WESCO Int'l (WCC) Tops Q4 EPS by 5c, Beats on Revenues
WESCO Int'l (NYSE: WCC) reported Q4 EPS of $1.03, $0.05 better than the analyst estimate of $0.98. Revenue for the quarter came in at $2 billion versus the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion.
The following are results for the three months ended December 31, 2017 compared to the three months ended December 31, 2016:
- Net sales were $2.0 billion for the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to $1.79 billion for the fourth quarter of 2016, an increase of 11.3%. Organic sales for the fourth quarter of 2017 grew by 10.1% as foreign exchange rates had a 1.2% positive impact on net sales. Sequentially, net sales decreased 0.2% and organic sales increased 1.6%.
- Cost of goods sold for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $1.61 billion and gross profit was $383.1 million, compared to cost of goods sold and gross profit of $1.44 billion and $348.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2016, respectively. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit was 19.2% and 19.4% for the fourth quarter of 2017 and 2016, respectively.
- Selling, general and administrative expenses were $285.4 million, or 14.3% of net sales, for the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to $249.9 million, or 13.9% of net sales, for the fourth quarter of 2016.
- Operating profit was $81.4 million for the current quarter, compared to $82.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2016. Operating profit as a percentage of net sales was 4.1% for the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to 4.6% for the fourth quarter of 2016.
- Net interest expense for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $17.6 million, compared to $17.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2016. Non-cash interest expense for the fourth quarter of 2017 and 2016, which includes amortization of debt discounts and debt issuance costs, and interest related to uncertain tax positions, was $1.0 million and $1.7 million, respectively.
- The effective tax rate for the current quarter was 65.2%, compared to 26.0% for the prior year fourth quarter. As adjusted, the effective tax rate for the fourth quarter of 2017 was 23.9%. The higher effective tax rate in the current quarter as compared to the effective tax rate for the prior year\'s comparable quarter is due to $26.4 million of provisional discrete income tax expense related to the application of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA).
- Net income attributable to WESCO International, Inc. was $22.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to a net income of $47.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2016. Adjusted net income attributable to WESCO International, Inc. was $48.9 million for the fourth quarter of December 31, 2017.
- Earnings per diluted share was $0.47 for the fourth quarter of 2017, based on 47.5 million diluted shares, compared to earnings per diluted share of $0.96 for the fourth quarter of 2016, based on 49.2 million shares. Adjusted earnings per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $1.03.
- Operating cash flow for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $68.0 million, compared to $83.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2016. The reduction in operating cash flow was primarily driven by changes in working capital to support sales growth. Free cash flow for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $62.5 million, or 129% of adjusted net income, compared to $78.2 million, or 164% of adjusted net income, for the fourth quarter of 2016.
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