ITT (US:ITT)2025-05-01 12:30Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - ITT reported record orders exceeding $1 billion in Q1 2025, a 7% increase year-over-year, with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.15 and a backlog of $1.8 billion, up 21% year-over-year [6][10] - Adjusted EPS for Q1 was $1.45, reflecting a 7% increase, and free cash flow reached a record $77 million, up more than 150% [7][22] - Operating income grew 2% on flat sales, with margins expanding by 30 basis points to 17.4% [6][20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Industrial Process (IP) orders grew 14%, with a 11% organic increase, driven by large project awards [7] - Connect and Control (CCT) saw nearly 40% growth, significantly influenced by large platform awards in defense [8] - Motion Technologies (MT) achieved a margin expansion of 160 basis points, reaching nearly 20% despite foreign exchange headwinds [8][20] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The backlog in IP reached a record $1 billion, up 15% year-over-year, indicating strong demand despite a slight slowdown in the funnel [52] - CCT experienced over 20% growth in defense connectors, while general industrial connectors grew 4% [19] - The marine pump shipments in Svenahoy contributed to strong performance in IP, offsetting lower pump shipments [20] Company Strategy and Development Direction - ITT is focusing on innovation, exemplified by the launch of Vida, which aims to revolutionize the flow industry by embedding variable speed technology into motors [11][12] - The company is maintaining its full-year adjusted guidance for 2025, despite macroeconomic uncertainties, and is committed to capital deployment through share repurchases [10][33] - ITT continues to invest in high-growth regions like Saudi Arabia and India to enhance market share [7][60] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in a strong second quarter, with adjusted EPS growth expected to be around 8% at the midpoint [10][29] - The company is closely monitoring the impact of tariffs, estimating a cost exposure of $50 million to $60 million for the remainder of 2025, while implementing pricing actions to mitigate this [30][101] - Management noted that the backlog remains strong, and project execution margins are improving, providing confidence in revenue growth for 2025 [52][53] Other Important Information - ITT repurchased $300 million of shares in April 2025, in addition to $100 million in Q1, reducing the share count by 4% for the year [9] - The company is targeting $500 million to $700 million in M&A opportunities for the year, indicating a healthy pipeline despite market uncertainties [41] Q&A Session Summary Question: What drove the significant increase in orders? - Management indicated that the increase was not due to pre-buying but rather strong project orders in IP, which were up 47%, and successful acquisitions [39][40] Question: What is the rationale behind the large share buyback? - The buyback was to reaffirm confidence in ITT's long-term outlook, not due to a lack of M&A opportunities [41][42] Question: How does the company view the impact of tariffs? - The company expects to offset tariff costs through pricing actions and has not seen significant customer deferrals in capital investments [30][135] Question: What is the outlook for the IP segment? - Management remains confident in IP's performance, citing a strong backlog and project execution margins that are improving [52][53] Question: How is the company addressing potential risks in Saudi Arabia? - Management reported no change in customer tone and continued growth in orders from the oil and gas sector [60][61] Question: What are the pricing trends in Motion Technologies? - The pricing cost equation remains positive, with expectations to recover fluctuations in commodity costs through customer negotiations [110]