Beazer Homes (BZH 9.91%) stock tumbled 11% through 12:20 p.m. ET Friday after missing badly on its fiscal Q1 2026 earnings report yesterday.
Heading into the report, analysts forecast Beazer would lose $0.50 per share on $423.2 million in sales. In fact, losses were twice as bad as expected -- $1.13 per share -- and sales came in at only $363.5 million.
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Beazer Q1 earnings
CEO Allan Merrill blamed "persistent demand challenges and elevated incentives in the market" for the poor results. Beazer closed 23% fewer home sales in the quarter, resulting in a 22% decline in revenue. Earnings didn't decline as much as unit sales, though, so it would appear Beazer didn't drop its own prices too drastically -- just had trouble moving inventory in the face of competitors doing so.
This would align with Beazer's goal to "driv[e] sequential margin improvements through the remainder of fiscal 2026." Management aims to hold the line on prices while cutting costs.
With luck, Beazer will be able to avoid further "litigation-related charge[s]", which the company said cost it $0.23 per share in additional losses.
NYSE: BZH
Key Data Points
Is Beazer stock a sell?
Merrill noted that "national builders ... slowing starts ... and lower mortgage rates" may help to bring supply and demand back into balance in 2026, also boosting profits.
Early indications are good. New orders declined 18% in Q1, which sounds bad, but was at least shallower than the decline in home closings.
Management didn't give guidance for full-year earnings. Wall Street analysts forecast $1.43 per share in profit, down 25% -- so their call is that things will get worse before they get better. At a price-to-earnings ratio of 15 and with business still in decline, it's probably still too early to buy Beazer stock.
