Core & Main's Q4 sales miss expectations on lower volumes

Core & Main

24/03/2026 11:40

Overview

US water infrastructure distributor's fiscal Q4 sales declined 6.9%, missing analyst expectations

Adjusted EPS for fiscal Q4 beat analyst estimates

Company repurchased $155 mln in shares during fiscal 2025

Outlook

Core & Main sees fiscal 2026 net sales of $7.8 bln to $7.9 bln, up 2%-3%

Company expects fiscal 2026 Adjusted EBITDA of $950 mln to $980 mln

Result Drivers

FEWER SELLING DAYS - Co said Q4 net sales declined mainly due to one less selling week compared to prior year

SEGMENT PERFORMANCE - Pipes, valves & fittings and storm drainage saw lower volumes, while fire protection and meters benefited from higher volumes and prices

Company press release: ID:nBw9pcjRDa

Key Details

Metric
Beat/Miss
Actual
Consensus Estimate
Q4 Sales
Miss
$1.58 bln
$1.60 bln (13 Analysts)
Q4 Adjusted EPS
Beat
$0.52
$0.42 (9 Analysts)
Q4 EPS
$0.37
Q4 Net Income
$73 mln
Q4 Adjusted EBITDA
Slight Beat*
$167 mln
$166.14 mln (13 Analysts)

*Applies to a deviation of less than 1%; not applicable for per-share numbers.

Analyst Coverage

The current average analyst rating on the shares is "buy" and the breakdown of recommendations is 10 "strong buy" or "buy", 4 "hold" and 1 "sell" or "strong sell"

The average consensus recommendation for the industrial machinery & equipment peer group is "buy"

Wall Street's median 12-month price target for Core & Main Inc is $62.00, about 28.1% above its March 23 closing price of $48.41

The stock recently traded at 16 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 18 three months ago

For questions concerning the data in this report, contact Estimates.Support@lseg.com. For any other questions or feedback, contact reuters.support@thomsonreuters.com.

(This story was created using Reuters automation and AI based on LSEG and company data. It was checked and edited by a Reuters journalist prior to publication.)