GMS Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results

Strong Multi-Family, Growth in Commercial Activity, and Resilient Pricing Drive Solid Results

GMS Inc., a leading North American specialty building products distributor, today reported financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended July 31, 2023.

First Quarter Fiscal 2024 Highlights

(Comparisons are to the first quarter of fiscal 2023)

• Net sales of $1.4 billion increased 3.7%; organic net sales increased 1.0%.
• Wallboard volume growth of 22.1% in multi-family and 5.9% in commercial in the U.S. helped to partially offset single-family declines of 12.5%.
• Net income of $86.8 million, or $2.09 per diluted share, decreased 3.0% compared to net income of $89.5 million, or $2.07 per diluted share in the previous year; Net income margin declined 40 basis points to 6.2%; Adjusted net income of $99.6 million, or $2.40 per diluted share, compared to $105.2 million, or $2.43 per diluted share.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $173.3 million decreased $1.7 million, or 1.0%; Adjusted EBITDA margin was 12.3%, compared to 12.9%.
• Net debt leverage was 1.5 times, improved from 1.8 times a year ago.

“We were pleased to deliver a solid start to fiscal 2024 with first quarter results that were in line with our expectations, continuing to demonstrate the resilience of pricing in Wallboard, Ceilings and Complementary Products, as well as the strength and stability that our balanced end markets provide,” said John C. Turner, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of GMS. “Multi-family and commercial construction demand remained solid during the quarter, which helped to offset declines in steel pricing and tempered single-family demand as we felt the impacts of the lower level of housing starts recorded earlier this year and in the latter half of calendar 2022.”

“Despite our realizing the expected near-term year-over-year declines for single-family construction activity amid 20-year highs in interest rates, we are seeing favorable demand conditions develop as we look forward. While Steel Framing pricing and soft office demand remain headwinds, we are seeing sequentially improving US single-family permits and starts, still solid multi-family activity, and put-in-place construction spending growth in most commercial applications. Given our scale, wide range of product offerings and expertise in providing outstanding service to each of our end markets, we believe we are well positioned for future growth and to deliver value to our shareholders.”

First Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results

Net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 of $1.4 billion increased 3.7% as compared with the prior year quarter, or 2.1% on a same day basis. This increase in net sales was primarily due to contributions from recent acquisitions, resilient pricing in Wallboard, Ceiling tiles and Complementary Products along with strong levels of multi-family construction activity and continuing commercial construction demand. These factors helped to offset declines in single-family construction and a challenging pricing environment in Steel Framing. Organic net sales, which exclude the first year of acquired business net sales as well as the impact of foreign currency translation, grew 1.0% in total but declined 0.6% on a per day basis.

Year-over-year quarterly sales changes by product category were as follows:

· Wallboard sales of $571.4 million increased 9.6% (up 9.3% on an organic basis).

· Ceilings sales of $175.2 million increased 4.7% (up 2.0% on an organic basis).

· Steel Framing sales of $236.8 million decreased 13.9% (down 15.0% on an organic basis).

· Complementary Product sales of $426.2 million increased 7.7% (up 0.7% on an organic basis).

Gross profit of $450.6 million increased 3.6% compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2023 primarily due to incremental gross profit from acquisitions, the continued pass through of product inflation in Wallboard, Ceilings and Complementary Products and growth in commercial and multi-family sales volumes. Gross margin of 32.0% was unchanged from a year ago.

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses of $286.8 million during the quarter, up from $267.7 million, were negatively impacted by acquired businesses, inflationary wages, higher maintenance costs and demand pullbacks in single-family construction, which resulted in a relative mix shift into multi-family and commercial end market volumes. This shift, while favorable to gross margin, also required a higher operational cost to serve. As a result, SG&A expense as a percentage of net sales, which was also significantly impacted by deflationary dynamics in steel pricing, increased 60 basis points to 20.3% for the quarter compared to 19.7% in the first quarter of fiscal 2023. Adjusted SG&A expense as a percentage of net sales of 19.8% increased 60 basis points from 19.2% in the prior year quarter.

All in, inclusive of a $4.3 million, or 29.0%, increase in interest expense and a $1.4 million one-time expense related to the Company’s May 2023 term loan refinancing, which were partially offset by a one-time tax planning rate benefit, net income decreased 3.0% to $86.8 million, or $2.09 per diluted share, compared to net income of $89.5 million, or $2.07 per diluted share, in the first quarter of fiscal 2023. Net income margin declined 40 basis points from 6.6% to 6.2%. Earnings per share outpaced net income as a result of the $117.4 million in share repurchases completed since the end of July 2022. Adjusted net income was $99.6 million, or $2.40 per diluted share, compared to $105.2 million, or $2.43 per diluted share, in the first quarter of the prior fiscal year.

Adjusted EBITDA decreased $1.7 million, or 1.0%, to $173.3 million compared to the prior year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 12.3%, compared with 12.9% for the first quarter of fiscal 2023.

Balance Sheet, Liquidity and Cash Flow

As of July 31, 2023, the Company had cash on hand of $81.4 million, total debt of $1.1 billion and $816.2 million of available liquidity under its revolving credit facilities. Net debt leverage was 1.5 times as of the end of the quarter, down from 1.8 times at the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2023.

For the first quarter of fiscal 2024, which seasonally represents the highest use of cash for the Company, cash provided by operating activities improved to $6.6 million, compared to cash used by operating activities of $4.4 million in the prior year period. Free cash flow use improved to $6.9 million for the quarter ended July 31, 2023, compared to a use of $15.3 million for the quarter ended July 31, 2022.

During the quarter, the Company repurchased 468,949 shares of common stock for $30.5 million. As of July 31, 2023, the Company had $69.6 million of share repurchase authorization remaining.

Platform Expansion Activities

During the first quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company continued the execution of its platform expansion strategy with the acquisition of Home Lumber and Building Supplies in the Vancouver Island market. Home Lumber is a leading supplier of lumber, engineered wood, doors, framing packages and siding as well as other key Complementary products offered by GMS Canada.

In addition during the quarter, the Company added a new AMES store location in San Antonio, TX.

For the full first quarter results, click here.

About GMS Inc.

Founded in 1971, GMS operates a network of more than 300 distribution centers with extensive product offerings of Wallboard, Ceilings, Steel Framing and Complementary Products. In addition, GMS operates more than 100 tool sales, rental and service centers, providing a comprehensive selection of building products and solutions for its residential and commercial contractor customer base across the United States and Canada. The Company’s unique operating model combines the benefits of a national platform and strategy with a local go-to-market focus, enabling GMS to generate significant economies of scale while maintaining high levels of customer service.

Contact:

Carey Phelps – Investor Relations – ir@gms.com – (770) 723-3369

Source: GMS, Inc.