Mota-Engil delivered the strongest start to a year in its history, posting net profit of €35 million in the first quarter of 2026 - a 31% increase on the same period last year. The group, led by Carlos Mota dos Santos, disclosed the figures on Wednesday in a statement to Portugal’s Securities Market Commission (CMVM).
Turnover and regional performance
Between January and March, turnover totalled €1394 million, up 2% year on year. This was driven mainly by stronger activity in Africa, where revenue rose 11% to €560 million, alongside an improvement in Latin America, with billing up 3% to €573 million.
EBITDA growth and margins
EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) increased 10% year on year to €234 million. This lifted the EBITDA margin by one percentage point to 17%.
The contractor highlighted “resilient profitability” across its different geographies, as well as the contribution from Industrial Engineering in Africa, where the EBITDA margin reached 24%.
Mota-Engil sets record order book
Mota-Engil’s order book reached a fresh all-time high of €16.9 billion at the end of March, 5% above the level recorded at the end of 2025. In Engineering and Construction, this provides 3.6 years of execution visibility.
The company said the increase was supported by the award of new projects worth €1.5 billion during the quarter, including the Santos–Guarujá tunnel concession in Brazil. It added that the order book increasingly includes “multi-year infrastructure contracts and long-term contracts”.
From a financial standpoint, Mota-Engil kept its net debt-to-EBITDA ratio below two times, maintaining the target set out in the “Focus 2030” strategic plan. The group also secured new funding from several international institutions, including a €200 million loan from Afrexim Bank.
2026 guidance: turnover expected to rise 10% to 15%
The builder reaffirmed its 2026 outlook, forecasting turnover growth of between 10% and 15%, while maintaining a “structurally resilient” EBITDA margin and a net margin of 3%.
Dividend date and retail bond details
The company, which will pay dividends on 25 May, is due on Wednesday to present on Euronext in Lisbon the results of its most recent bond issue, through which it raised €110 million.
This was a five-year retail debt offering paying interest of 4.6% per year. Mota-Engil had initially planned to issue €50 million, but ultimately proceeded with an operation worth more than double that amount, marking the largest retail debt placement ever carried out by Mota-Engil.
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