Kier Group reported higher revenue, profit and cash generation for fiscal 2026, with revenue up 7.5% to £4.4 billion, adjusted operating profit up 6.7% to £170 million and adjusted earnings per share up 8.8%. The order book rose 8.2% to a record £11.9 billion as of June 30, providing 95% revenue coverage for fiscal 2027, and the company said it expects fiscal 2027 adjusted earnings per share at the top end of its prior guidance. Operating free cash flow reached £206 million, closing cash rose 14% to £232 million, and the board raised the full-year dividend to 7.8 pence per share after a final dividend of 5.2 pence, alongside a completed £20 million buyback and a second £25 million program begun in March. Kier will run off its existing property portfolio rather than invest in new developments, expecting to release about £150 million of capital over three years, and is targeting medium-term adjusted operating margins of 4% to 4.5%, cash conversion above 90% and annual EPS growth exceeding 10%, with average net cash of more than £200 million by fiscal 2029. The company also aims to double water revenue from £400 million to £800 million by 2029, lift energy revenue from £170 million to £400 million, defense from £150 million to £350 million and healthcare from £170 million to £250 million, sectors it said could provide about £1 billion of revenue uplift.
FTI warns industry to brace for dual water risks, urges dry-season planning
The Federation of Thai Industries, or FTI, has warned the industrial sector to manage two water risks at once: coping with heavy rain and localized flooding in the short term, and ensuring sufficient raw water for the dry season. Prida Watcharienthaisakul, FTI vice chairman and chairman of the Water, Environment and Climate Change Institute, said heavy rain at certain times does not mean every area will have enough water. Data from the Thai Water Resources Information Institute as of September 18, 2026, indicates that from September 18 to 20, 2026, many areas must be on alert for flash floods, forest runoff and waterlogging. Areas at risk from 24-hour accumulated rainfall include Phitsanulok, Chanthaburi, Trat, Nakhon Phanom, Nan, Phrae, Krabi, Chumphon, Trang, Phang Nga, Ranong and Surat Thani. Nationwide accumulated rainfall from January 1 to September 13, 2026, stood at 1,032.6 millimeters, with the eastern South recording rainfall 28 percent below normal, the Central region 18 percent below and the East 13 percent below. Data from the Royal Irrigation Department as of September 18, 2026, shows that 496 large and medium-sized reservoirs held a combined 55,015 million cubic meters, or 72 percent of capacity, with 31,041 million cubic meters of usable water, or 59 percent, which is 4,210 million cubic meters lower than the same period in 2025. The FTI recommends that businesses prepare water management plans at at least three levels: normal conditions, alert conditions and water-scarcity conditions, while accelerating efforts to cut water loss and reuse water. Meanwhile, the FTI's Water, Environment and Climate Change Institute is developing a Water Information & Early Warning system to produce an Industrial Water Risk Map and expand its Water War Room network in line with the FTI's 5I policy, specifically I4 Industrial Infrastructure Reform and I5 Inclusive Sustainability.
Crane Company to Acquire Trillium Flow Technologies' U.S. Pump Business for $240 Million
Crane Company announced a definitive agreement on September 14 to acquire Trillium Flow Technologies' U.S. pump business for approximately $240 million. The operations primarily serve municipal water and wastewater customers and are expected to generate approximately $115 million in full-year revenue, with closing expected in the fourth quarter subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions. The deal would add the Floway, Wemco, Roto-Jet and WSP brands to Crane's Process Flow Technologies segment, and Crane disclosed a price of approximately 14.6 times estimated 2026 adjusted EBITDA. The announcement did not quantify aftermarket revenue's share of the business, its margins, expected synergies, or integration costs, nor did it specify the funding mix. Process Flow Technologies' second-quarter sales rose 20.9% to $385.6 million while company-defined non-GAAP core sales declined 1.4%, and at June 30 Crane held $350.4 million of cash and $1.098 billion of debt before subsequently repaying another $90 million.
RBC Downgrades Mueller Water to Underperform on Municipal Spending Slowdown
RBC Capital downgraded Mueller Water Products to Underperform from Sector Perform and cut its price target to $21 from $30, sending shares down 3.2% in Thursday's trading. Analyst Jeffrey Reive said the consensus expectation for 4% FY 2027 revenue growth does not reflect the combined headwinds of fading federal stimulus, hydrant backlog normalization, and ongoing residential softness. Reive considers Mueller one of the most exposed stocks in RBC's coverage to a slowdown in municipal water spending, since its core valve and hydrant business is tied to municipal project activity and funding availability, and he believes it lacks the structural buffer against near-term funding shifts that peers such as Badger Meter or Veralto possess. He said his concern is not with execution but with expected pressure from a falloff in federal stimulus that is fully reflected in consensus estimates, adding that the hydrant backlog workdown supporting FY 2026 revenue growth is unlikely to repeat, which he sees as a $35M headwind with limited offsets as residential construction still tries to find a bottom.