Release Date: April 11, 2024
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Positive Points
- Fastenal Co (FAST, Financial) reported a 2% growth in sales, despite anticipating around 4%.
- The Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) broke above 50 in March, indicating potential improvement in market conditions.
- The customer expo is expected to drive engagement and market share, with 50% more attendees than the previous year.
- Onsite signings increased to 102 during the quarter, with active sites up by approximately 12% from the previous year.
- FMI Technology signings averaged 105 devices a day, indicating strong progress in market share capture.
Negative Points
- The quarter faced challenges with sluggish demand and tricky calendar effects, impacting growth expectations.
- Fastener product line sales were down 4.4%, reflecting soft industrial production and negative pricing.
- Nonresidential construction and reseller markets continued to contract, although at moderating rates.
- Operating margin in the first quarter of 2024 was down 60 basis points year-over-year, primarily due to poor underlying demand.
- Investments required for the customer expo and servicing certain customers at scale may impact operating margins by approximately 30 basis points in the second quarter of 2024.
Q & A Highlights
Q: What can you do to just bring us in a little deeper on that Onsite performance in Q1 and what you might expect going forward? What's changed?
A: Daniel L. Florness (Fastenal Company - President, CEO & Director) explained that the company made changes to align under one sales leader and realigned the U.S. into one business unit. This change is starting to gain traction, as evidenced by the Onsite signings and the overbooked status of the upcoming customer expo. The Onsite signings improved, and the customer expo's attendance has increased significantly, indicating an engaged sales team and customer base. The time between changing sales focus and seeing revenue impact is not immediate, but the company is optimistic about the progress.
Q: Could you clarify the decision-making process to break out your OEM versus MRO fastener business with new granularity there?
A: Daniel L. Florness mentioned that they have been looking at the OEM vs. MRO numbers internally for years and decided to share this information for better transparency. Holden Lewis (Fastenal Company - Senior EVP & CFO) added that both OEM and MRO move with industrial production, but the granularity helps understand the cyclicality and the impact on Onsite and vending machine growth.
Q: Regarding SG&A and the willingness to spend and invest in the business, do you feel more spend is needed to get back to normalized historical levels of market outgrowth and customer acquisition?
A: Daniel L. Florness stated that they have been investing to grow throughout the cycle, but some benefits, such as location closures, have now diminished, making their growth investments more apparent. Holden Lewis emphasized that they will continue to invest in the business and are not slashing costs in reaction to a temporary growth slowdown.
Q: What could the impact of potential tariffs based on the outcome of the November election mean for the business?
A: Daniel L. Florness emphasized the importance of a diverse and reliable supply chain. Fastenal has been diversifying its supply base geographically to manage potential tariff impacts. Holden Lewis added that they have improved their technology and processes to manage pricing and costing effectively in response to inflation and tariffs.
Q: Could you provide more details on the gross margin outlook for the next quarters?
A: Holden Lewis stated that the gross margin outlook remains consistent with previous expectations, with a subdued drag on margin in 2024. He mentioned that investments might affect margins in Q2 specifically, but overall, the anticipated variables for gross margin remain in place.
Q: Is the customer expo an event where actual revenue comes out of it, or is it more of a customer relationship type building exercise?
A: Daniel L. Florness explained that the customer expo is both a revenue-generating event and a relationship-building exercise. It provides an opportunity to engage with decision-makers, create awareness, and expand business opportunities. Holden Lewis added that they expect a return on the investment made in the expo.
Q: How did Onsite signings progress through the quarter, and was there any evidence of signings slipping from Q4 into this year?
A: Daniel L. Florness mentioned that Onsite signings were consistent throughout the quarter, with March being the biggest month. He did not provide specific details on whether signings slipped from Q4 into the current year.
Q: Can you unpack what about the change is difficult? Or what about the changes is creating friction?
A: Daniel L. Florness discussed the challenges of change within the company, emphasizing the importance of growth and expanding partnerships. He highlighted the need for leadership that finds joy in growing the business rather than just harvesting it. The company is focused on promoting individuals who are passionate about growth.
Q: What is your perspective on price/cost, especially if pricing remains flat?
A: Holden Lewis indicated that pricing ex fasteners remains positive and that the pricing environment is fairly unremarkable at the moment, with no significant inflation in raw materials that would necessitate raising prices.
