MasTec Q1 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
May 5, 2023

There are 13 speakers on the call.

Operator

Welcome to MasTec's First Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call, initially broadcast on Friday, May 5, 2023. Let me remind participants that today's call is being recorded. At this time, I'd like to turn the call over to our host, Mark Lewis, MasTec's Vice President of Investor Relations. Mark?

Speaker 1

Thanks, Ali, and good morning, everyone. Welcome to MasTec's Q1 2023 conference call. The following statement is made pursuant to the Safe Harbor for forward looking statements described in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In these communications, we may make certain statements that are forward looking, such as statements regarding MasTec's future results, plans and anticipated trends in the industries where we operate. These forward looking statements are the company's expectations on the day of the initial broadcast of this conference call and the company does not undertake to update these expectations Based on subsequent events or knowledge, various risks, uncertainties and assumptions are detailed in our press releases and SEC filings.

Speaker 1

In today's remarks by management, we'll be discussing adjusted financial metrics reconciled in yesterday's press release and supporting schedules. In addition, we may use certain non GAAP financial measures in the conference call. A reconciliation of any non GAAP financial measures not reconciled in these comments to the most comparable Financial measure can be found in our earnings release as well. With us today, we have Jose Mas, our Chief Executive Officer I'm Paul DeMarco, our EVP and Chief Financial Officer. The format of the call will be opening remarks and analysis by Jose followed by a financial review from Paul.

Speaker 1

We have posted a new guidance fact sheet and earnings presentation to the Investor Relations section of our website just below the webcast link. The earnings presentation is also embedded in our webcast audio page and can be downloaded there as well. These discussions will be followed by a Q and A session and we We had another good quarter with a lot of important things to talk about. So I'm going to go ahead and hand it over to Jose. Jose?

Speaker 1

Thanks, Mark.

Speaker 2

Good morning, and welcome to MasTec's 2023 First Quarter Call. Today, I will be reviewing our Q1 results as well as providing my outlook for the markets we serve. First, some first quarter highlights. Revenue for the quarter was $2,585,000,000 adjusted EBITDA was $102,000,000 adjusted earnings per share was negative $0.54 and backlog at quarter end was $13,900,000,000 a record level. In summary, results were in line with revenue, EBITDA and EPS slightly ahead of our expectations.

Speaker 2

Before getting into specifics, I'd like to offer my perspective on MasTec's business today. Over the course of the last few years, We've talked extensively about our initiatives to diversify the business and reduce our exposure to the oil and gas markets. Since 2021, we've worked hard both organically and acquisitively to position MasTec to take advantage of the significant opportunities in the markets we serve and I'd like to quickly highlight the progress we've made. Just 16 months ago, we ended 2021 With just over $5,400,000,000 of non oil and gas revenues. This year, we expect non oil and gas revenues To be just over $11,500,000,000 more than double 2021.

Speaker 2

This is a significant transition in just 2 years And I'd like to highlight the progress we've made in each of our segments. Our communications segment's revenue is expected to grow to approximately 3 $600,000,000 this year compared to just under $2,600,000,000 in 2021, a nearly 40% increase over the last 2 years. Despite this aggressive, mostly organic growth rate, we expect to deliver continued margin improvements over both 2021 and 2022. Our power delivery segment generated just over $1,000,000,000 of revenue in 2021. Early in 2021, we made our first large transmission and distribution acquisition.

Speaker 2

And this year, we expect this segment to generate Approximately $3,000,000,000 in revenue. That's a threefold increase over the last two years and margins are expected to grow year over year. We're now in the 2nd year of operations of our acquired businesses. And while we're pleased with our performance, we know there are lots of areas for improvement. Our Clean Energy and Infrastructure segment, which generated just under $2,000,000,000 of revenue in 2021 is expected to do $5,000,000,000 this year.

Speaker 2

The acquisition late last year of IEA doubled our market presence. And while we have a lot of work to do to improve efficiency and continue to make our offering more competitive, the opportunities that we've been able to cultivate post transaction are significantly better than our original expectations. In the slide deck we provided today, we have a slide on near term Our Clean Energy and Infrastructure segment shows our largest near term potential. While our $6,000,000,000 target is unchanged from previous drafts, the potential for achieving that target as early as 2024 Has significantly increased. While we're pleased with our progress across these segments, the best part of our story is the continued opportunities we have to continue to grow our business.

Speaker 2

While we continue to face some challenges around supply chain, Permitting and higher interest costs, the long term demand of our services is incredibly strong. Across all of our segments, We are working with our customers on long term plans and are engaged in a number of very large opportunities. We believe the transition we've made into diversifying our services, coupled with the macro trends, particularly in both broadband infrastructure And the energy markets gives us excellent visibility into future revenue and earnings growth. Now I'd like to cover some industry specifics. Our communications revenue for the quarter was $807,000,000 a 21% year over year increase.

Speaker 2

Backlog for the segment at quarter end was $5,600,000,000 a record level. We are experiencing a significant amount of demand related to fiber expansion opportunities from our customers and we continue to invest in increasing our capabilities As we expect this demand to continue to increase over the coming years. While we are seeing the impact of current funding related to RDOF, The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, the amount of federal grants available to the industry are going to exponentially increase with the Infrastructure Bill And Inflation Reduction Act. The 5 gs revolution continues to transform the communications ecosystem, Requiring networks to be upgraded and expanded to meet the ever increasing demand for data and Internet usage. Not only must new equipment be added to existing cell towers, millions of new small and micro cells must be built and connected, including fiber and power.

Speaker 2

All of these new points of presence not only need to be built, but they will require ongoing maintenance and service, creating a significant long term maintenance opportunity. Moving to our Power Delivery segment, revenue was $709,000,000 versus $650,000,000 in last year's Q1. We are in the midst of an energy transition in the United States and our customers focus on reliability, hardening, Renewable connectivity and meeting the challenges of providing power to customers for electric vehicle charging demand usage are transforming the grid. We believe the scale we have been able to achieve, along with our history of performance and safety, uniquely position us to play a significant role And helping meet the needs of utilities and energy developers. With our integration efforts of our acquired assets over the last 2 years We are now focused on growth off of our current base and on driving margin improvements throughout the organization.

Speaker 2

We expect organic double digit revenue growth in 2023 with slightly improved margins for the year and are confident in our ability to improve margins to the low double digit range over the next few years. We have significant near and long term opportunities related to growing our transmission business and have been investing heavily in resources and equipment. We recently began construction on a multi $100,000,500 kV transmission project. The project got off to a great start and we feel we are well positioned for future growth. Moving to our Clean Energy and Infrastructure segment, revenue was $825,000,000 for the 1st quarter versus $436,000,000 in the prior year.

Speaker 2

Most of the increase was due to the acquisition of IEA. EBITDA for the quarter was 1.3% and was below our expectations. It's important to note that on a pro form a basis, Last year's Q1 EBITDA in this segment would have been negative 1% as IEA had reported a $17,000,000 EBITDA loss. While margins showed nice pro form a year over year improvement, IAA still had a loss and while it was much improved, It was below our original estimates leading into the year. Margins at IEA were impacted by delayed project starts and supply chain delays, Which created project inefficiencies.

Speaker 2

As we think about the balance of the year in clean energy, we are confident about our ability This would compare to roughly $4,400,000,000 on a pro form a basis for full year 2022 and represent about 15% organic growth on a pro form a look. Backlog increased $319,000,000 sequentially in the segment and while at record levels, We expect significant backlog build over the coming quarters. While our margin guidance for this segment is mid to high 6%, We are confident margins will improve and approach double digits over the next year or 2. We have the scale to flex considerably. And as I stated earlier, our visibility to reaching our stated $6,000,000,000 revenue goal is much clearer.

Speaker 2

With increased utilization, The overall demand of the market and our customers' desire to lock in resources earlier, we feel we are really well positioned to profitably serve the market. While early in our integration efforts, we are confident that we are mining tremendous synergies, both operationally and financially, and believe we are truly building a differentiated service and product for our customers. Moving to our oil and gas segment, Revenue was $257,000,000 versus $211,000,000 last year. EBITDA was generally in line and was impacted by lower utilization as we ramp up for increased activity for the balance of the year. Backlog in this segment Was up almost $300,000,000 sequentially and second quarter revenues are expected to increase by nearly 50% With further growth in the Q3.

Speaker 2

As we've previously shared, future project activity is very active, Approaching levels we haven't seen in a few years. This coupled with carbon sequestration and hydrogen projects give us great opportunities to build off of our 2023 revenue level. While we expect revenue to grow by over 20% 2023. Solid growth opportunities as newer fuel sources are transported by pipelines. To recap, We started the year as planned and I am confident our financial results this year will begin to demonstrate MasTec's potential.

Speaker 2

I truly believe that we are just beginning to see the impact of the significant transformation we've accomplished over the last few years And I'm excited about what the future holds for MasTec. I'd like to thank the men and women of MasTec. I'm honored and privileged to lead such a great group. The men and women of MasTec are committed to the values of safety, environmental stewardship, integrity, honesty, and in providing our customers a great quality project at the best value. These traits have been recognized by our customers And it's because of our people's great work that we've been able to position ourselves for continued growth and success.

Speaker 2

I'll now turn the

Speaker 3

call over to Paul for our financial review. Paul? Thanks, Jose, and good morning, everyone. Beginning with our Q1 results, performance was slightly above our guidance With revenue approaching $2,600,000,000 and adjusted EBITDA of $102,000,000 or 4% of revenue with an adjusted diluted loss per share of $0.54 From a segment perspective, our communications segment was ahead of expectations with $807,000,000 of revenue $62,000,000 of adjusted EBITDA or a margin of 7.7%. This equates to over 20 percent revenue growth and 150 basis points of margin expansion versus last year's Q1.

Speaker 3

And it's indeed from the market expansion efforts executed in the first half of twenty twenty two. Our oil and gas segment was generally in line with guidance, Generating $257,000,000 of revenue $15,000,000 of adjusted EBITDA. While revenue was up versus Q1 of 2022, Less contribution from large project activity led to lower fixed cost absorption. 1st quarter clean energy revenue was roughly in line with our expectations, but adjusted EBITDA margin was only 1.3%. While we expected a challenging Q1 for clean energy, we experienced inefficiencies on certain projects, primarily at IEA, including costs related to rework on 3rd party design defects that we are evaluating for potential future recovery.

Speaker 3

Coming off a Q1 loss in 2022, we expected IEA to have a positive contribution to the Q1, but they ended up with a slight loss. We are making good progress on our integration efforts and we expect to begin realizing the benefits of these initiatives in the coming quarters. Our power delivery segment exceeds expectations for Q1. Revenue was $709,000,000 exceeding our guidance by approximately 20% And adjusted EBITDA margin was 6.9%, approximately 200 basis points over guidance. Power delivery results were driven by improved production and higher than anticipated emergency restoration services, albeit less than 2022 levels.

Speaker 3

Acquisition and integration costs Incurred in the Q1 were approximately $70,000,000 The IEA integration is trending as expected and we also incurred incremental integration expense pursuant to a small asset purchase completed in the Q1 of this year. Q1 2023 revenue derived from master service agreements was 47 of our total revenue and consistent with what we expect going forward, plus or minus a few percent depending on the timing of certain projects. Backlog for the Q1 was $13,900,000,000 which is a record level for MasTec, up $910,000,000 from year end and approximately 31% year over year. Q1 backlogs are increases at each segment and represented new record levels for communications and clean energy, further demonstrating the broad based diversification of our end markets. While this diversification should result in less backlog fluctuations, The timing of new project contract signing can still introduce an element of quarter to quarter variability.

Speaker 3

Q1 cash flow used by operations was $86,000,000 driven by our GAAP net loss and higher than anticipated levels of working capital. Days sales outstanding or DSO rose to 94 days up from 83 days at year end. While a number of factors contributed to the DSO increase including 28% monthly revenue growth in March. We are disappointed with our performance, its impact on free cash flow and invested capital efficiency. We expect DSO to return to the mid-80s over the course of 2023 and will work towards further improvement in subsequent quarters.

Speaker 3

I was MasTec's treasurer for a long time. So I have a very healthy respect for the cost of capital and our investors' expectation that we utilize the funds afforded to us efficiently. I plan to bring more internal focus on generating attractive returns on invested capital and effective management of our accounts receivable and fixed assets is critical for this objective. Q1's cash flow performance also contributed to a slight increase in our net debt leverage to 3.5 times, Pro form a for the 2022 Q4 acquisition of IEA. Liquidity for the quarter remains strong at $1,000,000,000 For the Q2, we expect revenue of $3,000,000,000 and adjusted EBITDA of $250,000,000 or 8.3 percent of revenue.

Speaker 3

This equates to approximately 30% year over year revenue growth and 60 basis points of adjusted EBITDA margin expansion. Adjusted net income per share is expected to be $0.86 Looking at our 2nd quarter segment performance, Our communications segment is expected to generate approximately $900,000,000 in revenue with adjusted EBITDA margin in the low double digits. This equates to approximately 10% year over year revenue growth and slightly higher margins than last year's Q2. Expectations in this segment are driven by continued strength across both wireline and wireless construction and the elimination of the new market start up costs we incurred in 2022. We anticipate that 2nd quarter power delivery segment revenue will approximate the Q1 level of $700,000,000 up about 10% year over year.

Speaker 3

Adjusted EBITDA margins are expected to be in the high single digit range, showing margin expansion versus last year's Q2. Guidance reflects the benefits of the segment integration efforts previously undertaken to reduce costs and enhance the consistency of operating results across acquired companies. We expect 2nd quarter oil and gas revenue will increase approximately 45% versus Q1, Driven by new project starts with adjusted EBITDA margin improving to the low double digits. Margin expectations reflect significant improvement versus 2023's Q1 as we achieve more fixed cost leverage through the higher revenue base. However, margins in this segment will continue to be negatively impacted by carrying costs for both labor and equipment Required to execute the Mountain Valley Pipeline once regulatory hurdles are cleared.

Speaker 3

2nd quarter Clean Energy segment revenue is expected to approach $1,000,000,000 with adjusted EBITDA margin in the low to mid 6% range. This reflects approximately 23% growth and strong margin improvement versus Q1, driven by accelerating renewable and civil project execution. Finally, corporate expenses are expected to approximate 100 basis points of Q2 revenue. Yesterday, we updated full year guidance, increasing our revenue expectation to a range of $13,000,000,000 to $13,200,000,000 which reflects the Q1 results of higher than anticipated revenue in our non oil and gas segments. Our expected adjusted EBITDA range remains unchanged at $1,100,000,000 to $1,150,000,000 Our expected revenue mix and margin profile for each segment also remains unchanged from previous guidance.

Speaker 3

Revenue for all segments should accelerate into the second half of twenty twenty three and adjusted EBITDA margins are forecasted to reach the low double digits for the second half. To further illustrate 2023's margin cadence, in order to achieve full year adjusted EBITDA margin expectations, Our non oil and gas segments need to improve margins 120 basis points from our Q2 guidance to the second half. This compares to the 270 basis point improvement we generated in 2022 over the same period. We are very confident in our ability to execute at these levels. We also revised our 2023 adjusted earnings per share guidance The revised adjusted EPS guidance is driven by higher expected interest expense based on higher anticipated rates and depreciation expectations closer to the high end of our previous range due to timing of capital expenditures and our Q1 asset purchase previously mentioned.

Speaker 3

We now expect full year interest expense of $250,000,000 and depreciation of 428 We will continue to monitor the capital markets for opportunities to refinance tranches of our capital structure to enhance our maturity or interest rate profile. For 2023, we expect to generate cash flow from operations of approximately $550,000,000 with net cash CapEx of approximately $100,000,000 Full year cash flow estimates are impacted by the anticipated working capital investment Required to support revenue growth in the latter part of 2023. Year end 2023 net debt leverage is expected to fall to the low two times. Coming off the strategic investments we've made to diversify our end markets, reducing our leverage is a priority and we are committed to maintaining our investment grade rating. We've aligned our leverage reduction plans with the rating agencies who have expressed support as evidenced by Standard and Poor's recent affirmative rating action.

Speaker 3

We've posted a guidance fact sheet to the Investor Relations section of our website that summarizes these comments and provides detail on additional assumptions for modeling purposes. To conclude, MasTec is well positioned at the forefront of the energy transition landscape and we are excited by the opportunities in front of us today. Our end market diversification and breadth of service offerings are unmatched and provide us confidence in our ability to continue to drive strong operating results and long term shareholder value. We are thankful to our 33,000 team members for all of their hard work and sacrifice on behalf of MasTec and we look forward to providing all of them with the tools and resources Required to excel in their roles. I'll now turn the call back to the operator for Q and A.

Operator

Thank to one question and one follow-up question. And we'll go ahead and start off with our first question from Alex Rygiel with B. Riley. Please go ahead.

Speaker 4

Good morning, Jose and Paul. Congratulations on the solid quarter and thank you for the expanded guidance.

Speaker 1

Thank you. Good morning, Alex. Good morning. As Clean Energy becomes your largest segment

Speaker 4

and with the back end weighted year, can you comment on your

Speaker 2

It's a great question, Alex. And I think When we think about the business, we're somewhat surprised based on the fact that we closed the IA acquisition last year At the total demand of our services, right? I think the market is on fire. I think the expectation of our customers is to significantly increase The amount of projects they want to build, I think the challenge that we're all facing is what projects are truly constructible in 2023 versus what projects have to wait for outer years. There's no question in my mind that if the supply chain would be available, if the panel availability would be there, the amount of activity would dwarf what we're going to see in 20 23.

Speaker 2

So with that, I mean, what we've I think what we've done very well and we spent a lot of time doing is really analyzing every project that we're expecting that we have on the books, That we expect to win, that we're in dialogue with our customers, understanding where supply is coming from and making sure that they're buildable projects in 'twenty three. And that's kind of how we built up our 'twenty three model. The reality is that if we counted all of our customers' demands even for 2023, It would far exceed our guidance levels, but we think that the $5,000,000,000 range is what's actually doable based on The supply chain issues that we see in front of us for the balance of the year. So we actually have what we think is a very high level of visibility for our ability to hit that number.

Speaker 4

And then Paul, can you also discuss some of the variables that can impact full year cash flow to be either higher or lower than your guidance of 550?

Speaker 3

Yes, Alex. I mean the main driver is going to be working capital for us. I mean we think we've got visibility into the profitability of the business. So it's really making sure that we're managing the balance sheet effectively, getting DSOs down where they need to be across the company And making sure that we're diligent in that regard. That's going to be the biggest driver for us getting back down to our stated range and then working to improve from there.

Speaker 4

Very helpful. Thank you.

Speaker 3

Thanks, Alex.

Operator

Our next Question will come from Justin Hauke with Robert W. Baird. Please go ahead.

Speaker 5

Great. Good morning. So I guess my question is just in clean energy, I mean, you talked about the IEA projects and obviously how that came in a little bit light. I'm just curious, are there legacy projects that are in there that need to burn off, or complete before the margins can improve? And I know you also had some civil work that was in that segment that came from Henkel's and McCoy that was kind of legacy challenged.

Speaker 5

And I'm just curious where the status is on all those?

Speaker 2

Yes. Hi, Justin. So I think a couple of things. First, When you think about project activity, I think one of the issues in Q1 was project starts being pushed relative to some customers Knowing what supply was available and deciding to start their projects a little bit later and what that means to overall absorptions, with all that said, revenue was good. So there was Other project activity that either accelerated or came towards the end of projects.

Speaker 2

I think there were a number of projects at IEA that they started construction on, especially some solar farms that were customers started projects without panels, Expected panels to arrive by this time and haven't. So those are other complexities that we're managing through for different projects. I do think there's a portion of the business in both the renewables and the civil that obviously needs to work itself off. I think we've built that into our modeling All the way back to last year, I don't think there's been any significant changes related to that. And again, based We're in a year where customers that have panels, customers that have all their supplies know that They have some leverage over the business because their projects are obviously going to get built.

Speaker 2

So I think that as the supply chain improves, as the demand for the service And these projects actually make it into constructability. I think across the industry, you're going to see a pretty significant improvement in margins, and I think we start seeing it in the second quarter.

Speaker 5

Okay. Fair enough. And I guess my second question is just the higher interest Spence that you have that's going through here and the lower than expected cash flow. Can you just comment on kind of your rate Sensitivity from here in terms of, what's variable and how much sensitivity you have if rates continue to go higher?

Speaker 3

Yes, Justin. So I mean about $1,000,000,000 of it about $1,300,000,000 is probably fixed today. And I think we're looking at As I mentioned in the comments, we're looking at the bond markets and other ways to impact the interest rate profile. So we'll continue to evaluate that. So roughly probably 40% of it is fixed today.

Speaker 3

And we'll look at our forward looking Assessment of the interest rate environment and take that into account as we look at other paths forward from a capital markets perspective.

Speaker 4

Great. Thank you.

Operator

Next question comes from Neil Mehta with Goldman Sachs. Please go ahead.

Speaker 6

Thank you. And I'd also like to reiterate the additional guidance is super helpful here. I want to shift the conversation to Communications segment is this area sometimes where we have less visibility. And Jose, if you could just talk about customer conversations and how you're thinking about The progression of both revenue and margins over the course of the year. Thank you.

Speaker 2

Sure. So Neil, we've had obviously, I think now a lot of quarters where that business has performed really well where we've seen nice year over year growth for what feels like a couple of years now. And the reality is I think we're just starting to see the beginning of it, right? I think the only federal dollars that have really impacted the business in any significant way is RDOF, Significant capital going to come into the business relative to all of the other government legislation in the past that dealt with broadband. So we have a we're in constant dialogue with our customers.

Speaker 2

We have a lot of customers that have massive plans on a go forward basis. I think you're going to see continued overbuild of fiber all over the country by different carriers competing with each other. And I think it's great for not just the industry, but for MasTec, Tremendous demands. We've geared up for it. We continue to gear up.

Speaker 2

We're really comfortable with What are our numbers are for 2023 and again truly believe that we're just starting to see the beginning of what the opportunity there is going to be.

Speaker 6

And then about how there have been some bottlenecks in the 5 gs initiatives And some of the other issues that have affected pacing, talk about how those bottlenecks are Potentially being alleviated and when do you really feel like that momentum will show up?

Speaker 2

Sure. I think a couple of things. 1, There's no question that the carriers are allocating dollars really where they think they can get the biggest bang for their buck today. There's a question about how fast speeds do you really need in the wireless area to be competitive in the market. So I don't I think 5 gs has gone much slower than most have expected.

Speaker 2

I still think we're at very early stages of 5 gs deployment. I think customers Have obviously spent a considerable amount of money on the wired infrastructure side of wireless. I still think we're going to continue to see that. I think one of the challenges in small cells have been The need for fiber and power, so I think as that continues to build out, we're going to see an increase there. So I still think the best years of wireless Are yet to come.

Speaker 2

I think we're going to see a substantial increase in CapEx over the coming years. But I think what's driving the business today is on the wired side Really and on the deployment of broadband infrastructure across the country. And that's not a bad place to be, right? So we think that Again, as more fiber gets put into the ground, we're going to see continued investments in 5 gs wireless technology.

Speaker 7

Thanks, Hessey.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Neil.

Operator

Next question will come from Jamie Cook with Credit Suisse. Please go ahead.

Speaker 8

Hi, good morning. Nice start and I do appreciate the color on the guidance as well. So I guess two questions. 1, Jose, if you look at some of the like if you look at the acquisition that you guys have Now having a larger transmission distribution business with a renewable business, given Quanta's win yesterday of Sunsea, It proves that that strategy is going to be very successful for the both of you, right? That you both have you have a tremendous sort of synergy opportunity Across your renewables business and now your larger transmission distribution business.

Speaker 8

So my question to you is, do you are you bidding on Projects right now that are of size that will leverage both that you can win both on the transmission side and both on the renewable side and sort of your comfort level With winning these big transformational jobs given it's a new acquisition and some of the challenges that we're having right now in terms not challenges, but you have to integrate the acquisition, right? It's So that's my first question, the opportunity and your comfort level. And then my second question gets back to what your comments Focusing more on return on invested capital sort of resonated with me. So can you just sort of go a little deeper there? Do you have return on invested capital targets?

Speaker 8

Will you include that in compensation? Just a little more color on that as well. Thank you.

Speaker 2

Sure. So on the first piece, I think when we look at our customers and the way that they've acted over a long period of time, many times They look at the renewable assets, they look at the transmission assets. Sometimes those projects are interrelated, but for the most part, those jobs were bid separately. So they would bid the renewable Jobs to renewable contractors, and really the transmission portion of those projects for the most part would be bid separately. I think what you saw from Quanta yesterday, what you see from us in the deals that we've done is really the opportunity to be able to go into those customers and sell a full turnkey product.

Speaker 2

And I think that the customers are receiving that well. I think we will absolutely have our opportunities and have our wins related to that. I think that's a big Positive development relative to the size of the renewable business that we have coupled with our transmission assets. And I think that's something It's resonating well with the industry and I think there's very few people that can do that. So it puts us in a very small group and we're pretty excited about that.

Speaker 2

So yes, I do think that that's an important part Of our long term strategy and I think over the coming quarters, we'll be able to announce our own deals relative to that. When we think about the comments that Paul made around really working capital and how we think about our dollars and our investments, Not to make excuses, our team has been really focused on a number of acquisitions over the course of the last 2 or 3 years. It takes a lot of time to integrate these deals. There's no question that we as an organization feel that we've lost some focus On managing working capital, I think this is definitely one of Paul's strengths coming into this role. I know he's hyper focused on it and will make the organization Refocus on it, it is definitely something that we've been talking about more and more and more over the last few months.

Speaker 2

Compensation will be tied to it and I expect to see significant improvements. We take a lot of pride in that for years. We led in every single one of those categories across the peer group. And our goal is to get back there and lead the peer group again relative to all of those metrics.

Speaker 8

Thank you.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Jamie.

Operator

Next question comes from Brent Dillman with D. A. Davidson. Please go ahead.

Speaker 4

Hey, thanks. Good morning. Jose, the power delivery Backlog, obviously very good, maybe not completely representative of the kind of market that we're in and where we're headed. Love to just get your comments on the trajectory of that backlog as we work our way through the year, maybe if there's anything holding that back And ultimately, where are you seeing that going from here?

Speaker 2

First, I think it's important to keep in mind, right, we made a number of acquisitions in the last In the last two years, the bulk of the work that we're doing today is recurring maintenance type work. So it's not driven by large projects. It's everyday poke and burn business, which is really important. That's the bulk of what that unit does today. I think it was really important to get our arms around Everything that we acquired rationalized the business, make sure that the customers that we're working with give us an opportunity to earn a fair wage.

Speaker 2

So I think we're doing that. I think that's been the focus over the course of the last year and a half, two years. I think we've made great improvements. If you look at Not just the margin improvements in the business, but quite frankly, the margin dispersion amongst that business, I think each of those groups is performing a lot tighter than it ever has. I still think there's some differences there where we think there's tremendous opportunities for improvement, but we feel really good about The progress we've made there, but it really has been based on a lot of the recurring type work, which we think is critically important.

Speaker 2

We talked a lot about on our Q4 call about the investments that we're making on the larger project work. We're gearing for it. We started one large project. We expect to win others. So I think that's definitely part of the mix, but it's not part of what's necessarily rolled into our numbers today.

Speaker 2

I think the bulk of what we've done, the bulk of the success That we've had has been really focused on the recurring maintenance type work, and I think we'll start layering on some of the project work, and I think you'll see that Roll in over the course of the next year or 2.

Speaker 4

Okay. Appreciate that. And then, I guess on the clean energy Business, obviously, just the momentum in renewables overshadow some of the other things you do in that business. You do have a fairly large Dibble infrastructure business now with the combination of IEA. Just be curious what the contribution of that business has been to bookings, where you see it headed.

Speaker 4

Obviously, you have an infrastructure act, I think would be helpful. And Jose, is that a business fixed core to the company long term

Speaker 2

It's a good question. I think that our performance in Civil so far has been better than the overall group's performance. So we're actually very pleased With the direction of that business, backlog growth there has been extremely strong. We have tremendous prospects in that business going forward. I think what we said all along, we still feel like we've just got our toe in the water there.

Speaker 2

It's a sizable business today, but it's one that we still feel that we're learning. I think the my initial reaction today would be I think the business is performing dramatically better than we expected. I think it's got dramatic more upside than we expected. Now whether How much investment we're going to be willing to put behind that and where that ultimately goes, I think the jury is still out. But To date that business is performing really well and we actually expect it to have a very solid 2023.

Speaker 4

Thank you.

Operator

Our next question will come from Andy Kaplowitz with Citigroup. Please go ahead.

Speaker 7

Hey, good morning.

Speaker 2

Good morning, Andy.

Speaker 7

Jose, one of the questions you answered last quarter, you mentioned the variability of MasTec's performance should diminish considerably Really by next year's Q1, and I think the variability is still a separator between you and your significant E and C peers. So can you talk about Your conviction level that you can mitigate that variability with the understanding that you do have a seasonal business. So what are you doing to mitigate it?

Speaker 2

Well, I think it's also where each business is at a point in time. So if we go back to the Q1 of 2021, which Just 2 years ago, our oil and gas business did almost $750,000,000 versus $200,000,000 today, right? So the comps Have been very difficult for us, especially early in the year over the last few years because the strength that oil and gas had early in the year. When we look forward, one of the challenges that we had coming into 'twenty three that we knew about was the fact that renewable projects were still pushed out, renewable projects We're going to start in a meaningful way starting in the Q2 going into the Q3. But when we look at 'twenty four, right, when that renewable supply chain is kind of fixed, Project activity in the first half of the year is going to be really strong in 'twenty four versus where it was this year, making next year's Q1 comp actually we think quite easy.

Speaker 2

I think the same thing is happening in the pipeline business, right? We're off historical lows. This is last year's Q1 and this year's Q1 are historical lows for us In the pipeline business, I think that with the projects that we've got in queue and coming on, next year's Q1 is going to be considerably better than this year's. I think when you look at those two businesses in particular with the significant revenue appreciation in next year's Q1 versus this year, it's It's going to take away a significant amount of that seasonality. So for the last 2 years, we posted losses in Q1 that Historically, we hadn't done that.

Speaker 2

I think it has a lot to do with those two businesses and the variability of those businesses. And I think that goes away in 2024.

Speaker 7

Thanks for that, Jose. And then you've gotten a couple of questions on communications, but maybe just following up. You continue to put backlog in that business. So maybe talk about your conviction level in continued growth toward that $4,000,000,000 near term number you've Has anything changed there in your view? And why is it that you continue to sort of be so much more bullish than Maybe some of your customers are talking about in terms of their CapEx trends.

Speaker 2

What we're seeing in the business is very large Program build plans, right? So we've got a number of customers that have tremendous plans over the next couple of years In terms of significantly expanding their networks. We're not publicly talking about them. We're not mentioning customers' names, but We're in the middle of negotiations. We're in the middle of awards and we feel really good about not just what that means for quite frankly the second half of 23, but what it means for 2024 and 2025.

Speaker 2

And I think that's only going to ramp up in discussions with them as more federal dollars become available. I think we're going to see even more of that. So again, I think that business is incredibly healthy. I think we're just starting to see the beginning of what that business is going to ultimately become. We continue to see new players Break into that market in addition to the existing core players.

Speaker 2

So again, we're just really bullish in that space. We think that space is going to have Continued solid growth. We think we're trying to manage our growth appropriately. We're not taking everything that's in front of us. We're trying to Manage into that growth into a way where we can continue to have margin appreciation while we're growing, and I think we've executed to that so far.

Speaker 7

Appreciate it, Jose.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Andy.

Operator

Next question will come from Adam Thalhimer with Thompson Davis. Please go ahead.

Speaker 9

Hey, good morning guys.

Speaker 2

Good morning, Adam.

Speaker 9

Hey, Jose. Can you give us some insight into your on the Clean Energy side, can you give us some insight into your conversations with customers. And would you say that any of your customers are at all concerned about getting the construction resources they need for the next few years?

Speaker 2

I think the customers that understand the market are very concerned. And if our customers aren't concerned, they should be because the amount of Work that's out there, the amount of demand that's going to be out there is in my mind going to somewhat dwarf the industry's capability of delivering it. I think that's why

Speaker 1

for a

Speaker 2

long time, we've been talking about scale and how scale matters. I think it's a huge differentiator for us. And yes, we have a number of customers today that are committing to long term resources, trying to commit to long term resources, trying to lock up resources. It's a huge shift in the market and I think it's one that we'll continue to demonstrate as 'twenty three plays out and more importantly into 'twenty four and 'twenty five. I think one of the things that's really critical to think about is, we're really not going to see the significant benefits of IRA until So 2025.

Speaker 2

So we're still waiting for the bonus adder guidance that should be coming out hopefully later this quarter. But the reality is it's IRA is going to have an impact in the business in late 2023 2024, but the majority of the impact is going to be felt in 2025 and beyond. And I think when you kind of Put all those numbers in perspective and you kind of model out what the industry is going to need to accomplish, it's pretty significant. And it's why we continue to invest and keep Positioning ourselves to take advantage of what we think is going to be really healthy growth rates for a long time.

Speaker 9

And so when you talk about clean energy margins going to double digits, In light of those opportunities, does double digits feel like a stretch or is that where you really should be when these things start to line up?

Speaker 2

Well, it's a stretch from where we are today and we get that. So what we've said is, we think there's an opportunity to approach double digits over the course of the next couple of years. I think all the industry trends are in our favor to obviously drive margins out of the business. But I don't think we should put Lofty goals out there either without having achieved much and we get that. So our goal for this year is to get mid to high 6s.

Speaker 2

Our goal for the coming years Is to take that and start approaching double digits and hopefully we can do that faster than we're saying. And hopefully, the end goal ends up being a lot larger, but I don't want We're not here to hype the story. We're here to give a realistic view as to what we think we can accomplish. And there's no question that the fundamentals of the market are going to allow all the players in the industry, including us, to ultimately get better returns on the Including us to ultimately get better returns on the investments that we're making.

Speaker 10

Thanks, Heather.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Adam.

Operator

Next question comes from Marc Bianchi with TD Cowen. Please go ahead.

Speaker 11

Thank you. I wanted to start by just clarifying something about the CapEx guidance that you have here for The $100,000,000 net of disposal. So if I look at the Q1, that number would have been $63,000,000 of CapEx and then twenty 20 of proceeds, so 43 net for the quarter. Just want to confirm we're on the same page there.

Speaker 3

Yes, that's correct, Mark.

Speaker 11

Okay, great. Thanks. So then I guess the question is, if I take a look at that on an annual basis, the 100 is kind of low by historical standards considering how large the business has become with M and A. I know the finance lease piece has grown as well. So maybe that's the difference in that the finance lease piece on a longer term basis This is just going to constitute a larger part of CapEx.

Speaker 11

But maybe as you look at it holistically over time, what should sort of The aggregation of CapEx, asset proceeds and finance leases be to run the business.

Speaker 2

Mark, it's a good question, right? I think when if you look at MasTec in its entirety and you compare us to our peer group, From a depreciation perspective, we probably run as high of depreciation as anybody. When you look at our original cost PP and E and even Our current PP and E values relative to our revenue, it's higher than most of the peer group. So I think we're in a great place relative to our fleet. I think we've got a lot of flexibility relative to our fleet with what we want to do relative to kind of how that plays into our financials.

Speaker 2

So we've made we've said it, we've made significant investments over the last couple of years to prepare ourselves to be in the position that we're in. I think it's time to start enjoying that and mining that equipment and put it all to work so we can get high utilizations and then make determinations on the balance of our CapEx relative to that. But I think There isn't a company in the peer group, with the size of fleet relative to us on a revenue basis, or quite frankly, the amount of depreciation that's going through our books. So we actually think we need to rationalize that a little bit better and bring us more in line with other peers.

Speaker 11

Okay. Thanks for that, Jose. Maybe Paul, just if you could, is the finance lease number in the Q1 of 37 a good number to Assume for the remainder of the year or any guidance on what we should assume for the year there?

Speaker 3

Yes, that's a reasonable number. I think we've said before about $150,000,000 is expectation on the finance leases for the full year.

Speaker 11

Super. Thank you so much. I'll turn it back.

Speaker 2

Thanks.

Operator

Next question will come from Avi Jurasovich with UBS. Please go ahead.

Speaker 12

Hey, good morning, everyone. Avi on for Steve Fisher. Hi, Steve. Just when we Good morning. So when we think of the near term potential For power delivery, you got the margins going to double digit to low teens.

Speaker 12

Just how much of that margin expansion would be from Absorption at higher revenue levels versus some of the project mix you're talking about versus other operational improvements?

Speaker 2

Well, I think it's all of it. When we one of The points that we talked about earlier was margin dispersion, especially amongst that business because we've made a lot of acquisitions, right? I think, it's much tighter than it's ever been Since we've acquired those businesses, but and I think it's different, right? We don't necessarily operate as different units. We've tried to create geographical clusters Where we can operate under one entity, but we still see a wide range of margins.

Speaker 2

And while that may not seem Overly positive at first, we think that that actually shows the opportunities for improvement in the business. So while margins aren't as dispersed, They still run anywhere on the low end from 6 to 12. And what that tells us is there's tremendous opportunities to continue to fix a number of those areas that So I do think a portion of that comes from improvements in underperforming markets to this day. Again, although we're really satisfied with the progress that we've made. And I think that's only added by the change of project mix and the ability to grow revenues and absorb some of your fixed costs faster.

Speaker 2

So I think it's a combination of all. I don't think we only need to rely on new projects for margin expansion. I think there's margin expansion available to us both within our base business and then obviously With some of the newer opportunities.

Speaker 12

Okay. Appreciate that. And then in terms of The near term potential for the oil and gas segment. So you mentioned some of the alt fuels and carbon capture opportunities as being catalysts. So wondering if you could talk about what you're seeing in that part of the market.

Speaker 12

What would the scale of some of the projects that You may be starting to see the timeline, who's developing these projects, just any kind of color you might have.

Speaker 2

Well, I think there's a lot of activity on multiple fronts. I still think We're hopeful that we start seeing those projects in 2024 and activity starts in 2024. We've been in very Prolonged discussions with a number of players, we're one of our hesitations in talking about it a lot more publicly is just Having strong assurances of when those projects will start, but I think over the coming quarters, you're going to hear us talk a lot more about that.

Speaker 12

Understood. Thank you.

Speaker 1

Thanks.

Operator

Our last question will come from Sean Eastman with KeyBanc. Please go

Speaker 10

ahead. Hi, guys. Thanks for fitting me in here. I just wanted to

Speaker 1

come back to the

Speaker 10

communications outlook, Maybe just through the lens of the bridge to the $4,000,000,000 kind of near term potential. Just so I understand it, is the message that it's really largely the rural broadband opportunity that bridges us to that number? Or Help me understand exactly what you guys are trying to communicate there.

Speaker 2

Well, I would argue that we've we kind of put that out a while ago just to give a pathway to how we achieve $15,000,000,000 of revenue. I mean the reality is as we performed that bridge is kind of small now. So if we do $3,600,000,000 this year in revenue and comps to get to $4,000,000,000 is just 10% growth. The reality is that that's not by any stretch of imagination aggressive. So that's probably not the right mid term goal for us anymore.

Speaker 2

It's probably a lot larger. With that said, we don't that type of growth should actually come naturally from all components of the business, right. The entire business should be lifting at roughly a rate close to that. So I think, again, it's probably a very conservative target that we're laying out there as a goal.

Speaker 10

Okay. Got you. And maybe just in closing, a high level one. If through last year, we were Kind of framing 2022 as a transition year, how would you want The Street to characterize 2023 from MasTec?

Speaker 2

Well, I think 'twenty two was a transformative year for MasTec as we radically changed the look and the feel of the business And the size that we were in the different markets, I think 2023 is going to be a it's In my mind, still somewhat of a transition year, but more of an earnings transition year. So I think the earnings power that you'll start seeing coming through the business in the second quarter and then further augmented in Q3 Q4 is going to give people the right look and the outlook of what the potential for MasTec is long term. While we'll still be somewhat of a seasonal business from quarter to quarter, I the second half performance of 2023 is going to give great color to what this business can do on a full year basis in 2024. And I think that will show a radically different Maastricht than the one that you see today.

Speaker 10

Thanks, Jose. I'll leave it there.

Speaker 2

All right. Thanks, Sean.

Operator

And it appears there are no further questions in the queue. That does conclude our question and answer session for today. I would now like to turn the call back over to Jose Mas for any additional or closing remarks.

Speaker 2

Just want to thank everybody for their interest and in participating today, and we look forward to updating everybody

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Earnings Conference Call
MasTec Q1 2023
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