Wesco Announces 4Q and Full Year 2023 Results

PITTSBURGH — Wesco International announced its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2023.

Engel continued, “The long-term secular growth trends that we have consistently described will continue to provide Wesco with the opportunity to outperform the market and our competition. While we view the general economic conditions in 2024 as favorable, we are mindful of the uncertain backdrop the election cycle, easing inflation, geopolitical upheaval, and short-term borrowing rates may have on demand. Regardless of these near-term impacts, as a market leader, we expect to benefit from our global capabilities, leading scale and expanded portfolio.”

Engel added, “Our substantial investment and commitment to our digital transformation are expected to magnify those benefits as we roll out that program over the next 36 months. The substantial cash flow that Wesco generates has supported that investment over the last two years while allowing us to return capital to our shareholders. In 2024, we expect to grow our sales by 1% to 4% as continued growth in several of the markets we serve is partially offset by underperforming sectors. We expect to generate approximately $700 million of free cash flow and I am pleased to announce we plan to increase our common stock dividend by 10% to $1.65 per year while continuing our share repurchase program. Importantly, we are also reducing our long-term targeted financial leverage range to 1.5 to 2.5 times net debt to adjusted EBITDA. I am confident that Wesco will outperform our markets this year, and we are positioned to deliver sales growth and continue toward our long-term EBITDA margin expansion goal.”

Engel concluded, “I want to finish with a brief word about the successful completion of our three-year integration of Anixter. The acquisition of Anixter literally transformed Wesco. This transaction not only established Wesco as the clear leader in several of our business segments, but it also mix-shifted our business to higher growth and higher margin end-markets, reducing our cyclicality and increasing our resilience across all phases of the economic cycle. Looking at our performance metrics since the acquisition underscores the extraordinary performance and commitment of the entire Wesco team. Sales increased 30% and adjusted EBITDA increased 89% versus the 2019 performance of the standalone companies with EBITDA margin expansion of 240 basis points. Since closing the Anixter merger in June 2020 to the end of 2023, total shareholder return was 353% compared to 62% for the S&P 500. Today, Wesco is much more than a traditional distributor. We are a critical partner to both our supplier partners and to our global set of customers. The combination of Wesco and Anixter has created a new paradigm. The digital transformation that we committed to at the time of the acquisition is designed to take that new paradigm and create the Wesco of tomorrow, empowering us to capitalize on the long-term secular trends from which we are uniquely positioned to benefit compared to our competitors.”

The following are results for the three months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended December 31, 2022:

• Net sales were $5.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to $5.6 billion for the fourth quarter of 2022, a decrease of 1.5%. Organic sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 declined 2.6%, as the acquisition of Rahi Systems, which closed in November of 2022, and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates positively impacted reported net sales by 0.7% and 0.4%, respectively. The decrease in organic sales reflects volume declines in certain businesses, partially offset by growth in industrial, utility, data center and network infrastructure and price inflation. Backlog at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023 declined by 10% compared to the end of the fourth quarter of 2022. Sequentially, backlog declined by approximately 1% in the quarter.
• Cost of goods sold was $4.3 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023 and 2022, and gross profit was $1.2 billion for both periods. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit was 21.4% and 21.9% for the fourth quarter of 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decline in gross profit as a percentage of net sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 primarily reflects lower supplier volume rebates and a shift in sales mix.
• Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $810.1 million, or 14.8% of net sales, for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to $793.1 million, or 14.3% of net sales, for the fourth quarter of 2022. SG&A expenses for the fourth quarter of 2023 and 2022 include merger-related and integration costs of $10.0 million and $15.2 million, respectively. SG&A expenses for the fourth quarter of 2023 also includes $1.3 million of restructuring costs. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, and restructuring costs, SG&A expenses were $798.8 million, or 14.6% of net sales, for the fourth quarter of 2023 and $777.8 million, or 14.0% of net sales, for the fourth quarter of 2022. Adjusted SG&A expenses for the fourth quarter of 2023 reflect higher salaries and benefits due to wage inflation, including the impact of the Rahi Systems acquisition, partially offset by the impact of headcount reductions taken at the end of the second quarter of 2023. Increased costs to operate our facilities also contributed to higher SG&A expenses. In addition, digital transformation initiatives contributed to higher expenses in the fourth quarter of 2023, including those related to professional services and consulting fees. These increases were partially offset by the realization of integration cost synergies and a reduction to incentive compensation expense.
• Depreciation and amortization for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $44.8 million compared to $43.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, an increase of $1.4 million.
• Operating profit was $315.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to $381.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, a decrease of $66.0 million, or 17.3%. Operating profit as a percentage of net sales was 5.8% for the current quarter, compared to 6.9% for the fourth quarter of the prior year. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, restructuring costs, and accelerated trademark amortization, operating profit was $327.5 million, or 6.0% of net sales, for the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs and accelerated trademark amortization, operating profit was $397.4 million, or 7.1% of net sales, for the fourth quarter of 2022.
• Net interest expense for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $97.0 million compared to $87.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2022. The increase reflects an increase in variable interest rates and higher borrowings.
• Other non-operating expense for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $10.5 million compared to $4.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2022. Due to fluctuations in the U.S. dollar against certain foreign currencies, a net foreign currency exchange loss of $8.3 million was recognized in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to a net loss of $8.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Net costs of $1.1 million and net benefits of $4.3 million associated with the non-service cost components of net periodic pension cost (benefit) were recognized in the fourth quarter of 2023 and 2022, respectively. The year-over-year change was primarily due to a decrease in expected return on plan assets and an increase in interest cost. Other non-operating expense for the fourth quarter of 2023 includes net pension settlement cost of $2.8 million related to the settlement of certain pension plans. Adjusted for this amount, other non-operating expense was $7.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2023.
• The effective tax rate for the fourth quarter of 2023 was 31.5% compared to 24.6% for the fourth quarter of 2022. The effective tax rate for the quarter ended December 31, 2023 was higher than the comparable period due to the unfavorable impact of foreign adjustments and an increase in valuation allowances recorded against certain foreign deferred tax assets.
• Net income attributable to common stockholders was $127.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to $204.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2022. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, restructuring costs, accelerated trademark amortization expense, net pension settlement cost, and the related income tax effects, net income attributable to common stockholders was $137.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, accelerated trademark amortization expense, and the related income tax effects, net income attributable to common stockholders was $216.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2022. Adjusted net income attributable to common stockholders decreased 36.2% year-over-year.
• Earnings per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $2.45, based on 52.0 million diluted shares, compared to $3.90 for the fourth quarter of 2022, based on 52.4 million diluted shares. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, restructuring costs, accelerated trademark amortization expense, net pension settlement cost, and the related income tax effects, earnings per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $2.65. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, accelerated trademark amortization expense, and the related income tax effects, earnings per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2022 was $4.13.
• Operating cash flow for the fourth quarter of 2023 was an inflow of $69.3 million compared to $421.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2022. Free cash flow for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $59.2 million, or 38.7% of adjusted net income. The net cash inflow in the fourth quarter of 2023 was primarily driven by net income of $142.6 million. Changes in net working capital resulted in a use of cash, including a decrease in accounts payable of $233.2 million due to a reduction in inventory purchases, and a decrease in trade accounts receivable of $185.6 million, due to the timing of receipts from customers and the sequential decrease in net sales compared to the prior quarter.

The following are results for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022:

• Net sales were $22.4 billion for 2023 compared to $21.4 billion for 2022, an increase of 4.5%, primarily reflecting price inflation. Organic sales for 2023 grew by 3.2% as the acquisition of Rahi Systems positively impacted reported net sales by 2.1%, while fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and the number of workdays negatively impacted reported net sales by 0.4% and 0.4%, respectively.
• Cost of goods sold for 2023 was $17.5 billion compared to $16.8 billion for 2022, and gross profit was $4.8 billion and $4.7 billion, respectively. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit was 21.6% and 21.8% for 2023 and 2022, respectively. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales for 2023 primarily reflects a shift in sales mix and lower supplier volume rebates, partially offset by our continued focus on a strategy of pricing products and services to realize the value that we provide to our customers as a result of our broad portfolio of product and service offerings, global footprint and capabilities (“value-driven pricing”).
• SG&A expenses were $3.3 billion, or 14.5% of net sales, for 2023 compared to $3.0 billion, or 14.2% of net sales, for 2022. SG&A expenses for 2023 and 2022 include merger-related and integration costs of $55.4 million and $67.4 million, respectively. SG&A expenses for 2023 also include $16.7 million of restructuring costs. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs and restructuring costs, SG&A expenses were 14.2% of net sales for 2023 and 13.9% of net sales for 2022. The increase in adjusted SG&A expenses for 2023 compared to 2022 primarily reflects the same factors discussed above.
• Depreciation and amortization for 2023 was $181.3 million compared to $179.0 million for 2022, an increase of $2.3 million. In connection with an integration initiative to review the Company’s brand strategy, certain legacy trademarks are migrating to a master brand architecture, which resulted in $1.6 million and $9.8 million of accelerated amortization expense for 2023 and 2022, respectively.
• Operating profit was $1,406.4 million for 2023 compared to $1,438.1 million for 2022, a decrease of $31.7 million, or 2.2%. Operating profit as a percentage of net sales was 6.3% for the current year, compared to 6.7% for the prior year. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, restructuring costs, and accelerated trademark amortization described above, operating profit was $1,480.1 million, or 6.6% of net sales, for 2023. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs and accelerated trademark amortization, operating profit was $1,515.3 million, or 7.1% of net sales, for 2022.
• Net interest expense for 2023 was $389.3 million compared to $294.4 million for 2022. The increase reflects higher borrowings and an increase in variable interest rates.
• Other non-operating expense for 2023 was $25.1 million compared to $7.0 million for 2022. Due to fluctuations in the U.S. dollar against certain foreign currencies, a net foreign currency exchange loss of $22.9 million was recognized for 2023 compared to a net loss of $19.9 million for 2022. Net costs of $0.2 million and net benefits of $14.8 million associated with the non-service cost components of net periodic pension cost (benefit) were recognized for 2023 and 2022, respectively. The year-over-year change was primarily due to a decrease in expected return on plan assets and an increase in interest cost. Other non-operating expense for 2023 includes net pension settlement cost of $2.8 million related to the settlement of certain pension plans. Adjusted for this amount, other non-operating expense was $22.3 million for 2023.
• The effective tax rate for 2023 was 22.8% compared to 24.2% for 2022. The effective tax rate for 2023 was lower than the prior year primarily due to higher tax benefits from stock-based compensation deductions and foreign tax credit utilization.
• Net income attributable to common stockholders was $708.1 million for 2023 compared to $803.1 million for 2022. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, restructuring costs, accelerated trademark amortization expense, net pension settlement cost, and the related income tax effects, net income attributable to common stockholders was $763.6 million for 2023. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, accelerated trademark amortization expense, and the related income tax effects, net income attributable to common stockholders was $860.1 million for 2022. Adjusted net income attributable to common stockholders decreased 11.2% year-over-year.
• Earnings per diluted share for 2023 was $13.54, based on 52.3 million diluted shares, compared to $15.33 for 2022, based on 52.4 million diluted shares. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, restructuring costs, accelerated trademark amortization expense, net pension settlement cost, and the related income tax effects, earnings per diluted share for 2023 was $14.60. Adjusted for merger-related and integration costs, accelerated trademark amortization expense, and the related income tax effects, earnings per diluted share for 2022 was $16.42. Adjusted earnings per diluted share decreased 11.1% year-over-year.
• Operating cash flow for 2023 was an inflow of $493.2 million compared to $11.0 million for 2022. Free cash flow for 2023 was $443.6 million, or 54.0% of adjusted net income. The net cash inflow in 2023 was primarily driven by net income of $766.1 million and non-cash adjustments to net income totaling $235.8 million, which primarily comprised depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs, and deferred income taxes. Operating cash flow was negatively impacted by net changes in assets and liabilities of $508.7 million, which primarily consisted of a decrease in accounts payable of $319.7 million, primarily due to a reduction in inventory purchases in the fourth quarter, and an increase in inventories of $68.4 million. These cash usage factors were partially offset by cash inflow from a decrease in trade accounts receivable of $52.2 million. Additionally, the payment of management incentive compensation earned in 2022 resulted in a cash outflow in 2023, which was partially offset by the accrual of management incentive compensation earned in the current year.
• Financial leverage ratio was 2.8x as of December 31, 2023.

Segment Results

The Company has operating segments comprising three strategic business units consisting of Electrical & Electronic Solutions (“EES”), Communications & Security Solutions (“CSS”) and Utility & Broadband Solutions (“UBS”).

The Company incurs corporate costs primarily related to treasury, tax, information technology, legal and other centralized functions. Segment results include depreciation expense or other allocations related to various corporate assets. Interest expense and other non-operating items are either not allocated to the segments or reviewed on a segment basis. Corporate expenses not directly identifiable with our reportable segments are reported in the tables below to reconcile the reportable segments to the consolidated financial statements.

The following are results by segment for the three months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended December 31, 2022:

• EES reported net sales of $2,084.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to $2,168.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, a decrease of 3.9%. Organic sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 declined 4.1% as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates positively impacted reported net sales by 0.2%. The decrease in organic sales compared to the prior year quarter reflects declines in construction and original equipment manufacturers (“OEM”), partially offset by continued positive momentum in industrial, price inflation, and the benefits of cross selling. In addition, a transfer of certain customer accounts to the CSS segment negatively impacted reported net sales for EES by approximately two percentage points. Adjusted EBITDA was $164.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2023, or 7.9% of net sales, compared to $197.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, or 9.1% of net sales. Adjusted EBITDA decreased $33.6 million, or 17.0% year-over-year, primarily due to the decline in sales, a shift in sales mix, lower supplier volume rebates, and an increase in SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales.
• CSS reported net sales of $1,791.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to $1,762.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, an increase of 1.6%. Organic sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 declined 1.4% as the acquisition of Rahi Systems in the fourth quarter of 2022 and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates positively impacted reported net sales by 2.2% and 0.8%, respectively. The decrease in organic sales compared to the prior year quarter reflects volume declines primarily in security solutions, partially offset by growth in data centers and enterprise network infrastructure, and price inflation. The transfer of certain customer accounts from the EES segment also positively impacted organic net sales for CSS by approximately 3%. Adjusted EBITDA was $173.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2023, or 9.7% of net sales, compared to $169.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, or 9.6% of net sales. Adjusted EBITDA increased $3.8 million, or 2.2% year-over-year. The increase is primarily driven by sales growth and lower SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales primarily due to a reduction to incentive compensation expense and cost reduction activities.
• UBS reported net sales of $1,597.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to $1,627.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, a decrease of 1.8%. Organic sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 declined 1.9% as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates positively impacted reported net sales by 0.1%. The decrease in organic sales compared to the prior year quarter reflects lower broadband sales, partially offset by price inflation and growth in utility and integrated supply. Adjusted EBITDA was $166.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2023, or 10.4% of net sales, compared to $185.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, or 11.4% of net sales. Adjusted EBITDA decreased $19.0 million, or 10.2% year-over-year. The decrease is driven by lower sales, a shift in sales mix, lower supplier volume rebates, and higher SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales.

The following are results by segment for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022:

• EES reported net sales of $8.6 billion for 2023 compared to $8.8 billion for 2022, a decrease of 2.4%. Organic sales for 2023 declined 1.4% as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and the number of workdays negatively impacted reported net sales by 0.6% and 0.4%, respectively. The decrease in organic sales reflects declines in construction and OEM, partially offset by continued positive momentum in industrial, price inflation and the benefits of cross selling. In addition, a transfer of certain customer accounts to the CSS segment negatively impacted organic net sales for EES by approximately two percentage points. Adjusted EBITDA was $727.4 million for 2023, or 8.4% of net sales, compared to $851.3 million for 2022, or 9.6% of net sales. Adjusted EBITDA decreased $123.9 million, or 14.6% year-over-year, primarily due to the decline in sales, an increase in SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales, a shift in sales mix, and lower supplier volume rebates.
• CSS reported net sales of $7.2 billion for 2023 compared to $6.4 billion for 2022, an increase of 11.7%. Organic sales for 2023 grew 5.4% as the acquisition of Rahi Systems positively impacted reported net sales by 7.1%, while fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and the number of workdays negatively impacted reported net sales by 0.4% and 0.4%, respectively. The increase in organic sales reflects price inflation, growth in data center, security solutions and enterprise network infrastructure, and the benefits of cross selling. The transfer of certain customer accounts from the EES segment also positively impacted organic net sales for CSS by approximately 3%. Adjusted EBITDA was $683.8 million for 2023, or 9.6% of net sales, compared to $599.0 million for 2022, or 9.4% of net sales. Adjusted EBITDA increased $84.8 million or 14.2% year-over-year. The increase is primarily driven by sales growth and slightly lower SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales.
• UBS reported net sales of $6.6 billion for 2023 compared to $6.2 billion for 2022, an increase of 6.9%. Organic sales for 2023 grew 7.5% as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and the number of workdays negatively impacted reported net sales by 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively. The increase in organic sales reflects price inflation, growth in utility and integrated supply, and the benefits of cross selling, partially offset by lower sales in broadband, particularly in Canada. Adjusted EBITDA was $739.3 million for 2023, or 11.2% of net sales, compared to $677.3 million for 2022, or 10.9% of net sales. Adjusted EBITDA increased $62.0 million, or 9.2% year-over-year. The increase is driven by sales growth and gross margin improvement.