Strong Overall Financial Performance
Q1 revenue grew 17.4% year-over-year; adjusted EBITDA increased 23% YoY; adjusted EPS grew 22% to $1.69. Consolidated segment income increased $25M (22%) to $135M and consolidated segment margin expanded ~100 basis points. Management raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance by $0.15 to a midpoint of $7.95 and reiterated a 2026 implied adjusted EBITDA growth of ~21% at the midpoint.
HVAC Revenue Growth and Backlog Expansion
HVAC revenue grew 22% YoY (11.5% inorganic, 9.6% organic). HVAC segment income increased 20% (+$15M). Segment backlog ended the quarter at $755M, up 38% organically YoY, driven primarily by strong data center demand. Capacity expansion projects (TAMCO aluminum dampers in Tennessee, OlympusMAX production in Olathe, and Madison, AL build-out) are progressing on schedule to support increased demand.
Acceleration in Data Center Demand and Capacity Additions
Management increased expected data-center growth range (discussed moving from ~50% to as high as ~70% growth in the year). New/expanded production (Olathe, Tennessee, Madison) enables meaningful incremental data center capacity — management cited the goal of materially expanding addressable data center revenue (discussed moving toward mid-hundreds of millions of dollars of data center revenue as capacity ramps).
Detection & Measurement Margin Improvement and Product Momentum
D&M revenue grew 8.3% YoY (3.9% inorganic from KTS, organic ~3%). Segment income increased 28% (+$10M) and segment margin expanded ~410 basis points, driven by higher volumes and a favorable mix including higher-than-typical, high-margin software volume (expanded scope on a transportation project). New product introductions include a locate performance management software that enhances real-time data and analytics for radio detection products.
Balance Sheet, Liquidity and M&A Optionality
Q1 cash on hand $158M, total debt $674M, leverage ~0.9x under bank covenant calculation (below long-term target range of 1.5–2.5x), providing capacity for accretive M&A. Q1 adjusted free cash flow ~ $16M and the company received ~$60M proceeds from the sale of Crawford United’s Industrial & Transportation products business (discontinued operations). Management reiterated a robust M&A pipeline and said recent acquisitions (Air Enterprises, Rahn, Thermolec, KTS, Sigma & Omega) are integrating well with acquisition multiples roughly in line with their historical ~10.5–11x pre-synergy target.