CECO Environmental delivered a first quarter that surpassed Wall Street’s expectations, prompting a significant positive market reaction. Management attributed this performance primarily to a record level of new bookings and strong execution across its diversified portfolio, even without large power or water orders in the quarter. CEO Todd Gleason emphasized that a 57% year-over-year increase in bookings reflected continued strength in core markets, driven by demand for industrial air, water, and energy transition solutions. Acquisitions such as Profire Energy and Verantis Environmental contributed notably to growth, with Gleason highlighting, “Profire is off to a very strong start as part of CECO.”
Is now the time to buy CECO? Find out in our full research report (it’s free).
CECO Environmental (CECO) Q1 CY2025 Highlights:
- Revenue: $176.7 million vs analyst estimates of $151.1 million (39.9% year-on-year growth, 17% beat)
- Adjusted EPS: $0.10 vs analyst estimates of $0.09 (17.6% beat)
- Adjusted EBITDA: $14 million vs analyst estimates of $13.35 million (7.9% margin, 4.9% beat)
- The company reconfirmed its revenue guidance for the full year of $725 million at the midpoint
- EBITDA guidance for the full year is $95 million at the midpoint, above analyst estimates of $91.51 million
- Operating Margin: 35%, up from 6.1% in the same quarter last year
- Market Capitalization: $1.02 billion
While we enjoy listening to the management's commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions. Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated. Here is what has caught our attention.
Our Top 5 Analyst Questions CECO Environmental’s Q1 Earnings Call
- Rob Brown (Lake Street Capital Markets) asked about the timing and size of power-related orders. CEO Todd Gleason indicated that while the pipeline is strong, most large awards will impact revenue in 2026 and 2027, with some potential for modest contributions in the current year.
- Bobby Brooks (Northland Capital Markets) inquired about order mix and whether there was any pull-forward demand due to tariffs. Gleason replied that orders were balanced across platforms and saw no evidence of pull-forward, while Johansson highlighted continued international growth, especially in high-growth regions like India and the Middle East.
- Aaron Spychalla (Craig-Hallum) questioned areas of capital investment. CFO Peter Johansson pointed to ongoing investments in IT infrastructure, specifically moving to a unified Microsoft D365 platform, with limited capital requirements elsewhere due to the asset-light model.
- Gerry Sweeney (Roth Capital) sought clarity on the potential downstream effects of tariffs later in the year. Gleason acknowledged the situation is dynamic and that indirect impacts on inflation are possible, but emphasized contract protections and proactive pricing actions.
- Sameer Joshi (H.C. Wainwright) asked whether the stable guidance and price actions implied lower sales volume. Gleason explained that price increases are primarily pass-through and may not affect recognized revenue until future quarters, maintaining confidence in the current guidance range.
Catalysts in Upcoming Quarters
In the coming quarters, our analysts will focus on (1) conversion of the record backlog into revenue, particularly tracking the timing of large power and infrastructure projects; (2) realization of integration benefits and synergies from recent acquisitions, especially Profire Energy; and (3) the effectiveness of CECO’s tariff and inflation mitigation strategies. Developments in international markets and execution on IT infrastructure upgrades will also be critical signposts for sustained growth.
CECO Environmental currently trades at $29.11, up from $19.20 just before the earnings. Is the company at an inflection point that warrants a buy or sell? The answer lies in our full research report (it’s free).
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