. I mean, it's at that 9%, it's double what the ongoing markets are in North America and Europe, the same thing. We're well above what the market rates are, and that's been mostly driven by these new products and just lining up with some major retailers. We see that continuing strong for the H2 of the year. In the meantime, working as Erik was talking about, on getting pricing up to offset some of the persistent inflationary increases that we're seeing.
Dan, on the other thing I'd add to that, you are talking about timing and some of that Erik mentioned in his comments was our bleaching earth or the oil purification business. Strong order book. As Erik mentioned, that facility, our expansion is now fully ramped up. It came fully online at the end of the Q2. We thought some of those new sales would come into the Q2, but it looks like with that ramp up late in the second, those are going to be ramping up through the third. The timing should be some growth in HPC, not only from pet litter, but the sustainable aviation fuel orders that we have on the books for the back half of the year.
Helpful. On the cost side, you've clearly demonstrated the ability to take pricing to offset inflation over the last several years. This environment, clearly unusual. If costs level off to some degree, should we be able to get back to that, say, 14%+ operating margin next year? Again, that's assuming that not necessarily flat, but a more normal environment. Just kind of talk to where you think business should be as things normalize over time.
Yeah. Thanks, Dan. This is Erik. Yes, we do think that. Right now, year-to-date, we're at around 13% operating margin. We're guiding to about 13.5% for the Q3. The fourth is going to be between 13% and 13.5%. This year, we're looking at between 13% and 13.5% for the full year operating margin. That's going to depend a little bit on how costs play out for the rest of the year. The reason that we haven't caught up on the cost increases yet is because costs are still increasing for us. We had increases from Q1-Q2, and we're actually seeing increases from Q2-Q3 as well.
The pricing that we have going into place in Q3, which is meant to cover the cost increases from Q2, it's catching us up, but we're still going to be upside down from a price versus cost perspective in the Q3 by something like $5 million-$6 million. When costs do play over, we do expect to make up that price versus cost gap. I think we've shown historically that on the back end of that, we actually expand margins. I think we're going to be exiting this year, assuming our current outlook on costs, exiting this year in a much better position to get back to our target margin level. Assuming we're at 13.5% in the Q4, that's not a bad place to be for a full year run rate of 15%.
You'd want to be closer to 14%, perhaps. We do have that typical seasonality in Q4 and Q1 every year.
Yep, very helpful. One more, I'll jump out. Maybe just a little bit more color on the sort of update on the BMI case. How did we come to the determination of the funding the trust and the $290 million charge? I know it's not apples to apples, but obviously J&J just came to an agreement. How does that sort of impact your confidence about the ability to get this settled and put it behind you? Any color or commentary there would be helpful, if possible. Thanks again.
Yeah, thanks. Maybe I'll answer the second part first. We saw the news on other J&Js and their settlement. It's a different tort. It doesn't have much bearing. It's probably some positive news for them to get through that or at least come to some final, but it really doesn't have a bearing on ours, our cases. What I will say is, yes, we determined to increase our reserve for the funding of a potential plan that we filed to meet that court deadline. We were in mediation for many weeks before that. We wanted to put in a plan that we felt provided finality to the company and that we felt was a fair settlement. Through that mediation and those discussions, we determined that that was a very rich offer to be able to put that out and get finality for the company.
Since then, I think you might have seen that the bankruptcy has been abated and the gating causation issue has been moved into district court, and that's where we sit now. Right now, we're just in the scheduling, so there's not much to talk about there, but we're in the scheduling aspects of that trial and resolving that issue. That's where we are. That's how we came to that determination. We wanted some finality for the company and get this behind us, and we'll see where we go from here.
All right. Thank you. Look forward to seeing you in September. Appreciate it.
Thanks, Dan.
The next question comes from Michael Harrison with Seaport Research Partners. Please go ahead.
Hi. Good morning. Was hoping that we could get just maybe a little bit more color on what's going on in the PC and H business. Just really surprised that you guys were guiding to a high single-digit growth number, and I believe it was a three-ish% decline. Understand there were some pieces that didn't play out relative to your expectations, but I guess, what were some of the key drivers of that meaningful shortfall? What gives you confidence that you're going to see momentum pick back up in Q3?
Mike, I guess let me start just with kind of bridging the shortfall to our expectations. It was really three things. The easing off of the cat litter orders from the strong Q1. We probably overestimated where we were going to be just based on how strong the first quarter was.
Like D.J. said, I think we're pretty happy with the year-to-date 9% growth and then seeing the orders pick back up into the Q3. No real concerns there, but it was a difference from where our expectations were. The other piece was the bleaching earth expansion. Doug already mentioned, fully ramped up at the end of the Q2, but we had assumed some sales in the Q2 for that expansion. The only other piece I would mention is the personal care campaign that was in the second quarter last year. We were expecting it earlier in the year this year. That's moved to the H2 as well. We had a few things shift, I would say, from the Q2 out to the H2. We're still feeling confident about the growth rates for those businesses going forward.
Mike, I would just add to that. Erik summarizes well our interpretation of what we were thinking going into the Q2. What I'm telling you, what I'm seeing as we are going into the third, is pretty strong pull that supports some promotional activity with some key retailers that we've got. That is a combination of new products with them and some new SKUs of old products, new repackaging of old products. Right now that pull looks very strong on the pet side. Got some increased momentum really across the U.S. on pet. On the bleaching earth, we're very bullish about that. Some minor delays in getting the project up and running, but we're also impeded by some shipping challenges that were associated with some geopolitical issues. We've worked through that.
We've got the strong supply chain going forward supplying the sustainable aviation fuels that also got a good base of edible oils underneath it. We're feeling really good about bleaching earth supporting that pet care growth, and again, the personal care item was just a shift from the Q2 into the third versus on that. That still looks like it's going to take off. We feel very good about this quarter coming up.
While we're on the topic, I believe last quarter you referenced a new laundry innovation or a new product that a customer was going to be launching. Any update on the timing of any benefits coming from that laundry business?
Yeah. Thanks for the question, Mike. Glad to address that. The team's done a great job on our end on getting our portion of that lined up. It is in dry laundry. It is supporting some innovations out there in the market. Everything on our end is good. Everything's qualified. Supply chain is set and ready to go. Now our success will be dependent on how that new product responds in the market. We feel good about that. I don't know that it's so much in the Q3 as the fourth, but it's entirely dependent on the success of our partner and how the market is embracing that.
All right. Over on the refractories side, you noted some improved pull from European steel customers. I assume that's MinScans that's driving that, but I guess any additional detail on what you're seeing, and whether you think that momentum could continue?
Go ahead, Brett.
This is Brett. Hey, Mike. The European market is still soft. It has improved over the prior quarter. There's been some carbon regulation safeguards that have finally been put into place, and that's really helped the threat of imports, and it's improved production. We're seeing really a lot of that production in Germany that is improving. Overall, we're starting to see some improvements. The U.K. just nationalized one of their major steel mills. That's going to be positive. It's been a plant that we've had business with for many, many years. They're going to actually expand and put a third blast furnace into that production. Of course, we're seeing our Middle East business, which is part of the European growth. We're doing pretty well despite the Iran conflict. Of course, the lanes and the logistics have caused a little bit of commotion.
Overall, we haven't lost any business. We continue to sell, and we are seeing a little bit bigger uptick in the steel production. That's a good sign. As far as the Minscans in Europe, we have four units now outside of the U.S., and we installed one in Europe this year. There's more to come, and we see more opportunities in Europe as the electric furnace steel production expands.
Great. Thanks very much.
Thanks, Mike.
The next question comes from Pete Osterland with Truist Securities. Please go ahead.
Hey, good morning. Thanks for taking the questions. I wanted to start just by digging in a little more specifically on the C&S margins. You mentioned that higher costs haven't yet been fully recovered due to some contractual timing. Just what percentage of your sales within C&S are still awaiting contract resets? I guess, if that's the right way to think about it. Should we be thinking about maybe a 200 basis point or higher margin snapback specifically in the Q3, or will this more likely be a multi-quarter recovery trajectory?
Yeah. Hi, Pete. This is Erik. Thanks for the question. Look, yeah. In terms of getting the Consumer & Specialties margins back to target, the biggest thing right now is the price-cost catch-up. The fact that costs are continuing to rise means that that's going to be pushed out to the Q4. We're not expecting a major improvement Q2 to Q3. I would say the other things we have going for us longer-term is just the growth of higher margin, these Consumer & Specialties that we talk about. That's going to help the mix overall. Just higher volumes in general just will help with fixed cost leverage. In terms of your specific questions around the percentage of contracts with a delay, a lot of that sits in the Household & Personal Care product line within Consumer & Specialties.
Historically, we've had more of a pricing lag within Specialty Additives, for example, in the paper and packaging business. We've done a lot of work there in terms of tightening up those lags and less so of an impact these days in that product line.
Got it. Very helpful. Also just on the record margins within Engineered Solutions, was there any degree of the Q2 margin performance that you view as overearning as opposed to permanent operational efficiency improvements? I guess, is it fair for us to be thinking about 17%+ as the structural floor for this segment going forward?
Yeah, those margins are solid. The segment is performing very well. I wouldn't call anything out as special or unusual for the Q2. I would say, if you're looking sequentially Q2-Q3, you do have some typical seasonality in terms of customer and maintenance shutdowns in Europe for some of the more industrial businesses. I think we're setting a new baseline for this business from a margin perspective.
Yeah, Pete, I think the only thing I'd add to that is, we kind of signaled that there was some pent-up profitability in this business, right? The High-Temperature Technologies business operating really well, new products, Minscans, contractual volumes coming through. Steel markets in Europe are improving. North America has been strong for the past year or so. We've had almost two years of kind of a lull in our environmental products business, and that's starting to turn a little bit. We've had five quarters of growth in that business, in that product line. We said as that starts to turn, that's a lot of contribution that comes through. It's project-based, a little bit lumpy still, but at the same time, we're starting to see our offshore oil grew 22% in the H1 of the year.
Drilling products and infrastructure for infrastructure drilling has been really doing well. Building products is starting to turn, and our environmental products and water products, and Fluoro-Sorb is in there too. We still see there's more growth potential. That business, as you start to see these volumes of one of these product lines start to move, really drops to the bottom line in good contribution, and that's what you're seeing, and we think that's stable. The other side of the business, still good growth, right? We've got, as Erik mentioned, that lag that we're going to move ourselves through and those costs parked there. There's a lot of transportation, energy. We'll get that pushed through, but that growth is there, and we start to leverage that growth to the bottom line.
I think that's yeah, we got some work to do in the Household & Personal Care business and costs. Once we get that work done, I think we got to both sides of the business kind of moving along. That's where we see that margin improvement. With the 17 on one side and moving the other side up to 14, you start to see that 15%, 16% as we push through. Now, a lot of things have to line up. We got some work to do, I think we're setting up for that margin improvement. It's unfortunate we have this delay still, we'll move through it, and we'll deliver that profitability.
All right. Excellent. Thanks a lot.
The next question comes from David Silver with Freedom Capital Markets. Please go ahead.
Yeah. Hi. Good morning. Thank you. I'll apologize in advance. I had a little trouble joining the call at the beginning, apologies if I make you repeat yourself. I wanted to drill down, I guess, with D.J. on a couple of the expansion projects that are underway. In particular, I guess there was a series of three PCC satellites that were due to turn on this year. Just wondering where we are on that and what the contribution might have been in the Q2. Just on the edible oil, you did explain the timing. It's complete. The order book is full, revenues will probably start in the Q3.
With a full order book and the project complete, I'm just wondering about next steps there, like what might be the cadence for the next incremental expansion, assuming the SAF market continues to progress, which I think is a pretty sure thing myself, personally. Is the expansion program one where the incremental additions are more of a modular nature? In other words, they can be added relatively quickly, or is this more of a discrete project with its own separate, I don't know, off-sites or supporting utilities? What might be the cadence that we should think about for growth in your capacity on the edible oil side, edible oil purification side? Thank you.
David, I'm going to try and unpack that a little bit. Let me deal with the first part of the question on the PCC. I would say, as Erik had indicated and Doug had indicated, all three of those are up, running, distributed in the Q2, and they look like they're going to be good business for us moving forward. There's another one that we have mentioned in the past that comes online in 2027. We're building another satellite right now. It's a pretty substantial satellite that supports packaging growth in Asia. We had the three that came up running in the Q2 and contributing in the Q2. Another one still to come that'll be early in 2027.
Paper is looking solid. I would say that the nature of that pipeline still remains healthy. 20+ projects in the pipeline, a blend of packaging and new Yield and PCC and the new products we've introduced. We feel pretty good on that side of things. Shifting gears now to the bleaching earth question. We just put in that expansion. It's reasonable for you to think of that one as a modular expansion, pretty efficient in getting it up and running and designing the product specifically for these customers, getting them qualified with the customer. We're up and running, and you'll start seeing that pretty much running full out in this Q3. We are looking further at expansions. The next one probably is a bigger magnitude one, but we still got to line up some volumes on that.
I would tell you, though, that from what we've been able to do with both the quality of the ore and the reserves that we've got, especially in Turkey, plus the scientists that we've got working at Hoffman Estates, we feel very good about that product line and what it's able to contribute differently in the market, especially in sustainable aviation fuel. We're happy with this last expansion. We're happy with the qualifications that we've been able to do and the pace in which we've been able to bring them in. We'll get ready to expand further, nothing to announce on that just yet.
Okay, great. I hope you'll indulge me here, but I wanted to go back to the $290 million charge that was taken, and I just want to make sure I have things lined up. There's a total funding of the 524G trust of $450 million, and I believe in Q1 of 2025, you allocated, I believe, $185 million of your total charge then for the trust. Is it correct to say that of the $290 million, I guess the $265 million were the balance to get to $450 million? $265 million of the $290 million goes to the trust and the balance of $25 million or so is for estimated other costs. Is that correct or am I missing something?
David, this is Erik. You're close. There's a portion in there that's to fund the ongoing process. Right now, there's about $450 million in terms of potential 524G funding and about $35 million in terms of ongoing process funding. That's made up of the charge we just took and the one from 2025.
Okay, great. Then, I don't know if you can answer this or not, but you have set up a trust that you believe is acceptable to settle all the ultimate claims. However, the bankruptcy judge, as you pointed out, has abated his process in favor of letting the district court work on the issue of causation. Doug, I guess this is how determined or how do you feel about letting that district court process run its course versus maybe pursuing something sooner, but that may ultimately prove to be a little more expensive for your company? How do you kind of weigh the pros and cons of settling sooner versus letting the district court process run its course?
Yeah, David, I'm not going to answer that question. We're right in the midst of the beginning of litigation. I don't want to speculate on outcomes in district courts or the ramifications of that right now. I think where we are is we've filed a plan that we feel is fair and provides finality for the company. We've always maintained that BMI's, Barretts Minerals, BMI OldCo Inc. Talc has been safe. The district court taking on that issue, we see that as a positive because we've always maintained this to be the case. We're right in the beginning of that, and we're going to be going through the process of scheduling and seeing how that goes, and I just don't want to speculate on where we'll land at the moment right now, given where we are.
Fair enough. I appreciate that. Last thing for me, I did just want to get a PFAS update. I believe last quarter, the plan was to have 10 commercial projects start up through 2026. I am curious, but I did watch the EPA panel discussion where your company was one of just a handful featured. I'm just wondering if that presentation and that opportunity for interested parties has resulted in an acceleration of trial and beta testing. Just an update on progress with commercializing PFAS and then your take on what has happened since your participation in the EPA panel? Thanks.
Hi, David. It's Brett. Let me just give you a quick update on where we stand with Fluoro-Sorb, and hopefully I can answer your questions. Fluoro-Sorb really continues to gain traction. We do have the 10 full-scale municipal drinking water plants up and running. The good news is we now have 18 municipal systems specified for upcoming installations. Most of them are under construction. Several of them will start in 2026, and others will start in 2027. That, we're gaining traction. We also expect to see more of the pilot projects for the small groundwater treatment plants move into full scale. A lot of that will start to move over the next several months. As you know, we also use the Fluoro-Sorb in in situ remediation. We're working with the Department of War and other aviation-related fields.
Based on the success we've seen with the Department of War, we're expanding that project, and actually, we have two big projects that will happen in the Q3. Both are airports, and one is a military site. That is working, and it's really based on the absorption technology of the Fluoro-Sorb. It's working very well. The other update I'll give you is we also continue our discussions with the U.S. EPA Office of Water and Office of Land and Emergency Management. Both are really committed to the PFAS remediation and disposal research. We're working with them to wrap this up, and with the CRADA agreement, and I think once that is finalized, then the research will expand much more rapidly. Things are moving well, and we expect to see additional municipalities taking on the Fluoro-Sorb.
Okay, great. I appreciate all the color. Thank you.
Thanks, David.
This concludes our question-and-answer session. I would like to turn the conference back over to Doug Dietrich for any closing remarks.
Thank you, David. Appreciate it. I appreciate everyone joining the call today. If you have any follow-up questions, we'd be happy to answer them after the call. We'll talk to you in about three months. Thank you.
The conference is now concluded. Thank you for attending today's presentation. You may now disconnect.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Minerals Technologies: Q2 Earnings Snapshot
Associated Press
Minerals Technologies: Q2 Earnings Snapshot
NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTX) on Thursday reported a loss of $183.6 million in its second quarter. On a per-share basis, the New York-based company said it had a loss of $5.90. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to $1.60 per share. The maker of mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products posted revenue of $548.4 million in the period. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on MTX at https://www.zacks.com/ap/MTX
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Minerals Technologies (MTX) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Miss Estimates
Zacks
Minerals Technologies (MTX) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Miss Estimates
Minerals Technologies (MTX) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.6 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.64 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.55 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -2.44%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products would post earnings of $1.25 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.38, delivering a surprise of +10.4%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Minerals Technologies, which belongs to the Zacks Chemical - Specialty industry, posted revenues of $548.4 million for the quarter ended June 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.3%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $528.9 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three 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. Minerals Technologies shares have added about 21% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.9%. While Minerals Technologies 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 Minerals Technologies was favorable. 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 #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in…Read full documentShow less
Minerals Technologies (MTX) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.6 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.64 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.55 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -2.44%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products would post earnings of $1.25 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.38, delivering a surprise of +10.4%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Minerals Technologies, which belongs to the Zacks Chemical - Specialty industry, posted revenues of $548.4 million for the quarter ended June 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.3%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $528.9 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three 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. Minerals Technologies shares have added about 21% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.9%. While Minerals Technologies 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 Minerals Technologies was favorable. 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 #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform 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 $1.75 on $564.45 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $6.34 on $2.21 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, Chemical - Specialty is currently in the top 34% 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. Neo Performance Materials Inc. (NOPMF), another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 11. This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.50 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +177.8%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 123.7% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. Neo Performance Materials Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $176.07 million, up 53.5% 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 Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Neo Performance Materials Inc. (NOPMF) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Minerals Technologies Inc. Announces 2026 Second Quarter Financial Results
GlobeNewswire
Minerals Technologies Inc. Announces 2026 Second Quarter Financial Results
Sales up 4 percent versus prior year and up 7 percent year-to-date; on track for mid-single digit growth for full year Strong cash flow generation, up significantly year-to-date versus prior year Balance sheet remains solid, adjusted net leverage ratio at 1.6x Published 18th Sustainability Report and established new 10-year environmental targets Company will host Investor Day event on September 22, 2026 NEW YORK, July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE: MTX) (“MTI”), a leading, technology-driven specialty minerals company, today reported a loss per share for the second quarter ended July 5, 2026, of $5.90, or earnings per share of $1.60 excluding special items, representing a 3 percent increase over the prior year. “Our sales momentum continued in the second quarter, resulting in 7 percent growth in the first half of the year. This trend is being driven by our growth initiatives and strong market conditions, and we are on track to hit our full year revenue targets,” said Douglas T. Dietrich, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We absorbed significant inflationary cost increases that temporarily impacted margins, primarily in the Consumer & Specialties segment, but have pricing actions in place to restore them through the back half of the year.” Consolidated Results In the second quarter, MTI’s worldwide net sales were $548 million, up 4 percent over the prior year. Foreign exchange had a favorable impact of $7 million on sales. For the first half of 2026, consolidated sales were $1.1 billion, up 7 percent over prior year. Reported operating loss in the second quarter was $220 million, or operating income of $75 million excluding special items. The special items include a $290 million charge to increase the company’s reserve for estimated costs to fund a trust to resolve all current and future talc-related claims as well as fund the Chapter 11 cases of its subsidiary BMI OldCo Inc. and affiliated debtors and related litigation costs. Second Quarter 2026 Segment Results Consumer & Specialties segment sales were $275 million, down 1 percent from the prior year. Sales in the Household & Personal Care product line were $123 million, down 3 percent from the prior year due to lower sales in high-margin consumer specialty products. Sales in the Specialty Additives product line were $151 million, up 1 percent over the prior year, primari…Read full documentShow less
Sales up 4 percent versus prior year and up 7 percent year-to-date; on track for mid-single digit growth for full year Strong cash flow generation, up significantly year-to-date versus prior year Balance sheet remains solid, adjusted net leverage ratio at 1.6x Published 18th Sustainability Report and established new 10-year environmental targets Company will host Investor Day event on September 22, 2026 NEW YORK, July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE: MTX) (“MTI”), a leading, technology-driven specialty minerals company, today reported a loss per share for the second quarter ended July 5, 2026, of $5.90, or earnings per share of $1.60 excluding special items, representing a 3 percent increase over the prior year. “Our sales momentum continued in the second quarter, resulting in 7 percent growth in the first half of the year. This trend is being driven by our growth initiatives and strong market conditions, and we are on track to hit our full year revenue targets,” said Douglas T. Dietrich, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We absorbed significant inflationary cost increases that temporarily impacted margins, primarily in the Consumer & Specialties segment, but have pricing actions in place to restore them through the back half of the year.” Consolidated Results In the second quarter, MTI’s worldwide net sales were $548 million, up 4 percent over the prior year. Foreign exchange had a favorable impact of $7 million on sales. For the first half of 2026, consolidated sales were $1.1 billion, up 7 percent over prior year. Reported operating loss in the second quarter was $220 million, or operating income of $75 million excluding special items. The special items include a $290 million charge to increase the company’s reserve for estimated costs to fund a trust to resolve all current and future talc-related claims as well as fund the Chapter 11 cases of its subsidiary BMI OldCo Inc. and affiliated debtors and related litigation costs. Second Quarter 2026 Segment Results Consumer & Specialties segment sales were $275 million, down 1 percent from the prior year. Sales in the Household & Personal Care product line were $123 million, down 3 percent from the prior year due to lower sales in high-margin consumer specialty products. Sales in the Specialty Additives product line were $151 million, up 1 percent over the prior year, primarily driven by higher sales to paper and packaging customers. Segment reported operating income was $29 million, down 21 percent excluding special items, due to unfavorable volume mix as well as higher energy, transportation, and raw material costs that were not fully recovered within the quarter due to the timing of contractual pricing adjustments. MTI’s Consumer & Specialties segment provides functional components that become part of a variety of consumer and industrial products and touch millions of lives every day. It includes two product lines: Household & Personal Care, which delivers mineral-to-market products for improved performance and enhanced consumer experiences in end markets including cat litter, household and personal care, edible oil and renewable fuel purification, animal health, and agriculture; and Specialty Additives, which offers mineral-based technologies for improved functionality in end markets including paper and packaging, food and pharmaceuticals, sealants and adhesives, paints and coatings, and residential construction. Engineered Solutions segment sales were $274 million, up 9 percent over the prior year. Sales in the High-Temperature Technologies product line were $190 million, up 7 percent over the prior year, driven by continued higher sales to steel customers in the U.S. and foundry businesses in Asia. In the Environmental & Infrastructure product line, sales were $84 million, up 15 percent over the prior year, driven by stronger sales related to building materials, large-scale project activity, and infrastructure drilling. Segment reported operating income was $49 million, up 12 percent excluding special items, representing a record operating margin of 17.8 percent of sales. MTI’s Engineered Solutions segment provides advanced technologies and solutions designed to improve customers’ manufacturing processes and projects. It includes two product lines: High-Temperature Technologies, which delivers mineral-based blends, technologies, and systems that solve complex challenges in the foundry, steel, and other high-temperature processing industries; and Environmental & Infrastructure, which offers solutions for water treatment, fluid management, building materials, and environmental, remediation, and infrastructure-related projects. Publication of the 18th Annual Sustainability Report MTI published the 18th edition of its annual Sustainability Report, highlighting the company's environmental, safety, and community achievements and establishing a new set of 10-year environmental targets through 2035. It also shared that by 2025, the company had successfully achieved all 12 environmental targets it established in 2018. Key accomplishments included a 34 percent reduction in Scope 1 emissions, a 42 percent reduction in Scope 2 emissions, a 31 percent reduction in water withdrawals, a 56 percent reduction in water discharge, and a 44 percent reduction in landfill waste. MTI continues to support its customers' sustainability objectives through innovative solutions that help reduce emissions and waste, improve resource efficiency, and address environmental challenges such as PFAS remediation. In 2025, 67 percent of the company’s products commercialized during the previous five years had a sustainable profile. The Sustainability Report is available at www.mineralstech.com/sustainability. Company to Host 2026 Investor Day Event MTI will host an Investor Day event on September 22, 2026, starting at 1 p.m. Eastern Time at its Bethlehem, Pennsylvania R&D facility. A live webcast with management will be followed by a tour for in-person attendees of the R&D facility, with a focus on the company’s Crystal Engineering and Engineered Blends technologies. “We are excited to welcome investors to our 2026 Investor Day, where we will provide an update on the strategic growth initiatives driving MTI’s performance today and discuss the opportunities that will shape our future,” said Dietrich. “Our team will showcase MTI’s unique combination of mineral resources, technologies, and application expertise and highlight how we develop innovative solutions that align with emerging customer and market trends. We will also preview some of the new applications that we believe will open up new markets in the next few years and continue to create long-term shareholder value.” Conference Call MTI will host a conference call tomorrow, July 31, 2026, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The live earnings webcast can be accessed at https://investors.mineralstech.com/quarterly-results-conference-calls. A presentation for the call will be available at the same location at approximately 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time on July 31, 2026. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release may contain "forward‐looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations and forecasts of future events such as new products, revenues, and financial performance, and are not limited to describing historical or current facts. They can be identified by the use of words such as “believes,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “anticipates,” and other words and phrases of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on assumptions, estimates, and limited information available at the time they are made. A broad variety of risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, as well as the inaccuracy of assumptions and estimates, can affect the realization of the expectations or forecasts in these statements. Actual future results may vary materially. Significant factors that could affect the expectations and forecasts include worldwide general economic, business, and industry conditions; the cyclicality of our customers’ businesses and their changing regional demands; our ability to compete in very competitive industries; consolidation in customer industries, principally paper, foundry, and steel; our ability to renew or extend long term sales contracts for our satellite operations; our ability to generate cash to service our debt; our ability to comply with the covenants in the agreements governing our debt; our ability to effectively achieve and implement our growth initiatives or consummate the transactions described in the statements; our ability to successfully develop new products; our ability to defend our intellectual property; the increased risks of doing business abroad; the availability of raw materials and access to ore reserves at our mining operations, or increases in costs of raw materials, energy, or shipping; compliance with or changes to regulation in the areas of environmental, health and safety, and tax; risks and uncertainties related to the voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code filed by our subsidiaries BMI OldCo Inc. (f/k/a Barretts Minerals Inc.) and Barretts Ventures Texas LLC; claims for legal, environmental, and tax matters or product stewardship issues; operating risks and capacity limitations affecting our production facilities; seasonality of some of our businesses; cybersecurity and other threats relating to our information technology systems; and other risk factors and cautionary statements in our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10‐K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward‐looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. About Minerals Technologies Inc.Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MTX) is a global, technology-driven specialty minerals company that sources, manufactures, sells, and distributes a wide range of minerals and mineral-based products and services. We utilize our global mineral reserves, combined with our core technologies and applications, to deliver innovative products that are an essential part of everyday life. We serve customers in consumer and industrial markets worldwide, have 4,000 employees in 34 countries, and reported global sales of $2.1 billion in 2025. For further information, visit www.mineralstech.com. Investor Relations ContactLydia [email protected] Media ContactStephanie [email protected]
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30Minerals Technologies Q2 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise
MT Newswires
Minerals Technologies Q2 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise
Minerals Technologies (MTX) reported Q2 adjusted earnings late Thursday of $1.60 per diluted share,
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-29Linde to Report Q2 Earnings: Here's What Investors Should Know
Zacks
Linde to Report Q2 Earnings: Here's What Investors Should Know
Linde plc LIN is set to report second-quarter 2026 results on July 31, before the opening bell. Let us delve into the factors that are likely to have influenced the performance of this global industrial gas producer. However, before that, it would be worth reviewing LIN’s performance in the previous quarter. In the last reported quarter, Linde’s earnings of $4.33 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.27, driven by stronger pricing and higher volumes from the Americas segment and increased APAC segment volumes. Linde’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 1.03%. This is depicted in the graph below: Linde PLC price-eps-surprise | Linde PLC Quote The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter earnings per share (EPS) is pegged at $4.49, with two upward and no downward revisions over the past seven days. The bottom-line estimate implies an improvement of 9.8% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter revenues is pegged at $8.96 billion, indicating a year-over-year improvement of 5.5%. Linde is a global leader in the production of industrial gases, such as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and others, which are used across several end markets, including healthcare, manufacturing, chemicals & energy and food & beverage, in multiple geographies. The company is expected to have sustained a stable performance in the to-be-reported quarter, supported by its long-term, take-or-pay contracts with major on-site clients. Linde is expected to have benefited from its operations across several resilient end markets, such as healthcare and food & beverage. Moreover, LIN’s strong project backlog is also expected to have contributed positively to its earnings. However, challenges are likely to have persisted, particularly due to weaker industrial activity in Europe, which may have dampened growth across cyclical end markets like Chemicals & Energy and Manufacturing. Moreover, the Middle East conflict may have further weighed on manufacturing activity in the region, resulting in softer demand for Linde's products and affecting the EMEA segment results. These factors are anticipated to have affected demand and pricing dynamics, potentially hampering Linde’s quarterly performance. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for operating profit in the Ame…Read full documentShow less
Linde plc LIN is set to report second-quarter 2026 results on July 31, before the opening bell. Let us delve into the factors that are likely to have influenced the performance of this global industrial gas producer. However, before that, it would be worth reviewing LIN’s performance in the previous quarter. In the last reported quarter, Linde’s earnings of $4.33 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.27, driven by stronger pricing and higher volumes from the Americas segment and increased APAC segment volumes. Linde’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 1.03%. This is depicted in the graph below: Linde PLC price-eps-surprise | Linde PLC Quote The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter earnings per share (EPS) is pegged at $4.49, with two upward and no downward revisions over the past seven days. The bottom-line estimate implies an improvement of 9.8% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter revenues is pegged at $8.96 billion, indicating a year-over-year improvement of 5.5%. Linde is a global leader in the production of industrial gases, such as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and others, which are used across several end markets, including healthcare, manufacturing, chemicals & energy and food & beverage, in multiple geographies. The company is expected to have sustained a stable performance in the to-be-reported quarter, supported by its long-term, take-or-pay contracts with major on-site clients. Linde is expected to have benefited from its operations across several resilient end markets, such as healthcare and food & beverage. Moreover, LIN’s strong project backlog is also expected to have contributed positively to its earnings. However, challenges are likely to have persisted, particularly due to weaker industrial activity in Europe, which may have dampened growth across cyclical end markets like Chemicals & Energy and Manufacturing. Moreover, the Middle East conflict may have further weighed on manufacturing activity in the region, resulting in softer demand for Linde's products and affecting the EMEA segment results. These factors are anticipated to have affected demand and pricing dynamics, potentially hampering Linde’s quarterly performance. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for operating profit in the Americas segment is pegged at $1.3 billion, up from $1.21 billion reported in the second quarter of 2025. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for operating profit from the Engineering business unit is pinned at $94 million for the second quarter, up from $90 million recorded a year ago. Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Linde this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Earnings ESP: Linde’s Earnings ESP is -0.10%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. Here are some other stocks that you may want to consider, as these, too, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this reporting cycle. The Chemours Company CC is a major provider of performance chemicals that are used in end-products and processes across a host of industries. The company has an Earnings ESP of +27.17% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Chemours Company is scheduled to release second-quarter 2026 earnings on Aug. 4. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 43 cents per share, which suggests a 25.9% decline from the prior-year reported figure. Huntsman Corporation HUN manufactures diversified organic chemical products and markets them to a wide range of industrial and consumer customers. The company currently has an Earnings ESP of +4.31% and a Zacks Rank #3. Huntsman is scheduled to release second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 30. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HUN’s earnings is pegged at 6 cents per share, indicating a 130% increase from the prior-year reported figure. Minerals Technologies Inc. MTX is involved in the production and marketing of a wide range of specialty mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products. The company currently has an Earnings ESP of +5.52% and a Zacks Rank #2. Minerals Technologies is scheduled to release second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 30. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MTX’s earnings is pegged at $1.64 per share, indicating a 5.8% increase from the prior-year reported figure. 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 Linde PLC (LIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Huntsman Corporation (HUN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Chemours Company (CC) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-29DuPont to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in the Offing for the Stock?
Zacks
DuPont to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in the Offing for the Stock?
DuPont de Nemours, Inc. DD is set to release second-quarter 2026 results before the opening bell on Aug. 4.The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the last four quarters. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8% on average. DuPont is expected to have benefited from its innovation-driven investment, productivity actions and acquisitions amid headwinds from cost inflation in the second quarter.DD’s shares have lost 35.1% in a year, underperforming the Zacks Chemicals Diversified industry’s 0.5% rise. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DD’s second-quarter consolidated sales is currently pegged at $1,817.9 million, calling for a decline of 44.2% from the year-ago quarter’s tally.The consensus estimate for the company’s Healthcare & Water Technologies segment is pinned at $860 million. The same for the Diversified Industrials unit is pegged at $947 million. DuPont is likely to have benefited from its cost and productivity measures, acquisitions and actions to drive growth through innovation in the quarter to be reported. Its innovation-driven investment is focused on several high-growth areas. DD remains committed to driving returns from its R&D investment.The acquisition of Spectrum Plastics Group, a leading manufacturer of specialty medical devices and components, strengthened DuPont’s position in stable and fast-growing healthcare end markets. It is also in sync with its focus on high-growth, customer-driven innovation for the healthcare market. The buyout of Donatelle Plastics also enhances DD’s exposure in healthcare, expanding its expertise in the medical device market segments.DuPont is expected to have benefited from cost synergy savings and productivity improvement actions in the June quarter. These actions contributed to a 100-basis-point year-over-year growth in operating margins in 2025. The additional benefits of its structural cost actions are expected to be realized in 2026. The company also continues to implement strategic price increases in the wake of raw material and energy cost inflation. Its cost and productivity actions, along with pricing measures, are expected to have contributed to its margins in the to-be-reported quarter. DD is expected to have faced continued headwinds in the construction markets…Read full documentShow less
DuPont de Nemours, Inc. DD is set to release second-quarter 2026 results before the opening bell on Aug. 4.The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the last four quarters. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8% on average. DuPont is expected to have benefited from its innovation-driven investment, productivity actions and acquisitions amid headwinds from cost inflation in the second quarter.DD’s shares have lost 35.1% in a year, underperforming the Zacks Chemicals Diversified industry’s 0.5% rise. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DD’s second-quarter consolidated sales is currently pegged at $1,817.9 million, calling for a decline of 44.2% from the year-ago quarter’s tally.The consensus estimate for the company’s Healthcare & Water Technologies segment is pinned at $860 million. The same for the Diversified Industrials unit is pegged at $947 million. DuPont is likely to have benefited from its cost and productivity measures, acquisitions and actions to drive growth through innovation in the quarter to be reported. Its innovation-driven investment is focused on several high-growth areas. DD remains committed to driving returns from its R&D investment.The acquisition of Spectrum Plastics Group, a leading manufacturer of specialty medical devices and components, strengthened DuPont’s position in stable and fast-growing healthcare end markets. It is also in sync with its focus on high-growth, customer-driven innovation for the healthcare market. The buyout of Donatelle Plastics also enhances DD’s exposure in healthcare, expanding its expertise in the medical device market segments.DuPont is expected to have benefited from cost synergy savings and productivity improvement actions in the June quarter. These actions contributed to a 100-basis-point year-over-year growth in operating margins in 2025. The additional benefits of its structural cost actions are expected to be realized in 2026. The company also continues to implement strategic price increases in the wake of raw material and energy cost inflation. Its cost and productivity actions, along with pricing measures, are expected to have contributed to its margins in the to-be-reported quarter. DD is expected to have faced continued headwinds in the construction markets. In North America, uncertainties surrounding the U.S. housing market are weighing on construction. Elevated borrowing costs and inflation have unfavorably impacted the residential construction industry. The weakness in construction and automotive markets is likely to have affected second-quarter sales in the diversified industrials business. The softness in the automotive market is due to weak automotive build rates across the United States and Europe. DuPont is also exposed to challenges from cost inflation and logistics disruptions due to the Middle East conflict. The company faces challenges from higher raw material costs resulting from the conflict. While it is taking pricing actions to offset the incremental costs, the impacts of cost inflation are expected to reflect on its performance. Higher input costs are likely to have weighed on its margins in the second quarter. DuPont de Nemours, Inc. price-eps-surprise | DuPont de Nemours, Inc. Quote Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for DuPont this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here.Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for DD is -0.33%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter is currently pegged at $1.76. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Zacks Rank: DD currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. Here are some companies in the basic materials space you may want to consider as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:Avient Corporation AVNT, scheduled to release earnings on Aug. 6, has an Earnings ESP of +0.87% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The consensus estimate for AVNT’s earnings for the second quarter is currently pegged at 89 cents.The Chemours Company CC, scheduled to release earnings on Aug. 4, has an Earnings ESP of +27.17%.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CC's earnings for the second quarter is currently pegged at 43 cents. CC currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. Minerals Technologies Inc. MTX, slated to release earnings on July 30, has an Earnings ESP of +0.61% and carries a Zacks Rank #2 at present.The consensus mark for MTX’s second-quarter earnings is currently pegged at $1.64. 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 DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (DD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Chemours Company (CC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Avient Corporation (AVNT) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-28Celanese (CE) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
Zacks
Celanese (CE) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
Celanese (CE) is expected to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on August 4. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise. This chemical company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $2.21 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +53.5%. Revenues are expected to be $2.65 billion, up 4.8% from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.94% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is s…Read full documentShow less
Celanese (CE) is expected to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on August 4. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise. This chemical company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $2.21 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +53.5%. Revenues are expected to be $2.65 billion, up 4.8% from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.94% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). For Celanese, the Most Accurate Estimate is the same as the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that there are no recent analyst views which differ from what have been considered to derive the consensus estimate. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of 0%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3. So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Celanese will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Celanese would post earnings of $0.88 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.85, delivering a surprise of -3.41%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates two times. An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Celanese doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Minerals Technologies (MTX), another stock in the Zacks Chemical - Specialty industry, is expected to report earnings per share of $1.64 for the quarter ended June 2026. This estimate points to a year-over-year change of +5.8%. Revenues for the quarter are expected to be $561.3 million, up 6.1% from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for Minerals Technologies has been revised 0.9% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. However, a higher Most Accurate Estimate has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.61%. When combined with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), this Earnings ESP indicates that Minerals Technologies will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate. Over the last four quarters, the company surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 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 Celanese Corporation (CE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

