Powell Industries (NASDAQ: POWL) reported Q3 EPS of $0.30, $0.02 worse than the analyst estimate of $0.32. Revenue for the quarter came in at $118.1 million versus the consensus estimate of $128.81 million.

Brett A. Cope, Powell's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "As we continue to navigate through the global market uncertainty and challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, our number one priority remains the safety of our employees, customers and suppliers. I am very proud of all of our employees globally for their continued efforts embracing safe work practices across all of our facilities."

Mr. Cope continued, "Our third quarter results reflected another quarter of solid operating performance resulting in strong margins and cash flow despite the lower sequential and year-over-year revenues. Third quarter gross profit as a percentage of revenue was 18.1%, up 60 basis points from 17.5% in the same period last year as a result of strong project execution and cost management. Additionally, our focus on both operating costs and working capital throughout fiscal 2020 has enabled the business to further enhance our liquidity position, generating $46 million of operating cash flow during the fiscal third quarter."

"We have entered an unprecedented cycle across our industrial end markets, with increased uncertainty across the geographies where we operate and compete. Considering this and in an effort to align operating costs with the current market activity, during the quarter we took the difficult, but necessary decision to reduce our workforce in order to align operating costs with the current market activity."

Mr. Cope concluded by stating, "Looking forward, our backlog is solid at $532 million, up $125 million from the prior year and our balance sheet is very strong, particularly our current liquidity position coupled with minimal leverage. We remain focused on the success of our customers, by continuing to deliver high performance electrical distribution products, solutions and service support."

OUTLOOK

Commenting on the company's outlook, Michael Metcalf, Powell's Chief Financial Officer said, "We continue to show solid operational momentum through the fiscal third quarter of 2020, with both orders and earnings per share at their highest levels through the first nine months of the year dating back to fiscal 2015. As we close out fiscal 2020, we anticipate a more challenging commercial environment with respect to our broader industrial end markets. However, given our robust backlog position, as well as our year-to-date earnings and operational cash flow, we are confident that fiscal 2020 will be a strong year financially for the company."

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Powell Industries (POWL) click here.