Research News and Market Data on RAIL
05/04/2026
Continued Aftermarket revenue growth of 86%
Gross profit margin of 17%, with 190 basis points of gross margin expansion
Sequential backlog growth of 14%
CHICAGO, May 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FreightCar America, Inc. (NASDAQ: RAIL) (“FreightCar America” or the “Company”), a diversified manufacturer and supplier of railroad freight cars, railcar parts and components, today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
First Quarter 2026 Highlights
- Revenues of $64.3 million, consistent with expectations, compared to $96.3 million in the first quarter of 2025, with railcar deliveries of 577 units compared to 710 units in the prior year period
- Gross margin of 16.8% with gross profit of $10.8 million, compared to gross margin of 14.9% with gross profit of $14.4 million in the first quarter of 2025
- Recorded $49.1 million of non-cash adjustments related to warrant liability, resulting in net income of $41.6 million, or $1.15 per share, and adjusted net loss of $479 thousand, or $(0.04) per share
- Adjusted EBITDA was $3.2 million, representing a margin of 4.9%, compared to $6.4 million and a margin of 6.7% in the first quarter of 2025
- Ended the quarter with a backlog of 2,058 units valued at $156 million, reflecting a diversified mix of railcar conversion programs and new railcar builds
“Our first quarter results were in line with expectations and reflective of the current industry environment. Despite this environment, we continue to win high quality commercial opportunities, create new efficiencies and grow our aftermarket parts business. This represents our highest quarterly gross margin in over a decade and demonstrates that we are well positioned across the cycle,” said Nick Randall, President and Chief Executive Officer of FreightCar America. “Fleets continue to age and deferred replacement needs are contributing to pent-up demand across the industry. As replacement demand materializes, FreightCar America is well positioned to respond quickly and capitalize in a shorter lead-time environment, supported by scalable capacity and strong operational flexibility. At the same time, our differentiated full-service railcar offering, including retrofits, conversions and an expanding aftermarket presence, positions us well to drive growth and create value across a range of market conditions.”
Randall continued, “Looking ahead, we remain focused on disciplined execution against the opportunities we see across our business as the year progresses. Our tank car retrofit program remains on track, and we expect continued growth in our aftermarket program. Together, our total backlog, productivity improvements, flexible manufacturing footprint and disciplined commercial approach provide visibility into our full-year expectations and reinforce our ability to perform across a range of market conditions.”
Fiscal Year 2026 Outlook
The Company is reaffirming the outlook for fiscal year 2026:
| Fiscal 2026 Outlook | Year-over-Year Change at Midpoint of Range | |
| Railcar Deliveries | 4,000 – 4,500 Railcars | 3.0% |
| Revenue | $500 – $550 million | 4.8% |
| Adjusted EBITDA1 | $41 – $50 million | 10.4% |
1. The Company does not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking Adjusted EBITDA guidance due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying adjustments necessary to calculate such non-GAAP measure without unreasonable effort. Material changes to such adjustments, including warrant liability and non-core operating items, could affect future GAAP results.
Mike Riordan, Chief Financial Officer of FreightCar America, added, “During the quarter, we continued to grow our backlog and maintained solid balance sheet flexibility, enabling us to further reduce debt and preserve financial strength. We are well positioned to continue executing on our capital allocation priorities, including targeted organic investments that expand our capabilities and disciplined selective opportunities that strengthen our platform. Looking ahead, we expect these investments to support profitable growth across the business and drive long-term value for our shareholders.”
First Quarter 2026 Conference Call & Webcast Information
The Company will host a conference call and live webcast on Tuesday, May 5, at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss its first quarter 2026 financial results. FreightCar America invites shareholders and other interested parties to listen to its financial results conference call. Teleconference details are as follows:
- May 5, 2026
- 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time
- Phone: 1-877-407-0789 or 1-201-689-8562
- Webcast access: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1759680&tp_key=d43c008515
An audio replay of the conference call will be available beginning at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, until 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. To access the replay, please dial (844) 512-2921 or (412) 317-6671. The replay passcode is 13760024. An archived version of the webcast will also be available on the FreightCar America Investor Relations website.
About FreightCar America
FreightCar America, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is a leading designer, producer and supplier of railroad freight cars, railcar parts and components. We also specialize in railcar repairs, complete railcar rebody services and railcar conversions that repurpose idled rail assets back into revenue service. Since 1901, our customers have trusted us to build quality railcars that are critical to economic growth and instrumental to the North American supply chain. To learn more about FreightCar America, visit www.freightcaramerica.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements relating to our expected financial performance, financial condition, and/or future business prospects, events and/or plans that are “forward-looking statements” as defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Our actual results may differ materially from the results described in or anticipated by our forward-looking statements due to certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties relate to, among other things, the cyclical nature of our business; adverse geopolitical, economic and market conditions, including inflation; material disruption in the movement of rail traffic for deliveries; fluctuating costs of raw materials, including steel and aluminum; delays in the delivery of raw materials; our ability to maintain relationships with our suppliers of railcar components; our reliance upon a small number of customers that represent a large percentage of our sales; the variable purchase patterns of our customers and the timing of completion; delivery and customer acceptance of orders; the highly competitive nature of our industry; the risk of lack of acceptance of our new railcar offerings; potential unexpected changes in laws, rules, and regulatory requirements, including tariffs and trade barriers (including recent United States tariffs imposed or threatened to be imposed on China, Canada, Mexico and other countries and any retaliatory actions taken by such countries); and other competitive factors. The factors listed above are not exhaustive. New factors emerge from time to time that may cause our business not to develop as we expect, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We expressly disclaim any duty to provide updates to any forward-looking statements made in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release includes measures not derived in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), such as EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income (loss), Adjusted EPS, and Free cash flow. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any measure derived in accordance with GAAP and may also be inconsistent with similar measures presented by other companies. Reconciliations of these measures to the applicable most closely comparable GAAP measures, and reasons for the Company’s use of these measures, are presented in the attached pages.
| Investor Contact: | [email protected] |
