speaker
Stephanie
Conference Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by and welcome to the Mastercraft Boat Holdings Incorporated Fiscal First Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. After the speaker's presentation, there will be a question and answer session. To ask a question during the session, you will need to press star 11 on your telephone. You will then hear an automated message advising your hand is raised. To withdraw the question, please press star 1-1 again. I would now like to hand the conference over to your speaker today, Alec Harmon, Director, Strategy and Investor Relations. Please go ahead, sir.

speaker
Alec Harmon
Director, Strategy and Investor Relations

Thank you, Stephanie, and welcome, everyone. Thank you for joining us today as we discuss Mastercraft's fiscal first quarter performance for 2026. As a reminder, today's call is being webcast live and will also be archived on our website for future listening. With me on this morning's call is Brad Nelson, Chief Executive Officer, and Scott Kent, Chief Financial Officer. Brad will begin with an overview of our operational performance. After that, Scott will discuss our financial performance. Brad will then provide some closing remarks before we open the call for questions. Before we begin, we would like to remind participants that the information contained in this call is current only as of today, November 6, 2025. The company assumes no obligation to update any statements, including forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and subject to the safe harbor disclaimer in today's press release. Additionally, on this conference call, we will discuss non-GAAP measures that include or exclude items not indicative of our ongoing operations. For each non-GAAP measure, we will also provide the most directly comparable GAAP measure in today's press release, which includes a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to our GAAP results. There is also a slide deck summarizing our financial results in the Investors section of our website. As a reminder, unless otherwise noted, the following commentary is made on a continuing operations basis, and all references to specific quarters and periods will be on a fiscal basis. With that, I will turn the call over to Brad.

speaker
Brad Nelson
Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Alec, and good morning, everyone. We delivered results that exceeded our expectations despite continued geopolitical uncertainty and a dynamic retail environment. Our team continues to execute our key operating initiatives and maintain disciplined cost controls, which contributed to our performance in the quarter. Pipeline inventory levels improved year over year, reflecting our balanced approach to dealer health and focus on driving sustainable growth. Q1 net sales increased $3.6 million, or 6% year over year, and adjusted EBITDA rose nearly $3 million, a margin improvement of 380 basis points. As always, I want to thank each of our team members and dealers for their focus and partnership, which has provided us with a solid foundation from which to build for the rest of our fiscal year. Regarding channel inventory, we maintain the progress made over the past year, with pipeline levels ending the quarter 27% improved from prior year. Dealer inventory levels are on track with our expectations, and inventory turns remain aligned with pre-COVID levels at this point in the year, supported by disciplined production planning and proactive pipeline management. From a distribution perspective, we continue to fine tune our presence in key markets, consistently evolving our network and capitalizing on opportunities to add strong partners globally. While retail variability continues, early industry indicators have not changed our expectations for the year of down between 5 and 10% for our Mastercraft segment. The pontoon category remains highly competitive with retail softness persisting due to elevated interest rates and promotional activity. Overall, While near-term interest rate cuts provide us with cautious optimism, continued macroeconomic strengthening and sustained breakout in demand would further support meaningful order growth. Our flexible operating model and targeted dealer support programs position us well to respond to evolving retail dynamics and deliver on the full year. Now, turning to our brands. We remain encouraged by recent operational and quality trends within our Mastercraft brand, which were echoed by our dealer network during our annual dealer meeting held in late September. The energy and excitement for our brand reinforced confidence in our strategic direction and product roadmaps. In the quarter, we launched the first model of the all-new X family, the X24, to our dealers, followed by a successful consumer debut. This groundbreaking model ushers in the next generation of premium ski wake products, featuring advanced technology and elevated design, reinforcing our commitment to differentiated innovation and category leadership. The timing of the X24 launch builds on the momentum of our ultra-premium X-Star family. and further positions Mastercraft at the forefront of the premium ski wake segment. Initial dealer and consumer response has been strong, building anticipation for delivery of the full platform of models. We remain disciplined in ramping production throughout the year to ensure quality and demand alignment. In addition to product innovation, we continue to strengthen our brand through strategic partnerships and industry involvement, As an example, our recent partnership with the World Wake Association reflects our standard of delivering premium experiences, welcoming new riders, fostering a vibrant community around water sports, while showcasing our latest innovations like the new X24. Turning to our pontoon segment. Our pontoon segment delivered meaningful progress with year-over-year improvements in operational execution despite broader market challenges. Crest's model year 2026 lineup was well received at our recent dealer meeting. The refreshed portfolio includes multiple new products, most notably the rebranded Conquest line, which modernizes the offering while honoring Crest's history and legacy. We also introduced the Conquest SE, a new model designed to expand our addressable market at a more accessible price point. Combined with successful addition of several new distribution points in key markets across the U.S., Crest is well positioned to capitalize on growth opportunities as market conditions improve. Our new Belize offering, which now includes the third model in the series, the all-new Halo, lost within the quarter, is garnering excitement and delivering a new level of differentiated consumer experience. While we may measure in our near-term expectations given broader market dynamics, our focus is on building a foundation of future growth. Our strategy for the pontoon segment remains centered on delivering differentiated products that elevate the on-water experience. supporting and strengthening our dealer partners, and continuing to deliver marked operational improvements. Across the company, our financial position remains strong, and our strategic growth initiatives are fully resourced. Our flexible operating model and consistent cash flow generation are enabling us to invest confidently throughout the cycle. We continue to advance differentiated innovation across our business, returning capital to shareholders through EPS accretive share purchases, and remain disciplined in evaluating inorganic opportunities. With that, I'll turn it over to Scott to review the financials.

Disclaimer

This conference call transcript was computer generated and almost certianly contains errors. This transcript is provided for information purposes only.EarningsCall, LLC makes no representation about the accuracy of the aforementioned transcript, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the information provided by the transcript.

-

-

Investor presentation