Primoris Services Corporation (NYSE: PRIM) Nears the End of Solar Overruns

What happened

Primoris Services Corporation (NYSE: PRIM) said five of the six utility-scale solar projects that hurt 2026 results have reached mechanical completion. The last project remains targeted for the fourth quarter. In June, only two of the six were substantially complete.

That is real progress on the problem that reset the year. Primoris Services Corporation (NYSE: PRIM) also hired a permanent renewables president and said it spent $100 million repurchasing shares during the third quarter.

Why it matters

The assumption that changed is execution, not demand. In June, redesign work, sequencing changes, labor productivity, subsurface issues and weather drove more cost overruns. Management cut full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance from $480 million to $500 million down to $275 million to $325 million.

At the midpoints, that was a $190 million, or 38.8%, reduction. Moving from two substantially complete projects to five mechanically complete projects narrows the remaining construction exposure, but it does not restore that lost earnings outlook.

The buyback shows how the reset changed capital allocation. Primoris Services Corporation (NYSE: PRIM) paid an average $111.29 for 449,287 shares in the second quarter. In the third quarter it spent twice as much at an average $75.15, enough for roughly 1.33 million shares. That is about 2.96 times as many shares at a 32.5% lower average price.

That looks opportunistic, but the company has now exhausted the program. Repurchases cannot repair project economics, and using cash after an operational shock raises the bar for confidence in the remaining liabilities.

What's next

Mechanical completion is not final acceptance or commercial closeout. Claims, remediation, liquidated damages and revised cost-to-complete estimates can still change the bill. The strongest countercase is that the September update gives no new margin, cash-flow or guidance figure.

The next quarterly results should show whether the sixth project remains on schedule and whether the completed projects require more charges. Energy segment gross margin should also return toward the 6% to 8% full-year target. Until then, the evidence strengthens the case that the overrun cycle is ending, but does not prove it is over.

Sources

• Primoris Services Corporation (NYSE: PRIM) September business update — Published September 28, 2026. Project completion, renewables leadership and third-quarter repurchase facts.
• Primoris Services Corporation (NYSE: PRIM) June business update — Prior project status, cost-overrun causes and before-and-after full-year guidance.
• Primoris Services Corporation (NYSE: PRIM) second-quarter results — Second-quarter repurchase share count, cost and average price; maintained guidance and Energy margin target.
• Photo: Solar farm near Vaeggerlose under construction by Hanno Böck — File photograph taken August 26, 2021, in Denmark. It is illustrative and does not depict a Primoris project.
• Photo license: CC0 1.0 Universal — Creator credit: Hanno Böck. Original image unchanged; responsive article and card display may crop.

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Originally published on OptimistFi, evidence-first equity research. More at optimistfi.com.