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On Friday, Loop Capital analysts reiterated their Buy rating on Core & Main Inc. (NYSE:CNM) with a steady price target of $63.00. The firm’s analysts expressed confidence in the company’s performance ahead of the scheduled earnings report for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 on March 25, 2025. They anticipate Core & Main’s results to align closely with the fourth-quarter expectations, albeit with a slight potential for not meeting the consensus revenue forecast of $181 million.
The analysts believe that the primary guidance provided by Core & Main in early December for fiscal year 2025 remains largely accurate, with the exception of residential demand, which constitutes about 20% of the company’s total sales. The decrease in single-family housing starts, influenced by high interest rates and an increase in new home inventories, has led to a more cautious outlook for the residential construction segment.
While Loop Capital is not altering its estimates, the analysts expect Core & Main’s midpoint guidance for fiscal year 2025 to be slightly below the consensus revenue projection of $990 million. This is attributed to expected lighter end market volumes, with forecasts ranging from flat to a low single-digit increase. The analysts predict that Core & Main will resume a normalized growth in adjusted EBITDA margins, ranging between 30 to 50 basis points, supported by stable pricing and the benefits arising from the company’s long-term margin improvement strategies.
The upcoming earnings report is seen as a significant indicator of Core & Main’s financial health and market position, especially considering the current challenges in the residential construction market. Investors and stakeholders are looking forward to the company’s financial disclosures and management’s commentary on future prospects.
In other recent news, Core & Main Inc. has been actively pursuing mergers and acquisitions, completing or announcing 11 acquisitions in 2024. These strategic moves could potentially add approximately $460 million in annual sales, expanding the company’s presence across an estimated 42 locations. Citi analyst Anthony Pettinari maintained a Neutral rating for Core & Main, with a steady price target of $56.00, emphasizing the company’s historical success in acquiring over $1 billion in revenues through similar strategies since 2017. The company typically acquires businesses at a 5-8x multiple, with synergies reducing this multiple by 2-3x and resulting in operating cost reductions of about 100-150 basis points. Additionally, Core & Main’s private label strategy is noted as a long-term opportunity, with the potential to increase internally sourced products from 2% to over 10%, potentially improving margins by 30-50 basis points over five years. Fire Protection products are highlighted as having significant private label potential, while Meters & Commodity Pipe are not seen as having as much potential. The company’s expansion in the waterworks industry, where it shares a 34% market share with competitor Ferguson Plc, continues to be a focal point for growth.
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