BlueLinx Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
May 1, 2024

There are 8 speakers on the call.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by, and welcome to the BlueLinx Holdings First Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode and today's call is being recorded. We will begin with opening remarks and introductions. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to your host, Investor Relations Officer, Tom Morabito. Please go ahead.

Speaker 1

Thank you, operator, and welcome to the BlueLinx Q1 2024 Earnings Call.

Speaker 2

Joining me

Speaker 1

on today's call is Sham Reddy, our President and Chief Executive Officer and Andy Wamser, our Chief Financial Officer. At the end of today's prepared remarks, we will take questions. Our Q1 news release and Form 10 Q were issued yesterday after the close of the market, along with our webcast presentation, and these items are available in the Investors section of our website, bluewingsco.com. We encourage you to follow along with the detailed information on the slides during our webcast. Today's discussion contains forward looking statements.

Speaker 1

Actual results may differ significantly from those forward looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties, including the risks described in our most recent SEC filings. Today's presentation includes certain non GAAP and adjusted financial measures that we believe provide helpful context for investors evaluating our business. Reconciliations to the closest GAAP financial measures be found in the appendix of our presentation. Now I'll turn it over to Shannon.

Speaker 3

Thanks, Tom, and good morning, everyone. We are pleased with our Q1 2024 results, especially as we recovered from challenging weather conditions in January. I'm extremely proud of my teammates for their continued grit and teamwork in an uncertain housing market and challenging interest rate environment and for their dedication to serving our customers and our suppliers at the highest levels despite the market industry headwinds. I am also excited about aligning my executive leadership structure with our corporate strategy to accelerate our strategic commercial growth initiatives. Mike Wilson, previously our Chief Product Management Officer and 30 year industry veteran with significant sales leadership experience has been appointed into a newly created Chief Commercial Officer role that is focused on driving profitable sales growth through our regional, local and national account teams.

Speaker 3

Before turning to the Q1 results, I want to briefly remind everyone of our corporate growth strategy and our vision to become the most technologically advanced 2 step distributor building products in the U. S. So that we can become the provider of choice for both our customers and our vendors. We are focused on growing our core business in 5 key specialty product categories that are sold into multiple layers of a home's construction cycle from start to finish. They are engineered wood, siding, industrial products, millwork and outdoor living.

Speaker 3

By making investments in people, value added services and working capital to name a few, we are more effectively positioning the company to grow our specialty product business with existing customers and new customers nationally and in strategic markets across the country. These categories, which are valued by our customers, intend to be 2 step distribution friendly, are expected to generate sustainable higher net sales and gross profits over the long term. We are also committed to allocating capital to M and A and Greenfield to expand our geographic reach and to support our specialty product sales growth initiatives. While we continue to evaluate acquisition opportunities and pursue those that meet our valuation expectations, we are moving forward with our greenfield initiative and expect to start our first one by the end of the year. In addition, our growth strategy will continue to be supported by 3 strategic enablers, operational, business and digital excellence, all of which are designed to enhance the customer experience.

Speaker 3

Now turning to our Q1 results. We generated net sales of $726,000,000 $39,000,000 in adjusted EBITDA for a 5.3 percent adjusted EBITDA margin. Adjusted net income was $19,000,000 or $2.14 per share. And as Andy will detail in a moment, adjusted EBITDA and net income were favorably impacted on a net basis by a couple of notable import duty items. But even after removing this favorable impact, we were pleased with our results.

Speaker 3

Specialty Products accounted for approximately 70% of net sales and just over 80% of gross profit for the Q1. We also delivered solid gross margin performance with specialty products coming in at 20.7%, inclusive of the import duty items and structural products at 10.6%. Excluding this favorable impact, our gross margin performance with Specialty Products came in at 19.4%. Our continued focus on business and operational excellence contributed to these positive results. During the quarter, we experienced deflation in specialty product sales that accounted for the overall sales decline.

Speaker 3

With both categories, volumes were adversely impacted by the extreme weather patterns experienced in January when nearly half of our locations were closed for between 1 5 days during the month due to unusually cold weather and winter storms. Volumes recovered in February March as business ramped back up with particular strength in our specialty products. Lastly, our financial position remains strong and our significant liquidity leaves us well positioned to execute on our corporate growth strategy as well as maintain the flexibility to opportunistically return capital to shareholders. Now turning to our perspective on the broader housing and building products market. While industry sources had initially been indicating a renewed sense of optimism for the overall market, especially in the second half of the year, headwinds remain meaningful in building products due to the Federal Reserve's current posture regarding rate cuts.

Speaker 3

In the meantime, the U. S. Housing market remains volatile as reflected by March housing starts sliding to an adjusted annual rate of 1,320,000 down 15% from February. Single family housing starts dropped roughly 12%, while large multifamily starts fell 21%. Permits also fell about 4%.

Speaker 3

In addition, after 4 months of sequential improvement, builders' confidence in April was 51 and remained flat compared to March. Interest rate cuts also seem further out, so mortgage rates that are currently over 7% may remain stubbornly high throughout the year. Although they are lower than the 8% peak last year, they are still well above the 20 year average and back to the levels last seen in the fall of 2023. More importantly, they haven't stabilized, which is critical to accelerating buy sell activity for housing. Repair and remodel spending continues to be lower than the elevated levels of 20222023 when a lot of projects were pulled forward and is expected to decline further in 2024.

Speaker 3

At the same time, existing home sales are at their lowest level in nearly 30 years, which is problematic because a significant amount of repair and remodel activity occurs when families sell their homes and buy new homes. It is important to note that while single family housing starts have been showing strong numbers the past few months, that strength has mostly been driven by the large builders that can use their size and scale to buy down mortgage rates, offer more attractive deals to consumers and buy direct from manufacturers to support their production schedules. 2 step distributors like BlueLinx tend to correlate more closely with smaller and custom home builders and therefore do not participate as much in the large production builder market. Given the macroeconomic environment we described, we expect this pattern to continue for the remainder of 2024. Although the near term outlook remains uncertain and muted, we clearly believe in the long term prospects of the housing and building product sector, which underlies our growth strategy.

Speaker 3

The shortage of homes, supported demographic shifts, aged housing stock, necessary repair and remodel activity and high levels of home equity should continue to benefit the building products industry and BlueLinx. Now, I'll turn it over to Andy, who will provide more details on our financial results and our capital structure.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Shan, and good morning, everyone. Let's first go through the consolidated highlights for the quarter. Overall, we delivered solid first quarter results highlighted by strong margins in both our specialty and structural product categories. Net sales were $726,000,000 down 9% year over year. Total gross profit was $128,000,000 and gross margin was 17.6%, up 90 basis points from the prior period.

Speaker 2

As Sham mentioned, we experienced the net positive impact of different import duty related items in the quarter. The impact was related to positive changes in retroactive rates for antidumping and contravailing duties for certain products we imported. This was partially offset by classification adjustments for certain goods imported by the company as separately entered shipments. These items netted out to a benefit of approximately $7,000,000 to our adjusted EBITDA. While the items are separate and not considered one time, we do not expect them to be as material in future periods.

Speaker 2

More details on these items are available in our 10 Q. SG and A was $91,000,000 consistent with last year's Q1. Net income was $17,000,000 or $2 per share and adjusted net income was $19,000,000 or $2.14 per share. Tax expense for the Q1 was $5,600,000 or 24.1 percent. For the full year 2024, we anticipate our tax rate to be in the range of 24% to 28%.

Speaker 2

Adjusted EBITDA was $39,000,000 or 5.3 percent of net sales, following our normal seasonal patterns and includes the favorable tariff and duty adjustments. Not including these adjustment items, adjusted EBITDA would have been $32,000,000 or 4.4 percent of net sales. As a reminder, we tend to have higher adjusted EBITDA margins in the second and third quarters, but relatively lower margins in the 1st and 4th quarters of the year. Turning now to 1st quarter results for Specialty Products. Net sales were $504,000,000 down 11% year over year.

Speaker 2

This decline was driven by price deflation across several specialty product categories. Given current market conditions, we expect price deflation in our specialty products to continue with a view that they will moderate on a year over year basis as we move through 2024. Gross profit from specialty product sales was $104,000,000 down 2% year over year. Specialty gross margin was 20.7%, up 190 basis points from last year, primarily due to the duty related items. Not including these benefits, specialty gross margins were strong 19.4% in the Q1.

Speaker 2

Through the 1st 4 weeks of Q2, specialty product gross margin was in the range of 18% to 19%, with daily sales volumes sequentially higher when compared to the Q1 of 2024 and higher than the equivalent period last year. As a reminder, it's important to note that industry driven price deflation in our specialty products should continue to have an impact on both our top line and cost of goods sold during the year. So far this year, we've seen average specialty pricing down roughly 10% compared to the same time last year. And even though margins are stable, gross profit dollars are lower. This dynamic creates a near term market headwind and we hope to see this improve as the year progresses.

Speaker 2

Now moving on to Structural Products. Net sales were $222,000,000 down 3% compared to the prior year period. This decrease was primarily due to framing lumber volumes when compared to the elevated levels from last year. Gross profit from structural products was $24,000,000 a decrease of 12% year over year and structural gross margin was 10.6 percent, down 110 basis points from the same period last year. In the Q1 of 2024, average lumber prices were about $403 per 1,000 board feet and panel prices were about $6.15 per 1,000 square feet, a 2% decrease and a 23% increase, respectively, compared to the averages in the Q1 of last year.

Speaker 2

Sequentially, comparing the Q1 of 2024 with the Q4 of 2023, these prices were both up 5%. Our strong structural margin continues to reflect the tremendous job our team does in managing commodity cost volatility risk by leveraging consignment and utilizing centralized purchasing and pricing to keep inventory levels low. Through the 1st 4 weeks of Q2, Structural Products gross margin was in the range of 10% to 11% with daily sales volumes consistent with the Q1 2024. Looking now at our balance sheet. Our liquidity remains excellent due to the strong execution of our strategic initiatives and effective management of working capital.

Speaker 2

At the end of the quarter, cash on hand was $481,000,000 a decrease of $40,000,000 from year end due to normal seasonal patterns in working capital. When considering our cash on hand and undrawn revolver capacity of approximately $347,000,000 available liquidity was $828,000,000 at the end of the quarter. Total debt excluding our real property financing leases was $348,000,000 and net debt was a negative $133,000,000 Our net leverage ratio was a negative 0.8 times and we have no material outstanding debt maturities until 2029. Our balance sheet and liquidity remain strong and when combined with our solid EBITDA generation, we are well positioned to support our strategic initiatives, including our digital transformation efforts. These included investments in our highest return opportunities such as organic and inorganic growth initiatives and opportunistic share repurchases.

Speaker 2

Now moving on to working capital and free cash flow. During the Q1, we used operating cash flow of $31,000,000 and had free cash flow of negative $37,000,000 The use of cash was primarily driven by normal seasonal patterns for working capital, which increased during the period. Turning now to capital allocation. During the quarter, we spent approximately $5,000,000 in CapEx, primarily to improve our distribution facilities and our fleet. We also entered into finance leases for $8,000,000 per fleet upgrades as well.

Speaker 2

For 2024, we expect capital investments to be approximately $40,000,000 focusing on facility improvements, further upgrades to our fleet and the technology improvements previously discussed. Our digital transformation will also have at least a $5,000,000 impact on operating expenses this year related to software licenses as well as increased headcount associated with this initiative. During the Q1, we did not purchase any shares under our repurchase program, but we remain committed to our share repurchase efforts by continuing to be opportunistic in the market. Our guiding principles for capital allocation remain consistent. We intend to maintain a strong balance sheet, which enables us invest in our business through economic cycles, pursue a disciplined M and A strategy and expand our geographic footprint as well as return capital to shareholders.

Speaker 2

We also plan to maintain a long term target net leverage of 2 times or less. Overall, we are pleased with our Q1 results highlighted by our strong margins, especially in light of January's challenging weather conditions, an uncertain housing environment and the market deflation on specialty products. Our strong balance sheet and liquidity positions us well to execute on our strategy and provide returns for our shareholders. Operator, we are now ready to take questions.

Operator

Thank you. We will now begin the question and answer And your first question comes from the line of Jeffrey Stevenson with Loop Capital. Please go ahead.

Speaker 4

Hi, thanks for taking my questions and congrats on the nice quarter.

Speaker 3

Thanks, Jeff.

Speaker 5

I was

Speaker 6

hoping you

Speaker 4

could provide some more color on the cadence of specialty volume growth as we move through the Q1 because previously you reported that average daily sales volumes were down 10% in January due to adverse weather. I wondered if you experienced any meaningful improvement throughout the quarter and into April where you indicated volumes are up sequentially?

Speaker 2

Yes, great question. So, as Sham mentioned in his comments, we did see an improvement in February March with some of the specialty volumes. As we ended the quarter, we are able to fully offset, I would say, the January performance. And so it was up modestly, I would say, from a volume perspective. So that'd be low single digits.

Speaker 2

As we look into April, the first sort of 4 weeks of the month, I would say that volumes were up, I'd say, mid single digit in specialty, but it looked softer certainly in structural. So that was generally the trend that we saw. We Great.

Speaker 5

Great. At the

Speaker 3

same time, despite the volume, with respect to volumes going up, we're also managing or continue to show our commitment to managing margins effectively with our pricing excellence teams and data driven approach to managing our business locally and nationally.

Speaker 4

Got it. Got it. Yes, I wanted to ask next about your 2024 specialty products pricing outlook. Previously, you indicated you saw meaningful deflationary pressures primarily in EWP and millwork, but you expect segment pricing to moderate as the year progressed. Has there been any changes in your specialty pricing outlook or things going largely as you anticipated?

Speaker 3

Yes. Look, as long as the demand curve continues to be a little suppressed, we expect the deflationary environment to continue. So far, it's remained stable relatively recently, but the optimistic outlook we had heading into the year is a little bit more muted just in light of the Fed's posture. But over time as the demand curve gets better, we feel like pricing will improve. But right now, we're seeing meaningful deflation or we've seen consistent deflation in millwork and EWP being the lion's share of it with deflation in all categories other than panels.

Speaker 3

Volumes are up though in all categories other than lumber, which was in a meaningful way down. That's primarily due to, I think, weather, the weather events we experienced early in the quarter.

Speaker 2

Jeff, maybe just one thing to add. So when we talk about the specialty pricing deflation, it's again on a year over year basis. So as we talk about it moderating throughout the year, we're talking about it moderating from a year over year perspective. So as we get to Q4, that's our general expectation in terms of where we should lap this deflation if current pricing holds, which it has been for the last, I'd say, several months.

Speaker 4

Understood. Thanks, Andy. And then lastly, just, obviously, your financial position is very attractive right now. And you mentioned you're likely going to move forward with the greenfield by the end of the year. Can you provide any more details?

Speaker 4

Previously, you talked about Western markets is where white space was. And should we expect something in that

Speaker 3

region? Yes, I would say that's a good way to think about it. I mean, we've got a lot of space out there and there are a number of markets we've identified, from a perspective of housing starts and permits and good demographic trends in the future that would justify or provide a great location for us to launch a greenfield. We're in the process of identifying real property opportunities, whether they be existing sites or opportunities to develop land preferably with year, get that done right and then accelerate our greenfield development as we continue to fine tune our greenfield machine. But very excited about the opportunities ahead of us with respect to those markets.

Speaker 3

Great.

Speaker 4

Thank you.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Jeff.

Operator

Your next question comes from the line of Greg Palm of Craig Hallum Capital Group. Please go ahead.

Speaker 6

On one of the previous questions around price, helpful commentary on the year over year. In terms of sequentially, are you saying that pricing has bottomed? Is it expected to be at these levels? Is it expected to improve sequentially? Can you just give us a little bit more color?

Speaker 2

Yes. So I mean, we would expect the specialty deflation sort of hold where it is in Q1. But when we think about it then sequentially, we saw price deflation throughout 2023. So that continued to decrease as we move throughout the year. The year over year would then will become less as we get to Q2, Q3 and then it should lap that in Q4.

Speaker 6

So a headwind on a year over year basis, but maybe sequentially as we go throughout the year, it maybe improves a little bit versus what you saw in Q1?

Speaker 2

I don't think it's going to sequentially improve. What I'm saying is that our expectation right now is that it stays the same sequentially. But when we think about it year over year, it will sequentially improve.

Speaker 3

That's right.

Speaker 6

Understood. The lines

Speaker 3

to get closer together. But generally speaking, we feel like it has moderated. But again, if demand increases at some point when rates start when we see this period of uncertainty dissipate and we're actually getting into more normalized times, then we would expect the pricing to change just based on the demand. But right now, we feel like it has moderated.

Speaker 6

Okay. Makes sense. And I don't know if I missed it, but did you say that you expect additional gains or positive impacts from some of those import duty related items that hit in Q1? And is anything built into that margin guidance that you provided on a quarter to date basis? Or is that excluding that?

Speaker 2

So to be frank, we don't have a lot of visibility in terms of when we would get, I'd say, potential refunds from the antidumping countervailing duties. There's an expectation there could be maybe a couple of $1,000,000 but again, don't know when the timing of that could be and that is not in our guidance. So, it may happen by this year, but actually maybe push into next. So, unclear at this point.

Speaker 3

And those could be offset, not aware of. I mean, it's just not something we really think about.

Speaker 6

Sure. Okay. And then as it relates to working capital usage in Q1, kind of normal seasonality, just remind us, does that reverse completely in Q2? Does it take a couple of quarters for that to reverse?

Speaker 2

Yes. So there was a little more than a $30,000,000 sort of drag in Q1. We would expect maybe a little bit in Q2 and then it's starting to reverse in Q3 and then as we get to then year end. So this is generally in line with sort of seasonal patterns for the Q1, moderately second and then we'll get some improvement certainly in Q3 and then last year sorry, Q4 at the end of the year.

Speaker 6

All right. Okay. That is it for me. Thanks.

Speaker 3

Thanks, Greg.

Operator

Your next question comes from the line of Kurt Yinger of D. A. Davidson. Please go ahead.

Speaker 7

Great. Thanks and good morning everyone. Just a point of clarification on the volume commentary in Specialty, when you referenced kind of mid single digit improvement in April, was that a sequential number or on a year over year basis?

Speaker 2

So that's talking on a sequential basis.

Speaker 7

Okay, got you. And I guess it sounded like February March might have been up on a year over year basis kind of offsetting that January pressure.

Speaker 2

Yes.

Speaker 7

Or am I mistaken in that?

Speaker 2

Yes. No, it was up year over year in February March.

Operator

Got you.

Speaker 7

Okay. I mean is it fair to say that with that kind of sequential improvement you've seen that year over year improvement continue as well or maybe that's pulled back a little bit depending on seasonality and maybe a little bit of catch up for January?

Speaker 2

I would say we've been pleased with some of the volume numbers, I would say, from February, March into the first 4 weeks and sort of gave some indication in terms of what we've seen the improvement for April. I would say the one thing though that is the headwind is the specialty deflation that we've talked about over and over. So we think about from a gross profit basis, there's headwinds there, but we're pleased with some of the volumes. That being said, it's a caveat that it's certainly the market is uncertain in terms of how we think about the expectations for rates and what that means for starts. But long term, we're clearly optimistic in terms of what the market will hold over the longer term.

Speaker 3

Yes. And then as it relates to what the market what we are presented within the market, we've launched a number of strategic initiatives to grow the business in key markets along those 5 key specialty product categories, while also leveraging our relationships with on the national account side to grow that business as well very strategically. And then as I touched on in previous calls, there is a portion of starts where we don't have that much of a presence and that's multifamily. And we have now some dedicated resources to growing that business out in the regions and in the local markets where the opportunities are great and have got some great vendor partnerships that are enabling us to do that as well. So it's we're basically taking the bull by the horns despite the market headwinds, but they are real for sure.

Operator

Right. Yes. Okay. That all makes sense. And in the last 6 months,

Speaker 7

you guys have announced some expanded partnerships with LP and Huber. Curious if you've gotten that product in place in those additional locations and have started to kind of ramp sales at expected run rates at this stage or whether that's something that could still kind of prove incremental over the next couple of quarters?

Speaker 3

Yes. So we continue to expand our relationships with them and the sales, once we bring in stocking positions in those locations, the sales start to flow through the P and L. But we have a lot more room for opportunity and additional markets that will come online that are in discussions. As you can imagine, market expansion with any of our key vendors is done pursuant to a schedule and it takes time over the course of the year. But so far we are very pleased with the markets we've opened up with, whether it be our siding partner like Allura or LP with respect to other type of siding.

Speaker 3

And then of course, you mentioned Hubert as well. But we have a number of relationships, where we are expanding product lines that are giving our teams in the field some great excitement in what's otherwise a challenging market. Also as it relates to kind of your normal customer base, there are opportunities where we have like we're expanding in markets with respect to multifamily and our home centers, where we might not otherwise be selling a specific product. So that's also another opportunity for growth and product expansion. So it's both geographic and channel.

Speaker 2

Okay.

Operator

Okay. That's good to hear.

Speaker 7

And Andy, you had touched on kind of seasonally stronger EBITDA margin profile in the middle part of the year. I guess if we were to think about Q2 and that being the case, would we account for kind of that duty benefit and maybe strip that out or do you feel like that's a comment that could be taken through to kind of the number that you reported here in Q1?

Speaker 2

Yes. I mean, you would have to strip out the impact or the positive net impact from the duties. So from a reported, I would say, a 5.3% was with the duties was 4.4% without. So I think there'd be a marginal improvement from the 4.4. So that's what I'd be using.

Speaker 2

Right. Okay. Makes a lot

Speaker 7

of sense. And then last one just on greenfields. Can you maybe talk a little bit about kind of the key considerations when you're evaluating some of these different locations and markets where you don't already have a presence? And when you talk about the West, is it markets that you completely don't serve today or should we think about that as more an expansion of where Vanjie Mer might already have some presence, but is serving customers from a long distance or something like that?

Speaker 3

Yes. So let me first start by saying that we serve all 50 states. And in those areas where we have warehouses or distribution operations and can deliver out a warehouse that in a cost effective manner, we clearly serve those states within the periphery of the location. In other states where we don't have a close enough presence to make the economics work, we have both. We have direct sales and we sell out of reloads.

Speaker 3

So we are able to service all 50 states, with some being at a higher margin level, obviously, because of the presence we have there. As it relates to the market, some of the key considerations we look at are obviously starts and permits and demographic trends that suggest And so that will then drive the investment thesis for the operation being located there. The other thing we look at is we have a very strong private label set of brands with respect to EWP EWP and Millwork, for example. We also have a well oiled machine around structural products, commodity panels and commodity to lumber that we believe gives us the ability to greenfield an operation very quickly between both private label and the structural side of the business. So once you find the warehouse and enough outdoor storage, and then we have the balance sheet to invest in fleet, which basically means we're able to reduce our cost to serve by going with our own fleet operations as opposed to 3rd party freight, then that also reduces the payback period, increases the return.

Speaker 3

And then of course, it's the people, right, taking advantage of our expertise or centers of operational excellence. Obviously the ERP platform we have in place, the digital excellence initiatives, as well as our inventory manage our procurement pricing and then partnering with key vendors. In fact, I've had conversations with vendors that have made it very clear they want to partner with us in a collaborative way to grow those markets and they view it as a mutual investment. So the opportunities are great. It's just a matter of us finding those.

Speaker 3

And again, we have a list of markets. It's just a matter of making sure that all those boxes are checked as it relates to the site and the our ability to get into a site and then move forward with the operations and of course hiring the general manager and the other talent that goes along with it.

Operator

Got it. And just one quick follow-up on that.

Speaker 7

I mean, would you consider opening up a greenfield and leading with some of those private label products like EWP and Structural with an eye towards eventually having a more complete, call it specialty vendor list and product line or would you feel like you need to have that established at the outset?

Speaker 3

No. Well, first of all, we can absolutely lead with our private label and structural product lines for sure. And that's what gives us, I think the ability to move forward with greenfields maybe more so than others in 2 step distribution cause we've already got our own product mix that we have complete control over. At the same time, however, like we have had conversations with vendors that provide other lines of specialty products that have expressed a very strong interest in helping us grow those markets. And then of course, even in those markets where vendors might have a presence or have partnerships in place, like I said, with respect to our relationships with home centers and in the multifamily area where we're growing, there are opportunities for us to sell product lines in those areas irrespective of what may already exist in those markets.

Speaker 3

So there are a number of different ways for us to go to market in any greenfield look in any given greenfield location. But what's great though is the fact that we can hit the ground running immediately with our existing product lines and then leverage our vendor relationships to grow into new ones fairly quickly. The proof will be in the pudding, right? We have to start. And after we start, I can give you more clarity on what that glide path looks like.

Speaker 7

Got it. Makes sense. Well, appreciate all the color guys and good luck here in Q2. Thank you.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Kurt.

Operator

Your last question comes from the line of Reuben Garner from Benchmark. Please go ahead.

Speaker 5

Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, Ruben. Maybe, let's see, inventory in the channel, did you notice any changes in customer behavior in recent weeks, whether it's on the specialty or the structural side and how much inventory they're carrying. And I guess the impetus to the question is, is it possible that in this rising rate environment, there's even more of a reliance on you guys and what you bring as soon as your customers maybe get defensive?

Speaker 3

Yeah. So I would say from my conversations recently with our folks in the field, we're sort of seeing customers expressing steady state business. So nothing out of the ordinary. Everything we're seeing, it kind of fits with our the seasonal buys and the increase in volumes that you would typically see heading into the summer season, the late spring summer season, of course, the sequential improvement Q1 over Q4 due to inventory bills, etcetera. So we feel like what we would expect is actually flowing through the P and L.

Speaker 3

As it relates to the second part of your question, I absolutely believe in the value of 2 step distribution and the building products value chain. And your point, again, supports that value proposition as it relates to just in time, working capital management, all of which is more valuable during times of uncertainty. And our business, our value proposition supports that on the part of our customers. So, we're being very smart with our buys and at the same time matching those up with our customer needs and being able to give them their fill in business, their just in time. They may have to the extent they were ordering, they may have ordered more before and they'd rather just order less from us and pay a little bit more to do that in order to protect their own balance sheets and manage their own working capital more effectively, that's where we can come in and help in addition to the value add services as well.

Speaker 3

So, I feel good about that carrying through the remainder of the year for sure.

Speaker 5

Got it. And then on the specialty gross margin front, even if I strip out the $7,000,000 you're still another quarter above kind of this 19% level. And I know you said you started off the next quarter in the 18% to 19% range. Is there any reason I mean the last four quarters, you've kind of been in the 2019 to 2020 range. Is there any reason why that would change in this environment over the course of the rest of the year?

Speaker 5

Or is there mix dynamics that could change and work against you or for you? Just help us with that kind of run rate.

Speaker 2

Yes. I mean, so we've been pleased with our specialty margins, I would say over the last year, I mean, they've consistently have been in and around that sort of 19%. At some points, there can be a shift in some of our mix, and that can change. But as we try to give a forward look in terms of what we see for the month leading up to our call, and it's always been pretty consistent. We're not trying to sandbag in terms of being 2018 to 2019 and then we hit 19.4.

Speaker 2

It's just sometimes the mix changes throughout the quarter and it gets a little bit higher. So nothing, I would say, different from where we were before. As we've said for the 1st month, it is still around that 18% to 19%. So I would expect that, going forward.

Speaker 5

And does the mix change based on the end market, meaning from all accounts new construction still seems to be outperforming R and R, are your new construction products like Millwork and EWP, are those higher just remind me, I guess, I believe those are higher margin categories for you than say, okay.

Speaker 3

Yes. So the 5 key specialty product categories are higher margin and it's why we're focused on that and using our structural business to really complement the overall growth strategy. And clearly you can see from our structural margins, we were very intentional about how we manage that side of the business. And then of course with our customers leveraging that to continue to move our mix to a higher specialty, higher specialty count. As it relates to each product, yes, we have the EWP that's on the early part of the cycle, then you have the outdoor living products on the end.

Speaker 3

Industrial tends to support, let's say, cabinetry and things that you would see later in the building cycle, but also that business is down in large part because repair and remodel is down. As it relates to the one thing as there could be opportunities where there's more direct business, it's good business for the company, but has a lower cost to serve. The margins are lower, but it's good business. And there is there are some specialty products that we sell via direct. But overall, what Andy said is the case and we have a very intentional strategy to sell into various layers, multiple layers of the home construction cycle with products that are 2 step distribution friendly, that our customers value.

Speaker 5

Sorry, I was on mute. I'm going to sneak one more in if I could. You mentioned the big builders in this environment have been the advantage and being able to buy down rates. Can you just talk to us about your mix of business between the big and small builders and what if anything you can do to try to capture more of the big builders mind share if this is an environment that's going to be kind of here for a while?

Speaker 3

Yes. So the production builders have an advantage over the smaller and medium sized builders or custom home builders who are kind of the larger customer base of our customers, right? They're the larger portion of the end users. The big builders obviously have very strong balance sheets. They do large track bills.

Speaker 3

They buy down rates, give other concessions, whether it's upgrades on finishes and things like that to incentivize home buyers to buy. The smaller and regional builders that or the custom home builders, they don't necessarily they can't do that. And so as I think about our customer base and the builders by the way, the big builders can go direct, right? They've got big production schedules where they can buy direct from the manufacturer or alternatively they've got programs with the manufacturer that are direct with the one steppers who can also potentially go direct depending on their size and scale. So in that context, our ability to participate is limited.

Speaker 3

On the other hand, we do view the big builder as a core part of our strategy and we are investing in and we do have some programs in various parts of the country where we've partnered with some smaller and regional builders who might build 50, 100, 500 homes and have developed builder pull through programs with them in partnership with our customers. So we'll never break channel, but to the extent we can partner with big builders to generate business for our customers, that's an opportunity we want to explore and get further into. And we're in the process of hiring someone who will be dedicated to those efforts in terms of strategy, planning, execution, etcetera, in partnership with our regional and local market leaders where it makes sense. And if you look at a lot of our markets, a lot of these big markets, big builders are have a strong presence. So we are going to be intentional about it being in that space more strategically going forward.

Speaker 5

Great. Thanks. Good luck on forecast.

Speaker 3

Thanks. Thanks, Ruben.

Operator

We have another question from Kurt Yinger of D. A. Davidson. Please go ahead.

Speaker 7

Great. Thanks for letting me squeeze one more in. Since it hasn't been touched on yet, I did want to talk about capital allocation. I don't think a greenfield would be a significant capital outlay. Are you guys seeing the M and A opportunities out there that leave you optimistic that a deal of some size might materialize over the next couple of quarters?

Speaker 7

And how do you kind of balance that with the current balance sheet and potential to be more active with kind of share repurchase program going forward?

Speaker 3

Yes. So in the 1st 4 months of the year, I've met with a number of potential targets. We're continuing to strengthen those relationships and make sure we have a seat at the table or we're the only ones at the table when an opportunity to unlock that sale arises. We're still at the end of the day, we're focused on making sure we buy companies at great valuations that make sense for the company. And that means deal work takes time.

Speaker 3

So there are opportunities and we're continuing to work them and it just comes down to a better meeting of the minds. But I will tell you that the case for meeting of the minds today or in 2024 is much higher. The opportunities are much higher from an odd standpoint than they were last year and even the year before just given the experience of building products during the pandemic.

Operator

That concludes our Q and A session. I will now turn the conference back over to Tom Morabito for closing remarks.

Speaker 1

Thanks, Pam. Thank you again for joining us today and we look forward to speaking with you in August as we share our Q2 2024 results.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's call. Thank you all for joining. You may now disconnect.

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Earnings Conference Call
BlueLinx Q1 2024
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