Tickers

BLDR — Ticker Eval done nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b:free

Requested 2026-09-21 09:07:34.296071 UTC · finished 2026-09-21 09:10:51.200448 UTC

1. Composite Trajectory Verdict

Given BLDR’s cyclical, housing‑start‑driven business, the income statement and cash flow statement carry the most weight for assessing performance, as they directly reflect the volume‑margin‑leverage dynamics of the building‑materials supply chain; the balance sheet is secondary but relevant for leverage and liquidity durability.

Composite Trajectory: Deteriorating

Revenue, margins, operating income, net income, and operating cash flow have declined for two consecutive full years (2024 and 2025) and continued to fall sharply in the first half of 2026 versus the prior year. Gross margin has compressed from 35.2% (2023) to 32.8% (2024) to 30.4% (2025) and further to 28.1% in Q2 2026 (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Operations; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations). Operating income dropped 51% in 2025 and 59% in Q2 2026 YoY. Net income fell 60% in 2025 and turned negative in Q2 2026. Operating cash flow declined 35% in 2025 and 67% in the first six months of 2026 (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows). Long‑term debt rose 20% in 2025 and another 3% by June 2026, while equity fell 8% in the first half of 2026 due to losses and buybacks (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Balance Sheets; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets).

2. Red Flags

  • Net income collapse: FY 2025 net income $435.2M vs $1,077.9M in 2024 (‑60%); Q2 2026 net loss $3.9M vs $185.0M profit in Q2 2025 (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Operations; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations).
  • Gross margin compression for three straight years: 35.2% (2023) → 32.8% (2024) → 30.4% (2025) and 28.1% in Q2 2026 (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, MD&A Results of Operations; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, MD&A Results of Operations).
  • SG&A deleveraging: SG&A as % of sales rose from 23.1% (2024) to 25.2% (2025) and from 23.3% (Q2 2025) to 24.8% (Q2 2026) (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, MD&A; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, MD&A).
  • Rising interest expense: $192.1M (2023) → $207.7M (2024) → $273.9M (2025); Q2 2026 $76.1M vs $72.0M in Q2 2025 (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Operations; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations).
  • Large debt‑funded acquisitions: $1.1B cash used for acquisitions in 2025, financed partly by $750M new 6.75% 2035 notes (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; 10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Note 8).
  • Share repurchases despite earnings decline: $414.0M repurchased in 2025 and $303.5M in H1 2026 while net income fell (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows).
  • Goodwill concentration: $4.1B goodwill (36.8% of total assets) at Dec 2025, with impairment risk explicitly tied to housing‑start declines (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Critical Accounting Policies – Goodwill).
  • Effective tax rate volatility: 15.1% in 2025 vs 22.3% in 2024; 107.4% in Q2 2026 due to a $43.9M IRS settlement charge (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, MD&A Income Tax Expense; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Note 10).
  • Operating cash flow plunge: $1.216B in 2025 vs $1.873B in 2024; $155.5M in H1 2026 vs $473.4M in H1 2025 (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows).
  • Deferred tax liability surge: Net deferred tax liability grew from $148.2M (Dec 2024) to $155.0M (Dec 2025) to $214.7M (June 2026), driven by bonus depreciation and R&D expensing changes (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Note 11; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Note 10).

3. Earnings Assessment (Income Statement)

Earnings Trajectory: Deteriorating

Annual net sales fell 4.1% in 2024 and 7.4% in 2025 (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Operations). Gross margin dollars declined from $6.0B (2023) to $5.4B (2024) to $4.6B (2025), with margin percentage dropping 2.4 percentage points each year (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, MD&A Gross Margin). Operating income dropped from $2.18B (2023) to $1.60B (2024) to $786M (2025) (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Operations). Net income followed: $1.54B → $1.08B → $435M (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Operations). The Q2 2026 quarter showed the same pattern: net sales down 8.8% YoY, gross margin percentage down 2.6pp to 28.1%, operating income down 59% to $129M, and a net loss of $3.9M vs $185M profit a year earlier (10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations). Six‑month 2026 figures confirm the trend: net sales down 9.4%, operating income down 71% to $145M, net loss $51M vs $281M profit (10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations).

4. Cash Generation Assessment (Statement of Cash Flows)

Cash Trajectory: Deteriorating

Operating cash flow declined from $2.31B (2023) to $1.87B (2024) to $1.22B (2025), a 35% drop in the latest year (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows). In the first half of 2026, operating cash flow was $155.5M versus $473.4M in H1 2025, a 67% decline (10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows). Capital expenditures moderated but not enough to offset the operating cash flow decline: capex was $362.6M in 2025 and $84.8M in H1 2026 (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows). Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) therefore fell sharply in both periods. Financing cash flows shifted from large net outflows (driven by share repurchases and revolver repayments) in 2024‑2025 to a modest inflow in H1 2026 only because of $165M net revolver borrowings, while buybacks continued at $303.5M (10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows).

5. Balance Sheet Assessment

Balance Sheet Trajectory: Mixed

Total assets grew from $10.58B (Dec 2024) to $11.24B (Dec 2025) to $11.32B (June 2026), driven by acquisition‑related goodwill ($3.68B → $4.14B → $4.15B) and higher working capital (receivables $1.16B → $1.06B → $1.30B; inventories $1.21B → $1.09B → $1.27B) (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Balance Sheets; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets). Long‑term debt (net of current) rose from $3.70B to $4.43B to $4.58B over the same dates (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Balance Sheets; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets). Stockholders’ equity increased slightly to $4.35B by Dec 2025 but fell to $4.01B by June 2026 due to the H1 net loss and $303.5M of buybacks (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, Consolidated Balance Sheets; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets). Liquidity remained ample: net excess revolver availability was $1.53B (Dec 2025) and $1.56B (June 2026) against a $165M/$180M covenant threshold (10‑K 2025‑12‑31, MD&A Liquidity; 10‑Q 2026‑06‑30, MD&A Liquidity). However, leverage (debt‑to‑equity) increased, and the goodwill‑to‑assets ratio stayed near 37%, leaving the balance sheet sensitive to a further housing downturn.

6. Data Gaps

  • Full quarterly income statements and cash flows for Q1 2026, Q3 2025, Q4 2025, and Q1 2025 (only Q2 2025 and Q2 2026 are fully presented in the provided 10‑Qs).
  • Segment‑level profitability (the company aggregates three operating divisions into one reportable segment).
  • Non‑GAAP metrics (adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow) referenced in earnings calls but not in the filed statements.
  • Detailed SG&A breakdown beyond compensation & benefits (only total SG&A and compensation figures are disclosed).
  • 2026 full‑year actual results (only Industry Forecast Composite projections are provided).
Long US-equity 13F disclosures only · up to 45-day reporting lag · sells = reduce/avoid, not short. JSON: /api/signals · /api/funds · /api/status