Will Great Lakes' $1B Backlog Keep Margins Strong Through 2026?

Core Insights - Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD) has a competitive edge in large-scale capital and coastal protection projects, with a dredging backlog of $1 billion as of March 31, 2025, up from $879.4 million year-over-year, with 95% of this backlog related to capital and coastal protection projects [1][8] - The company benefits from strong demand for government-funded coastal restoration projects, enhancing revenue visibility and margin growth due to reduced payment failure risks and efficient asset utilization [2] - GLDD's new build program, with over $500 million invested, is crucial for modernizing its fleet for large-scale projects, and the company plans to spend between $140 million and $160 million in 2025 on this program and maintenance [3] Industry Trends - Other heavy construction firms like Orion Group Holdings, Inc. and Quanta Services, Inc. are also experiencing backlog growth due to strong public funding for infrastructure projects [4] - Orion Group's backlog increased by 11% year-over-year to $839.7 million, with 72.3% from the Marine segment, reflecting optimism in end markets [5] - Quanta Services reported a total backlog of $35.25 billion, with a 12-month backlog of $19.42 billion, marking year-over-year increases of 17.9% and 16.7%, respectively [6] Financial Performance - GLDD's stock price surged 52.8% in the past three months, outperforming the Zacks Building Products - Heavy Construction industry and the broader S&P 500 index [7][8] - The company's gross margin expanded by 570 basis points year-over-year to 28.6% in Q1 2025, driven by large-scale, government-funded coastal projects [8] - Earnings estimates for GLDD have increased by 34.8% for 2025 to $0.93 per share and by 11.8% for 2026 to $0.95 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 10.7% and 2.7%, respectively [11]