Powell Industries Announces Fiscal 2024 Second Quarter Results

Rhea-AI Summary

Powell Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: POWL) announced fiscal 2024 second quarter results with revenues of $255 million, a 49% increase. Gross profit improved to $63 million, net income reached $33 million, new orders were $235 million, and backlog stood at $1.3 billion. Revenues grew across various sectors, with strong performance in Oil and Gas and Petrochemical sectors. Despite a decline in new orders year-over-year due to large projects in the previous year, overall financial performance was robust.

Positive

• Revenue increased by 49% to $255 million, driven by growth in Oil and Gas and Petrochemical sectors.

• Gross profit improved to $63 million, with a 510 basis point increase to 24.6% of revenue.

• Net income reached $33 million, or $2.75 per diluted share, showing substantial growth.

• New orders totaled $235 million, reflecting ongoing market demand and activity.

• Backlog remained strong at $1.3 billion, indicating a stable pipeline of future projects.

Negative

• New orders declined year-over-year due to large projects in the LNG and Petrochemical markets awarded in the previous year.

• The pause on LNG export permitting by the Department of Energy may impact the timing of future projects.

Insights

Financial Analyst

Powell Industries' announcement of a 49%> revenue increase accompanied by an impressive gross margin improvement of 510 basis points to 24.6%> indicates a robust quarter, outperforming the same period last year. Analysis of these figures suggests strong operational efficiency, particularly given the substantial growth in traditionally volatile sectors such as Oil and Gas and Petrochemicals. The shift from a net income of $8.5 million to $33.5 million, equating to earnings of $2.75 per diluted share, highlights a significant uptick in profitability. However, the stagnant backlog, despite high new orders, raises questions regarding the company's conversion rate and project completion speed. This could point to potential bottlenecks or capacity constraints that investors should monitor, especially with the ongoing expansion initiatives.

Market Research Analyst

The expansion of Powell Industries in key sectors like Electric Utility and the emphasis on energy transition projects align with current market trends favoring infrastructure upgrades and sustainable energy solutions. The company's proactive capacity initiatives, such as the Gulf Coast fabrication yard, are strategic moves aiming to capitalize on these growing market segments. Analyzing the industry landscape, Powell's diversification and balanced order book across various sectors mitigate risks associated with economic fluctuations. For investors, this suggests a potentially stable investment with growth opportunities, supported by underlying industry demand and Powell's strategic positioning.

Energy Sector Analyst

Powell's commentary on the LNG market's uncertain timing due to regulatory pauses adds an element of risk to projections, which investors should not overlook. Considering the energy industry's regulatory environment, Powell’s nimbleness in adapting to changing conditions will be important to sustaining its growth. Positioning towards energy transition projects places the company at the forefront of a long-term trend, although near-term headwinds could affect project timelines and profitability. The investors would benefit from keeping an eye on regulatory developments and their potential impacts on Powell's project pipelines.

HOUSTON, April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Powell Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: POWL), a leading supplier of custom-engineered solutions for the management, control and distribution of electrical energy, today announced results for the Fiscal 2024 second quarter ended March 31, 2024. All comparisons are to the second quarter of Fiscal 2023, unless otherwise noted.

Second Quarter Key Highlights:

• Revenues totaled $255 million, an increase of 49%;
• Gross profit of $63 million, or 24.6% of revenue, a 510 basis point improvement;
• Net income of $33 million, or $2.75 per diluted share;
• New orders⁽¹⁾ totaled $235 million;
• Backlog⁽²⁾ as of March 31, 2024, remained at $1.3 billion;
• Cash and short-term investments as of March 31, 2024, totaled $365 million.

Brett A. Cope, Powell’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Powell delivered solid second quarter results supported by continued growth within our Industrial end markets as well as strong performances from both our Electric Utility and Commercial and Other Industrial markets. Revenue in the quarter was 49% higher than the second quarter of Fiscal 2023, while excellent project execution and volume leverage drove a 510 basis point improvement in gross margin to 24.6%. New orders of $235 million in the quarter were higher by 19% sequentially and were well-balanced across the markets we serve, keeping our backlog essentially unchanged at $1.3 billion. Overall, we are encouraged by both our financial performance in the first half of the year as well as the activity levels within each of the markets we serve.”

Second Quarter 2024 Results
Revenues totaled $255.1 million compared to $171.4 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2023, and $194.0 million in the first fiscal quarter. The increase compared to second quarter of Fiscal 2023 was primarily driven by strong growth across the Oil and Gas and Petrochemical sectors, which grew 66% and 93%, respectively. Revenue from the Commercial and Other Industrial sector increased 57%, and revenue from the Electric Utility sector grew 11%.

Gross profit increased 88% to $62.7 million, or 24.6% of revenue, compared to $33.4 million, or 19.5% of revenue, in the second quarter of Fiscal 2023 and compares to $48.2 million, or 24.8% of revenue, in the first fiscal quarter.

New orders totaled $235 million compared to $508 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2023 and $198 million in the first fiscal quarter. The year-over-year decline was the result of two large, domestic projects in the LNG and Petrochemical markets awarded in the second quarter of Fiscal 2023.

Backlog totaled $1.3 billion as of March 31, 2024, which was essentially flat sequentially compared to backlog as of December 31, 2023, and increased 25% compared to backlog of $1.0 billion as of March 31, 2023.

Net income was $33.5 million, or $2.75 per diluted share, compared to $8.5 million, or $0.70 per diluted share, in the second quarter of Fiscal 2023 and $24.1 million, or $1.98 per diluted share, in the first fiscal quarter.

Cope added, “Project activity across the markets we serve remains active. We anticipate that projects within the LNG market will continue to progress, however, based upon the recent pause on LNG export permitting by the Department of Energy, the timing of these future projects may be impacted. We are experiencing continued growth of our Commercial and Other Industrial sector, as well as the Electric Utility sector, while also seeing strong activity related to energy transition projects. We remain encouraged by the growth dynamics across the markets in which we compete and are well positioned to support these newer applications with Powell’s products and expertise.” 

OUTLOOK

Commenting on the Company's outlook, Michael Metcalf, Powell’s Chief Financial Officer, said, “We continue to expect another strong year of financial performance in Fiscal 2024 as our core Industrial end markets, as well as our Electric Utility and Commercial and Other Industrial markets, are exhibiting favorable dynamics and activity levels to support our growth. The quality and duration of our backlog, in conjunction with the level of commercial activity, also support our expectation that this strong financial performance can be sustained throughout Fiscal 2024 and into Fiscal 2025. Our capacity initiatives focused on servicing current and future backlog remain on track and are progressing as planned, with our Gulf Coast fabrication yard expansion now fully utilized and helping to support the execution of our $1.3 billion backlog. We expect to complete the current capacity expansion initiative at our products factory in Houston by mid-Fiscal 2025, which will help to enable our initiatives to facilitate future growth.”

CONFERENCE CALL
Powell Industries has scheduled a conference call for Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. To participate in the conference call, dial 1-833-953-2431 (domestic) or 1-412-317-5760 (international) at least 10 minutes before the call begins and ask for the Powell Industries conference call. A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available through May 8, 2024 and may be accessed by calling 1-877-344-7529 (domestic) or 1-412-317-0088 (international) and using passcode 4054049#.

Investors, analysts and the general public will also have the opportunity to listen to the conference call over the Internet by visiting powellind.com. To listen to the live call on the web, please visit the website at least 15 minutes before the call begins to register, download and install any necessary audio software. For those who cannot listen to the live webcast, an archive will be available shortly after the call and will remain available for approximately 90 days at powellind.com.

About Powell Industries
Powell Industries, Inc., headquartered in Houston, designs, manufactures and services custom-engineered equipment and systems for the distribution, control and monitoring of electrical energy. Powell markets include large industrial customers such as utilities, data centers, oil and gas producers, refineries, liquefied natural gas facilities, petrochemical plants, pulp and paper producers, mining operations and commuter railways. For more information, please visit powellind.com.

Any forward-looking statements in the preceding paragraphs of this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties in that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. In the course of operations, we are subject to certain risk factors, competition and competitive pressures, sensitivity to general economic and industrial conditions, international political and economic risks, availability and price of raw materials and execution of business strategy. For further information, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available from the Company without charge.

POWELL INDUSTRIES, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
	Three Months Ended March 31,								Six Months Ended March 31,
	2024				2023				2024				2023
(In thousands, except per share data)
	(Unaudited)
Revenues	$	255,108			$	171,444			$	449,125			$	298,302
Cost of goods sold	192,388				138,007				338,211				245,401
Gross profit		62,720				33,437				110,914				52,901
Selling, general and administrative expenses	20,947				21,820				41,294				38,693
Research and development expenses	2,284				1,543				4,251				3,044
Operating income	39,489				10,074				65,369				11,164
Interest income, net	(4,428		)		(899		)		(8,426		)		(1,423		)
Income before income taxes	43,917				10,973				73,795				12,587
Income tax provision	10,429				2,500				16,222				2,951
Net income	$	33,488			$	8,473			$	57,573			$	9,636
Earnings per share:
Basic	$	2.79			$	0.71			$	4.81			$	0.81
Diluted	$	2.75			$	0.70			$	4.73			$	0.80
Weighted average shares:
Basic	11,992				11,878				11,966				11,869
Diluted	12,191				12,149				12,167				12,109
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA:
Depreciation	$	1,724			$	2,176			$	3,365			$	4,312
Capital Expenditures	$	903			$	630			$	2,138			$	3,356
Dividends Paid	$	3,175			$	3,106			$	6,299			$	6,180

POWELL INDUSTRIES, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
	March 31, 2024				September 30, 2023
(In thousands)
	(Unaudited)
Assets:
Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments	$	365,339			$	279,009
Other current assets	351,306				342,976
Property, plant and equipment, net	96,655				97,625
Long-term assets	36,318				32,632
Total assets	$	849,618			$	752,242
Liabilities and equity:
Current liabilities	$	441,826			$	395,686
Deferred and other long-term liabilities		14,007				11,530
Stockholders’ equity	393,785				345,026
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	849,618			$	752,242
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA:
Working capital	$	274,819			$	226,299

(1)	New orders (bookings) represent the estimated value of contracts added to existing backlog (unsatisfied performance obligations).
(2)	The amounts recorded in backlog may not be a reliable indicator of our future operating results and may not be indicative of continuing revenue performance over future fiscal quarters or years primarily due to unexpected contract adjustments, cancellations or scope reductions.

Contacts:	Michael W. Metcalf, CFO
	Powell Industries, Inc.
	713-947-4422
	Robert Winters or Ryan Coleman
	Alpha IR Group
	POWL@alpha-ir.com
	312-445-2870

FAQ

What were Powell Industries' revenues in the second quarter of Fiscal 2024?

Powell Industries reported revenues of $255 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2024, a 49% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.

What was Powell Industries' net income in the second quarter of Fiscal 2024?

Powell Industries' net income in the second quarter of Fiscal 2024 was $33 million, or $2.75 per diluted share.

What were Powell Industries' new orders in the second quarter of Fiscal 2024?

Powell Industries received new orders totaling $235 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2024.

What was Powell Industries' backlog as of March 31, 2024?

Powell Industries' backlog stood at $1.3 billion as of March 31, 2024, showing a stable pipeline of future projects.

What sectors drove revenue growth for Powell Industries in the second quarter of Fiscal 2024?

Powell Industries experienced revenue growth across various sectors, with strong performance in the Oil and Gas and Petrochemical sectors.