Boom Logistics Limited (BOL) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Thank you for standing by, and welcome to the Boom Logistics 1H FY '26 Results Presentation. [Operator Instructions] I would now like to hand the conference over to Mr. Kieran Pryke, Chairman of Boom Logistics. Please go ahead.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Kieran Pryke, Chair of Boom Logistics. Before Lester and Sarah take you through the results, I'd like to welcome you to the half year results presentation. We are very pleased with the underlying performance of the business, which is reflected in the upgraded EPS and buyback guidance for the full year. The result highlights the momentum in our business and the strength of our execution despite some challenges, reflecting the resilience and capability of our team. The company is now in a strong position to deliver for shareholders with clear visibility on growth and capital management priorities. I look forward to participating in the Q&A later and addressing any questions you may have. I'll now hand over to Lester.

Thank you, Kieran. Good morning, all. My name is Lester Fernandez, Managing Director and CEO of Boom Logistics. I'd like to begin by thanking everyone who's joined us online for today's results presentation. I also want to acknowledge and thank our Board and the entire Boom team for the continued support and commitment. Joining me is Sarah Johns, our Interim Chief Financial Officer. Sarah and I will take you through the group's performance, provide context around the financial results and outline our priorities and outlook for FY '26. We will then open for questions. This is my first results presentation as MD and CEO of Boom. I've been with Boom for almost 4 years, previously serving as Director of Operations. I spent more than 15 years in the crane and heavy lift sector, progressing through operational and leadership roles. That experience has provided a practical understanding of fleet utilization, contract risk, labor discipline and capital deployment, the fundamentals that drive sustainable returns in this industry. Moving on to Slide 3. Boom is a leading provider of complex lifting and project logistics solutions. We provide specialist equipment, engineering services and workforce solutions to a diversified range of projects. Boom plays a key role in supporting Australia's critical infrastructure expansion, renewable energy transition and resource extraction projects. We have a national presence and a scalable fleet of equipment, including cranes and travel towers with a highly skilled workforce to manage large on-site project and engineering services. On to our strategy on Slide 4, it runs across 4 pillars: creating shareholder value through disciplined execution of our strategy. Our ESG approach fosters a strong safety-first culture where our people can thrive. Participation in key sectors like resources, infrastructure, industrials and renewables diversify our revenue base, driving asset regeneration through modernizing our fleet and focusing on utilization. While our strategy is focused on creating value for our shareholders, everything begins with the understanding of our customers' needs and delivering exceptional service. This is central to everything we do at Boom. On to the following slide, you can see the financial highlights. Our key metrics for shareholder value creation are EPS, NPAT and cash flow. We've had strong growth in all key metrics. Sarah will discuss the statutory versus underlying variance. We're all very pleased with the cash results of this business. This was driven by our operational discipline and a clear focus on shareholder returns, which has enabled us to increase our buyback by $2 million. On Slide 6, Safety and ESG are part of how we run the business every day, and they directly support our ability to operate profitably. On Safety, tragically, we lost a member of our team at Clarke Creek in July, that incident remains under investigation, and we're committed to seeing that process through to completion. On ESG, our biggest contribution is what we deliver for our clients, the infrastructure we help build, transmission lines and large-scale energy and water projects that we're currently involved in. These are not just contracts, they represent Boom's role in shaping the future of Australia's energy and infrastructure landscape. Safe, sustainable and profitable operations while helping build Australia's tomorrow, that's the combination we're committed to delivering. One of Boom's key strengths is the breadth of our operations. Diversification is critical. We're not dependent on a single client or a sector. It means we can relocate our people and fleet quickly to meet demand where it's growing the fastest. And that's exactly what we've done across some of Australia's largest projects from Jimblebar the Pilbara, the $2.8 billion Alkimos Desalination plant in WA and New South Wales $4.1 billion investment in transmission lines, which includes the Energy Connect project. In very different environments. And in each case, we continue to deliver schedule and profitably. On Slide 8, our focus on sustainable growth for the year ahead is clear. We will continue to grow EPS by delivering on new and renewed contracts as well as converting strong tender win tender activity into wins. Strategic margin growth remains a priority, supported by disciplined operations and smart asset investment. We paid a dividend in the first half of '26 and continue our share buyback program to return capital to our shareholders. Safety, people and governance remain at the heart of everything we do. We're targeting labor efficiency above 85%, supported by our skilled workforce, while finishing our tech upgrade to boost productivity. We grow profitable customers in all our core sectors and invest in profitable markets where Boom is underrepresented. We also strengthen our competitive edge through targeted replacement assets and invest in growth assets where returns meet our benchmarks. Finally, we continue to optimize fleet performance, divesting underutilized equipment and maintaining utilization above 85%, ensuring Boom remains the crane and logistics partner of choice in our key sectors. I'll now hand over to Sarah for a review of the financials.

Thanks, Lester. Good morning, all. It's a pleasure to be here. And on behalf of the team, I'm very proud to present our interim FY '26 results. On profit and loss, for the past 3 years, Boom has focused on business fundamentals, specifically labor and asset management, bottom line profitability by business, by customer, employee and by asset. And in these results, we can see the benefit of this approach across all metrics that I will cover in the next few slides. We've highlighted statutory and underlying NPAT to adjust for 2 key items being the costs associated with the Clarke Creek incident and the reimbursement related to the misuse of funds by the former CEO. On both measures, NPAT is up and reflects solid business performance. Turning now to segment performance on Slide 11. As you can see, we have a well-balanced business with resources and infrastructure anchoring earnings. Renewables activity remains selective and disciplined on margins. This half's revenue from renewables was lower due to the Clarke Creek incident, but it is important to note that other areas of the business picked up the shortfall. The pipeline in renewables is currently taking longer to execute due to project approval processes. Nonetheless, our key sectors remain very strong, more than offsetting softness in renewables, although -- and it is very important to note, there are green shoots in the near term first time. On cash flow, we are very pleased to see such strong cash generation in the business, mainly due to lower CapEx intensity and improved cash conversion. The strong cash performance underpins the strong balance sheet resilience and increased flexibility for capital returns. I'd also like to point out that this result is after debt servicing and lease payments. Turning now to net debt. Net debt remains conservative and well within the target gearing range of 35% to 45% with scope to reduce further. Our financing facilities are fit for purpose. Our leasing strategy remains flexible with typical terms of 3 to 5 years. Boom are fully compliant with all covenants and has the flexibility to pay down more debt should we wish to do so. Asset management is a key value driver for Boom. Our CapEx and operating leases are aligned with the asset strategy, supported by regular divestment of aged and underutilized assets. Our gross CapEx for the first half was $4.4 million, offset by $2.7 million in disposals, providing net CapEx of $1.7 million. This is materially lower than prior period as we move towards a more balanced and steady state CapEx level. We expect a modest tick up in the second half as we strive to maintain our high level within our fleet. That concludes the financial section. I'll now hand back to Lester.

Thank you, Sarah. As you can see on Slide 16, recent performance has been solid, and we now look forward to consolidating from a position of strength. We aim to deliver strong revenue growth based on an established market presence within the resources and infrastructure sectors, while expanding our footprint into adjacent sectors like energy. Proactive engagement and effective contract management is resulting in improved margins and profitability. And our disciplined approach to capital management is delivering better shareholder returns. On Slide 17, RoNA is a common performance metric. While our target is progressive and aspirational, our recent track record demonstrates we are well positioned to deliver as we continue executing our strategic priorities. We have clear levers to lift returns, including prioritizing asset replacement and regeneration, ensuring fleet growth meets hurdle investment rates, improving utilization and machine availability through tighter asset to contract pairing, focusing on higher-margin work by strategic client partnership and contract renewals and enhancing working capital management and driving capital efficiency. On to our outlook, we've upgraded guidance across NPAT, EPS and capital returns for FY '26. Tax-free earnings per share has been upgraded approximately $0.26 per share. This represents around 20% growth relative to FY '25 versus prior guidance of approximately 15% growth. We're also announcing a 50% increase in the buyback from $4 million to $6 million. This upgrade reflects productivity gains, improved margin mix, disciplined fleet deployment and our broader confidence in the outlook. Why Boom? Boom is well placed to deliver for investors. We are well placed to capitalize on long-term demand and investment in construction, energy and mining. Team has deep industry knowledge and connections across Australia continue and create new opportunities. We also have diversified market exposure, which provides a stable business model during challenging economic times. Strong margin growth and potential to drive cost management and improving our fleet and labor utilization. This concludes the presentation. This is a strong set of numbers with a very positive outlook. I'd like to thank everybody for their time. I now hand over for Q&A.

[Operator Instructions] Your first question is a phone question from James Tracey with Blue Ocean Equities.

The question is around the cash flow. You've got a good slide there on Slide #22, which is free cash flow in the half of $15 million. It looks like there's a bit of seasonality around the operating cash flows. Typically, the first half will be higher than the second half. Could you please give an indication of what sort of the split is between first half and second half operating cash flows that you would expect so that we can think about what the full year free cash flow number might be?

I think, James, you'll see the second half cash flow won't generate -- the generation won't be quite as strong, depending a little bit on the CapEx and how that is funded. Operationally, we expect the operational performance of the business to continue on a steady trajectory. So operationally, we will look to generate a similar cash performance, though the big swing will be the manner in which we choose to fund CapEx during the second half.

Yes. Because I mean, it looks like the CapEx is pretty well funded by recycling the assets, selling old assets to pay for new ones. It's more, I guess, the operating cash flow because you've got the lease the lease outflows are relatively steady at around $13 million a year. I'm just interested in that kind of -- it goes sort of $23 million, $14 million, $29 million, that operating cash flow wings around, maybe would it be reasonable to expect -- growth year on year on $14 million.

Yes, I'm not trying to be cute or high from it, but the big swing will be the way in which we fund CapEx. Our CapEx in the second half this year will be materially higher than it was in the first half. We don't -- we will remain disciplined. Yes, you're right around the depreciation and how that flows through. And we may well have a similar performance operationally, but I'm just holding back on being too specific with you. Our CapEx number can swing significantly based upon contract wins and the time lines on what equipment we're bringing into the balance sheet. So please, I'm not trying to -- the underlying performance of the business, we expect to remain on track, but our CapEx decision will impact that. And in a straight line sense over time, we should replace our depreciation with reinvestment to maintain the fleet where it is. And so over an extended period of time, it will be the operating earnings performance that will flow through. And the CapEx piece will be a swing as we leverage up. We're very fortunate at the moment with the condition we're in great cash balance. Leverage is at the lower end of the range. The performance from the relationship we have with our customers is really good. So I don't see it weakening, but just cautious around what guidance or indication, if you're looking for a number from us.

Yes. Okay. That's fair. I understand. You don't want to be pinned down. And just on the CapEx, you're saying it's materially higher. You can see the history of the CapEx that sort of range between $2 million and $7 million in half.

On a full year basis, it will still be lower than the full year previous year, somewhat lower. But given our net CapEx was $1 million in the 6 months, our second half will be a little bit above $10 million. Based on what we're currently committed to. As I said, the swing factor is if one of our key clients awards us some additional work in a location that we don't currently have the kit, we'll make that decision at that time based on terms, conditions, visibility of the earnings, et cetera.

Yes. Okay. That makes sense. And then just maybe just switching topics just a little bit around. Can you talk a little bit about the -- your market position in the energy space and the growth you're seeing there?

I'll let Lester talk to the actual market. He's in direct contact with our client base.

Thanks, James. With regards to renewables, the outlook for the next 6 to 12 months is softer. But what I'll go to paint the point of is that soft look was -- a soft outlook was compensated quite clearly by the uptick in our exposure to resources and infrastructure works. It's largely due to approvals process from a wind farm perspective. But within 12 to 18 months, we expect that cycle to pick back up again.

There are no further questions on the phone line at this time. I'll now hand back to address any webcast questions.

Okay. Team's there's a question here around capital management. Previously, it has been stated as 40% to 60% of previous 2 years rolling average operating NPAT. And the release today states 40% to 60% of prior year NPAT.

From a Board perspective, we've simplified the language given that where we were as a business a few -- just a few years ago and the trajectory in smoothing out that impact, it was necessary to even it out over a rolling 2-year period. We're confident in the position of the business now where it sits and where it's heading to simplify the language in that policy to be based on the immediate preceding period.

Thanks, Kieran. Another question here, 2 parts to it. The first part is, could you please give an estimate of how much revenue derives from long-term contracts?

Well, let -- I'll let Lester get into the detail of that one. But -- and apologies if we have a little bit of disconnect there around how we define long-term contracts and the recurrency of that earnings. But I'll let Lester talk to because it is a key focus of what we do.

Thank you, Kieran. Again, definition of long-term contracts to say that our focus is on resources, infrastructure and renewables. Each of those sectors have contracts that vary anywhere between 1 through to 5 years. Resources in particular, have longer-term contracts. And it's probably fair to say that the majority -- over 50% of our business at this point in time has recurring revenue. Our aim is always to get that to a higher percentage, and we'll continue to work towards that.

Thanks, Lester. Another question here on RoNA. When you say part of the contribution to getting to the 15% RoNA will be growth, do you mean increased utilization rate on the fleet? Is this realistic throughout the cycle?

I think when you look at growth for where we are today, we're in a great position, again, compared to where we've been in the past. As we've highlighted, we are sitting on $25 million of cash. We haven't had that luxury before. Our gearing is at the lower end of our range and the value weighted average age of our fleet is a shade below 6 years, again, the lower end of the broad target that we have. So we are well positioned to continue to pursue profitable -- economically profitable, not accounting profitable, but economic profitable work with our client base, working with our clients to solve their issues with them and grow our return on capital.

Thanks, Kieran. A question here on insurance recovery. Is insurance recovery possible on the costs related to the Clarke Creek incident?

That process is complicated in terms of the insurance element. I can assure you that we will take all appropriate measures to recover what we are entitled to, and we'll report on that in due course. The incident does remain subject to a review by regulators, and we can't really say a lot more than that at this stage.

Thanks, Kieran. Can you talk through market conditions that you are seeing for your mining clients?

Lester?

Certainly, can. What's driving our improvement? Well, revenue has grown by 8% to $142 million. Underlying NPAT has increased and the EPS has also increased. From a mining perspective and a resource perspective, well, it's increased fleet productivity, better margin mix and labor and efficiency management. Our exposure within the resources sector is quite diversified and that diversification is actually working for us quite well, and we expect that to continue.

Thanks, Lester. Can you confirm if the statutory EPS 20% growth expectation accounts for the buyback in second half '26?

We haven't made any specific assumption around the application of the buyback quantum of shares bought back or at a price. That 20% is off the base case of the shares issued in December.

Thanks, Kieran. Are you actively pursuing M&A? And please remind us of hurdle rate expectations for acquisitions?

Obviously, if we were pursuing M&A, you would have seen us announce something. So I won't respond to that element of the question. I just refer to the balance sheet and the position we're in to pursue opportunities to grow this platform cash in the bank fleet age at the lower end of our range and relatively low gearing within our policy range. So we're well positioned. We will -- and you've seen in our recent results history, the discipline we've had and adopted in the deployment of our capital, and we'll continue to focus on that at all times.

Thanks, Kieran. Can you provide further color on the better cash conversion improvements versus one-off benefit in working capital changes in accounts receivable?

Do you want me to take that one?

Yes, I'll let -- Sarah can have that one.

Yes. Thanks for the question. We have really been focusing on our debt management, quick turnaround of invoicing and that has assisted our working capital position. So given that is in a currently good state, the current boost is more or less a one-off, and we will work hard to keep maintaining our day-to-days. Yes, so that's probably it.

Thanks, Sarah. Given the share price is trading significantly below NTA, will you be more aggressive on the buyback?

As you've seen, we are increasing the amount of capital we're deploying to the buyback. I'll allow the market to do what the market does. And we will assess our deployment of capital and review it over time.

Would it be safe to say that as long-term resource contracts, i.e., 3 to 5 years roll over, margin will continue to increase.

That would be our plan, but we can't guarantee it, but that's absolutely the plan.

Absolutely.

There's no further questions on the webcast.

Thanks. I just with the operator, are there any other phone calls before we wrap up?

There are no further questions on the phone line at this time.

Thank you, everyone, for joining us this morning. From the Board perspective and the executive team, we're very pleased with the continued improvement in the results and the position that this business is now in and really looking forward to coming back to you in August, reporting on our continued progress. Thanks very much, everyone.

Thank you, everyone.

Thanks.

That does conclude our conference for today. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.