JBT Marel Corp Q1 Orders Exceed $1 Billion

By Hao Liu • Monday, May 04 19:07 • Permanent Link

JBT Marel started 2026 with another quarter of orders above $1 billion, while revenue, profit and cash flow all moved higher from a year earlier.

First-quarter orders totaled $1.07 billion, up from the prior-year period and helped by about $60 million of foreign exchange translation. Revenue rose 10% to $936 million, with roughly 6 percentage points of that increase coming from foreign exchange.

Net income improved to $45 million from a loss of $173 million a year ago, a swing of $218 million. Diluted earnings per share turned positive at $0.86 from a loss per share of $3.35. Adjusted diluted EPS increased to $1.58 from $0.97.

Adjusted EBITDA climbed to $142 million from $112 million, up $30 million, and the margin widened to 15.2% from 14.7%. Net income margin was 4.8%.

Cash generation also strengthened. Operating cash flow was $119 million, and free cash flow was $100 million. The company ended the quarter with net debt at 2.6 times trailing 12-month adjusted EBITDA.

Backlog at quarter-end was $1.49 billion.

By segment, Protein Solutions posted the stronger growth. Revenue increased 22% to $460 million, with about 8 percentage points of that increase tied to foreign exchange. Segment adjusted EBITDA was $100 million, and the margin improved to 21.7%, more than 500 basis points higher than a year earlier.

Prepared Food and Beverage Solutions reported revenue of $476 million, essentially flat from the prior year, with about 4 percentage points of help from foreign exchange. Segment adjusted EBITDA was $70 million, and the margin fell 170 basis points to 14.7%.

For the full year, JBT Marel reiterated revenue guidance of $3.99 billion to $4.065 billion. It also kept its adjusted EBITDA margin target at 17.0% to 17.5%, and its adjusted EPS outlook at $8.00 to $8.50. The company’s GAAP diluted EPS guidance is $4.70 to $5.15, with net income margin expected at 6.1% to 6.6%. The market has reacted to these announcements by moving the company's shares 0.87% to a price of $116.44. For more information, read the company's full 8-K submission here.

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.