Reiterates Full Year 2026 Outlook
- Net Loss of
$70.3 Million for the First Quarter - Consolidated Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA of
$987.5 Million and$441.6 Million , Respectively, for the First Quarter
Key highlights during the quarter on a pro forma basis included:
- Consolidated Fiber Revenue Grew 15% Year-over-Year in the First Quarter
- Fiber Infrastructure Fiber Revenue Grew 13% Year-over-Year in the First Quarter
- Kinetic Consumer Fiber Revenue Grew 26% Year-over-Year in the First Quarter
- Kinetic Consumer Fiber Gross Adds of ~39,000; Highest Ever on Record
- Fiber Infrastructure New Bookings Monthly Recurring Revenue of
$1.6 Million
“2026 is off to a great start at Uniti, fueled by the continued strong demand from hyperscalers and the significant progress we have made to-date on our fiber-to-the-home build. We saw consolidated revenue and Adjusted EBITDA year-over-year growth during the first quarter for the first time as a combined company, which is a significant first step in our goal to achieve full year year-over-year growth by 2027. We also had another strong quarter of new bookings at Fiber Infrastructure, the third highest quarter on record. At Kinetic, we had our highest number of consumer fiber gross adds ever and fiber churn was the best quarter on record. We also had the highest number of new consumer fiber premises constructed in almost four years and we remain on track to pass 3.5 million homes with fiber by the end of 2029. Finally, our balance sheet is as strong as it has ever been and we expect to be opportunistically active in the capital markets this year, including potentially pursuing additional asset securitizations,” commented
QUARTERLY RESULTS
Consolidated revenues for the first quarter of 2026 were
Kinetic contributed
Fiber Infrastructure contributed
Uniti Solutions contributed
FULL YEAR CONSOLIDATED 2026 OUTLOOK
The Company is updating its 2026 outlook primarily for business unit level revisions, and transaction related and other costs incurred to date. This outlook excludes any impact from other future acquisitions, capital market transactions, and future transaction-related and other costs not mentioned herein.
The Company’s 2026 outlook is based on management’s current expectations and beliefs but is subject to change as it continues the integration of Uniti and
The Company’s consolidated outlook for 2026 is as follows (in millions):
| Full Year 2026 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 3,605 | to | $ | 3,655 | ||
| Net loss | (450 | ) | to | (400 | ) | ||
| Adjusted EBITDA (1) | 1,425 | to | 1,475 | ||||
| Interest expense, net | 785 | to | 785 | ||||
| ________________________ | |||||||
| (1) See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below. | |||||||
CONFERENCE CALL
Uniti will hold a conference call today to discuss this earnings release at
ABOUT UNITI
Uniti (Nasdaq: UNIT) is a premier insurgent fiber provider dedicated to enabling mission-critical connectivity across
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and management’s current expectations with respect to the future, involve certain risks and uncertainties, and are not guarantees. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Uniti’s fiber build strategy, the businesses growth potential, and 2026 outlook. The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “will,” “would,” “predicts” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Uniti may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in its forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Future results may differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements that Uniti makes. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, that could cause events and results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the merger of Uniti and
NON-GAAP PRESENTATION
This release and today’s conference call contain certain supplemental measures of performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, accounting principles generally accepted in
Consolidated Balance Sheets (In millions, except per share data) | |||||||||
2026 | 2025 | ||||||||
| Assets: | |||||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 982.6 | $ | 53.5 | |||||
| Restricted cash | 149.3 | 80.6 | |||||||
| Accounts receivable, net | 317.0 | 359.0 | |||||||
| Inventories | 43.8 | 44.0 | |||||||
| Prepaid expenses | 145.6 | 137.6 | |||||||
| Other current assets | 169.5 | 156.3 | |||||||
| Total current assets | 1,807.8 | 831.0 | |||||||
| 1,158.5 | 1,158.3 | ||||||||
| Intangible assets, net | 1,212.6 | 1,293.3 | |||||||
| Property, plant and equipment, net | 8,319.2 | 8,141.9 | |||||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets, net | 495.6 | 516.6 | |||||||
| Other assets | 117.7 | 95.6 | |||||||
| Total assets | $ | 13,111.4 | $ | 12,036.7 | |||||
| Liabilities and shareholders’ equity | |||||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||||
| Current portion of notes and other debt | $ | 10.0 | $ | 10.0 | |||||
| Accounts payable | 187.3 | 171.5 | |||||||
| Deferred revenue | 262.6 | 239.8 | |||||||
| Current portion of operating lease obligations | 119.2 | 122.6 | |||||||
| Accrued taxes | 53.4 | 51.8 | |||||||
| Accrued interest | 186.8 | 138.8 | |||||||
| Other current liabilities | 353.9 | 389.4 | |||||||
| Total current liabilities | 1,173.2 | 1,123.9 | |||||||
| Notes and other debt, net | 10,636.6 | 9,529.4 | |||||||
| Noncurrent operating lease obligations | 342.9 | 360.5 | |||||||
| Noncurrent deferred revenue | 370.7 | 368.7 | |||||||
| Deferred income taxes, net | 17.9 | 17.7 | |||||||
| Other liabilities | 250.4 | 256.1 | |||||||
| Total liabilities | 12,791.7 | 11,656.3 | |||||||
| Commitments and contingencies | |||||||||
| Shareholders’ equity: | |||||||||
| Preferred stock, | — | — | |||||||
| Common stock, | — | — | |||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 2,809.1 | 2,790.1 | |||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | 4.3 | (1.9 | ) | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (2,493.7 | ) | (2,407.9 | ) | |||||
| Total Uniti shareholders’ equity | 319.7 | 380.3 | |||||||
| Noncontrolling interests | — | 0.1 | |||||||
| Total shareholders’ equity | 319.7 | 380.4 | |||||||
| Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity | $ | 13,111.4 | $ | 12,036.7 | |||||
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In millions, except per share data)
| Three Months Ended | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||
| Revenues and sales: | ||||||||
| Service revenues | $ | 889.0 | $ | 290.8 | ||||
| Sales revenues | 98.5 | 3.1 | ||||||
| Total revenues and sales | 987.5 | 293.9 | ||||||
| Costs and expenses: | ||||||||
| Cost of services (exclusive of depreciation and amortization included below) | 358.2 | 31.4 | ||||||
| Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization included below) | 29.8 | 1.0 | ||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 168.7 | 28.3 | ||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 289.8 | 79.7 | ||||||
| Transaction related and other costs | 30.1 | 7.8 | ||||||
| Total costs and expenses | 876.6 | 148.2 | ||||||
| Operating income | 110.9 | 145.7 | ||||||
| Other income, net | 6.5 | — | ||||||
| Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt | 1.2 | (8.5 | ) | |||||
| Interest expense, net | (188.3 | ) | (129.5 | ) | ||||
| (Loss) income before income taxes | (69.7 | ) | 7.7 | |||||
| Income tax (expense) benefit | (0.6 | ) | 4.5 | |||||
| Net (loss) income | (70.3 | ) | 12.2 | |||||
| Participating securities’ share in earnings | — | (0.3 | ) | |||||
| Dividends declared on preferred stock | (15.5 | ) | — | |||||
| Net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders | $ | (85.8 | ) | $ | 11.9 | |||
| Net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders - Basic | $ | (85.8 | ) | $ | 11.9 | |||
| Dividends declared on preferred stock | — | — | ||||||
| Impact of if-converted dilutive securities | — | — | ||||||
| Net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders – Diluted | $ | (85.8 | ) | $ | 11.9 | |||
| (Loss) income earnings per common share: | ||||||||
| Basic | $ | (0.34 | ) | $ | 0.08 | |||
| Diluted | $ | (0.34 | ) | $ | 0.08 | |||
| Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding: | ||||||||
| Basic | 252.1 | 143.5 | ||||||
| Diluted | 252.1 | 143.5 | ||||||
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (In millions) | ||||||||
| Three Months Ended | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||||||
| Net (loss) income | $ | (70.3 | ) | $ | 12.2 | |||
| Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities: | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 289.8 | 79.7 | ||||||
| Amortization of deferred financing costs, debt discount and premium | 0.7 | 5.5 | ||||||
| (Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt | (1.2 | ) | 8.5 | |||||
| Deferred income taxes | 0.2 | (4.9 | ) | |||||
| Straight-line revenues and amortization of below-market lease intangibles | (1.4 | ) | (6.9 | ) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 7.6 | 3.8 | ||||||
| Provision for estimated credit losses | 9.1 | 0.4 | ||||||
| Other, net | 4.5 | 1.5 | ||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions: | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable | 32.3 | 7.2 | ||||||
| Inventories | (13.8 | ) | — | |||||
| Prepaid expenses | (8.0 | ) | (0.7 | ) | ||||
| Other current assets | 3.9 | 2.3 | ||||||
| Other assets | (21.0 | ) | 0.1 | |||||
| Accounts payable | 19.0 | (4.3 | ) | |||||
| Accrued interest | 48.1 | (86.9 | ) | |||||
| Accrued taxes | 1.6 | 1.2 | ||||||
| Deferred revenue | 22.9 | 2.7 | ||||||
| Other current liabilities | (75.6 | ) | (8.9 | ) | ||||
| Other liabilities | (1.0 | ) | (0.4 | ) | ||||
| Noncurrent deferred revenue | 2.7 | (3.8 | ) | |||||
| Operating lease assets and lease obligations | — | 0.3 | ||||||
| Other, net | 10.8 | — | ||||||
| Net cash provided from operating activities | 260.9 | 8.6 | ||||||
| Cash flows from investing activities: | ||||||||
| Capital expenditures | (349.2 | ) | (208.1 | ) | ||||
| Capital expenditures funded by government grants | (22.6 | ) | — | |||||
| Grant funds received for broadband expansion | 6.2 | — | ||||||
| Proceeds from sale of assets | 3.1 | 0.4 | ||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (362.5 | ) | (207.7 | ) | ||||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from issuance of debt | 2,070.1 | 629.0 | ||||||
| Repayments of debt | (927.5 | ) | (440.0 | ) | ||||
| Payments of settlement obligation | — | (24.5 | ) | |||||
| Payments for financing costs | (36.4 | ) | (16.2 | ) | ||||
| Other, net | (6.8 | ) | (2.7 | ) | ||||
| Net cash provided from financing activities | 1,099.4 | 145.6 | ||||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents | 997.8 | (53.5 | ) | |||||
| Cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | 134.1 | 183.8 | ||||||
| Cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $ | 1,131.9 | $ | 130.3 | ||||
| Non-cash investing and financing activities: | ||||||||
| Interest paid, net of interest capitalized | $ | 138.8 | $ | 211.8 | ||||
| Income taxes paid, net of refunded | 2.8 | 0.1 | ||||||
| Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations | 10.2 | 4.1 | ||||||
| Change in accounts payable and other current liabilities for purchases of property and equipment | (37.7 | ) | (1.6 | ) | ||||
| Tenant capital improvements | — | 110.2 | ||||||
Reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (In millions) |
| Three Months Ended | |||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||||
| Net (loss) income | $ | (70.3 | ) | $ | 12.2 | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | 289.8 | 79.7 | |||||
| Interest expense, net | 188.3 | 129.5 | |||||
| (Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt | (1.2 | ) | 8.5 | ||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | 0.6 | (4.5 | ) | ||||
| EBITDA | $ | 407.2 | $ | 225.4 | |||
| Stock based compensation | 7.6 | 3.8 | |||||
| Transaction related and other costs | 30.1 | 7.8 | |||||
| Other, net: | |||||||
| Other income, net | (6.5 | ) | — | ||||
| Amortization of non-cash rights-of-use assets | 0.1 | 0.8 | |||||
| Loss on asset retirements and dispositions | 3.1 | — | |||||
| Total other, net | (3.3 | ) | 0.8 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 441.6 | $ | 237.8 | |||
| Contribution margin: | |||||||
| Kinetic | $ | 235.5 | $ | — | |||
| Uniti Solutions | 95.8 | — | |||||
| Fiber Infrastructure | 192.7 | 253.3 | |||||
| Total Contribution Margin | $ | 524.0 | $ | 253.3 | |||
Projected Future Results (1) (In millions) | |||
| Year Ended | |||
| Net loss (2) | ( | ||
| Interest expense, net | 785 | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | 1,130 | ||
| Income tax benefit | (110) | ||
| EBITDA (2) | 1,355 to 1,405 | ||
| Stock-based compensation | 30 | ||
| Transaction related and other costs (3) | 40 | ||
| Adjusted EBITDA (2) | |||
________________________
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
We refer to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA in our analysis of our results of operations, which are not required by, or presented in accordance with, accounting principles generally accepted in
We define “EBITDA” as net income, as defined by GAAP, before interest expense, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and costs incurred as a result of the early repayment of debt, including early tender and redemption premiums and the write off of unamortized deferred financing costs. We define “Adjusted EBITDA” as EBITDA before stock-based compensation expense and the impact, which may be recurring in nature, of incremental acquisition, pursuit, transaction and integration costs (including unsuccessful acquisition pursuit costs), and costs associated with litigation claims made against us, and costs associated with the implementation of our enterprise resource planning system, (collectively, “Transaction Related and Other Costs”), goodwill impairment charges, gains or losses on retirements and dispositions of assets, gain on settlement of preexisting relationships in connection with our merger with
Further, our computations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to that reported by other companies.
INVESTOR CONTACTS:
Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
251-662-1512
paul.bullington@uniti.com
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations &
501-850-0872
bill.ditullio@uniti.com
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Associate Director,
501-580-4759
scott.l.morris@uniti.com
Vice President, Corporate Communications
501-351-0067
brandi.stafford@uniti.com
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