Genuine Parts Company (GPC) Q2 2025 Earnings Call July 22, 2025 08:30 AM ET Company ParticipantsTim Walsh - VP - IRWilliam Stengel - President, CEO & DirectorBert Nappier - EVP and CFOBret Jordan - Managing DirectorGreg Malik - Managing DirectorKate McShane - Managing DirectorConference Call ParticipantsScot Ciccarelli - MD & Senior Equity Research AnalystChristopher Horvers - Senior AnalystMichael Lasser - Equity Research Analyst - Hardlines, Broadlines & Food RetailOperatorDay, ladies and gentlemen. Welco ...

Considering buying FAST stock? Here's what analysts think: Read This Next: Photo via Shutterstock Fastenal Company FAST reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings on Monday. Fastenal reported quarterly earnings of 29 cents per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of 28 cents per share. The company reported quarterly sales of $2.08 billion which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. Gross margin rose slightly to 45.3% of net sales, driven by modest price/cost benefits an ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Sales in Q2 2025 increased by 8.6%, marking the highest daily growth since early 2023, with revenue surpassing $2 billion for the first time in company history [5][6][38] - Earnings per share (EPS) rose to $0.29, a 12.7% increase from the previous year [22][45] - Operating margin for the quarter was 21%, up 80 basis points year-over-year, while gross margin improved to 45.3%, up 20 basis points [43][44] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Contract customer sales increased by 11%, now representing 73.2% of total revenues, up from 71.2% the previous year [8] - Revenue from sites generating $10,000 or more per month increased by 11.6%, with a nearly 7% rise in the number of such sites [9] - Non-manufacturing sites in the $50,000+ category saw revenue growth of 30% year-over-year, with site count increasing over 18% [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Despite sluggish end market demand, the company experienced a healthy pace of contract signings, with double-digit growth in national, regional, and government contracts for 15 consecutive months [40] - The company noted that trade policy continues to create caution in the market, but they have historically been able to gain market share during periods of disruption [42][43] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on strengthening customer relationships and enhancing its role beyond just a distributor, aiming to deliver measurable value to customers [7] - A strategic realignment of sales teams has been implemented to better serve various customer segments, particularly in non-manufacturing sectors [11][12] - The company plans to relaunch its e-commerce platform in late 2025 to better capture spot buy needs from all customer categories [10][81] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in achieving double-digit sales growth in the second half of 2025, supported by a strong pipeline of contracts [70] - The company anticipates that inventory investments will yield returns, particularly as they navigate tariffs and inflation [56][48] - Management acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding trade policies but remains optimistic about the company's ability to adapt and maintain market share [42][91] Other Important Information - The company executed a two-for-one stock split in May 2025, with prior year EPS adjusted accordingly [46] - Operating cash generation was $279 million, representing 84.4% of net income, indicating strong cash flow despite increased inventory investments [46][47] Q&A Session Summary Question: Contribution margins for $10,000+ customers - Management indicated that contribution margins for the $10,000+ customer segment align closely with company averages, benefiting from improved SG&A leverage [51][52] Question: Inventory investment expectations - Management clarified that inventory investments are already yielding attractive returns and will continue to improve as they rationalize inventory levels [54][56] Question: Gross margins outlook - Management expects gross margins to remain flat year-over-year in the second half of 2025, with deeper inventory of fasteners contributing positively to margins [62][64] Question: Sales outlook and contract signings - Management expressed confidence in maintaining double-digit sales growth due to a strong pipeline of contracts and ongoing pricing actions [70][72] Question: Enhancements to e-commerce channels - Management discussed plans to improve e-commerce capabilities to capture more spot buy needs, particularly from smaller customers [78][81] Question: Customer solution consultant program success - Management confirmed the continued success of the customer solution consultant program, which has been instrumental in driving contract success [96][97]

Company Overview - MRC Global Inc. is a leading global distributor of pipe, valves, fittings (PVF), and other infrastructure products and services, serving diversified end-markets such as gas utilities, downstream, industrial and energy transition, and production and transmission infrastructure sectors [2] - The company has over 100 years of experience and operates a worldwide network of approximately 200 locations, including valve and engineering centers [2] - MRC Global offers around 200,000 SKUs from over 7,100 suppliers, simplifying the supply chain for over 8,300 customers [2] Upcoming Financial Results - MRC Global will release its second quarter 2025 results on August 6, 2025, before the market opens [1] - The company will not host a conference call or webcast to discuss these results due to the pending combination with DNOW Inc. [1]

Core Insights - Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (AIT) is experiencing growth in its technology, food & beverage, pulp & paper, and transportation markets, with the Engineered Solutions segment's revenues increasing by 13.5% year over year in Q3 of fiscal 2025 [1] Group 1: Market Performance - The Engineered Solutions segment is benefiting from strong demand in technology-related fluid power, automation, and industrial verticals, contributing to revenue growth [1] - AIT's stock has gained 31.5% over the past year, outperforming the industry growth of 9.7% [8] Group 2: Acquisitions and Growth - The company made strategic acquisitions, including IRIS Factory Automation, which is expected to enhance its automation offerings and contribute positively to sales [2] - The acquisition of Hydradyne is anticipated to boost fluid power offerings and create cross-selling opportunities, adding $260 million in sales and $30 million in EBITDA [3] Group 3: Financial Returns to Shareholders - AIT has been committed to returning value to shareholders, paying out $46.2 million in dividends in the first nine months of fiscal 2025, marking an 11.2% increase year over year [4] - The company increased its quarterly dividend rate by 24% in January 2025 and authorized a new share buyback program to repurchase up to 1.5 million shares [5] Group 4: Challenges - Despite the growth in certain segments, AIT is facing challenges in its Service Center Based Distribution segment due to reduced spending on maintenance and operations, which has negatively impacted performance [9] - The company's SG&A expenses increased by 4.1% year over year, with a rise in operating costs affecting overall profitability [10]

Core Viewpoint - Fastenal Company (FAST) is expected to report its second-quarter 2025 results on July 14, with earnings per share estimated at 28 cents, reflecting a 12% year-over-year growth, and net sales projected at $2.06 billion, indicating a 7.6% increase from the previous year [1][2]. Group 1: Sales Performance - Fastenal's net sales in the last reported quarter exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.5%, with a year-over-year increase of 3.4% [1]. - The average daily sales (ADS) for May 2025 grew by 9.3% to $32.7 million, showing a 4.1% increase from April 2025 [3]. - In May 2025, daily sales in Heavy Manufacturing and Other Manufacturing increased by 8.6% and 12.8%, respectively, while Non-residential Construction grew by 3.3% [4]. Group 2: Growth Drivers - The anticipated growth in sales is attributed to improved customer contract signing trends, enhanced digital presence, and increased investments in sales resources [2]. - A balanced mix of onsite and offsite services, along with market share gains across various product categories, is expected to contribute to the sales uptick [2]. - Daily sales growth for contract and non-contract customers was 12% and 4%, respectively, with eBusiness sales increasing by 14% in May [4]. Group 3: Margin and Cost Management - Fastenal's bottom line is projected to improve due to active cost control measures aimed at countering cost inflation, including warehouse automation and increased delivery efficiency [6]. - Despite facing elevated occupancy and employee-related expenses, the company is expected to achieve a 12% growth in EPS driven by sales growth and margin expansion initiatives [7]. - Total operating expenses as a percentage of net sales are expected to contract by 60 basis points to 24.3% for the upcoming quarter [8]. Group 4: Earnings Prediction - The Zacks model predicts an earnings beat for Fastenal, supported by a positive Earnings ESP of +3.05% and a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [9][10].

Group 1 - Fastenal is predicted to post quarterly earnings of $0.28 per share, reflecting a 12% increase year-over-year, with revenues forecasted at $2.06 billion, representing a 7.6% increase [1] - Over the past 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate has been adjusted upward by 1.2%, indicating a reassessment of initial projections by analysts [2] - Changes in earnings projections are crucial for predicting investor reactions, with empirical studies showing a strong correlation between earnings estimate trends and short-term stock price movements [3] Group 2 - Analysts expect 'Business days' to remain at 64 days, unchanged from the previous year [4] - The consensus estimate for 'Daily sales' is $32.12, up from $29.90 a year ago, while 'Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings (MEUs)' are expected to reach 7,615, compared to 7,188 in the same quarter last year [5] - The forecast for 'Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations (MEUs; end of period)' is 133,889, an increase from 119,306 reported in the same quarter last year [6] Group 3 - Fastenal shares have changed by +0.3% in the past month, contrasting with the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.9% movement, indicating that FAST is expected to closely follow overall market performance [6]

Group 1 - Fastenal Company is set to release its second-quarter earnings results on July 14, with analysts expecting earnings of 28 cents per share, an increase from 25 cents per share in the same period last year [1] - The projected quarterly revenue for Fastenal is $2.07 billion, compared to $1.92 billion a year earlier [1] - On April 23, Fastenal announced a two-for-one stock split [1] Group 2 - Fastenal shares experienced a decline of 0.4%, closing at $42.68 [2] - Benzinga provides access to the latest analyst ratings for Fastenal, allowing readers to sort by various criteria [2] Group 3 - Morgan Stanley analyst Chris Snyder maintained an Equal-Weight rating and raised the price target from $38 to $40 [4] - Stephens & Co. analyst Tommy Moll maintained an Equal-Weight rating and increased the price target from $75 to $80 [4] - Baird analyst David Manthey maintained a Neutral rating and raised the price target from $80 to $86 [4] - William Blair analyst Ryan Merkel upgraded the stock from Market Perform to Outperform [4] - Stifel analyst Brian Butler maintained a Hold rating and cut the price target from $86 to $82 [4]

Financial Performance - Average daily sales decreased by 0.8% year-over-year, but showed a 7% quarter-over-quarter improvement, exceeding historical sequential averages[6, 36] - Gross margin increased by 10 bps year-over-year to 41.0%, primarily due to favorable price/cost dynamics[6, 36] - Reported and adjusted operating margins both decreased by 240 bps year-over-year, mainly due to lower revenues and higher operating expenses[6, 36] - The company generated $182 million in free cash flow year-to-date, representing 129% of net income[6, 36] - Net sales were $971.1 million in Q3 2025, compared to $979.4 million in Q3 2024[17] - Reported earnings per diluted share were $1.02 in Q3 2025, compared to $1.27 in Q3 2024[23] Sales & Customer - Core and Other Customer average daily sales showed improving year-over-year trends, with 8% quarter-over-quarter growth[6, 36] - Customers with an In-Plant program sales increased by 10%, representing 19% of sales[24] - Sales through vending machines increased by 8%, representing 19% of sales[24] Capital Allocation - Approximately 117 thousand shares were repurchased in Q3 2025[6] - Approximately $181 million was returned to shareholders year-to-date through dividends and share repurchases[6] Outlook - The company anticipates average daily sales to increase between -0.5% to 1.5% year-over-year in Q4 2025[35] - Adjusted operating margin is expected to be between 8.5% and 9.0% in Q4 2025[35]

Core Insights - MSC Industrial Supply Co. reported a net sales of $971.1 million for Q3 FY25, a decrease of 0.8% compared to $979.4 million in Q3 FY24 [2][7] - The company experienced a significant decline in income from operations, which fell by 22.5% to $82.7 million from $106.8 million year-over-year [2][7] - Diluted earnings per share (EPS) decreased to $1.02 from $1.27, reflecting a 19.7% decline [2][7] Financial Performance - Net sales for the year-to-date (YTD) period were $2,791.3 million, down 2.7% from $2,868.7 million in the previous year [2] - Adjusted income from operations for Q3 FY25 was $87.2 million, a decrease of 21.8% from $111.5 million in Q3 FY24 [2][7] - The adjusted operating margin for Q3 FY25 was 9.0%, down from 11.4% in Q3 FY24 [2][7] Shareholder Returns - The company returned approximately $56 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the fiscal third quarter, totaling about $181 million returned YTD [4] - The strong free cash flow performance allowed the company to maintain shareholder returns despite declining sales [4] Strategic Focus - The CEO highlighted early signs of progress in three strategic areas: reenergizing core customers, maintaining momentum in high-touch solutions, and optimizing cost to serve [4] - The company aims to restore performance consistent with long-term objectives, targeting growth of 400 basis points or more above the Industrial Production (IP) Index and expanding operating margins to the mid-teens [4] Outlook - The company provided a fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 outlook, projecting average daily sales growth between -0.5% and 1.5% year-over-year [5] - The adjusted operating margin is expected to be between 8.5% and 9.0% for the upcoming quarter [5]