We will refer to some presentation slides today, as well as to the earnings release, which we issued this morning. We've also posted the slide presentation and the earnings release under the investor tab on our website. In our earnings release and filings, we reconcile these non-GAAP measures to GAAP measures. Jennifer will then provide her perspective on our performance, current market conditions, and go over our increased guidance for 2026 before we open the line for any questions.
Our consolidated second quarter financial results are provided in today's earnings release. Consolidated net sales for the quarter were $670 million, an increase of $106 million or 19% compared to last year. Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $144.4 million, up $26.2 million or 22% compared to last year. That translates to a margin of 21.5% in Q2 this year, up 60 basis points compared to last year.
GAAP diluted EPS for the quarter was $1.40 per share, up $0.24 per share or 21% compared to last year. On an adjusted basis, EPS for the quarter was $1.42 per share, an increase of $0.25 per share or 21% from last year. Customer demand remained strong during the quarter, with orders of $637 million, representing an increase of $97 million or 18% compared to last year. Backlog at the end of the quarter was $1 billion, compared to $1.08 billion last year.