Crawford & Co (CRD-A) · Nov 2, 2026 · Earnings
Beat — non-GAAP EPS $0.37 vs ~$0.30 consensus
Crawford earnings beat on stronger International operations and lower corporate costs, but flat revenue, weaker Broadspire margins and soft cash flow temper the quarter.
Crawford is midway through a 2026 operating reset: it simplified the business into U.S. and International divisions to improve accountability and execution, while trying to grow outsourced claims, alternative markets and technology-enabled services. The main obstacle remains uneven claims volume, particularly softer U.S. weather-related activity.
The quarter beat on earnings, but not on underlying growth. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.37 versus a published consensus near $0.30, while adjusted operating earnings rose 8% to $28.8 million. Revenue, however, was essentially flat year over year and fell 3% on a constant-dollar basis, so the beat came more from mix, cost control and lower corporate expense than from broad demand expansion. The filing says, “Third quarter net income was $15.0 million, or $0.31 per diluted share for CRD-A and CRD-B, compared to $12.4 million, or $0.25 per diluted share for CRD-A and CRD-B in the prior year quarter.”
| Figure | Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 | Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue before reimbursements (Financial Highlights) | $321.6M | $322.2M | |
| Constant-dollar revenue (Non-GAAP Results) | $313.7M (-3%) | $322.2M | |
| Non-GAAP diluted EPS (Non-GAAP Results) | $0.37 (+16%) | $0.32 | ~$0.30 |
| Adjusted operating earnings (Non-GAAP Results) | $28.8M (+8%) | $26.6M | |
| Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP Results) | $37.1M (+2%) | $36.3M | |
| Operating cash flow, nine months (Cash Flow statement) | $29.0M (-44%) | $51.7M |
International supplied the real operational improvement. International operating earnings jumped 39% to $10.7 million and margin expanded to 7.8%, helping offset weakness elsewhere. But reported revenue growth was aided by currency; excluding currency and the legal-services disposition, revenue declined 1.2%. The filing says, “Operating earnings were $10.7 million in the 2026 third quarter, increasing from $7.7 million in the 2025 period.”
The U.S. story is still uneven, especially Broadspire. U.S. Property & Casualty was broadly stable, but nine-month revenue and operating earnings remained below last year. Broadspire was the sharper weakness: revenue fell 1.5%, operating earnings dropped 15.1%, and margin contracted from 13.8% to 11.9% as lower claims activity and higher software amortization weighed on results. That matters because the earnings beat does not yet show that the full U.S. realignment is producing consistent improvement.
Cash conversion and leverage are the main constraints. Cash from operations fell by $22.7 million year to date as receivables increased, while total debt rose to $225.1 million from $189.1 million at year-end. Share repurchases and the dividend continued, but free cash flow was only $7.4 million versus $24.1 million a year earlier. Management also flagged lower claims frequency and moderating weather activity as likely fourth-quarter pressures. The filing says, “The Company’s operations provided $29.0 million of cash during the first nine months of 2026, compared with $51.7 million provided in 2025.”
Bottom line: Crawford beat the earnings bar, but the improvement is concentrated in International operations and cost discipline rather than accelerating company-wide revenue. It modestly advances the restructuring story, while Broadspire weakness, softer constant-dollar sales and weaker cash generation keep this from being a clean positive reset.
Q4 results, early 2027
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