Cadre’s first quarter results for 2025 were met with a positive market response, driven by management’s focus on resilient demand for its mission-critical safety products, despite a year-over-year sales decline. CEO Warren Kanders credited Cadre’s ability to navigate a challenging environment, noting that operational execution and product innovation supported performance. President Brad Williams emphasized a less favorable product mix, particularly in Alpha Safety and EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) volumes, but pointed to a significant increase in backlog and robust order activity.
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Cadre (CDRE) Q1 CY2025 Highlights:
- Revenue: $130.1 million vs analyst estimates of $126.2 million (5.6% year-on-year decline, 3.1% beat)
- Adjusted EBITDA: $20.5 million vs analyst estimates of $16.2 million (15.8% margin, 26.6% beat)
- The company lifted its revenue guidance for the full year to $633 million at the midpoint from $586.5 million, a 7.9% increase
- EBITDA guidance for the full year is $117 million at the midpoint, below analyst estimates of $118.2 million
- Operating Margin: 10.4%, up from 8.7% in the same quarter last year
- Market Capitalization: $1.31 billion
While we enjoy listening to the management's commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions. Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated. Here is what has caught our attention.
Our Top 5 Analyst Questions Cadre’s Q1 Earnings Call
- Greg Konrad (Jefferies) asked about the contribution of pricing actions to offset tariffs and their effect on future quarters. CFO Blaine Browers explained that pricing adjustments were implemented as tariffs firmed up and expects current measures to fully offset impacts unless policy changes.
- Greg Konrad (Jefferies) also questioned revenue synergy opportunities from the new engineering acquisition. President Brad Williams noted expanded geographic reach and new customer relationships, particularly in the UK and Japan, as key strategic benefits.
- Mark Smith (Lake Street Capital Markets) inquired about the timing of project deliveries and any expected lumpiness. Browers responded that Q4 is likely to be the strongest quarter due to project schedules, with some variability typical in Cadre’s business.
- Mark Smith (Lake Street Capital Markets) followed up on tariff mitigation beyond pricing. Williams detailed efforts to shift production between facilities and accelerate productivity projects to manage costs more effectively.
- Jeff Van Sinderen (B. Riley Securities) asked about potential procurement delays in government-related business and M&A focus. Williams stated there have been no major disruptions so far and Cadre maintains a robust M&A pipeline across both nuclear and law enforcement segments.
Catalysts in Upcoming Quarters
In the coming quarters, our analyst team will be tracking (1) the integration progress and synergy realization from the engineering division acquisition, (2) the effectiveness of Cadre’s tariff mitigation strategies as trade policies evolve, and (3) the timing and scale of major project deliveries in the armor and EOD businesses. Continued momentum in new product introductions and expansion into international nuclear markets will also be important indicators of execution.
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