PHM

A luxury builder in a soft market has bought back enough stock to outrun three years of shrinking profits, and the question is what happens when land competes for the same cash. Toll Brothers (TOL) has gained 7.7% over the past year but slipped over the last six months, and it trades about 10% below its 52-week high, a quiet year for a builder whose management described the sales environment in August as subdued. Over the last three years, earnings per share rose while net income fell, and what closed that gap was not the business but the share count. Toll Has Bought Itself Back Faster Than Profits Fell Averaged over those three years, net income has fallen 2.8% a year while earnings per share have risen 2.3% a year. Nothing operational explains the difference; it is arithmetic. The company has retired about 5.1% of its shares a year on average across that stretch, and 4.8% in the past twelve months alone, so each remaining owner's claim on a smaller profit pool grew anyway. With the dividend added, the whole payout is a 5.3% shareholder yield, once stock compensation is netted out. A Million-Dollar Buyer, And Upgrades Across The Board That yield is funded by a narrow, wealthy slice of the housing market. The luxury move-up business, where the average home sells for about $1.35 million, was roughly 61% of home sales revenue in fiscal Q3 2026 and carries the highest margin of the company's buyer segments. The spending does not stop at signing: across Toll's buyers as a whole, upgrades, structural options and lot premiums averaged $207,000 a home in the quarter, and management says design studio work of that sort is highly accretive to margin. Pricing holds best where it matters most: the more expensive the home, the smaller the incentive as a share of its price. Growth Gets The Cash Before Shareholders Do Free cash flow covers the buybacks and dividends about 1.6 times over, but the payout is not what that cash is aimed at first. Management puts growth first in the capital-allocation order and funds repurchases out of the operating cash flow that is left, and growth here means land: roughly $452 million spent on land acquisition in fiscal Q3 2026, against $2.65 billion of home sales revenue in that quarter. So far that cash flow has covered both, and the fiscal 2026 repurchase plan was raised to $700 million from $650 million. Net debt runs at about 1.1 times EBITDA, a moderate load rather than a stretched one. Balance sheets of that kind are a standing feature of the Trefis High Quality Portfolio's holdings. Cheap Against Earnings That Still Move With The Cycle At 10.9 times trailing earnings, the market is not asking much for the engine. That is a case for patience rather than a promise. Over three years the stock returned 96% in price, though it was up 119% at its peak and has handed some of that back, and buybacks were only one contributor alongside a moving multiple. The engine is real and funded; the profits it works on have shrunk over the last three years, and management, four years into a difficult housing market, is not yet calling a bottom. Whether the retirement pace survives a leaner year is the open question, and the dividend and buyback record is where the answer shows up first. A Cheap Compounder Is Still One Cyclical Bet An engine that quietly retires stock is worth owning, but it sits inside one industry and one housing cycle. Investors who want that compounding spread across many businesses rather than one builder can start with the Trefis High Quality Portfolio. That portfolio has a track record of outpacing the three major indices - the S&P 500, S&P Mid-cap, and Russell 2000.

It has been about a month since the last earnings report for PulteGroup (PHM). Shares have added about 2.4% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is PulteGroup due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts. PulteGroup reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings and total revenues topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but declining year over year.The quarterly results reflect reduced home-closing volumes, softer average selling prices (ASP) and margin compression. Ongoing softness in the housing market because of weaker consumer confidence and ongoing affordability challenges due to high mortgage rates hurt the top-line growth. Quarterly earnings were $2.48 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.38 by 4.2%. Earnings declined 18.2% from $3.03 in the prior-year quarter.Total revenues (Homebuilding & Financial Services) of $3.983 billion edged past the consensus mark of $3.980 billion by 0.1% but fell 9.6% year over year. Homebuilding segment’s revenues decreased 9.7% year over year to $3.89 billion. Home sale revenues fell 10.8% to $3.81 billion, reflecting weaker delivery volumes and lower average pricing. Land sale and other revenues increased to $78.9 million from $34.6 million.The number of homes closed declined 8.4% year over year to 6,997 units. Deliveries decreased across the Northeast, Midwest, Texas and West regions, while closings in the Southeast and Florida remained relatively stable. The ASP of homes delivered fell 2.7% to $544,000 from $559,000.Net new orders increased 6.4% year over year to 7,536 homes. Order growth was recorded across all buyer groups, supported by an 8% increase in average community count to 1,074. The dollar value of net new orders rose 5.1% to $4.08 billion.PulteGroup ended the quarter with a backlog of 10,966 homes, up 1.7% from the prior-year level. Backlog units increased in the Northeast, Florida, Midwest and Texas, while the Southeast and West reported declines. The value of homes in backlog slipped 0.6% to $6.80 billion. The divergence between higher units and lower value indicates that the average value of homes in backlog declined year over year, consistent with the company’s broader pricing pressure.Home sale gross margin contracted 200 basis points (bps) year over year to 25%. However, the metric improved 60 basis points sequentially from the first quarter of 2026, indicating some near-term stabilization in profitability.Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses declined to $383 million from $390 million. However, as a percentage of home sale revenues, SG&A expenses increased 100 bps to 10.1%, as the lower revenue base reduced operating leverage. Financial Services revenues declined 4.2% to $96.9 million. Overall, the revenue mix reflected continued housing-market pressure as affordability constraints, volatile mortgage rates and economic uncertainty affected buyer activity.Mortgage origination volume decreased to 4,629 loans from 4,984, while origination principal fell to $1.98 billion from $2.16 billion. The mortgage capture rate improved modestly to 85.2% from 84.8%. PulteGroup ended the quarter with $1.38 billion in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. Notes payable totaled $1.82 billion, resulting in a debt-to-capital ratio of 12.3% and a net debt-to-capital ratio of 3.3%.Operating cash flow for the first six months of 2026 declined 58.1% year over year to $176.8 million, partly reflecting an $807.3 million increase in inventories. During the second quarter, PHM repurchased 3.1 million shares for $373 million. First-half repurchases totaled $681.2 million, representing 5.5 million shares. In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in estimates revision. Currently, PulteGroup has a poor Growth Score of F, however its Momentum Score is doing a bit better with a D. However, the stock was allocated a grade of B on the value side, putting it in the top 40% for value investors. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. Notably, PulteGroup has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months. PulteGroup belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Home Builders industry. Another stock from the same industry, D.R. Horton (DHI), has gained 3.7% over the past month. More than a month has passed since the company reported results for the quarter ended June 2026. D.R. Horton reported revenues of $9.23 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +0%. EPS of $3.20 for the same period compares with $3.36 a year ago. D.R. Horton is expected to post earnings of $3.10 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +2%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -2.5%. D.R. Horton has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) based on the overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions. Additionally, the stock has a VGM Score of C. 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 PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) : Free Stock Analysis Report D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Interested in Hovnanian Enterprises Inc? Here are five stocks we like better. Q3 results were mixed: Revenue reached $706 million and adjusted gross margin was 14.6%, both around the midpoint of guidance, but adjusted pre-tax income was a $2 million loss due mainly to delayed deliveries and weaker income from unconsolidated joint ventures. Buyer caution weighed on sales: Contracts fell to 1,359 homes, down 57 from the prior year, as affordability concerns and market volatility kept buyers hesitant despite strong website traffic and a modest improvement in August sales. Management expects a stronger Q4: Hovnanian forecasts $800 million–$900 million in revenue, adjusted EBITDA of $50 million–$65 million and adjusted pre-tax income of $15 million–$30 million, assuming broadly stable mortgage rates, costs and cancellation rates. PulteGroup Wins and Wins More on Interest Rate Cuts Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE:HOV) reported fiscal 2026 third-quarter revenue of $706 million, slightly above the midpoint of its prior guidance range, as the homebuilder navigated a housing market marked by elevated mortgage rates, incentives and cautious consumer behavior. Adjusted gross margin was 14.6%, also above the midpoint of guidance, while adjusted EBITDA totaled $32 million. The company posted an adjusted pre-tax loss of $2 million, below its guidance range, which had called for break-even results or better. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ara Hovnanian said the shortfall primarily reflected lower-than-expected income from unconsolidated joint ventures, driven substantially by delivery delays at its newest joint ventures. → Datavault AI Locks Down CyberCatch in $94M Security Rollup It’s Time to Ring the Register on Hovnanian Stock “This was the first time in 23 quarters that adjusted pre-tax income finished below the guidance range,” Hovnanian said. He added that results would have fallen within the range if joint-venture income had reached the midpoint of guidance or if quarterly quick move-in sales had been modestly stronger. Third-quarter contracts declined by 57 homes from the prior-year period to 1,359 homes. The company generated 9.4 contracts per community during the quarter, a level Hovnanian characterized as slightly above its historical average. Management said website traffic remained strong, though potential buyers have been hesitant to finalize purchases amid affordability concerns and geopolitical and financial volatility. → Michael Burry Is Betting Against Palantir Again—Should Investors Care? Homebuilder Hovnanian Increases Revenue, Raises Full-Year Guidance Hovnanian said August month-to-date contracts were up 3% from a year earlier. Website visits in July were higher than in all but one year since 2019, while traffic during the final two weeks of the month exceeded levels from any year since 2019, according to the company. However, sales patterns remained uneven. Management said May showed a stronger year-over-year comparison, June was roughly in line with the prior year, and July trailed the prior-year level before August improved modestly. → Home Depot Analysts See a Path to $375 and Beyond The company’s strategy has centered on maintaining sales pace, working through older land inventory acquired before incentives became more prevalent, and avoiding excessive quick move-in, or QMI, inventory. During the quarter, 33% of delivered homes were both sold and closed within the same quarter. Hovnanian’s backlog conversion ratio was 74%, above its historical average of 57% since the third quarter of fiscal 1998. Management said gross margin has improved sequentially for two quarters after reaching what it views as a low point in the first quarter. Incentives remained elevated compared with historical levels but declined from the first quarter through the third quarter, even as mortgage rates increased during the latest period. Hovnanian said 31% of its communities were able to either raise prices or reduce incentives during the third quarter. Management said newer communities are expected to support improved margins because they were underwritten with higher incentive levels already incorporated into projected returns. The company’s QMI inventory rose slightly to 6.7 homes per community, but total QMI inventory has fallen 29% from early fiscal 2025 levels. Management said the lower inventory position provides greater flexibility in managing incentives and pricing and could increase the portion of sales generated from to-be-built homes, which generally carry higher margins. Chief Financial Officer Brad O’Connor said construction costs per square foot increased slightly during the quarter, with minor increases in several areas and lumber beginning to rise. He said the company continues to seek reductions in material and labor costs, noting that costs remain below levels seen at the beginning of fiscal 2025. Hovnanian ended the quarter with 147 communities, compared with 146 communities a year earlier. The company opened 62 new communities and closed 61 over the past 12 months. O’Connor said the company expects community count to increase sequentially in the fiscal fourth quarter and to grow in fiscal 2027, barring market developments that cause it to abandon additional land deals. Management said community-count growth has been slower than anticipated because the company has walked away from certain land contracts during due diligence when they did not meet underwriting standards. Hovnanian said it is increasing its focus on land acquisition opportunities, including potential opportunities arising from industry merger-and-acquisition activity and from competitors exiting projects. The company continued to emphasize its land-light strategy. Option lots represented 87% of its controlled lot portfolio at the end of the third quarter, the highest percentage in company history. In addition, 82% of controlled lots were acquired or controlled in fiscal 2023 or later, when elevated incentive levels had already become part of underwriting assumptions. Management said the company is also shifting its portfolio toward higher-priced move-up buyers and active-adult communities, while reducing exposure to highly competitive entry-level price points. Hovnanian recently hired Deborah Blake, described as an active-adult lifestyle expert, to support its Four Seasons brand and related communities. For the fiscal fourth quarter, Hovnanian forecast revenue of $800 million to $900 million, with no land sales assumed in that outlook. The company expects adjusted gross margin of 15% to 16.5%, SG&A expense equal to 10.5% to 11.5% of revenue, and joint-venture income of $10 million to $20 million. Adjusted EBITDA is projected at $50 million to $65 million. Adjusted pre-tax income is projected at $15 million to $30 million. The outlook assumes broadly stable market conditions, including no major increases in mortgage rates, tariffs, inflation, cancellation rates or construction cycle times. O’Connor said the company’s fourth-quarter results could be sensitive to delivery timing and product mix because a larger portion of deliveries is coming from QMIs. He also said average selling prices should rise gradually over time as the company brings on newer communities and moves away from its first-time-buyer Aspire product line. Regarding Hovnanian’s Saudi Arabia-related business, management said the recently consolidated operation is between communities and has had limited income-statement impact to date. The company expects some deliveries to begin in the fourth quarter, with additional activity expected in 2027, while emphasizing that the business remains a minor investment and activity level for now. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc is a publicly traded homebuilding company primarily engaged in the acquisition, development and construction of residential properties. Headquartered in Red Bank, New Jersey, the company operates through a network of regional homebuilding divisions that design and deliver a range of housing solutions, including single-family detached homes, townhomes and condominiums. Hovnanian combines land development, architectural design and construction services with in-house mortgage and insurance offerings to provide a comprehensive homebuying experience. The company markets its communities under several branded product lines tailored to different buyer segments and price points. 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 "Hovnanian Enterprises Q3 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat. View MarketBeat's top stocks for August 2026.

Toll Brothers, Inc. TOL is scheduled to report its third-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 18, after market close.In the last reported quarter, the company’s adjusted earnings and total revenues topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.4% and 5.1%, respectively. Year over year, both metrics declined 22.3% and 7.6%, respectively.TOL’s earnings surpassed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed on the remaining occasion, with an average surprise of 2.6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal third-quarter earnings per share (EPS) has moved south to $2.89 from $2.90 in the past 60 days. However, the revised estimate indicates a 22.3% year-over-year decline.The consensus estimate for total revenues is pegged at $2.6 billion, indicating a 11.8% year-over-year decline from $3 billion. Toll Brothers Inc. price-eps-surprise | Toll Brothers Inc. Quote RevenuesDuring the fiscal third quarter, Toll Brothers’ top-line performance is expected to have declined year over year due to ongoing uncertainties in the housing market in the United States. Homebuyers’ sentiments are likely to have been weak as affordability challenges persist amid elevated mortgage rates and an uncertain economic scenario. Per Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has climbed from 6.37% as of the week ending May 7, 2026, to 6.66% as of the week ending July 30, 2026. Demand softness across the South, Mountain and Pacific geographic segments is likely to have restricted the revenue growth.For the fiscal third quarter, TOL expects home deliveries to be between 2,600 units and 2,700 units, indicating a decline from 2,959 units delivered in the year-ago quarter. We expect home deliveries to be down 9.8% year over year to 2,669 units.Nonetheless, the strength of its luxury positioning alongside the approach of offering affordable luxury homes is encouraging. Besides, the improvements in cycle times, increased supply of spec homes and favorable pricing measures are expected to have boded well in the fiscal third quarter.For the quarter, Toll Brothers expects the average selling price (ASP) of delivered homes to be within $965,000-$985,000, up from $973,600 in the year-ago quarter. Our model expects the metric to inch up year over year by 0.6% to $979,900 in the fiscal third quarter.Earnings & MarginsThe bottom line of Toll Brothers is expected to have tumbled in the fiscal third quarter due to low leverage from weak revenue growth, higher payroll costs and marketing and insurance costs. Besides, a shift in the mix of revenues to lower-margin products in certain geographic regions is expected to have weighed on the home sales gross margin during the fiscal third quarter.For the quarter to be reported, Toll Brothers expects adjusted home sales gross margin to be 25.25%, reflecting a 225-basis point (bps) contraction year over year. The homebuilder also expects SG&A expenses (as a percentage of home sales revenues) to be about 10%, up 120 bps year over year.BacklogFor the fiscal third quarter, our model expects a total backlog of 5,257 units, down year over year by 4.3%, with potential revenues declining 2.1% to $6.24 billion. Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Toll Brothers this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is not the case here, as you will see below.TOL’s Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.TOL’s Zacks Rank: The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. NVR, Inc. NVR reported second-quarter 2026 results, with earnings and Homebuilding revenues missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings and Homebuilding revenues also declined on a year-over-year basis.NVR’s quarter reflected stronger order activity and a lower cancellation rate, but fewer settlements, softer pricing and margin pressure weighed on results. Settlements fell 8% to 5,058 units from 5,475 units, limiting revenue generation during the period. Backlog units increased 9% year over year, while Homebuilding's gross margin contracted amid higher lot costs, affordability challenges and land deposit impairments.PulteGroup, Inc. PHM reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings and total revenues topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but declining year over year.PulteGroup’s quarterly results reflect reduced home-closing volumes, softer ASP and margin compression. Ongoing softness in the housing market because of weaker consumer confidence and affordability challenges due to high mortgage rates hurt the top-line growth. Home sale gross margin contracted 200 bps year over year to 25%.D.R. Horton, Inc. DHI reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $3.20 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.99 by 7%. Revenues of $9.23 billion also surpassed the consensus mark of $9.19 billion by 0.5%. On a year-over-year basis, earnings declined 4.8%, while revenues increased marginally.The earnings and revenue beat were driven by higher home-closing volumes, resilient home sales margins, disciplined management of pricing and incentives, and contributions from the Rental, Forestar and Financial Services businesses. However, lower profitability, elevated incentives and cautious consumer demand continued to weigh on results. D.R. Horton now expects fiscal 2026 consolidated revenues of $32.5-$33 billion, down from $33.5-$34.5 billion expected earlier. 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 Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL) : Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) : Free Stock Analysis Report D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI) : Free Stock Analysis Report NVR, Inc. (NVR) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). 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Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) and the best and worst performers in the home builders industry. Traditionally, homebuilders have built competitive advantages with economies of scale that lead to advantaged purchasing and brand recognition among consumers. Aesthetic trends have always been important in the space, but more recently, energy efficiency and conservation are driving innovation. However, these companies are still at the whim of the macro, specifically interest rates that heavily impact new and existing home sales. In fact, homebuilders are one of the most cyclical subsectors within industrials. The 9 home builders stocks we track reported a mixed Q2. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates. In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 4% on average since the latest earnings results. Having delivered over 850,000 homes since its founding in 1950, PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) is one of America's largest homebuilders, constructing single-family homes, townhouses, and condominiums for first-time, move-up, and active adult buyers across 46 markets in 25 states. PulteGroup reported revenues of $3.98 billion, down 9.6% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.1%. Overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates. “We continue to capture benefits from our return-focused operating model and business platform that is well diversified across markets and buyer groups,” said Ryan Marshall, President and CEO of PulteGroup. Interestingly, the stock is up 7.3% since reporting and currently trades at $133.39. Is now the time to buy PulteGroup? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free. Founded in 1977, Installed Building Products (NYSE:IBP) is a company specializing in the installation of insulation, waterproofing, and other complementary building products for residential and commercial construction. Installed Building Products reported revenues of $777.8 million, up 2.3% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.4%. The business had a stunning quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates. Installed Building Products pulled off the biggest analyst estimate beat among its peers. The market seems content with the results as the stock is up 1.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $244.05. Is now the time to buy Installed Building Products? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free. Known for its unique land acquisition strategy, NVR (NYSE:NVR) is a respected homebuilder and mortgage company in the United States. NVR reported revenues of $2.33 billion, down 10.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 3.9%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates. NVR delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates of the whole group. The stock is flat since the results and currently trades at $6,397. Read our full analysis of NVR’s results here. One of the largest homebuilders in America, Lennar (NYSE:LEN) is known for constructing affordable, move-up, and retirement homes across a range of markets and communities. Lennar reported revenues of $7.94 billion, down 5.2% year on year. This result lagged analysts’ expectations by 2.4%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company. The stock is down 7.2% since reporting and currently trades at $88.11. Read our full, actionable report on Lennar here, it’s free. Based in Texas, LGI Homes (NASDAQ:LGIH) is a homebuilding company specializing in constructing affordable, entry-level single-family homes in desirable communities across the United States. LGI Homes reported revenues of $501.5 million, up 3.7% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. All in all, it was a very strong quarter for the company. LGI Homes pulled off the fastest revenue growth in the group. The stock is up 7.1% since reporting and currently trades at $60.06. Read our full, actionable report on LGI Homes here, it’s free. Over the past year, investors have been forced to repeatedly answer the same question: what is the market’s biggest risk? The answer has changed several times, and each shift has reshaped market leadership. Late in 2025 and early 2026, artificial intelligence became the market’s primary uncertainty. Investors questioned whether AI would erode software pricing power and weaken competitive moats as AI made it easier to replicate once-differentiated products. By the spring, technology took a back seat to geopolitics. The U.S. conflict with Iran briefly became the market’s dominant narrative, raising concerns about oil prices, inflation, and global growth. But as energy markets remained orderly and fears of a prolonged supply disruption faded, investors quickly turned their focus back to fundamentals. Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. STRL delivered a strong second quarter of 2026, with adjusted earnings and revenues topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing sharply year over year. Results were driven by outsized growth in E-Infrastructure Solutions, supported by strong organic execution and contributions from the CEC and Stone Ridge acquisitions.Transportation Solutions revenues declined as Sterling accelerated the reallocation of resources toward higher-margin E-Infrastructure opportunities. Meanwhile, Building Solutions remained pressured by relatively flat homebuilder activity and continued housing affordability challenges. Adjusted earnings were $5.80 per share, beating the consensus mark of $5.20 by 11.5%. In the year-ago quarter, the company reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.69.Revenues of $1.17 billion surpassed the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion by 9.3% and increased 90.1% from $614.5 million in the year-ago quarter. Acquisitions, including CEC and Stone Ridge, contributed $250.8 million to revenues during the quarter. Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. Quote Signed backlog ended the quarter at $4.33 billion, up 116% year over year, while combined backlog increased 150% to $5.62 billion. Second-quarter book-to-burn ratios were 1.4x for signed backlog and 1.3x for combined backlog, excluding the impact of the Stone Ridge acquisition.Beyond signed work, the company’s pipeline of high-probability future-phase opportunities exceeded $1.4 billion. Sterling’s signed backlog, unsigned awards and future-phase opportunities represented a total addressable pool of more than $7 billion, up more than $2.5 billion from the end of 2025. Operating leverage remained a key highlight as profit growth outpaced the top line. Gross profit increased to $290 million from $143.1 million a year ago, while gross margin improved to 24.8% from 23.3%, an expansion of roughly 150 basis points.Operating income reached $219.3 million compared with $104.6 million in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA rose 104% year over year to $256.7 million, while adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 22% from 20.4%. E-Infrastructure Solutions was the primary growth engine, with segment revenues, which accounted for 78% of total revenues, jumping to $905 million from $310.4 million in the year-ago quarter. Management attributed the performance to strong results across organic and acquired operations. The legacy site development business generated 111% revenue growth, reflecting expansion across all regions, while CEC’s electrical services revenues increased 140% from the pre-acquisition second quarter.Profitability in the segment also increased sharply. Adjusted operating income climbed to $217.8 million from $87.7 million. E-Infrastructure signed backlog rose 165% year over year, with mission-critical projects, including data centers, manufacturing and semiconductor facilities, representing 92% of segment backlog.Transportation Solutions revenues, which represented 13% of total revenues, declined to $156.7 million from $196.8 million. The decrease reflected Sterling’s ongoing shift of resources from transportation projects toward higher-margin E-Infrastructure opportunities. Despite lower revenues, adjusted operating income increased to $30.5 million from $28.3 million, and adjusted operating margin expanded to 19.5% from 14.4%.Building Solutions remained the softer spot. Revenues, which accounted for 9% of total revenues, slipped to $106.5 million from $107.3 million. Adjusted operating income declined to $10.5 million from $11.8 million as relatively flat homebuilder activity and affordability pressures weighed on performance. Cash generation remained a notable support for the balance sheet. Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $328 million during the first six months of 2026, up from $170.3 million in the year-ago period. Cash and cash equivalents ended June at $464.5 million, up from $390.7 million at the end of 2025.Sterling repurchased $35.3 million of common stock during the first half of the year. Long-term debt stood at $268.7 million at quarter-end compared with $275.9 million at the end of 2025, while capital expenditures totaled $69.6 million. Confidence in its operating momentum translated into higher full-year targets. Sterling raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $4-$4.15 billion from the prior range of $3.70-$3.80 billion, indicating strong execution, expanding backlog and contributions from the Stone Ridge acquisition.Earnings are now expected to be $17.25-$17.85 per share, up from the previous forecast of $16.50-$17.15. Adjusted earnings are projected at $19.70-$20.30 per share compared with the prior outlook of $18.40-$19.05.The company also lifted EBITDA guidance to $829-$854 million from $801-$831 million and adjusted EBITDA guidance to $891-$916 million from the earlier range of $843-$873 million. Sterling currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Comfort Systems USA, Inc. FIX delivered impressive second-quarter 2026 results, with earnings and revenues surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Both metrics increased sharply year over year.Comfort Systems’ quarterly performance reflected continued strength across the end markets, robust execution by the operating teams and sustained demand that drove record backlog growth, reinforcing its confidence in the business momentum. Backlog as of June 30, 2026, totaled $14.06 billion, increasing 12.9% from $12.45 billion on March 31, 2026, and jumping 73.2% from $8.12 billion reported a year ago.United Rentals, Inc. URI reported solid second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings per share and total revenues beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing year over year.Record rental revenues, higher fleet productivity and robust specialty demand supported United Rentals’ results. Fleet productivity improved 3.4% year over year. Rental revenues increased 12.7% year over year to a quarterly record of $3.85 billion. Management raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $17.5-$17.8 billion from $16.9-$17.4 billion. The adjusted EBITDA forecast increased to $7.98-$8.13 billion from $7.63-$7.88 billion.PulteGroup, Inc. PHM reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings and total revenues topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but declining year over year.The quarterly results reflect reduced home-closing volumes, softer average selling prices and margin compression. Ongoing softness in the housing market because of weaker consumer confidence and ongoing affordability challenges due to high mortgage rates hurt the top-line growth. The number of homes closed declined 8.4% year over year to 6,997 units. Net new orders increased 6.4% year over year to 7,536 homes. 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 Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (STRL) : Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (FIX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. MLM reported outstanding second-quarter 2026 results, wherein adjusted earnings (from continuing operations) and revenues topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased year over year.The results benefited from strong organic performance and acquisition contributions. Aggregates shipments increased 17% to a record 61.6 million tons, supported by infrastructure and heavy nonresidential demand.Infrastructure activity remains supported by significant funding available under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and historically elevated state transportation budgets in Martin Marietta's markets. Heavy nonresidential demand also benefits from data center, power-generation and warehouse construction. Residential activity remains constrained by affordability pressures. However, the company's footprint provides exposure to favorable long-term population and migration trends, creating potential upside when housing construction recovers.MLM stock inched up 0.02% during today’s pre-market trading hours, post the announcement of its financial results. The quarter’s adjusted earnings (from continuing operations) of $5.00 per share were up 3.3% year over year and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.62 by 8.2%.Revenues rose 21% to $1.95 billion year over year and beat the consensus mark of $1.87 billion by 4.3%. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. Quote Aggregates revenues increased 16% year over year to $1.53 billion. Growth reflected a full-quarter contribution from assets acquired from QUIKRETE, a partial-quarter contribution from New Frontier Materials and 2.3% organic shipment growth.Average selling price per ton declined 2% to $22.74 because of acquisition-related mix pressure. However, organic pricing rose 2.1%, while organic mix-adjusted pricing advanced 3.7%, highlighting continued pricing strength in the legacy portfolio. Other Building Materials revenues increased 12% to $303 million. Gross profit, however, declined 14% to $34 million because of higher ready-mix concrete raw material costs, lower organic paving revenues and weaker job margins.Specialties revenues surged 68% to a quarterly record of $152 million, while gross profit climbed 39% to $50 million. The gains reflected contributions from the July 2025 Premier Magnesia acquisition and organic pricing improvement across all products. Consolidated gross profit was nearly flat at $495 million despite the sharp revenue increase. The quarter included a $52 million non-cash charge tied to the sale of acquired inventory after its fair-value markup under purchase accounting.Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations increased 13% to a record $638 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin contracted to 33% from 35% a year earlier, reflecting acquisition-related mix and accounting adjustments. Cash from operating activities totaled $339 million for the first six months of 2026, down from $605 million a year earlier. The decline mainly reflected higher income tax payments related to the taxable gain on the February 2026 divestiture of the Midlothian cement business and remaining Texas ready-mix operations.Capital expenditures were $314 million during the period. MLM returned $302 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases and ended June with $112 million in unrestricted cash and $742 million of unused borrowing capacity. Martin Marietta raised its 2026 revenue guidance to a range of $7.2-$7.4 billion, with a midpoint of $7.3 billion. The updated view reflects strong first-half results and continued operating momentum.The company reaffirmed adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations guidance of $2.36-$2.50 billion, or $2.43 billion at the midpoint. The outlook excludes any contribution from the proposed Lhoist North America transaction. Martin Marietta currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Comfort Systems USA, Inc. FIX delivered impressive second-quarter 2026 results, with earnings and revenues surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing sharply year over year.Comfort Systems’ quarterly performance reflected continued strength across its end markets, robust execution by the operating teams and sustained demand that drove record backlog growth, reinforcing its confidence in the business momentum. Backlog as of June 30, 2026, totaled $14.06 billion, increasing 12.9% from $12.45 billion at March 31, 2026, and jumping 73.2% from $8.12 billion reported a year ago.United Rentals, Inc. URI reported solid second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings per share and total revenues beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing year over year.Record rental revenues, higher fleet productivity and robust specialty demand supported United Rentals’ results. Fleet productivity improved 3.4% year over year. Rental revenues increased 12.7% year over year to a quarterly record of $3.85 billion. Management raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $17.5-$17.8 billion from $16.9-$17.4 billion. The adjusted EBITDA forecast increased to $7.98-$8.13 billion from $7.63-$7.88 billion.PulteGroup, Inc. PHM reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings and total revenues topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but declining year over year.The quarterly results reflect reduced home-closing volumes, softer average selling prices (ASP) and margin compression. Ongoing softness in the housing market because of weaker consumer confidence and ongoing affordability challenges due to high mortgage rates hurt the top-line growth. The number of homes closed declined 8.4% year over year to 6,997 units. Net new orders increased 6.4% year over year to 7,536 homes. 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 Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (MLM) : Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (FIX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

CRH plc CRH reported exceptional second-quarter 2026 financial results with adjusted earnings and total revenues topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate and growing year over year. Positive pricing, favorable demand and acquisition contributions supported the quarterly growth.CRH stock inched up 0.8% during today’s pre-market trading session.The company completed 11 acquisitions during the quarter for $1.1 billion. The largest was Axius Water, acquired for $0.7 billion, strengthening CRH’s exposure to specialized water-quality solutions in North America. CRH also generated $1.7 billion from divestitures and long-lived asset disposals. The transactions included its construction accessories operations, lawn and garden business, and MoistureShield. CRH’s adjusted earnings of $2.21 per share topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.96 by 12.8%. The quarterly earnings increased 14% from $1.94 in the year-ago quarter.Revenues of $10.78 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $10.72 billion by 0.5% and rose 6% year over year.Product revenues increased to $8.49 billion from $7.92 billion a year earlier, while Service revenues were nearly flat at $2.29 billion. CRH PLC price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | CRH PLC Quote Americas Materials Solutions revenues increased 10% to $4.96 billion. Adjusted EBITDA advanced 12% to $1.38 billion, while the margin expanded 40 basis points to 27.9%.Essential Materials revenues rose 20% on pricing and acquisitions, led by the 2025 purchase of Eco Material Technologies. Aggregates volumes grew 2% and prices increased 5%, while cement volumes declined 2% and prices slipped 1%. Road Solutions revenues rose 6%, supported by asphalt volume growth of 3% and pricing growth of 6%.Americas Building Solutions revenues declined 2% to $2.12 billion as divestitures and subdued residential demand offset strength in energy and data infrastructure markets. The segment’s adjusted EBITDA declined 8% to $462 million, and margin contracted 140 basis points to 21.8% amid cost inflation and the impact of divestitures.Building & Infrastructure Solutions revenues grew 10%, helped by data center and utility activity. Outdoor Living Solutions revenues fell 7%, reflecting portfolio actions and weaker new-build residential demand.International Solutions revenues increased 5% to $3.70 billion, as pricing, acquisitions and higher activity in select markets more than offset divestitures. Adjusted EBITDA rose 8% to $781 million, and margin increased 70 basis points to 21.1%.Essential Materials revenues advanced 15%. Aggregates and cement volumes rose 10% and 6%, respectively, while pricing improved 2% and 4%. Road Solutions revenues declined 3% due to divestitures, although ready-mixed concrete volumes increased 5% and pricing rose 3%. As of June 30, 2026, CRH had cash and cash equivalents of $3.03 billion and restricted cash of $58 million, compared with $4.10 billion and $51 million, respectively, at the end of 2025. CRH ended the quarter with total equity of $25.10 billion, broadly stable with $25.05 billion at 2025-end. Long-term debt declined to $15.41 billion from $16.48 billion. Total liabilities were $33.02 billion compared with $32.85 billion at the end of 2025.Operating cash flow totaled $513 million in the first six months of 2026. CRH spent $607 million on share repurchases and $521 million on dividends during the period. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of 39 cents per share, up 5% year over year. CRH reaffirmed 2026 net income guidance of $3.9-$4.1 billion, adjusted EBITDA guidance of $8.1-$8.5 billion and earnings guidance of $5.60-$6.05 per share. The company expects public infrastructure spending and reindustrialization activity to support demand, while new-build residential conditions remain subdued.Capital expenditure guidance was lowered to $2.7-$2.9 billion from $2.8-$3 billion due to project timing and lower maintenance spending. CRH currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Comfort Systems USA, Inc. FIX delivered impressive second-quarter 2026 results, with earnings and revenues surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing sharply year over year.Comfort Systems’ quarterly performance reflected continued strength across its end markets, robust execution by the operating teams and sustained demand that drove record backlog growth, reinforcing its confidence in the business momentum. Backlog as of June 30, 2026, totaled $14.06 billion, increasing 12.9% from $12.45 billion at March 31, 2026, and jumping 73.2% from $8.12 billion reported a year ago.United Rentals, Inc. URI reported solid second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings per share and total revenues beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing year over year.Record rental revenues, higher fleet productivity and robust specialty demand supported United Rentals’ results. Fleet productivity improved 3.4% year over year. Rental revenues increased 12.7% year over year to a quarterly record of $3.85 billion. Management raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $17.5-$17.8 billion from $16.9-$17.4 billion. The adjusted EBITDA forecast increased to $7.98-$8.13 billion from $7.63-$7.88 billion.PulteGroup, Inc. PHM reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings and total revenues topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but declining year over year.The quarterly results reflect reduced home-closing volumes, softer average selling prices (ASP) and margin compression. Ongoing softness in the housing market because of weaker consumer confidence and ongoing affordability challenges due to high mortgage rates hurt the top-line growth. The number of homes closed declined 8.4% year over year to 6,997 units. Net new orders increased 6.4% year over year to 7,536 homes. 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 CRH PLC (CRH) : Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (FIX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Masco Corporation MAS reported mixed second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing year over year. However, net sales missed the consensus mark and declined from the prior-year quarter.Earnings benefited from tariff refunds, pricing actions, cost savings and share repurchases, while lower North American volumes weighed on revenues. The company also raised its 2026 adjusted earnings outlook, primarily reflecting an anticipated benefit from tariff refunds and growing year over year.MAS stock declined 6.7% during today’s pre-trading hours following the earnings release. Second-quarter 2026 earnings of $1.64 per share increased 26.2% from $1.30 a year ago. The figure topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.30 by 26.2%. Masco Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Masco Corporation Quote Net sales declined 2.9% year over year to $1.99 billion and missed the consensus mark of $2.09 billion by 4.6%. Currency translation had a minimal impact on quarterly revenues. In local currency, North American sales fell 5%, while international sales increased 4%. Reported gross profit increased 12.4% year over year to $868 million. Gross margin expanded 600 basis points to 43.6%.On an adjusted basis, gross profit rose to $872 million from $774 million. Adjusted gross margin improved 610 basis points to 43.8%, supported by lower tariff costs, including refunds, cost-saving initiatives and higher selling prices. These benefits were partly offset by lower sales volume, increased commodity costs, unfavorable product mix and other expenses.Adjusted operating profit increased 16.7% to $482 million. Adjusted operating margin expanded 410 basis points to 24.2%. The quarter included an approximately $95 million net benefit from refunds of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 10% to $397 million. Higher employee-related expenses and increased legal and professional fees contributed to the rise. Plumbing Products segment sales decreased 2.6% year over year to $1.337 billion (up from our model’s projection of $1.22 billion). Currency had a minimal impact on the segment’s results.Adjusted operating profit increased to $361 million from $286 million. The adjusted operating margin expanded 620 basis points to 27%. The improvement reflected the tariff refund benefit, pricing and cost savings, partly offset by lower volume and higher tariff, commodity and employee-related costs. Decorative Architectural Products segment sales decreased 3.5% year over year to $655 million (down from our model’s projection of $609.3 million). Professional paint sales increased in the mid-single digits, but do-it-yourself paint sales declined in the high-single digits.The DIY decline was affected by the customer transition of Masco’s primer and applicator business. Lower sales volume also pressured the segment’s overall top line.Adjusted operating profit edged up to $148 million from $147 million. Adjusted operating margin increased 100 basis points to 22.6%, as cost-saving initiatives and higher prices offset lower volume and increased commodity costs. Masco returned $454 million to its shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter. In the first six months of 2026, the company spent $592 million on common-stock repurchases and paid $129 million in cash dividends.Cash and cash investments totaled $548 million at quarter-end. Total liquidity was $1.548 billion, including $1 billion of available revolving credit. Gross debt to EBITDA was 2.1X, while working capital represented 19.8% of trailing sales.Net cash from operating activities increased to $417 million in the first half from $148 million a year earlier. Capital expenditures rose to $77 million from $68 million. Masco raised its adjusted earnings forecast for 2026 to $4.40-$4.60 per share from $4.10-$4.30. The revision reflects an anticipated full-year net benefit of approximately $85 million from tariff refunds, while management indicated that underlying business performance remained largely aligned with its previous outlook.The company expects total sales to increase in the low-single digits. Plumbing Products sales are projected to rise in the low-single digits, while Decorative Architectural Products revenues are expected to remain in line with 2025. Masco forecasts adjusted operating margins of about 20% for Plumbing Products, 19% for Decorative Architectural Products and 18% companywide. Masco currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Comfort Systems USA, Inc. FIX delivered impressive second-quarter 2026 results, with earnings and revenues surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing sharply year over year.Comfort Systems’ quarterly performance reflected continued strength across its end markets, robust execution by the operating teams and sustained demand that drove record backlog growth, reinforcing its confidence in the business momentum. Backlog as of June 30, 2026, totaled $14.06 billion, increasing 12.9% from $12.45 billion on March 31, 2026, and jumping 73.2% from $8.12 billion reported a year ago.United Rentals, Inc. URI reported solid second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings per share and total revenues beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing year over year.Record rental revenues, higher fleet productivity and robust specialty demand supported United Rentals’ results. Fleet productivity improved 3.4% year over year. Rental revenues increased 12.7% year over year to a quarterly record of $3.85 billion. Management raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $17.5-$17.8 billion from $16.9-$17.4 billion. The adjusted EBITDA forecast increased to $7.98-$8.13 billion from $7.63-$7.88 billion.PulteGroup, Inc. PHM reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings and total revenues topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but declining year over year.The quarterly results reflect reduced home-closing volumes, softer average selling prices (ASP) and margin compression. Ongoing softness in the housing market because of weaker consumer confidence and ongoing affordability challenges due to high mortgage rates hurt the top-line growth. The number of homes closed declined 8.4% year over year to 6,997 units. Net new orders increased 6.4% year over year to 7,536 homes. 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 Masco Corporation (MAS) : Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (FIX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Orion Group Holdings, Inc. ORN reported weather-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) and revenues missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Although revenues increased 8% year over year, supported by strong growth in the Concrete business driven by higher project volumes, new awards, expansion of site civil services and solid project execution, the benefits were offset by weakness in the Marine segment. Lower Marine volumes, coupled with higher selling, general and administrative expenses to support business growth, compressed margins and reduced adjusted EBITDA, ultimately weighing on earnings.Shares of this leading specialty construction company dipped more than 12% after its second-quarter earnings release yesterday.The company reported adjusted earnings of 2 cents per share for the quarter, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 6 cents by 66.7%. Adjusted earnings fell 71.4% from 7 cents in the year-ago quarter.Contract revenues of $221.9 million missed the consensus mark of $227.3 million by 2.4% but increased 8.1% year over year. Concrete growth was offset by lower Marine activity, while backlog climbed to $722 million.Gross profit fell 11.1% year over year to $22.9 million. Gross margin contracted to 10.3% from 12.6%, reflecting lower Marine volume and equipment utilization, partly offset by favorable Concrete project execution. Orion's second-quarter performance reflected a sharp divergence between its two operating segments. The Concrete segment (which accounted for 41% of the second-quarter contract revenues) remained the primary growth driver, with revenues increasing more than 30% year over year to $91 million. The strong performance was fueled by robust customer demand, new project awards, expansion of site civil services, higher project volumes, favorable equipment utilization and solid project execution. These factors also lifted segment adjusted EBITDA by more than 45% year over year to $5.2 million, with the adjusted EBITDA margin improving to 5.7% from 5.1% in the prior-year quarter.In contrast, the Marine segment (which accounted for 59% of the second-quarter contract revenues) weighed on overall results. Revenues declined 3.3% year over year to $130.8 million as project start-ups were delayed due to client-related issues, including site readiness and the timing of customer-provided materials. The slower project ramp-up reduced equipment utilization, resulting in lower profitability. Segment adjusted EBITDA declined to $13.8 million from $18.1 million a year ago, while the adjusted EBITDA margin contracted to 10.6% from 13.4%. Despite the near-term weakness, management highlighted that Marine bookings remained healthy, with major awards in port expansion, dredging and jetty rehabilitation projects, providing strong visibility into the remainder of the year. Orion Group Holdings, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Orion Group Holdings, Inc. Quote Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses increased to $24.4 million from $22.8 million, mainly due to costs incurred to support business growth. The higher expense base, combined with lower gross profit, pushed the company to an operating loss of $1.3 million versus operating income of $3.4 million a year earlier.GAAP net loss was $4.1 million, or 10 cents per share, against a net income of $0.8 million, or 2 cents per share, in the prior-year quarter. Overall adjusted EBITDA declined to $7.9 million from $11 million, while the adjusted EBITDA margin narrowed to 3.5% from 5.3%. Backlog ended the quarter at $722 million, up from $640 million at the end of 2025. Marine backlog rose to $554 million from $480 million, while Concrete backlog increased to $168 million from $160 million.The company booked $277 million of awards and change orders, producing a 1.25x book-to-bill ratio. Marine awards included a major port terminal expansion, a large dredging project and a jetty rehabilitation project, while Concrete wins included data centers, healthcare and advanced manufacturing work. Orion maintained its full-year revenue outlook of $900-$950 million, implying 9% growth at the midpoint. However, it lowered adjusted EBITDA guidance to $50-$54 million from $54-$58 million.Adjusted earnings guidance was reduced to 23-30 cents per share from 36-42 cents. The revision reflected lower Marine revenues and profitability tied to project timing and equipment utilization, while capital expenditure guidance remained unchanged at $25-$35 million. Working capital totaled $92 million at the second-quarter end, including $2.5 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents. Total debt stood at $99 million, with $76 million borrowed under the UMB Credit Facility.For the first six months of 2026, operating activities used $12.7 million of cash. Investing activities used $62.3 million, including $42.9 million for a business acquisition and $20.1 million for property and equipment purchases. Orion currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.United Rentals, Inc. URI reported solid second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings per share and total revenues beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing year over year. Record rental revenues, higher fleet productivity and robust specialty demand supported the results. Fleet productivity improved 3.4% year over year.United Rentals’ management raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $17.5-$17.8 billion from $16.9-$17.4 billion. The adjusted EBITDA forecast increased to $7.98-$8.13 billion from $7.63-$7.88 billion.Comfort Systems USA, Inc. FIX delivered impressive second-quarter 2026 results, with earnings and revenues surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing sharply year over year. The quarterly performance reflected continued strength across its end markets, robust execution by the operating teams and sustained demand that drove record backlog growth, reinforcing the company’s confidence in the business momentum.Comfort Systems’ backlog as of June 30, 2026, totaled $14.06 billion, increasing 12.9% from $12.45 billion at March 31, 2026, and jumping 73.2% from $8.12 billion reported a year ago. On a same-store basis, backlog climbed to $13.70 billion from $8.12 billion in the year-ago period.PulteGroup, Inc. PHM reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with adjusted earnings and total revenues topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but declining year over year. The quarterly results reflect reduced home-closing volumes, softer average selling prices and margin compression.PulteGroup ended the quarter with a backlog of 10,966 homes, up 1.7% from the prior-year level. Backlog units increased in the Northeast, Florida, Midwest and Texas, while the Southeast and West reported declines. The value of homes in backlog slipped 0.6% to $6.80 billion. The divergence between higher units and lower value indicates that the average value of homes in backlog declined year over year, consistent with PHM’s broader pricing pressure. 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 Orion Group Holdings, Inc. (ORN) : Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (FIX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research