THE EASTERN COMPANY REPORTS SECOND QUARTER 2026 RESULTS (Form 8-K)

THE EASTERN COMPANY REPORTS SECOND QUARTER 2026 RESULTS

SHELTON, CT - August 11, 2026 - The Eastern Company ("Eastern" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:EML), an industrial manufacturer of engineered products and solutions serving commercial transportation, logistics, and other industrial markets, today announced its results of operations for the second fiscal quarter of 2026 ended July 4, 2026. Results for the reported period reflect the June 1, 2026, acquisition of Sungear, LLC and Sinecera, LLC (dba Crown Precision), two California-based precision manufacturers serving the aerospace, defense, and adjacent end markets.

Ryan Schroeder, Eastern's President and CEO, stated, "Second quarter net sales and gross margin improved sequentially as order execution strengthened and demand improved across our core commercial transportation businesses, though both remained below prior year levels. The unfavorably priced contracts within our returnable packaging transport business, as discussed in our first quarter 2026 earnings call, are now behind us, and new orders are booking at stronger margins. We also expanded into the aerospace and defense markets through the acquisition of Sungear and Crown Precision. These businesses complement our existing portfolio by adding embedded positions within long-cycle programs and exposure to multi-year procurement tailwinds. We ended the quarter with a backlog of $126.2 million, a 45% increase from a year ago, supported by acquired aerospace orders together with strengthening demand for truck mirror assemblies, returnable transport packaging, and latch and handle assemblies.

"We enter the second half of the year with strong momentum and improved visibility across our businesses," continued Mr. Schroeder. "Our manufacturing expertise supplies key components to some of America's most admired industrial companies. Heavy-truck build rates have risen, benefiting both Eberhard Manufacturing and Velvac, and bringing Eberhard's largest customer back into the market for mechanical access systems after an extended slowdown, driving meaningful backlog growth. As production volume builds, our product mix improves, and we integrate the acquired operations, we remain focused on disciplined execution to translate this momentum into improving underlying profitability through the remainder of 2026."

Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results

The following analysis excludes discontinued operations.

Net sales for the second quarter of 2026 decreased 12% to $61.8 million from $70.2 million for the corresponding period in 2025. The decrease in sales was due to lower shipments of truck mirror assemblies, returnable transport packaging and latch and handle assemblies of $5.7 million, $3.4 million, and $0.9 million, respectively, partially offset by $1.7 million in aerospace sales from the acquisition of Sungear and Crown Precision. Net sales for the first six months of 2026 decreased 11% to $121.5 million from $136.1 million for the corresponding period in 2025. Sales decreased in the first six months of 2026 due to lower shipments of returnable transport packaging, truck mirror assemblies and latch and handle assemblies of $10.9 million, $4.5 million, and $0.9 million, respectively, partially offset by a $1.7 million increase in aerospace sales from the acquisition of Sungear and Crown Precision.

Gross margin as a percentage of sales was 20.6% for the second quarter of 2026 and 20.3% for the first six months of 2026, compared to 23.3% and 23.1%, respectively, for the corresponding periods in 2025.

Selling and administrative expenses decreased $2.1 million, or 17.5%, for the second quarter of 2026 compared to the corresponding period in 2025 due to $1.9 million of lower restructuring charges, lower personnel costs of $0.1 million, lower amortization of $0.1 million and other expenses of $0.4 million, partially offset by higher computer expenses of $0.4 million. Selling and administrative expenses decreased $2.9 million, or 12.9% for the first six months of 2026 due to $1.9 million of lower restructuring charges, lower personnel costs of $0.5 million, lower amortization of $0.2 million, lower commission expenses of $0.4 million and other expenses of $0.6 million, partially offset by higher legal expenses of $0.3 million and higher computer expenses of $0.4 million.

Net income from continuing operations for the second quarter of fiscal 2026 was $5.6 million, or $0.94 per diluted share, compared to net income of $2.0 million, or $0.33 per diluted share, for the comparable period in 2025. For the first six months of 2026, net income from continuing operations was $6.3 million, or $1.04 per diluted share, compared to $4.2 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, for the comparable period in 2025.

Net income from continuing operations in both periods included a one-time, non-cash bargain purchase gain of $6.5 million recognized in connection with the recently completed acquisition of Sungear and Crown Precision, which is excluded from the adjusted measures described below.

Adjusted net income from continuing operations (a non-GAAP measure) for the second quarter of fiscal 2026 was $0.9 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, compared to adjusted net income from continuing operations of $3.5 million, or $0.57 per diluted share, for the corresponding period in 2025. For the six months ended July 4, 2026, adjusted net income from continuing operations was $1.6 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, compared to $5.7 million, or $0.93 per diluted share, for the comparable 2025 period.

Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations (a non-GAAP measure) for the second quarter of 2026 was $3.4 million compared to $6.7 million for the corresponding period in 2025, a decrease of $3.3 million or approximately 49%. For the six months ended July 4, 2026, adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was $6.4 million compared to $11.7 million in the corresponding 2025 period. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below and the reconciliation table accompanying this release.

During the second quarter of fiscal 2026, total debt increased by $8.8 million to $41.7 million, reflecting borrowings to complete the acquisition of Sungear and Crown Precision. In addition, the Company repurchased 19,529 shares of common stock under its share repurchase program authorized in April 2025. As of July 4, 2026, 256,275 shares remained available for repurchase under the program.

Conference Call and Webcast

The Eastern Company will host a conference call to discuss its results for the second quarter of 2026 and related matters on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at 9:00AM Eastern Time. Participants can access the conference call by phone at 888-506-0062 (toll-free in the US and Canada) or 973-528-0011 (international), using access code 573591. Participants can also join via the web at https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/1757/54302.

About The Eastern Company

The Eastern Company manages businesses that design, manufacture and sell engineered solutions for industrial markets. The Company operates from locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, and China. More information on the Company can be found at www.easterncompany.com.