Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (NYSE:ZWS) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Bryan Blair: That makes sense. One last one if I may. Thinking about 2023 EBITDA guidance. Maybe walk us through the bridge starting with $265 million in ’22. How to think about a year-on-year contribution from core Zurn the full year of Elkay contribution and then layering on deal synergies and within to that perhaps how you think of the potential risk to the framework and well also upside to that range?

Todd Adams: Sure. I think if you were to pro forma ’22 to include sort of a more full year of Elkay, you really start the year closer to $300 million. Obviously, we’ve got $25 million of synergies. And then if we get some of the growth we expect you find your way to the higher end of the range. Obviously, as Mark pointed out, we’re chewing through some of that high-cost inventory to start the year. And so, I think the framework around guidance really puts a premium on just executing at a high level to start the year worked through that high-cost inventory and then obviously get the synergies from the Elkay transaction that we’re highly confident in, and we’re starting the year with the range of $325 million to $345 million. I think we’re optimistic that if we execute well and the world sort of hangs together.

We’ve got a chance to clearly end up inside that range at the end of the year. Throughout a variety of different scenarios rather than try to walk it for you Bryan, I think that’s more the context of how we’re thinking about it.

Bryan Blair: Understand. Thanks, again guys.

Operator: And our next question will come from Jeff Hammond with KeyBanc Capital Markets. Please go ahead.

Jeff Hammond: Hi, good morning, everyone.

Mark Peterson: Good morning, Jeff.

Jeff Hammond: So, just wanted to go back to the margin ramp. One, can you just talk about how much of this accelerated investment falls into Q1? And then just maybe talk through a little bit more of the higher cost materials because it seems like you guys have been pushing price and staying ahead and now it seems like you’re kind of maybe having a price cost issue in 1Q. And then just the cadence of the synergies? Thanks.

Mark Peterson: Yes. Jeff to start with the high-cost inventory I think it’s been headroom we fought over the course of the year, and this is really expected the same phenomenon with the fact that price, yes, it’s discovering the higher inventory cost but its adversely impacting margins as we’re not been generating a normal incremental margin on those price dollars. So, I think it kind of came to ahead in the fourth quarter into the first quarter and I think we’re at the point where we’re still covering the cost, but the margin pressure is just peak at this point in time. So, I think, as Todd mentioned, look we feel good about working through that. During the second quarter is also part of the margin progression. Over the balance of the year is that finding is a way to more of a — let’s say a normalized incremental margin on the price and then getting some benefit in the back half of the year as the price we put in place last year fixed is and you start getting all the full benefit of improved transportation costs and in the commodity environment.