Optex Systems Holdings Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call - Revenue Growth, But Margins Pinched by Legacy Loss Contracts; $10M Buyback Approved

Bill, Conference Call Operator: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today’s Optex Systems Holdings first-quarter earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, you will have the opportunity to ask questions during the question-and-answer session. To register to ask a question at any time, please press star 1 on your telephone. Please note this call is being recorded, and I will be standing by if you should need any assistance. It is now my pleasure to turn the meeting over to Mr. Chad George, Chief Executive Officer. Please go ahead, sir.

Chad George, Chief Executive Officer, Optex Systems: Thank you, Bill. Hello, my name is Chad George, and I’m the CEO of Optex Systems. I’d like to begin by introducing Karen Hawkins, our CFO, who will walk you through our first-quarter fiscal 2026 financials. I’ll then return to provide additional perspective on our business and our path forward. Karen?

Karen Hawkins, Chief Financial Officer, Optex Systems: Hello. Before we begin, I’d like to remind everybody that today’s discussion may include forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that may impact our performance are outlined in our SEC filings, including the risk factors section of our annual report on Form 10-K. We encourage investors to review these filings for additional information. Now, turning to our financial results. On the balance sheet, we ended the three-month period on December 28, 2025, with a solid cash balance of $5.8 million compared to $6.4 million at fiscal year-end September 29, 2024. Accounts receivable totaled $4.4 million, down slightly from the $4.6 million at the September year-end. Next, inventory increased to $15 million from $14.3 million as we ramped up production for the XM30 program and prepared for higher anticipated revenues in the coming quarters.

Accounts payable decreased to $1.4 million from $1.5 million, reflecting timing differences between inventory receipts and vendor payment terms. During the quarter, we increased contract loss reserves by $0.2 million, related primarily to our applied optics day window program driven by higher gold prices and a final award on our legacy Optex-Richardson IDIQ contract. Both of these programs are now closed to new orders, with remaining backlog extending into the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. We also applied $0.1 million of reserves against shipments during the quarter. Accrued contract loss reserves totaled $0.2 million at period end, up from $0.1 million in September. We expect the majority of these reserves to be utilized during the current fiscal year. Total working capital remained stable at $21.2 million.

On the cash flow, our operating cash uses during the quarter were $0.1 million compared to an operating cash generation of $2.8 million in the prior year period, primarily due to the lower profitability, increased inventory, and payments on accounts payable. Capital investments totaled $0.5 million over the past three months compared to $0.3 million in the prior year period. Looking ahead, the company expects to generate net income and positive operating cash flow over the next nine months. In the near term, we plan to fund capital equipment, inventory, engineering resources, and R&D through existing cash, our available line of credit, and operating cash flow. As previously disclosed, during the fiscal year 2026, we expect to invest approximately $2.4 million of excess cash in capital improvements, with an additional $0.5 million already committed.

These investments are focused on expanding capacity, developing new capabilities, replacing obsolete equipment, and supporting new product lines at AOC, as well as enhancing research and rapid prototyping at Optex-Richardson. Our outstanding shares totaled 6,937,358 as of the December 28, 2025, period end, as compared to 6,920,658 at the fiscal year end. During the quarter, we issued 16,700 restricted shares to four board members, vesting on January 1, 2027. Moving on to the statement of operations, revenue for the first quarter increased 11.6% year-over-year to $9.1 million. Optex-Richardson revenue rose 55.9%, driven by higher periscope production, increased XM30 activity, and stronger demand for muzzle reference systems and binocular products. Applied Optics Center revenue declined 20.1%, primarily due to lower laser filter and optical assembly volumes.

We expect AOC revenues to improve in the second half of fiscal year 2026, supported by the recent booking and anticipated contract awards following approval of the government appropriations bill. Gross profit was $2.1 million, with margin declining to 22.9%. Optex-Richardson margins improved as legacy programs continued to phase out and higher margin contracts ramped up. AOC margins were impacted by higher material costs on the day window program. We expect margins to strengthen through the remainder of the fiscal year 2026 as loss contracts conclude and more favorably priced programs move into production. General and administrative expenses increased to $1.9 million, driven primarily by higher labor costs, stock compensation, and professional services. Approximately $0.3 million of this increase was related to leadership transition and temporary overlap of senior roles. With the completion of these transitions, we do not expect these elevated costs to continue beyond the first quarter.

Operating income was $0.1 million compared to $0.9 million last year. We expect the first quarter to represent our lowest profitability of the fiscal year, with operating results improving sequentially. Net income totaled $0.2 million and adjusted EBITDA was $0.7 million. These declines primarily reflect higher G&A and legacy contract impacts, partially offset by non-recurring costs. We anticipate EBITDA improvement as margins recover and revenues increase. Moving to orders and backlog, our new orders for the quarter totaled $7.9 million, a 31.7% increase year-over-year. Optex-Richardson orders rose 46.2%, driven by increased periscope demand. AOC orders increased 20.6%, led by optical assemblies. We anticipate additional laser filter awards over the next several quarters as government funding resumes and outstanding proposals convert. Backlog totaled $37.9 million, down from $42 million last year, primarily due to the program delays stemming from the 2025 government shutdown.

Since quarter end, we announced the $2.2 million optical assembly award supporting an enhanced night vision program, with deliveries beginning in Q3 fiscal year 2026. We announced today in today’s 8-K filing that on February 9, 2026, our board approved a new stock repurchase program authorizing up to $10 million in common stock purchases, replacing the prior program. The timing and volume of repurchases will depend on market conditions and share price. That concludes the financial portion of today’s call. I’ll now turn it over to Chad George for his comments on the period performance.

Chad George, Chief Executive Officer, Optex Systems: Thank you, Karen. This is my first earnings call at Optex Systems and only the fourth earnings call in recent history, so I’d like to start by briefly highlighting our core capabilities across our two operating segments. Our applied optics segment, or AOC, has a longstanding history of delivering thin-film optical coatings to the United States Military that help protect war fighters and sighting systems they depend on. These proprietary coatings absorb or reflect specific wavelengths of light, helping prevent eye injury, protect image intensifier tubes and night vision systems, and safeguard sensitive sensors from laser exposure. AOC supplies these coatings to customers including Trijicon, Vortex, Elbit, and L3Harris, as well as internally to our Optex Richardson segment for armored vehicle periscopes. Beyond coatings, AOC also produces optical assemblies, objective lens cells, and other critical sighting components.

During the quarter, we expanded and upgraded our optical assembly operations with enhanced environmental controls, ensuring we have both the capacity and the quality infrastructure needed to support increasing customer demand and future program growth. Within our Optex-Richardson segment, we primarily provide periscopes and sighting systems for armored vehicle prime contractors while also supporting the Defense Logistics Agency through repair and replacement services. Recently, they were awarded the driver periscope assembly design and development contract for the XM30 vehicle. This represents a meaningful opportunity for the Richardson segment as it is a larger, more sophisticated system than traditional periscopes. To support this program, we have invested in additional machining and assembly equipment, strengthening our ability to deliver complex assemblies and rapid prototypes for future development efforts.

Turning now to our first quarter performance, we delivered solid revenue growth year over year and continued to build momentum in new orders, driving our backlog to approximately $38 million. While gross margin declined during the quarter, this was primarily related to legacy multi-year contracts and an increase in general administrative labor due to several key employee transitions. Delivered investments in research, development, and expanded capabilities will continue to keep our general and administrative expenses higher as we move forward, however, this will continue to drive revenue growth. As older programs wind down and newer backlog converts to revenue, we expect margin performance to improve. Importantly, our current backlog reflects stronger pricing and higher value programs, providing clear visibility into continued growth. Combined with our recent investments in people, equipment, and product development, we believe Optex is entering a period of accelerating opportunity.

We are particularly encouraged by the progress being made on our new product lines across both segments, which we expect will broaden our addressable market and create additional revenue streams. We’ve also added exceptional talent to the organization, and these new team members are already contributing to future programs and customer engagements. Looking ahead, we remain focused on execution, operational discipline, and innovation. I’m excited about the opportunities in front of us and confident that Optex Systems is well-positioned to deliver sustainable growth, improving profitability, and long-term value for our customers, war fighters, employees, and shareholders. So with that, I would like to open it up to any questions that might be online.

Beau, Conference Call Moderator: Certainly. Thank you, Mr. George. Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, if you would like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone at this time. If you find your question has been addressed, you may remove yourself from the queue by pressing star two. Once again, that’s star one for any questions, and we’ll pause for just one moment to allow everyone a chance to join the queue. Mr. George, nothing coming in at this time, sir, but just to give everyone one final opportunity. Again, star one if they would like to ask a question at this time. And again, we’ll pause for just one moment. Mr. George, it appears we have no questions this afternoon. I’ll turn it back to you for any closing comments.

Chad George, Chief Executive Officer, Optex Systems: Okay. Thank you, Beau. Well, I appreciate everyone attending our call today. Hopefully, they have a sense of where we’re headed for the future and the opportunities that we hope to bring to their business and to our customers. So with that, thank you for attending, and we’ll see you next quarter.

Karen Hawkins, Chief Financial Officer, Optex Systems: Thank you.

Chad George, Chief Executive Officer, Optex Systems: Thanks.

Beau, Conference Call Moderator: Thank you, Mr. George, and thank you, Ms. Hawkins. Again, ladies and gentlemen, that will conclude today’s Optex Systems Holdings first quarter earnings call. Again, thanks so much for joining us, everyone, and we wish you all a great remainder of your day. Goodbye.

Chad George, Chief Executive Officer, Optex Systems: Thank you.