WESCO International(US:WCC)2025-10-30 15:02Financial 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 (CSS), 12% in Electrical and Electronic Solutions (EES), and a return to growth in Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS) [6][35] - Adjusted EPS grew 9.5% year-over-year and 16% sequentially, with both gross margin and EBITDA margin improving sequentially [7][36] - Organic sales growth accelerated to 12% in Q3, following 6% in Q1 and 7% in Q2, indicating four consecutive quarters of accelerating momentum [5][11] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - EES delivered organic sales growth of 12%, driven by construction, industrial, and OEM segments, with data center sales up 60% year-over-year [13][14] - CSS achieved 18% organic growth, primarily from data center solutions, which were up over 50% due to large project activity [15][16] - UBS saw a 3% increase in organic sales, led by high single-digit growth in investor-owned utilities, while public power remained soft [23][24] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total data center sales reached approximately $1.2 billion, representing 19% of total company sales on a trailing 12-month basis, with a year-over-year growth of 60% [6][18] - Backlog in UBS increased by 11% year-over-year, reflecting stronger customer order rates [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][9] - The strategic outlook for 2026 includes mid-single-digit organic sales growth, with continued strength in electrical markets and a return to growth in public power [37] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's ability to outperform markets due to secular growth trends in digitalization, electrification, and supply chain resiliency [9][36] - The company raised its full-year outlook for organic sales growth, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted EPS based on increasing business momentum [8][31] Other Important Information - The company redeemed $540 million of Series A Preferred Stock, optimizing its capital structure and reducing financing costs [27] - Free cash flow was a use of $89 million in Q3, attributed to increased working capital needs due to significant sales growth [10][25] Q&A Session Summary Question: How much did price contribute to growth by segment? - The overall pricing benefit in Q3 was just under 3%, with EES at about 4%, CSS at 2%, and UBS at 1% [39] Question: Can you discuss the strength in EES outside of data centers? - EES saw growth across all operating groups, particularly in construction and OEM, driven by robust demand in infrastructure projects [40][42] Question: Are you seeing 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][52] Question: What gives confidence in the return to growth for public power? - Public power is expected to return to growth in 2026, supported by improving customer order rates and inventory builds [109][110]