WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Sara Hyzer: So, the can cost that was negotiated for this year on a global basis was actually pretty neutral. So, we saw two different things happening in different regions. And one region we had some small decreases in the can cost and the other region we had small increases, so they are offsetting. So, we are really globally seeing that much relief on the cost of the actual tinplate can for this fiscal year. And really, we won’t see that until we get well into next calendar year assuming the spot prices stay where they are today, we’ll have an opportunity to renegotiate those prices, but even at the spot prices, there are still the increase of the tinplate and the cost to convert that into our can is still running higher with labor and overhead costs.

So, it’s not, it’s not a one-for-one decrease when you look at spot on its own. So, that’s kind of the other piece of this inflationary environment that is hindering us and the recovery is just the overhead and labor cost to convert everything is higher and those are sticking.

Linda Bolton Weiser: Okay. And then I was a little bit interested to hear you say that something about your homecare and cleaning that you’re sort of de-emphasizing it or I mean, are you thinking of actually divesting some product lines or something or can you give more color on that statement?

Steven Brass: Yes. So, we have no firm plans to exit any of those brands under the household brand and kind of category. What we’re saying is we’re going to take a strategic look. And so, as we think out long-term and to our long-term kind of future, I mean those brands now are $33 million revenue stream, they were significantly more than that. And so, we kind of harvested them to the last few years. So, I think we’re taking a look at the future of those now. And as we think about having to kind of innovate for sustainability in the future and we need to create more headspace within the organization to achieve that. So, no firm plans as of today, we’re just signaling to investors that we are taking a strategic look at those brands.

Linda Bolton Weiser: Okay. And then one last one for me. I mean, I was trying to read your comments, you’re tone about the debt pay down, are you kind of signaling that you did some and then so for now that’s enough debt pay down and you’re going to switch a little bit more back to share repurchase, or how should we read into that.

Sara Hyzer: So we were very pleased with the cash flows that came in this quarter and really the $20 million flow was used to pay down just this quarter. We do anticipate, if you look at where our debt balance is today and compare it to where we were a year ago, we’re still running about $10 million higher as a result of those investments that we made in the supply chain. So I would like to see us pay down a little bit more debt over the next quarter or two and then be able to increase and — increase our share repurchases, assuming that’s what we decide to do with our excess capital.

Linda Bolton Weiser: Okay, that sounds good. Thank you very much.

Sara Hyzer: Okay. Thanks. Linda.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Daniel Rizzo with Jefferies. Your line is open.

Daniel Rizzo: Him, guys. Thank you for taking my question. So with all things being equal on the input cost front, if things don’t get markedly worse. I just — do we have a kind of a general idea when possibly you can get back to 55% gross margins? Is it two years, five years? I mean, is there anything kind of how do you think about that?