Danaos Q4 2025 Earnings Report

Danaos EPS Results

• Actual EPS: $7.14
• Consensus EPS: $6.46
• Beat/Miss: Beat by +$0.68
• One Year Ago EPS: N/A

Danaos Revenue Results

• Actual Revenue: $266.27 million
• Expected Revenue: $253.00 million
• Beat/Miss: Beat by +$13.27 million
• YoY Revenue Growth: N/A

Danaos Announcement Details

• Quarter: Q4 2025
• Date: 2/9/2026
• Time: After Market Closes
• Conference Call Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
• Conference Call Time: 9:00AM ET

Danaos (NYSE:DAC) (NYSE: DAC) is a Greek-based owner and operator of containerships. The company provides marine transportation services by chartering its vessels to major container-shipping companies, which use them to transport manufactured goods, commodities and other cargo on international trade routes.

Founded in 1972, Danaos has developed a globally deployed fleet serving the liner shipping industry. Its vessels operate across major maritime regions and support container trade between Asia, Europe, North America and other international markets. The company’s activities are focused primarily on vessel ownership, chartering and related ship-management operations.

Danaos is headquartered in Piraeus, Greece, one of the world’s leading maritime centers. The company is led by Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Dr. John Coustas, who has been associated with Danaos and the broader shipping industry for decades.

Danaos Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

• Positive Sentiment: Strong contract backlog and visibility — total contract revenue rose to $4.3 billion with a 4.3‑year average charter duration and coverage at 100% for 2026, 87% for 2027, and 64% for 2028.
• Positive Sentiment: Robust liquidity and financing access — year‑end cash of $1.0 billion and total liquidity of $1.4 billion, net debt of $141 million (net debt/Adj. EBITDA 0.2x), 61 of 85 vessels unencumbered, and a competitively priced $500 million 7‑year unsecured bond at 6.875%.
• Positive Sentiment: Fleet expansion and energy diversification — newbuild orders (6,180 TEU, 4,530 TEU and a 211,000 dwt Newcastlemax) for 2028–29 with 10‑year charters on four ships, plus a strategic investment in the Alaska LNG project to pursue long‑term LNG transport opportunities.
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed financial performance — adjusted EPS was $7.14 (adjusted net income $131.2M) versus $6.93 a year ago and Adjusted EBITDA was flat at $190M, while operating costs, G&A (including $6.6M of bonus awards) and interest expense increased and offset some revenue gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns maintained — declared a quarterly dividend of $0.0090 per share and continue buybacks with $65 million remaining under the $300 million repurchase program.

Presentation

[Operator]

Good day and welcome to the Danaos Corporation Conference Call to discuss the financial results for the three-month-ended December 31st, 2025. As a reminder, today's call is being recorded. Hosting the call today is Dr. John Coustas, Chief Executive Officer of Danaos Corporation, and Mr. Evangelos Chatzis, Chief Financial Officer of Danaos Corporation. Dr. Coustas and Mr. Chatzis will be making some introductory comments, and then we will open the call to a question-and-answer session.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

Thank you, Operator, and good morning to everyone, and thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, I quickly want to remind everyone that management's remarks this morning may contain certain forward-looking statements and that actual results could differ materially from those projected today. These forward-looking statements are made as of today, and we undertake no obligation to update them. Factors that might affect future results are discussed in our filings with the SEC, and we encourage you to review these detailed Safe Harbor and risk factor disclosures. Please also note that where we feel appropriate, we will continue to refer to non-GAAP financial measures such as EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income, Time Charter Equivalent revenues, and Time Charter Equivalent dollars per day to evaluate our business. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures are included in our earnings release and accompanying materials.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

With that, let me now turn the call over to Dr. John Coustas, who will provide the broad overview of the quarter. John?

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

Thank you, Evangelos. Good morning, and thank you all for joining today's call to discuss our results for the fourth quarter of 2025. In this quarter, it became evident that the business community continues to adapt quickly to geopolitical disruptions. Despite concerns that tariff and geopolitical uncertainty would cause the U.S. slowdown, it has not materialized. At the same time, the hype around AI-related investment has increased optimism, China's exports continue to set new records, and consequently, container volumes have reached record highs. With the Suez Canal still largely avoided by major liners and trade patterns increasingly transforming to multipolar, demand for midsize vessels has remained very strong. Against this background, we continue our strategy of securing long-term employment for our existing vessels through forward fixtures by either extending existing charters or by new charters, even for late 2027 deliveries. We also continue to invest in modern container vessels.

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

We ordered 6,180 TEU vessels, 4,530 TEU vessels, and 211,000 deadweight Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels for deliveries in 2028 and 2029. We have secured 10-year charters for four of these vessels, and the company's total contract revenue increased to EUR 4.3 billion as of the end of the quarter, giving us great earnings visibility into the future from which we derive comfort on our ability to manage any eventual future market developments. On the financing front, we completed a 7-year EUR 500 million unsecured bond offering at 6.875% coupon, one of the most competitively priced deals ever achieved in the shipping industry for an unsecured bond of such tenor, further diversifying the capital structure and reaffirming our access to the deep and liquid international debt capital markets. Our liquidity at year-end reached EUR 1.4 billion.

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

Backed by a strong financial profile, we have begun exploring selective investments in the energy sector to broaden revenue sources and expand the LNG business. In this context, Danaos became a strategic investor in the Alaska LNG project, providing access to LNG transportation opportunities associated with a facility planned to produce 20 million tons per annum. The company remained focused on positioning itself at the forefront of shipping and energy growth areas for the benefit of our shareholders. With that, I'll hand the call over back to Evangelos, who will take you through the financials for the quarter.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

Thank you, John, and good morning again. I will briefly review the results for the quarter and then open up the call to Q&A. We are reporting Adjusted EPS for the fourth quarter of 2025 of EUR 7.14 per share, or adjusted net income of EUR 131.2 million, compared to Adjusted EPS of EUR 6.93 per share, or adjusted net income of EUR 133.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2024.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

This EUR 2.1 million decrease in adjusted net income between the two quarters is the combined result of a EUR 6.6 million increase in total operating costs, mainly due to the increase in the average number of vessels in our fleet, a EUR 2.1 million legacy claim receipt that was booked in the fourth quarter of last year with no such booking in the current quarter, a EUR 1.8 million decrease in dividend income together with a EUR 0.1 million increase in equity loss on investments, all of those partially offset by an increase of EUR 8.1 million in operating revenues and a EUR 0.4 million decrease in net finance expenses.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

The increase in our containership fleet produced EUR 5.2 million of incremental operating revenues that were supplemented by an extra EUR 10.5 million of incremental revenues as a result of higher fleet utilization between the two periods, and EUR 2.2 million in additional revenues as a result of higher charter income of our dry bulk fleet. Those were partially offset by a decrease of EUR 7.8 million in revenues of our container segment as a result of lower contracted charter rates and EUR 2 million lower non-cash U.S. GAAP revenue recognition.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

Vessel operating expenses increased by EUR 2.8 million to EUR 48.4 million in the current quarter from EUR 54.6 million in the corresponding fourth quarter of 2024, mainly as a result of the increase in the average number of vessels in our fleet, while our daily operating cost increased to EUR 6,377 per vessel per day for the current quarter compared to EUR 6,135 per vessel per day in the fourth quarter of 2024. Our operating costs continue to remain among the most competitive in the industry. G&A expenses increased by EUR 6.7 million to EUR 28.4 million in the current quarter compared to EUR 21.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, and this is mainly attributed to incremental stock and cash bonus awards of EUR 6.6 million. Interest expense, excluding finance costs amortization, increased by EUR 4.2 million to EUR 13.4 million in the current quarter compared to EUR 9.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

This increase is the combined result of a EUR 5.8 million increase in interest expense due to an increase in our average indebtedness of around EUR 400 million between the two periods, partially offset by a reduction in the cost of debt service by approximately 50 basis points, mainly as a result of a decrease in SOFR costs between the two periods. This was partially offset by a EUR 1.6 million decrease in interest expense due to higher capitalized interest on vessels under construction between the two periods. At the same time, interest income came in at EUR 8.5 million in the current quarter versus EUR 3.9 million of interest income for the fourth quarter of 2024 due to the increased average cash balances, partially offset by lower interest rates.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

Adjusted EBITDA increased by 0.2%, or EUR 0.3 million to EUR 190 million in the current quarter from EUR 189.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 for regions that have already been outlined earlier on this call. We also encourage you to review our updated investor presentation that is posted on our website as well as subsequent event disclosures. Let me lay out a few of the highlights. Since the date of our last earnings release, we have added EUR 428 million to our contracted revenue backlog. As a result, our contract backlog from containerships has considerably improved and now stands at EUR 4.3 billion with a 4.3-year average charter duration. Contract coverage is already at 100%, for 2026, stands at 87%, for 2027, while even for 2028, we are already 64%, contracted in terms of operating days. Our investor presentation has an analytical disclosure on our contracted charter book.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

As of December 31st, 2025, our net debt stood at EUR 141 million, and this translates to a ratio of net debt to Adjusted EBITDA of 0.2x, while 61 out of our 85 vessel fleet are unencumbered and debt-free, with an extra 16 vessels that are encumbered as being secured to our revolving credit facility but are also debt-free since we haven't made any drawdowns under this facility. We have declared a dividend of EUR 0.0090 per share for this quarter. We continue to execute under our share repurchase program, and we currently have EUR 65 million remaining authority to repurchase stock under our EUR 300 million share repurchase program.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

Finally, as at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, cash stood at EUR 1 billion, while total liquidity, and that includes availability under our revolving credit facility and marketable securities, stood at EUR 1.4 billion, giving us ample flexibility to pursue accretive capital deployment opportunities. With that, I would like to thank you for listening to this first part of our call. Operator, we are now ready to open the call to Q&A.

[Operator]

We will now begin the question and answer session. To ask a question, you may press star then one on your telephone keypad. If you are using a speakerphone, please pick up your handset before pressing the keys. If at any time your question has been addressed and you would like to withdraw your question, please press star then two. At this time, we will pause momentarily to assemble our roster. The first question comes from Omar Nokta with Clarksons Platou Securities. Please go ahead.

[Omar Nokta, Managing Director at CLARKSON PLC]

Thank you. Hey, John, Evangelos. Another solid update.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

Hi, Omar.

[Omar Nokta, Managing Director at CLARKSON PLC]

Our continues to expand.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

Welcome back.

[Omar Nokta, Managing Director at CLARKSON PLC]

Thank you. Thank you.

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

Yeah. Congratulations on the continuation of your career.

[Omar Nokta, Managing Director at CLARKSON PLC]

Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Yeah, so just wanted to just ask about the business is obviously on solid footing, and with the backlog expanding, continuing to have plenty of flexibility. Just wanted to ask maybe if you could just touch a little bit more on the Alaska LNG project. As we understand it, Danaos would be the provider of choice for ships for the project. What do you expect in terms of project timing, of when decisions made, the number of ships that you'd be able to bring to the project, and then maybe a sense of duration of the charters if those come about?

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

Well, the current timeline is for completion of the projects in 2030. In terms of number of ships, there's going to be between 6 and 10 ships required for these volumes. It depends a bit also on the exact routing where the ships are going to be employed, but it's going to be definitely from Alaska to the Far East. But of course, it's different if it's, let's say, north in Korea or a bit more south towards Thailand area. So all that will play out a bit later, and we'll need to start really placing orders practically about a couple of years' time. In terms of duration, this project is really it's a very long-term project. We're talking about employment 10, 20 years, something like.

[Omar Nokta, Managing Director at CLARKSON PLC]

Okay. Thank you. That's helpful. So we'll see how things develop on that front. And then just a second question, then I'll pass it back. The Newcastlemax orders are interesting, and they come here after two or three years of you having invested in the existing Cape fleet. How should we think about further orders from here? Should we expect a series to come? And then how are you thinking about those vessels as they join your fleet? Are they additives to what you have currently, or are you kind of thinking about them being replacements?

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

Well, replacement. The fleet that we have now is, let's say, average whatever the Capesize fleet around 14 years old. So okay, these ships, they can trade easily until 20 years and in some trades even longer. On the other hand, we wanted to expand in this segment, and secondhand prices have gone dramatically up. And we decided really to move into the new buildings because we believe it's a much better value proposition.

[Omar Nokta, Managing Director at CLARKSON PLC]

Yeah. No, it makes sense. Okay. Well, very good. Thanks, John. Thanks, Evangelos. I appreciate your comments. I'll turn it back.

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

Great. Thank you.

[Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary at Danaos Corporation]

Thank you, Omar.

[Operator]

The next question comes from Climent Molins with Value Investor's. Please go ahead.

[Climent Molins, Head of Shipping Research at Value Investor's Edge]

Hi. Good afternoon, and thank you for taking my questions. I wanted to start by following up on Omar's question on the new Newcastlemax orders. Delivery is still a few years away, but should we initially expect those vessels to trade on spot? Because there has reportedly been some interest in recent weeks for long-term contracts on the new Newcastlemax size. Would there be any interest to fix these two vessels on those contracts?

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

Well, for the time being, no. I mean, these vessels will be chartered. I mean, there are plenty of takers, but mainly charter them on index. And because of their characteristics, they're going to have a pretty high kind of index, which makes this investment attractive.

[Climent Molins, Head of Shipping Research at Value Investor's Edge]

Makes sense. Following up on this, regarding your on-the-water Capesize, time charter rates have gone quite well in recent months, and I was wondering, is there any appetite to fix some vessels on medium-term contracts, or do you prefer to continue employing them on spot?

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

I think that we'll employ them mainly spot. If we find, let's say, some kind of extraordinary spike that we believe it's worth securing, that we can always secure it through FFAs or the vessels that we have on index. We can convert them on the same kind of basis. But overall, we want really to ride the spot market on these ships.

[Climent Molins, Head of Shipping Research at Value Investor's Edge]

Thanks for the caller. Makes a lot of sense. I'll pass it over. Thank you for taking my questions.

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

Thank you.

[Operator]

It appears we have no further questions at this time. I would like to turn the call back over to Dr. Coustas for any further comments or closing remarks.

[John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO at Danaos Corporation]

Thank you for joining this conference call and for your continued interest in our story. Look forward to hosting you in our next earnings call.

[Operator]

Thank you. This concludes today's teleconference. We would like to thank you, everyone, for their participation. Have a wonderful afternoon.

Participants

Executives

• Evangelos Chatzis, VP, CFO, and Treasurer and Secretary
• John Coustas, Chairman, President, and CEO

Analysts

• Climent Molins, Head of Shipping Research at Value Investor's Edge
• Omar Nokta, Managing Director at CLARKSON PLC