Generac Holdings Inc GNRC reported first-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 88 cents, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 72 cents. GNRC reported adjusted EPS of 63 cents in the prior-year period.
Net sales came in at $889.3 million compared with $887.9 million in the prior-year quarter. The figure also topped the consensus estimate of $885.5 million. An increase in Residential product sales cushioned the top-line performance.
In the quarter under review, core sales growth (excluding the impact of acquisitions and foreign currency) fell 1% year over year.
Generac Holdings Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Generac Holdings Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Generac Holdings Inc. Quote
GNRC reiterated its sales expectations for 2024.
For 2024, GNRC expects revenues to increase in the range of 3-7%, including a slight net favorable impact from foreign currency changes.
Net income margin (before deducting for non-controlling interests) is now anticipated in the 6-7% band compared with the earlier guided range of 6.5-7.5%.
Adjusted EBITDA margin is estimated in the 16.5-17.5% band.
Shares of GNRC are up 1.6% in the pre-market trading on May 1. The stock has gained 32.2% of its value compared with the sub-industry’s decline of 26.9%.
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Quarter in Details
Segment-wise, Domestic revenues totaled $720.5 million compared with $720 million in the prior-year quarter. Results were aided by increased shipments of home standby generators and higher C&I product sales to industrial distributors. This was mostly offset by reduced portable generator sales and lower C&I product shipments to telecom and national rental equipment clients.
International revenues fell 14% year over year to $186.7 million. However, acquisitions and favorable foreign currency movement provided a positive impact of 4%. Core revenues were down 18% due to weak inter-segment sales (owing to softness in the telecom market) and reduced portable generator shipments in Europe.
Product-wise, revenues from Residential inched up 2% to $429 million. C&I revenues totaled $354 million, down 2% year over year. Revenues from the Other product class totaled $106.4 million, up 0.3% year over year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Residential and C&I products’ first-quarter revenues was pegged at $460 million and $311 million, respectively.
Margins
Gross profit was $316.4 million, up from $272.5 million in the prior-year quarter, with respective margins of 35.6% and 30.7%. Gross profit margin performance gained from favorable sales mix, production efficiencies and lower input expenses.
Total operating expenses were $249.5 million, up 9.4% year over year mainly due to higher employee costs and marketing spend.
Operating income came in at $66.9 million, up 50.3% year over year. Adjusted EBITDA, before deducting for non-controlling interests, was $127 million compared with $100 million a year ago.
Cash Flow & Liquidity
In the first quarter, the company generated $111.9 million of net cash from operating activities. Free cash flow totaled $85.1 million.
As of Mar 31, 2024, GNRC had $249.4 million of cash and cash equivalents, with nearly $1.440 billion of long-term borrowings and finance lease obligations.
During the reported quarter, the company did not repurchase any share. GNRC bought back 2.2 million shares for $252 million in 2023.
In February 2024, GNRC approved a new share buyback authorization that allows for repurchase of up to $500 million over the next 24 months. It replaced the remaining balance on the earlier program.
Zacks Rank
Generac currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks worth consideration in the broader technology space are Badger Meter BMI, Salesforce CRM and The Descartes Systems Group Inc DSGX. While BMI sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), CRM and DSGX carry a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) each at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Badger Meter’s 2024 EPS is pegged at $3.89, which moved north 9.9% in the past 60 days. The company’s long-term earnings growth rate is 15.6%.
BMI’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, the average surprise being 12.7%. Shares of BMI have soared 32.9% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRM’s fiscal 2025 EPS is pegged at $9.71. Salesforce’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, the average surprise being 5.1%.
The long-term earnings growth rate for CRM is 17.4%. Shares of CRM have risen 38.7% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DSGX’s fiscal 2025 EPS has increased 3% in the past 60 days to $1.69. Descartes’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters and missed the same in the other two, delivering an average surprise of 5.1%. Shares of DSGX have risen 18.7% in the past year.
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Salesforce Inc. (CRM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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Generac Holdings Inc. (GNRC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
The Descartes Systems Group Inc. (DSGX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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