Caci International Inc /De/ Q2 2026 results
Snapshot
Caci International Inc /De/ reported $2.22B of revenue in Q2 2026, up 5.7% year over year, with diluted EPS of $5.59 and an operating margin of 9.3%.
- Revenue
- $2.22B
- YoY growth
- +5.7%
- Diluted EPS
- $5.59
- Operating margin
- 9.3%
What management said
- •In the second quarter, we generated revenue of $2.2 billion, representing 5.7% year-over-year growth, of which 4.5% was organic.
- •EBITDA margin of 11.8% in the quarter represents a year-over-year increase of 70 basis points.
- •This performance was driven primarily by strong program execution, timing of some higher margin software-defined technology deliveries, and overall mix.
- •Second quarter adjusted diluted earnings per share of $6.81 were 14% higher than a year ago.
- •Finally, free cash flow was $138 million for the quarter, driven by our strong profitability and increasing cash generation from working capital management.
- •Our leverage at the end of Q2 is 2.4 times net debt to trailing 12-month EBITDA.
- •We intentionally allowed leverage to drift slightly below our target range in anticipation of the acquisition of ARCA.
- •As we announced in the call a month ago, we expect leverage to increase to 4.3 times once the acquisition closes.
- •This underscores our consistent financial performance, disciplined approach to capital deployment, and our demonstrated access to capital.
- •In fact, we expect leverage to return to the low threes within six quarters of closing ARCA, based on the strong cash flow characteristics of the combined business.
- •We're pleased to be increasing our fiscal 2026 guidance across all metrics.
- •This represents total growth of 7.8%-10.1%, which includes slightly less than two points of growth from acquisitions.
What went well
- •Second quarter revenue was $2.2 billion, representing 5.7% year-over-year growth, of which 4.5% was organic.
- •EBITDA margin of 11.8% in the quarter represented a 70 basis point year-over-year increase, driven by strong program execution, timing of higher-margin software-defined technology deliveries, and overall mix.
- •Adjusted diluted earnings per share of $6.81 were 14% higher than a year ago, as greater operating income and a lower share count more than offset higher interest expense and a higher income tax provision.
- •Free cash flow was $138 million for the quarter, driven by strong profitability and increasing cash generation from working capital management, with DSO of 57 days.
- •The company increased its fiscal 2026 guidance across all metrics, reflecting continued strength and momentum of the current portfolio.
- •The JTMS protest was officially denied, allowing CACI to begin ramping up on a 10-year, $1.6 billion task-order-based program.
What went wrong
- •Lingering impacts from the lengthy government shutdown affected program timing and delayed some government material purchases in Q2.
- •The protracted shutdown caused a slower level of activity in ramping back up and pushed some acquisition processes behind the curve, contributing to a slow rebound in award decisions.
- •Second quarter book-to-bill was 0.65 times, reflecting the protracted government shutdown and slow rebound in award decisions.
Guidance changes
| Metric | Period | Previous | Current | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | FY2026 | — | $9.3-$9.5 billion (total growth 7.8%-10.1%, including slightly less than two points from acquisitions) | Increased |
| EBITDA margin | FY2026 | — | 11.7%-11.8% | Increased |
| Adjusted net income | FY2026 | — | $630-$645 million | Increased |
| Adjusted EPS | FY2026 | — | $28.25-$28.92 (growth of 7%-9%) | Increased |
| Free cash flow | FY2026 | — | at least $725 million (implies 65% growth in free cash flow per share) | Increased |
| Revenue | Q3 FY2026 | — | Comfortable with current consensus estimate | — |
| EBITDA margin | Second half FY2026 | — | Consistent with what was seen in the first half | — |
Performance breakdown
| Metric | YoY change | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | +5.7% (4.5% organic) | Reflected the modest shutdown disruption expected; revenue and awards generally reflected modest shutdown disruption. |
| EBITDA margin | +70 bps to 11.8% | Driven primarily by strong program execution, timing of some higher-margin software-defined technology deliveries, and overall mix. |
| Adjusted diluted EPS | +14% to $6.81 | Greater operating income along with a lower share count more than offset higher interest expense and a higher income tax provision. |
| Backlog | +3% to $33 billion | Reflected successful business development and operational performance; funded backlog increased 7% over the same period. |
| Indirect cost | Below 21% of revenue for third quarter in a row | Fourth year of reducing indirect cost as a percentage of running the business while in strong growth mode, by resisting the impulse to grow infrastructure as the top line grows. |
Earnings call themes & trends
| Topic | Previous mention | Current period | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARCA acquisition | Announced on a call a month ago | Pending acquisition expected to raise leverage to 4.3 times once closed; not included in FY2026 guidance; enhances CACI's position in the space domain via the Danbury Optics business and sense-making capabilities | Advancing |
| Leverage / capital deployment | Allowed leverage to drift slightly below target range ahead of ARCA | 2.4 times net debt to trailing 12-month EBITDA at end of Q2; expected to rise to 4.3 times at ARCA close and return to the low threes within six quarters | Temporarily rising then deleveraging |
| Government shutdown impact | — | Modest expected disruption to revenue and awards; delayed material purchases and program timing; slow rebound in award decisions but pipeline filling back up | Recovering |
| Reconciliation funding / Golden Dome | — | Border security, counter-UAS, space, and intelligence (left-of-launch) programs being positively impacted; a range of outcomes included in updated guidance; viewed as constructive macro environment | Emerging tailwind |
| Acquisition reform / FAR Part 12 and OTAs | — | CACI positioned for shift from cost-plus to firm-fixed-price; sees itself in the third or fourth inning of acquisition reform; OTA contracting up 2.5x in last two years versus prior five years | Favorable shift |
| Electronic warfare / counter-UAS | — | $2 billion EW revenue slice; counter-UAS treated as part of EW; ~$300 billion TAM for a ~$9.4 billion company; reconciliation adds tens of billions to addressable market | Expanding |
Q&A summary
What does higher U.S. military OPTEMPO mean for CACI specifically and how does it change the opportunity set?
Mengucci said today's OPTEMPO is extremely good for CACI because it demands mission technology at the speed of mission, with resiliency, speed, and optionality. CACI's solutions are software-defined on a common baseline that shares signal-mitigation features across deployed sensors, and customers want commercial acquisition under FAR Part 12, which lets CACI deliver commercial terms, investment model, and margins.
Submitted bids remain low exiting the quarter but the expected bid number filled up nicely. How will things flow through the pipeline and what is the conversion cadence?
The protracted shutdown slowed the ramp-back-up activity and, combined with ending near the holidays, put some acquisition processes behind the curve. CACI sees the pipeline filling back up and getting back on pace, visible in what it plans to submit over the next 180 days, but declined to comment on specific opportunities or win rates.
Can you give an update on the protest you won (JTMS) and the timing of that award?
The JTMS protest was officially denied last week, so CACI is ramping up on the program. It is a longer-term technology program that will ramp over an extended period, benefiting growth more in 2027-2028, but it will help drive Q4 revenue. It is a 10-year, $1.6 billion task-order-based job using SAP, SaaS solutions, and CACI's Agile Solution Factory, expected to consolidate disparate legacy systems.
How do you see reconciliation funding and Golden Dome impacting the second half of this year and the setup for 2027?
Mengucci said reconciliation funding will arrive across early 2026, late 2026, and into 2027. Border security, counter-UAS, space-infrastructure modernization, and DoD financial/logistics modernization programs are being positively impacted, and intelligence programs around left-of-launch are receiving additional funding tied to Golden Dome. A range of outcomes is included in updated guidance; adding ~$150 billion to CACI's market is a constructive macro environment.
What is CACI's addressable market from the reconciliation bill, for EW in general and Merlin specifically, and how do you see that market growing?
Mengucci declined to give EW growth rates but said reconciliation adds tens of billions to the addressable market, with counter-UAS treated as part of EW because they share software baselines, talent, and technology. CACI sees a ~$300 billion TAM versus its ~$9.4 billion size, and noted roughly 25 acquisition organizations have stood up for counter-UAS, with CACI engaging on efforts including DHS and Golden Dome.
What are the drivers of the strong margin performance, including indirect costs below 21% of revenue for a third straight quarter, and are there one-time items?
MacLauchlan attributed margins to favorable mix from accelerating technology content and to four years of reducing indirect cost as a percentage of the business while growing, by resisting the natural impulse to grow infrastructure with the top line. Both the technology revenue acceleration and disciplined cost-structure management are strong drivers, with continued investment where needed.
How much incremental program ramp remains from the large marquee contract wins of recent years to support future growth?
Mengucci said it is no small amount, as recent programs focus early phases on design and development before reaching maximum revenue three to four years in. He cited continued growth in ITAS, NASA, and NCAPS, and pointed to Spectral (in its third year) recently completing testing toward a Milestone C decision that would enable low-rate initial production and ramp.