Continued Volume Growth with Full Year
Guidance Unchanged
First quarter highlights
- Sales of $7.8 billion, an increase of 0.8%.
- Sales volume grew 3%, partially offset by continued deflation
of approximately 2%.
- Gross margin of 30.1%, down 10 bps from prior year.
- Operating margin of 8.6% (9.1% on an adjusted basis).
- Diluted earnings per share of $2.34 ($2.45 on an adjusted
basis).
- Declared quarterly dividend of $0.83, reflecting a 5% increase
over the prior year.
- Completed one acquisition during the quarter and one
subsequently.
- Share repurchases of $256 million during the quarter.
- Balance sheet remains strong with net debt to adjusted EBITDA
of 1.2x.
Kevin Murphy, Ferguson CEO, commented, “Our associates remained
focused on execution, delivering revenue growth in the quarter,
despite continued market headwinds and commodity price deflation.
The year has started largely as expected and our balanced business
mix and ability to deploy scale locally give us confidence in our
continued market outperformance. Our strong balance sheet and cash
generative model allow us to continue to invest for organic growth,
consolidate our fragmented markets through acquisitions and return
capital to shareholders.”
“Our fiscal 2025 financial guidance remains unchanged,
reflecting modest full year revenue growth with continued
outperformance. While we anticipate an ongoing challenging near
term market environment, we will continue to invest in scale and
capabilities to take advantage of multi-year structural tailwinds
such as underbuilt and aging U.S. housing, non-residential large
capital projects and our opportunity with the plumbing and HVAC
specialized professional.”
FY2025 Guidance (unchanged)
2025 Guidance
Net sales*
Low single digit growth
Adjusted operating margin**
9.0% - 9.5%
Interest expense
$180 - $200 million
Adjusted effective tax rate**
~26%
Capital expenditures
$400 - $450 million
* Net sales guidance assumes our markets
are down low single digits, inclusive of pricing slightly down for
the year. We assume continued Company market outperformance and
contribution from already completed acquisitions, offset in part by
one fewer sales day.
** The Company does not reconcile
forward-looking non-GAAP measures. See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations
and Supplementary information”.
Three months ended October
31,
US$ (In millions, except per share
amounts)
2024
2023
Change
Reported
Adjusted(1)
Reported
Adjusted(1)
Reported
Adjusted
Net sales
7,772
7,772
7,708
7,708
+0.8 %
+0.8 %
Gross margin
30.1 %
30.1 %
30.2 %
30.2 %
(10) bps
(10) bps
Operating profit
665
706
739
773
(10.0) %
(8.7) %
Operating margin
8.6 %
9.1 %
9.6 %
10.0 %
(100) bps
(90) bps
Earnings per share - diluted
2.34
2.45
2.54
2.65
(7.9) %
(7.5) %
Adjusted EBITDA
758
819
(7.4) %
Net debt(1) : Adjusted EBITDA
1.2x
1.0x
(1) The Company uses certain non-GAAP
measures, which are not defined or specified under U.S. GAAP. See
the section titled “Non-GAAP Reconciliations and Supplementary
Information.”
Summary of financial results
First quarter
Net sales of $7.8 billion were 0.8% ahead of last year driven by
an organic revenue decline of 0.3%, offset by acquisition growth of
1.1%. On a volumetric basis, total volume increased by
approximately 3% with organic volume up approximately 2%. Continued
weakness in certain commodity related categories drove modest
overall price deflation of around 2%.
Gross margin of 30.1% was 10 basis points lower than last year.
Operating expense growth was driven by volumetric growth, cost
inflation and continued investment in core capabilities for future
growth.
Reported operating profit was $665 million (8.6% operating
margin), 10.0% lower than last year. Adjusted operating profit of
$706 million (9.1% adjusted operating margin) was 8.7% below last
year.
Reported diluted earnings per share was $2.34 (Q1 2024: $2.54),
a decrease of 7.9% compared to last year, and adjusted diluted
earnings per share of $2.45 decreased 7.5% due to the lower
adjusted operating profit, partially offset by the impact of share
repurchases.
USA - first quarter
Net sales in the US business increased by 0.5%, with an organic
revenue decline of 0.4% offset by a 0.9% contribution from
acquisitions.
Residential end markets, which comprise just over half of US
revenue, remained down year-over-year with market activity similar
to the fourth quarter. Overall, our residential revenue was flat in
the first quarter.
Non-residential end markets, representing just under half of US
revenue, were slightly more resilient but also remain down
year-over-year. We continue to take share with non-residential
revenue growth of approximately 1% in the first quarter. Sales in
civil/infrastructure and industrial end markets were stronger with
commercial broadly flat. We continued to see good levels of
shipment and bidding activity on large capital projects.
Adjusted operating profit of $697 million was 9.0% or $69
million below last year.
We completed one acquisition during the quarter, Fresno Pipe and
Supply, a leading distributor of industrial pipes, valves and
fitting products in California. Additionally, subsequent to quarter
end we acquired Templeton and its affiliate, TEMSCO, which serve
the water and wastewater industries in the southeast.
Canada - first quarter
Net sales grew by 6.3%, with an organic revenue growth of 1.3%
and a 5.6% contribution from acquisitions, partially offset by a
0.6% adverse impact from foreign exchange rates. Markets have been
similar to that of the United States with non-residential activity
remaining more resilient than residential. Adjusted operating
profit of $23 million was flat to last year.
Segment overview
Three months ended October
31,
US$ (In millions)
2024
2023
Change
Net sales:
USA
7,369
7,329
+0.5 %
Canada
403
379
+6.3 %
Total net sales
7,772
7,708
+0.8 %
Adjusted operating profit:
USA
697
766
(9.0) %
Canada
23
23
Flat
Central and other costs
(14)
(16)
Total adjusted operating profit
706
773
(8.7) %
Financial position
Net debt to adjusted EBITDA at October 31, 2024 was 1.2x and
during the quarter we completed share repurchases of $256 million
with approximately $600 million remaining under our current share
repurchase program.
We declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 representing a 5%
growth over prior year. The dividend will be paid on February 6,
2025 to stockholders of record as of December 20, 2024.
During the quarter, we completed a public offering of $750
million of senior unsecured notes due in 2034. We used a portion of
the net proceeds from the sale of the notes to prepay certain
outstanding term loans, with the remaining proceeds to be used for
general corporate purposes.
There have been no other significant changes to the financial
position of the Company.
Investor conference call and webcast
A call with Kevin Murphy, CEO and Bill Brundage, CFO will
commence at 8:30 a.m. ET (1:30 p.m. GMT) today. The call will be
recorded and available on our website after the event at
corporate.ferguson.com.
Dial in number
US:
+1 646 233 4753
UK:
+44 (0) 20 3936 2999
Ask for the Ferguson call quoting 562266. To access the call via
your laptop, tablet or mobile device please go to
corporate.ferguson.com. If you have technical difficulties, please
click the “Listen by Phone” button on the webcast player and dial
the number provided.
About Ferguson
Ferguson (NYSE: FERG; LSE: FERG) is the largest value-added
distributor serving the specialized professional in our $340B
residential and non-residential North American construction market.
We help make our customers’ complex projects simple, successful and
sustainable by providing expertise and a wide range of products and
services from plumbing, HVAC, appliances, and lighting to PVF,
water and wastewater solutions, and more. Headquartered in Newport
News, Va., Ferguson has sales of $29.6 billion (FY’24) and
approximately 35,000 associates in nearly 1,800 locations. For more
information, please visit corporate.ferguson.com.
Analyst resources
For further information on quarterly financial breakdowns, visit
corporate.ferguson.com on the Investors menu under Analysts and
Resources.
Provisional financial calendar
Q2 Results for period ending January 31,
2025
March 11, 2025 with call from 8:30 a.m.
ET
Timetable for the quarterly dividend
The timetable for payment of the quarterly dividend of $0.83 per
share is as follows:
Ex-dividend date:
December 20, 2024
Record date:
December 20, 2024
Payment date:
February 6, 2025
Further details can be found on our website
corporate.ferguson.com, navigating to Investors, Shareholder
Center, Dividends / Dividend History.
The completion of cross-border movements of shares between the
U.K. and the U.S. is contingent upon the receiving broker
identifying and acknowledging any such movements. Where a
cross-border movement of shares has been initiated but not
completed by the relevant dividend record date (being December 20,
2024 for this quarterly dividend), there is a risk that the
dividend in respect of such shares will not be received on the
dividend payment date. Accordingly, shareholders are advised not to
initiate any cross-border movements of shares during the period
from December 18, 2024 through December 23, 2024 inclusive.
Cautionary note on forward-looking statements
Certain information included in this announcement is
forward-looking, including within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and involves risks,
assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied by
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements cover all
matters which are not historical facts and include, without
limitation, statements or guidance regarding or relating to our
future financial position, results of operations and growth, plans
and objectives for the future including our capabilities and
priorities, risks associated with changes in global and regional
economic, market and political conditions, ability to manage supply
chain challenges, ability to manage the impact of product price
fluctuations, our financial condition and liquidity, legal or
regulatory changes and other statements concerning the success of
our business and strategies. Forward-looking statements can be
identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including
terms such as “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,”
“forecasts,” “guidance,” “intends,” “continues,” “plans,”
“projects,” “goal,” “target,” “aim,” “may,” “will,” “would,”
“could” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other
variations or comparable terminology and other similar references
to future periods. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the
date on which they are made. They are not assurances of future
performance and are based only on our current beliefs, expectations
and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans
and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the
economy and other future conditions. Therefore, you should not
place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements.
Although we believe that the forward-looking statements contained
in this announcement are based on reasonable assumptions, you
should be aware that many factors could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking
statements, including but not limited to: weakness in the economy,
market trends, uncertainty and other conditions in the markets in
which we operate, and other factors beyond our control, including
disruption in the financial markets and any macroeconomic or other
consequences of political unrest, disputes or war; failure to
rapidly identify or effectively respond to direct and/or end
customers’ wants, expectations or trends, including costs and
potential problems associated with new or upgraded information
technology systems or our ability to timely deploy new omni-channel
capabilities; decreased demand for our products as a result of
operating in highly competitive industries and the impact of
declines in the residential and non-residential markets; changes in
competition, including as a result of market consolidation or
competitors responding more quickly to emerging technologies (such
as generative artificial intelligence (“AI”)); failure of a key
information technology system or process as well as exposure to
fraud or theft resulting from payment-related risks; privacy and
protection of sensitive data failures, including failures due to
data corruption, cybersecurity incidents or network security
breaches; ineffectiveness of or disruption in our domestic or
international supply chain or our fulfillment network, including
delays in inventory availability at our distribution facilities and
branches, increased delivery costs or lack of availability; failure
to effectively manage and protect our facilities and inventory or
to prevent personal injury to customers, suppliers or associates,
including as a result of workplace violence; unsuccessful execution
of our operational strategies; failure to attract, retain and
motivate key associates; exposure of associates, contractors,
customers, suppliers and other individuals to health and safety
risks; risks associated with acquisitions, partnerships, joint
ventures and other business combinations, dispositions or strategic
transactions; regulatory, product liability and reputational risks
and the failure to achieve and maintain a high level of product and
service quality or comply with responsible sourcing standards;
inability to renew leases on favorable terms or at all, as well as
any remaining obligations under a lease when we close a facility;
changes in, interpretations of, or compliance with tax laws; our
indebtedness and changes in our credit ratings and outlook;
fluctuations in product prices (e.g., commodity-priced materials,
inflation/deflation) and foreign currency; funding risks related to
our defined benefit pension plans; legal proceedings in the course
of our business as well as failure to comply with domestic and
foreign laws, regulations and standards, as those laws, regulations
and standards or interpretations and enforcement thereof may
change, or the occurrence of unforeseen developments such as
litigation, investigations, governmental proceedings or enforcement
actions; our failure to comply with the obligations associated with
being a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and
London Stock Exchange and the costs associated therewith; the costs
and risk exposure relating to environmental, social and governance
(“ESG”) matters, including sustainability issues, regulatory or
legal requirements, and disparate stakeholder expectations; adverse
impacts caused by a public health crisis; and other risks and
uncertainties set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on
September 25, 2024 and in other filings we make with the SEC in the
future.
Additionally, forward-looking statements regarding past trends
or activities should not be taken as a representation that such
trends or activities will continue in the future. Other than in
accordance with our legal or regulatory obligations, we undertake
no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
Ferguson Enterprises Inc.
Non-GAAP Reconciliations and Supplementary
Information
(unaudited)
Non-GAAP items
This announcement contains certain financial information that is
not presented in conformity with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP
financial measures include adjusted operating profit, adjusted
operating margin, adjusted net income, adjusted earnings per share
- diluted, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted effective tax rate, net debt
and net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio. The Company believes that
these non-GAAP financial measures provide users of the Company’s
financial information with additional meaningful information to
assist in understanding financial results and assessing the
Company’s performance from period to period. Management believes
these measures are important indicators of operations because they
exclude items that may not be indicative of our core operating
results and provide a better baseline for analyzing trends in our
underlying businesses, and they are consistent with how business
performance is planned, reported and assessed internally by
management and the Board. Such non-GAAP adjustments include
amortization of acquired intangible assets, discrete tax items, and
any other items that are non-recurring. Non-recurring items may
include various restructuring charges, gains or losses on the
disposals of businesses which by their nature do not reflect
primary operations, as well as certain other items deemed
non-recurring in nature and/or that are not a result of the
Company’s primary operations. Because non-GAAP financial measures
are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these
financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial
measures having the same or similar names. These non-GAAP financial
measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute
for results reported under U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial
measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of operations
that, when viewed with U.S. GAAP results, provide a more complete
understanding of the business. The Company strongly encourages
investors and shareholders to review the Company’s financial
statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and not to
rely on any single financial measure.
The Company does not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking
non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S.
GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis because it is
unable to predict with reasonable certainty or without unreasonable
effort non-recurring items, such as those described above, that may
arise in the future. The variability of these items is
unpredictable and may have a significant impact.
Summary of Organic Revenue
Management evaluates organic revenue as it provides a consistent
measure of the change in revenue year-on-year. Organic revenue
growth (or decline) is determined as the growth (or decline) in
total reported revenue excluding the growth (or decline)
attributable to currency exchange rate fluctuations, sales days,
acquisitions and disposals, divided by the preceding financial
year’s revenue at the current year’s exchange rates.
A summary of the Company’s historical revenue and organic
revenue growth is below:
Q1 2025
Q4 2024
Q3 2024
Q2 2024
Q1 2024
Revenue
Organic Revenue
Revenue
Organic Revenue
Revenue
Organic Revenue
Revenue
Organic Revenue
Revenue
Organic Revenue
USA
0.5
%
(0.4
)%
1.3
%
(0.2
)%
2.2
%
(0.9
)%
(2.2
)%
(3.7
)%
(2.7
)%
(5.0
)%
Canada
6.3
%
1.3
%
2.0
%
(1.2
)%
6.7
%
(0.6
)%
(3.7
)%
(3.3
)%
(5.0
)%
(3.3
)%
Total Company
0.8
%
(0.3
)%
1.4
%
(0.2
)%
2.4
%
(0.9
)%
(2.2
)%
(3.7
)%
(2.8
)%
(4.9
)%
For further details regarding organic revenue growth, visit
corporate.ferguson.com on the Investors menu under Analysts and
Resources.
Reconciliation of Net Income
to Adjusted Operating Profit and Adjusted EBITDA
Three months ended
October 31,
(In millions)
2024
2023
Net income
$
470
$
519
Provision for income taxes
154
172
Interest expense, net
46
45
Other expense, net
(5
)
3
Operating profit
665
739
Corporate restructurings(1)
3
—
Amortization of acquired intangibles
38
34
Adjusted Operating Profit
706
773
Depreciation & impairment of
PP&E
44
39
Amortization of non-acquired
intangibles
8
7
Adjusted EBITDA
$
758
$
819
(1) For the three months ended October 31,
2024, corporate restructurings primarily related to incremental
costs in connection with transition activities following the
establishment of our parent company’s domicile in the United
States.
Net Debt : Adjusted EBITDA
Reconciliation
To assess the appropriateness of its capital structure, the
Company’s principal measure of financial leverage is net debt to
adjusted EBITDA. The Company aims to operate with investment grade
credit metrics and keep this ratio within one to two times.
Net debt
Net debt comprises bank overdrafts, bank and other loans and
derivative financial instruments, excluding lease liabilities, less
cash and cash equivalents. Long-term debt is presented net of debt
issuance costs.
As of October 31,
(In millions)
2024
2023
Long-term debt
$
3,447
$
3,663
Short-term debt
550
55
Bank overdrafts(1)
5
28
Derivative liabilities
6
15
Cash and cash equivalents
(601
)
(743
)
Net debt
$
3,407
$
3,018
(1) Bank overdrafts are included in other
current liabilities in the Company’s Consolidated Balance
Sheets.
Adjusted EBITDA (Rolling 12-month)
Adjusted EBITDA is net income before charges/credits relating to
depreciation, amortization, impairment and certain non-GAAP
adjustments. A rolling 12-month adjusted EBITDA is used in the net
debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio to assess the appropriateness of the
Company’s financial leverage.
Twelve months ended
(In millions, except ratios)
October 31,
2024
2023
Net income
$
1,686
$
1,813
Provision for income taxes
711
550
Interest expense, net
180
188
Other expense, net
1
16
Corporate restructurings(1)
31
—
Impairments and other charges(2)
—
125
Depreciation and amortization
345
320
Adjusted EBITDA
$
2,954
$
3,012
Net Debt: Adjusted EBITDA
1.2x
1.0x
(1) For the rolling twelve months ended
October 31, 2024, corporate restructurings primarily related to
incremental costs in connection with establishing a new corporate
structure to domicile our ultimate parent company in the United
States, including transition activities following the domicile.
(2) For the rolling twelve months ended
October 31, 2023, impairments and other charges related to $107
million in software impairment charges in the United States, as
well as $18 million in charges associated with the closure of
certain smaller, underperforming branches in the United States.
Such amounts were mainly recorded in the third quarter of fiscal
year 2023.
Reconciliation of Net Income
to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS - Diluted
Three months ended
October 31,
(In millions, except per share
amounts)
2024
2023
per share(1)
per share(1)
Net income
$
470
$
2.34
$
519
$
2.54
Corporate restructurings(2)
3
0.01
—
—
Amortization of acquired intangibles
38
0.19
34
0.16
Discrete tax adjustments(3)
(7
)
(0.04
)
—
—
Tax impact-non-GAAP adjustments(4)
(10
)
(0.05
)
(10
)
(0.05
)
Adjusted net income
$
494
$
2.45
$
543
$
2.65
Diluted weighted-average shares
outstanding
201.3
204.6
(1) Per share on a dilutive basis.
(2) For the three months ended October 31,
2024, corporate restructurings primarily related to incremental
costs in connection with transition activities following the
establishment of our parent company’s domicile in the United
States.
(3) For the three months ended October 31,
2024, discrete tax adjustments mainly related to the tax treatment
of certain compensation items that is not material.
(4) For the three months ended October 31,
2024 and 2023, the tax impact on non-GAAP adjustments primarily
related to the amortization of acquired intangibles.
Ferguson Enterprises
Inc.
Condensed Consolidated
Statements of Earnings
(unaudited)
Three months ended
October 31,
(In millions, except per share
amounts)
2024
2023
Net sales
$
7,772
$
7,708
Cost of sales
(5,432
)
(5,377
)
Gross profit
2,340
2,331
Selling, general and administrative
expenses
(1,585
)
(1,512
)
Depreciation and amortization
(90
)
(80
)
Operating profit
665
739
Interest expense, net
(46
)
(45
)
Other income (expense), net
5
(3
)
Income before income taxes
624
691
Provision for income taxes
(154
)
(172
)
Net income
$
470
$
519
Earnings per share - Basic
$
2.34
$
2.55
Earnings per share - Diluted
$
2.34
$
2.54
Weighted average number of shares
outstanding:
Basic
200.8
203.8
Diluted
201.3
204.6
Ferguson Enterprises
Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance
Sheets
(unaudited)
As of
(In millions)
October 31, 2024
July 31, 2024
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents
$
601
$
571
Accounts receivable, net
3,642
3,602
Inventories
4,393
4,188
Prepaid and other current assets
963
1,020
Assets held for sale
26
29
Total current assets
9,625
9,410
Property, plant and equipment, net
1,780
1,752
Operating lease right-of-use assets
1,610
1,565
Deferred income taxes, net
186
181
Goodwill
2,363
2,357
Other non-current assets
1,294
1,307
Total assets
$
16,858
$
16,572
Liabilities and stockholders’
equity
Accounts payable
$
3,430
$
3,410
Other current liabilities
2,309
1,806
Total current liabilities
5,739
5,216
Long-term debt
3,447
3,774
Long-term portion of operating lease
liabilities
1,235
1,198
Other long-term liabilities
782
768
Total liabilities
11,203
10,956
Total stockholders' equity
5,655
5,616
Total liabilities and stockholders'
equity
$
16,858
$
16,572
Ferguson Enterprises
Inc.
Condensed Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
(unaudited)
(In millions)
Three months ended
October 31,
2024
2023
Cash flows from operating
activities:
Net income
$
470
$
519
Depreciation and amortization
90
80
Share-based compensation
11
13
Changes in inventories
(203
)
(217
)
Changes in receivables and other
assets
(4
)
(29
)
Changes in accounts payable and other
liabilities
(169
)
27
Other operating activities
150
164
Net cash provided by operating
activities
345
557
Cash flows from investing
activities:
Purchase of businesses acquired, net of
cash acquired
(22
)
(12
)
Capital expenditures
(77
)
(91
)
Other investing activities
—
7
Net cash used in investing
activities
(99
)
(96
)
Cash flows from financing
activities:
Purchase of treasury shares
(256
)
(108
)
Net change in debt and bank overdrafts
75
(39
)
Cash dividends
—
(152
)
Other financing activities
(33
)
(14
)
Net cash used in financing
activities
(214
)
(313
)
Change in cash, cash equivalents and
restricted cash
32
148
Effects of exchange rate changes
(3
)
(9
)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted
cash, beginning of period
625
669
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted
cash, end of period
$
654
$
808
View source
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For further information please contact
Investor relations Brian Lantz, Vice President IR and
Communications Mobile: +1 224 285 2410
Pete Kennedy, Director of Investor Relations Mobile: +1 757 603
0111
Media inquiries Christine Dwyer, Senior Director of
Communications and PR Mobile: +1 757 469 5813
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