Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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Paul Johnston: This is Paul again. I don’t think really we saw any real change in dynamics as it relates to the replacement market. The replacement market remained healthy and strong and a lot of conversation, a lot of debate going on. Are we moving to a repair versus a replace type of market? Our indications are slightly – we are seeing a slight uptick in parts, which shows up in our numbers as far as compressor sales, motor sales, those types of things that would be a repair item. But really too early in the game and it’s – we are not really seeing any real trends yet. But I think the consumer is replacing the equipment with a higher efficiency product and we are all happy for the consumer.

Brett Linzey: Yes. Great. And then maybe just one on price. So you’ve been talking about the price optimization software and some of the deployment across the organization. I’m just curious how you think about price capture above sort of normal course of business as you think about some of the surgical opportunities on price and various SKUs across the line curve there?

Barry Logan: I mean I’ll handle some of that.

Al Nahmad: Yes, go ahead, Barry.

Barry Logan: Yes. I mean, first, I just want to say this that when we say 60% of our equipment products or new products, that’s obviously a huge inventory conversion. It’s also a pricing and margin execution process. Everything is new. Everything has a new price. Everything had to be prosecuted in the market with our customers. And – so this year, for example, 8% is the price increase achieved on our residential products. This quarter and year-to-date is about the same. So it’s consistent through the year. By the way, units this quarter were down 4%. Obviously, last quarter was down double digits. And if I account for 1 less selling day this quarter and look at – start to look at things a little bit pro forma, the quarter’s units were near flat, if I look at it that way. So price and units are combining to help business. And that’s just the – that’s the equipment business. A.J., you’re going to talk about the broader picture now.

A.J. Nahmad: Yes. I just – we talked about the pricing optimization a lot, and it’s not one thing. It is hundreds of opportunities across every product we sell to every customer in every location. So just that one maybe small example would be, if you say, everybody sells the same, meaning all of our business units just in the Florida market or Miami market a Honeywell 1, 2, 3 APC thermostat. And maybe there is 3,000 customers that bought that thermostat in the last 6 months. Well, it probably is at 3 different – 3,000 different prices. And there is wide variation in that sale price. Well, now with this tool, for example, what we can do is understand all those sale prices of that same thermostat in the same market, and we can do some rationalization and some floor setting and making sure that the right customer, meaning larger customers are getting a more appropriate price, and smaller customers who haven’t earned a lower price or getting a price that’s right for them.

And that’s – if you do that one at that micro level, but you multiply it times hundreds and hundreds of opportunities, that’s part of the effort that’s going on now, and it helps. It’s going to help drive margins and it’s going to help, in fact, sell more product because it’s not always about raising price. It’s about getting the price right so that customers find it attractive and want to purchase the product from us as well.

Brett Linzey: Got it. Appreciate the insight.

Operator: The next question comes from Dave Manthey with Baird. Please go ahead.

Al Nahmad: Good morning, Dave.

Dave Manthey: Thank you, good morning, Al. In the press release, you noted potential for additional productivity gains as operational complexities abate. And I’m just wondering if you can outlining the key remaining complexities that would represent the biggest opportunity over the next 6 to 12 months?

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