What Management Said
Read the full Q4 2025 transcript ↗Reconciliations of these non-GAAP results to applicable GAAP numbers are included in the attachments to our earnings release. I'd like to thank everyone for joining our fourth quarter earnings conference call. Gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2025 was 22.7%, down 110 basis points compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. SG&A expense in the fourth quarter of 2025 included approximately $3.2 million related to the acquisition and integration costs, restructuring costs.
For the full fiscal year 2025, our effective income tax rate was 25.6%, which was higher than the effective income tax rate for the full year of 2024. During the fourth quarter of 2025, we recognized expenses related to acquisition and integration activities of $1.6 million. Most of these costs were related to the acquisition of Petersen Industries. Both acquisition and integration expenses and the restructuring expenses are being treated as adjustments for certain non-GAAP measures as shown in the press release.
Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2025 was $44.8 million or 12% of net sales compared to adjusted EBITDA of $51.8 million or 13.4% of net sales for the fourth quarter of 2024. Adjusted earnings per share on a fully diluted basis for the fourth quarter of 2025 was $1.70 compared to $2.39 for the fourth quarter of 2024. Net sales in the Industrial Equipment Division for the fourth quarter of 2025 were $234.9 million, an increase of 4.2% compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. We are pleased with the continued strong performance, particularly with the adjusted EBITDA margins in the Industrial Equipment Division.
What went well
- Industrial Equipment Division net sales rose 4.2% to $234.9 million with adjusted EBITDA expanding to $41.5 million (17.7% of sales) from 15.7% a year earlier, driven by pricing, market-share gains and the Ring-O-Matic acquisition.
- Industrial net orders were up 21% year-over-year, with Excavator & Vacuum and Sweeper & Safety both delivering double-digit net-sales growth; France net orders were up 32% year-over-year in the second half.
- U.S. Agriculture net sales turned positive year-over-year for the first time in eight quarters, and Vegetation Management book-to-bill was 1.1x with U.S. and European Ag orders up.
- Full-year free cash flow conversion was robust at 142% of net income, with $309.7 million of cash on hand and low net leverage supporting the Petersen acquisition.
- The Board approved a 13.3% dividend increase to $0.34 per share, and the company closed the Petersen Industries tuck-in acquisition in January 2026.
What went wrong
- Vegetation Management net sales fell 13.2% to $138.7 million and adjusted EBITDA margin collapsed to 2.3% from 10.2%, mainly from inverse leverage on lower volumes in Tree Care and municipal mowing.
- Total net sales were down 3% to $373.7 million, gross margin fell 110 basis points to 22.7%, and adjusted diluted EPS dropped to $1.70 from $2.39.
- Inventory reserve charges were taken on certain Vegetation Management product lines the company intends to divest or discontinue.
- Manufacturing consolidation inefficiencies in two Vegetation facilities meant production did not ramp fast enough, leaving backlog on the table in the quarter.
- The Snow business declined against an unusually strong Q4 2024 that included one large single order in the Canadian market.
Guidance Changes
| Metric | Period | Current guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial Equipment end-market growth | FY2026 | flattish to low-to-mid single digit (excluding Petersen) |
| Petersen sales contribution | FY2026 | 11/12ths of the year, slow growth, margin profile above Alamo average |
| Vegetation Management Q1 margin | Q1 2026 | sequential improvement vs Q4, approaching but below Q1 2025 ~8% adjusted operating margin |
| Sales growth | long-term through-the-cycle | 10% including acquisitions |
| Adjusted operating margin | long-term through-the-cycle | around 15% |
| Adjusted EBITDA margin | long-term through-the-cycle | around 18%-20% |
| Free cash flow as a percentage of net income | long-term through-the-cycle | 100% |
Performance Breakdown
| Metric | YoY | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Net sales | -3% to $373.7M | Vegetation Management weakness in Tree Care and municipal mowing, partly offset by Industrial Equipment growth. |
| Gross margin | -110 bps to 22.7% | Inverse leverage on lower Vegetation volumes, inventory reserve charges, and tariff costs, partly offset by pricing and Industrial margin discipline. |
| SG&A expense | +9.3% to $58.3M | Included ~$3.2M of acquisition, integration and restructuring costs plus the addition of Ring-O-Matic. |
| Adjusted EBITDA | -13.5% to $44.8M (12% of sales vs 13.4%) | Sharp Vegetation Management margin compression outweighed Industrial Equipment gains. |
| Adjusted diluted EPS | $1.70 vs $2.39 | Lower sales and gross margin, led by Vegetation Management volume declines. |
| Industrial Equipment net sales | +4.2% to $234.9M | Favorable pricing, Ring-O-Matic contribution and market-share gains, partly offset by lower Snow sales. |
| Industrial Equipment adjusted EBITDA margin | +200 bps to 17.7% | Strong performance in vocational truck-related end markets and disciplined margin management. |
| Vegetation Management net sales | -13.2% to $138.7M | End-market weakness in Tree Care and municipal mowing plus slow production ramp after facility consolidation. |
| Vegetation Management adjusted EBITDA margin | -790 bps to 2.3% | Inverse leverage on fixed manufacturing and SG&A costs from lower volumes. |
| Operating cash flow (FY2025) | $177.5M vs $209.8M | Disciplined AR/AP management offset by cash used for inventory. |
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
| Topic | Previous mention | Current period | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Equipment end markets | Very robust, double-digit growth over the past several years fueled by government-driven investments. | Growth expected to slow to flattish to low-to-mid single digit as prior external investment effects fade. | — |
| Vegetation Management end markets | Declined over the past few years, rolling over the significant 2021-2023 growth period. | Rate of decline expected to improve and stabilize before returning to growth, with early green shoots in quoting activity and healthy channel inventory. | — |
| Snow business strategy | Historically chased every last dollar of sales regardless of margin profile. | Shifting to prioritize quality of earnings and margins, accepting slightly lower sales. | — |
| M&A / capital deployment | Ring-O-Matic tuck-in closed in Q2 2025. | Petersen Industries closed January 2026; robust pipeline of $10M-$20M EBITDA tuck-ins, near-term leaning slightly more Industrial. | — |
| Product innovation | Positioned as a fast follower. | Shifting toward first mover, e.g. next-generation hybrid sweeper with proprietary electric sweeping architecture in final testing. | — |
Q&A Summary
Does the slowing Industrial growth mean a top-line decline in 2026, or just less-than-double-digit growth?
More the latter; end markets are expected to be flattish to low-to-mid single digit growth (excluding Petersen). Snow, about 25% of the division, will see some downward pressure as the company stops chasing low-margin sales.
Is Petersen a growing, accretive business for 2026?
Yes; it is margin-accretive with margins above the Alamo average, acquired at a fair price in a leadership position. Growth will be a bit slow in 2026 with 11/12ths of sales included, and early investments in operations and commercial staff may cause slight near-term margin degradation but stay above the Alamo average.
How should Vegetation Management margin progress through 2026?
Q4 compression came from lower volumes (inverse leverage), inventory reserve charges, and consolidation inefficiencies. Q1 2026 should improve sequentially on both top line and margin, approaching but not fully reaching the ~8% Q1 2025 adjusted operating margin level.
What does the M&A pipeline look like and which verticals are targeted?
The pipeline is robust with nothing imminent; focus is on tuck-in deals of roughly $10M-$20M EBITDA close to the core sales channels, product categories and end markets, leaning slightly more Industrial and long-cycle in the near term.
Can Vegetation Q1 margins approach the 8.1% posted in Q1 2025 despite ongoing consolidation?
No; margins will improve sequentially from Q4 and approach the Q1 2025 level but will not get all the way back there.
What were the backlogs at the end of December?
Industrial Division backlog was roughly $400 million and Vegetation Division backlog was about $198 million; order patterns were strong in Industrial (especially Snow) and in U.S. and European Ag, with Snow lead times of six to nine months, better than competitors.
Where are the product divestitures coming from?
They are product lines, not brands or businesses, within the Vegetation Management Division that do not fit the long-term strategy and will be divested over the course of 2026.
Can you quantify how much Ag was up versus Tree Care and Government Mowing down in Vegetation orders?
U.S. and European Ag orders were both up double digits (U.S. a bit stronger and continuing into Q1), while Tree Care and Government Mowing orders were down double digits; Tree Care appears a temporary Q4 pause given rising Q1 quoting, while Government Mowing weakness continues near-term tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill funding shifts.
How does the path to the 15% long-term operating margin look over the next few years?
The most important factor is end-market stabilization after eight quarters of 13-15% declines; getting Vegetation back to ~8%, then to 10%, then adding roughly 300 basis points (one point each from procurement, parts and service, and manufacturing efficiencies) drives steady progression, with visible improvement from H2 2025 to full-year 2026.
More on Alamo Group Inc
Reported 2026-03-03 · figures from the Alamo Group Inc Q4 2025 earnings call.
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