Shares of Kewaunee Scientific Corporation KEQU have declined 2.7% since the company reported its earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2027. This compares to the S&P 500 Index’s 0.5% gain over the same time frame. Over the past month, the stock has fallen 3.2% compared with the S&P 500’s 0.7% decline.
KEQU’s Earnings & Sales Performance
Kewaunee reported first-quarter fiscal 2027 sales of $66.3 million, down 6.7% from $71.1 million a year earlier. Earnings per share fell to 58 cents from $1.04. Net earnings attributable to Kewaunee Scientific were $1.7 million, down from $3.1 million in the prior-year quarter, while pretax earnings fell 34.7% to $2.6 million from $3.9 million. EBITDA declined to $4.5 million from $6.3 million in the prior-year quarter.
KEQU’s Other Key Business Metrics
The Lab Products Group, or LPG, generated sales of $50.9 million, down 6.4% from $54.4 million in the year-ago quarter. LPG net earnings decreased to $3.9 million from $4.7 million, while segment EBITDA fell to $6.6 million from $7.6 million in the prior-year quarter. The International segment posted sales of $15.5 million, down 7.8% from $16.8 million. However, International net earnings increased 23.5% to $794,000, and segment EBITDA rose 13.9% to $1.2 million, reflecting a more favorable mix of higher-margin projects.
Backlog was $169 million as of July 31, 2026, up from $165.9 million as of April 30, 2026, but below $205 million a year earlier. Total cash on hand was $10.3 million versus $11.6 million at fiscal year-end. Working capital was $56.7 million compared with $57 million as of April 30 and $66.7 million a year earlier.
Short-term debt increased to $6.5 million from $5.9 million as of April 30, while long-term debt declined to $39.4 million from $40.9 million. Excluding the sale-leaseback financing obligation, long-term debt fell to $13.8 million from $15.1 million. The debt-to-equity ratio improved modestly to 0.59-to-1 from 0.61-to-1 at fiscal year-end.
KEQU: Management Commentary
President and CEO Thomas D. Hull III said quoting activity remained strong across Kewaunee’s markets, supporting management’s confidence in underlying demand. However, project award and release timelines remained extended amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Management said customer activity and opportunities across the business remained healthy and emphasized a continued focus on service, operational improvement and commercial capabilities as quoting activity converts into project awards and releases.
Hull also said the company was operating from a position of strength following progress made over the past several years. Management described Kewaunee as more diversified and resilient, while continuing to invest in its businesses and build capabilities intended to support longer-term growth.
Factors Influencing KEQU’s Headline Numbers
Lower manufacturing volumes weighed on LPG amid challenging life sciences market conditions, contributing to the segment’s sales and profit declines. Those pressures were partly mitigated by stronger education-market activity, disciplined cost management and improved operating efficiencies. International profitability moved in the opposite direction of sales because the project mix shifted toward higher-margin work.
Corporate results also pressured consolidated profitability. The Corporate segment recorded a pretax loss of $3.6 million versus a $3.1 million loss a year earlier, while Corporate EBITDA was a negative $3.3 million compared with a negative $2.3 million. The increase largely reflected additional compensation expense after the company decided to settle certain long-term incentive awards in cash rather than shares to reduce shareholder dilution. Management said the incremental expense is not expected to recur. A higher effective tax rate, driven by a greater proportion of earnings from international operations relative to domestic operations, also affected results.
Other Developments at KEQU
The company reiterated that, during fiscal 2026, Kewaunee renamed its Domestic reportable segment the Lab Products Group to reflect expanded activities, organizational structure and strategic direction. The name change did not alter segment composition or previously reported financial results.
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Kewaunee Scientific Corporation (KEQU): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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