WESCO International(US:WCC)2025-10-30 15:00Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported record quarterly sales of $6.2 billion, marking an 18% organic growth in Communications and Security Solutions, 12% in Electrical and Electronic Solutions, and a return to growth in Utility and Broadband Solutions [7][36] - Adjusted EPS grew 9.5% year over year and 16% sequentially, with both gross margin and EBITDA margin improving sequentially [8][36] - Organic sales growth accelerated to 12% in Q3, following 6% in Q1 and 7% in Q2, indicating four consecutive quarters of accelerating momentum [6][36] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Electrical and Electronic Solutions (EES) saw organic sales up 12% year over year, driven by growth across all operating groups, particularly in construction and OEM [15][16] - Communications and Security Solutions (CSS) delivered organic sales growth of 18%, supported by strong demand in data center solutions [16][17] - Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS) reported a 3% increase in organic sales, marking a return to growth after seven quarters of declines, driven by investor-owned utilities [23][36] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total data center sales reached approximately $1.2 billion, up 60% year over year, representing 19% of total Q3 company sales on a trailing 12-month basis [7][19] - The broadband segment experienced over 20% year-over-year growth, indicating a significant improvement from previous quarters [23] - Backlog increased 11% year over year, reflecting stronger customer order rates across various segments [23] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on accelerating cross-selling initiatives and driving enterprise-wide margin improvement through technology-driven business transformation [8][10] - The strategic outlook includes capitalizing on secular growth trends such as digitalization, electrification, and supply chain resiliency, with expectations for continued market-leading growth into 2026 [10][36] - The company raised its full-year outlook for organic sales growth and adjusted EBITDA based on increasing business momentum [8][32] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's ability to outperform markets due to strong portfolio strength and ongoing secular growth trends [10][36] - The outlook for 2026 includes expectations for mid-single-digit organic sales growth and continued strength in electrical markets, with a return to full-year growth in utility services [37] - Management acknowledged challenges related to working capital investments but emphasized the high quality of cash flow issues due to significant sales growth [71] Other Important Information - The company redeemed $540 million in Series A preferred stock, marking a significant milestone in capital structure optimization [27] - Free cash flow was a use of $89 million in Q3, attributed to increased working capital needs due to significant growth [24][25] - The company is experiencing a dynamic tariff environment, with supplier price increase notifications up over 100% in count, but the impact on results was limited [28] Q&A Session Summary Question: How much did price contribute to growth by segment? - Overall pricing benefit in Q3 was just under 3%, with EES at about 4%, CSS at about 2%, and UBS at about 1% [39] Question: Can you discuss the strength in EES outside of data centers? - EES saw growth across construction, industrial, and OEM sectors, with construction up mid-teens driven by infrastructure projects [42][44] Question: Is there a crowd-out effect from AI and tech spending? - There is no observed crowd-out effect; EES growth is attributed to overall market outperformance [51] Question: What is the outlook for public power in the utility segment? - Public power is expected to return to growth in 2026, with current softness attributed to inventory build issues [108]