Franklin Electric Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

  • Positive Sentiment: Franklin Electric delivered record Q2 results with 8% consolidated sales growth, setting new highs for revenue, operating income, and EPS of $1.31, up 5% year-over-year.
  • Positive Sentiment: Both Energy Systems and Distribution segments expanded operating margins by roughly 200 bps and 300 bps, respectively, driven by favorable pricing, volume gains, and operational efficiencies.
  • Neutral Sentiment: Water Systems sales rose 8% on strong pricing, volume, and recent acquisitions, but margins fell 160 bps due to large dewatering product mix and acquisition integration costs.
  • Neutral Sentiment: The company maintained full-year guidance of $2.09 billion–$2.15 billion in sales and $3.95–$4.25 in GAAP EPS, underpinned by healthy order trends and robust backlogs across all segments.
  • Positive Sentiment: Franklin Electric returned capital to shareholders with $120 million in share repurchases and a 26.5¢ quarterly dividend, while also investing in supply chain optimization and bolt-on acquisitions to support future growth.
AI Generated. May Contain Errors.
Earnings Conference Call
Franklin Electric Q2 2025
00:00 / 00:00

Transcript Sections

Skip to Participants
Operator

Hello and welcome to Franklin Electric.

Operator

Reports second quarter 2025 sales and earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are in.

Operator

A listen-only mode.

Operator

After the speaker presentation, there will be a question and answer session. To ask a question during the session, you will need to press star one one on your telephone. You will then hear an automated message advising your hand has been raised to withdraw your question.

Operator

Please press star one one again.

Operator

Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Wolfenbarger.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Thank you, Andrew, and welcome everyone to Franklin Electric's second quarter 2025 earnings conference call. Joining me today is Joe Ruzynski, our Chief Executive Officer, and for the Q&A section, Russ Fleeger, our Water Systems CFO. On today's call, Joe will review our second quarter business highlights, and then I will provide additional details on our financial performance. Joe will make some additional comments related to our key growth and value drivers along with our outlook. We will then take questions. Before we begin, let me remind you that as we conduct this call, we will be making forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

A discussion of these factors may be found in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and today's earnings release. All forward-looking statements made during this call are based on information currently available, and except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Earlier today, we published a slide deck to accompany our prepared remarks. The slides can be found in the Investor Relations section of our corporate website at www.franklin-electric.com. With that, I will now turn the call over to Joe.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Joe?

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

thank you. Jennifer, good morning everyone.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Thank you for joining today's call. Let me start our call today by highlighting our team's strong results in the second quarter on Slide 3.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

It reflects our adaptability, commitment to our.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Employees and customers and strategic execution as I finish my first year as CEO and have seen the great work that our Franklin Electric team is doing to serve, innovate and grow. I'm proud of the progress we've made and how we've responded to change in a challenging external environment. All three segments saw organic growth with a good mix of price and volume. Overall, we've set new high marks for revenue, income and earnings per share. We delivered a sales record in our.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Water and Distribution segments and record operating.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Income in our Energy Systems segment. Overall end market demand is mixed globally.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

It has remained relatively stable. We continue to see encouraging order trends.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

As we exit the quarter, our healthy backlog gives us confidence in our ability to sustain this momentum as we move forward. Weather conditions were largely neutral overall.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Existing home sales and housing starts remain.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Soft, but our ability to add new customers, deliver the best service in our industry, and bring new products to market have helped us find good paths to enable growth. Importantly, our pricing actions have been successful, helping us protect margins during the recent tariff-driven volatility in the market.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Our strong top line results and operational.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Execution helped offset some of our hyperinflationary regional markets, and several one-time costs, mostly expenses related to recent acquisitions which are integrating well.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We also continue to execute our long.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Term strategy, focusing on faster growing markets.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Capitalizing on our healthy balance sheet, driving.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Efficiency in our global operation and building processes and teams while continuing to deliver great service to our customers.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

While the global markets remain uncertain.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

the face of tariffs and commodity inflation, we've been disciplined in our plans and response and are poised to execute in the second half. Moving to page four, I'd like to take a moment to.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Touch on the incredible team and culture.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We're building here at Franklin Electric. Culture has been a strength of Franklin Electric and our storied history, and we're excited to build on this strong foundation.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

One of our key tenets is being.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

A great place to work and attracting the best talent.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

With that, I'm excited to welcome Jennifer.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Wolfenbarger as our new CFO. Jennifer joins us with extensive financial leadership experience in global operations, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer for the insulation business at Owens Corning.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

She brings deep expertise in financial planning and analysis, accounting, operational finance, and strategic.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Business partnerships, and she has led finance teams supporting complex global businesses.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We're confident that her strong leadership and

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Her global perspective will be a tremendous asset to Franklin Electric as we continue to execute our growth strategy.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I would also like to extend my.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Sincere thanks to Russ Fleeger for stepping in as interim CFO over the past several months. Russ will return to his role as our Water Systems Segment CFO, where his leadership continues to drive meaningful impact. Additionally, I'm thrilled to welcome Daniela Williams as our new Chief Human Resources Officer.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Daniela's deep expertise in HR, technology, talent.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Development, analytics, and global workforce strategy will be instrumental in ensuring that we're well positioned to support our employees and customers well into the future. Thank you to our global Franklin Electric team, and welcome to our new leaders.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Turning to results on slide 5, overall, we delivered strong consolidated sales growth.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

8% with growth across all segments, while gross margin was down slightly.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Consolidated operating margins reached 15%, driven by.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Strong execution and improved SG&A in our Energy Systems and Distribution segments. Despite the continued macro uncertainty related to tariffs and several one-time acquisition-related costs in the quarter, I'm impressed with our team's response and our ability to drive growth in this environment.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Looking at our segment results in more.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Detail, Water Systems delivered a solid sales result, up 8% year over year, benefiting from favorable pricing, volume, and recent acquisitions.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Similar to last quarter, the groundwater market.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Remained steady where we captured strong price realization in the U.S. We've lapped the.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Difficult comparable period in our U.S. fleet.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

The business exhibited strong growth in the second quarter.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

The segment did, however, see a drag.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

On margin as a result of mix stemming from sales related to large dewatering equipment and the recent acquisition related costs. Energy delivered 6% sales growth driven by.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Favorable volume and price as international markets.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Our grid business picked up steam. As we look toward the second half of the year, we're excited about upcoming projects in places like India and Saudi Arabia.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

The segment also had strong operating income.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Operating income margin with margins improving by 200 basis points.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

While margins have expanded materially in recent periods.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Quarters, we expect to remain comfortably around this range in the near term.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We're optimistic about our grid business and asset monitoring.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

monitoring business as it's rebounded nicely and is benefiting from expanded channels and new customer acquisitions. Distribution also delivered a strong quarter with record sales despite some negative impacts of storms and another wet year. The segment reported 5% growth, driven largely by higher volumes. Operating margins improved by 300 basis points.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Supported by strong operational execution, an improved

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Pricing environment and the stabilization of commodity prices. This is an encouraging trend for this business.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I'm now going to hand the call.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Over to Jennifer to review our financials in more detail.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Thank you Joe. Our fully diluted earnings per share were $1.31 for the second quarter 2025 versus $1.26 for the second quarter 2024, up $0.06 from the prior year. Moving to Slide 6, second quarter 2025 consolidated sales were $587.4 million, a year-over-year increase of 8%. The sales increase in the second quarter was due to the incremental sales impact from recent acquisitions and higher volume and price in all three segments, partially offset by the negative impact of foreign currency translation, primarily due to the Brazilian real. Franklin Electric's consolidated gross profit was $211.8 million for the second quarter 2025, up from the prior year's gross profit of $199.8 million. The gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 36.1% in the second quarter 2025, a decrease of 70 basis points compared to the prior year.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Moving on to SG&A expense, we've seen a 120 basis point improvement in our SG&A as a percent of sales metric year-over-year as a result of cost improvement actions taken in the last year. SG&A expenses were $123.5 million in the second quarter of 2025 compared to $120.6 million in the prior year. The increase in SG&A expense was primarily due to the additional expense impact of our 2025 acquisitions, including various deal-related costs. Absent acquisition-related SG&A, the company experienced a decrease in SG&A expenses year-over-year of approximately $2.3 million as a result of actions taken in Q4 of 2024. Consolidated operating income was $88.1 million in the quarter, up $9 million or 11% from $79.1 million in the prior year. The increase in operating income was primarily due to higher sales and cost management. Operating income margin was 15%, up from 14.6% year-over-year.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Moving to segment results on Slide 7, Water Systems sales in the U.S. and Canada were up 5% compared to the second quarter 2024. At a product level, sales of large dewatering equipment increased 20%, sales of water treatment products increased 7% driven by the strong addition of dealers to our customer base, and sales of all other surface pumping equipment increased 2%, while sales of groundwater pumping equipment decreased 4% as compared to Q2 2024. Water Systems sales in markets outside the U.S. and Canada increased 12% overall. Foreign currency translation decreased sales by 1% and recent acquisitions added roughly 11% to sales. Excluding the impact of acquisitions and foreign currency translation, sales in the second quarter of 2025 increased high single digits in Asia Pacific, low single digits in Latin America, and were relatively flat in EMEA Water Systems.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Operating income was $61.8 million, down a $500,000 versus the prior year. The decrease was primarily due to lower gross margin and higher SG&A costs, primarily related to our recent acquisitions. Sales mix impact due to higher large dewatering sales in the quarter as well as negative impact of foreign exchange was partially offset by better volume and price. Operating income margin was 18.1%, a year-over-year decrease of 160 basis points. Distribution second quarter sales were $200 million versus second quarter 2024 sales of $190.5 million, an increase of 5%. The Distribution segment sales increase was primarily due to higher volumes as a result of share gain and on-site inventory placement projects. The Distribution segment's operating income was $16.1 million for the second quarter, a year-over-year increase of $6.3 million.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Operating income margin was 8.1% of sales in the second quarter, an improvement of 300 basis points versus the prior year, driven by higher volumes and improved margins as a result of margin improvement actions taken in the last year. Energy Systems sales were $77.5 million, an increase of $4.4 million or 6% compared to the second quarter of 2024. Energy Systems sales in the U.S. and Canada increased 6% year-over-year. Outside the U.S. and Canada, Energy Systems sales increased 14%, led by increased sales in India and strong grid growth. Energy Systems operating income was $29.1 million compared to $26 million in 2024. Operating income margin was 37.5% compared to 35.6% in the prior year, an improvement of 190 basis points.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Operating income margin increased primarily due to the favorable geographic mix of sales as well as price realization and the benefit of cost management actions taken in the last year. The effective tax rate was 25% for the quarter compared to 23% in the prior year quarter. The change in the effective tax rate was driven by an increase in foreign earnings taxed at rates higher than the U.S. rate as well as less favorable discrete items, which had an EPS impact of approximately $0.03. Moving to the balance sheet and cash flows on Slide 8, the company ended the second quarter of 2025 with a cash balance of $104.6 million and with $186 million outstanding under its revolving credit agreement. We generated $52 million in net cash flows from our operating activities during the second quarter compared to $36 million in 2024.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

In Q2, the company purchased a total of roughly 1.4 million shares of its common stock for approximately $120 million. Approximately 1.2 million of these shares were purchased from the Pat Shaffer Trust for roughly $104 million as of the end of the second quarter of 2025. The remaining authorized shares that may be repurchased is about 1.1 million shares. Yesterday, the company announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.265. This dividend will be payable August 21 to shareholders of record on August 7. Moving to slide 9, we are holding our full year sales expectations of $2.09 billion to $2.15 billion and maintaining our GAAP EPS range of $3.95 per share to $4.25 per share. During the third quarter, the company expects to terminate its U.S. pension which will have a non-cash EPS impact of approximately $1 per share. This impact is not included in our current guidance.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

While we remain confident in our backlog and our ability to execute, we foresee opportunity in the second half of 2025 to accelerate further investment in the optimization of our supply chain, execute select restructuring and invest in growth. Therefore, we are maintaining our previous guide. Now I will turn the call back to Joe for some additional comments.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Joe?

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Thanks Jennifer.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Turning to slide 10 and bringing back.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Our value creation framework, our long term strategy is anchored in how we drive growth, execute and transform, operationally deploy capital, and maintain industry leading talent.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

To drive growth, we continue to focus.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

On innovation, global portfolio expansion, and strengthening our leadership position across key markets.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We have focused on synergies as we've.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Grown acquisitively these past years, supporting our ongoing operational efficiency efforts and driving improved standardization across our business.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Our recent acquisitions are performing well, and the collective Franklin Electric team is energized by.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

New opportunities from these investments. At the same time, we're also deeply committed to returning capital to shareholders, as evidenced by our completion of over $100 million in share buybacks this quarter. Finally, we continue to attract top talent.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

As seen with the additions of Jennifer.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Daniela to the team, among many others, all of whom will help support our ambitious growth agenda. Ultimately, we believe these priorities position us to deliver consistent long term shareholder value.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

On slide 11, I'd like to give.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

A quick highlight on innovation.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

An excellent example of our drive to.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Listen to market and our customers' needs, then bring leading innovation and solutions to our end markets. Our new EVO ONE fuel monitoring solution: tens of thousands of convenience store owners now face a major cost and operational challenge.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

They rely on outdated fuel monitoring systems.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

That utilize 30+ year old technology.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Upgrading just the control console leaves most.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Of the aging components in place.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

This means owners are likely to face.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Future unanticipated downtime coming at a dramatically higher cost as the rest of the system components reach the end of their service life.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

With EVO ONE, Franklin Electric has provided an ideal.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Path to upgrade the entire monitoring system utilizing the latest EVO technology perfected for the world's leading convenience store companies at a price comparable to replacing just the traditional console. We will now turn the call over to Andrew for questions. After Q and A, will return for closing remarks. Andrew, thank you.

Operator

As a reminder to ask a question, please press star one one on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced. To withdraw your question, please press star one one again. Our first question comes from the line of Bryan Blair with Oppenheimer.

Bryan Blair
Bryan Blair
Managing Director and Senior Analyst at Oppenheimer

Thank you.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

Morning Brian.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Solid quarter. Thank you.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

Thanks, Brian.

Bryan Blair
Bryan Blair
Managing Director and Senior Analyst at Oppenheimer

Level set, did Q2 benefit from pull forward of orders at least any notable degree? I know that that wasn't the case in Q1.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Really no change in terms of kind of our traditional order pattern.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

At the end of Q2, I.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Would say it was business as usual. Really no significant pull forward from Q3 to Q2.

Bryan Blair
Bryan Blair
Managing Director and Senior Analyst at Oppenheimer

Okay, that's good to hear. It was great to see distribution margin back in kind of high single digit territory. How much did cost actions contribute to the 300 basis points margin expansion? Given current visibility, how is your team thinking about distribution profitability through the back half?

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Yeah, I think as we.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Started the year, you know, we said our expectation is you're going to see.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

The most margin improvement in that segment. It's reading out as we expected. Cost actions contributed probably, you know, a.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Third or a little bit more of that benefit.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

I think what we're excited about is, you know, and I mentioned this in my prepared remarks, you know, following.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Years of acquisition, we're really proud of how that team is bringing that distribution network together, focused on operational efficiency, both.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Inbound, how we purchase, how we serve.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Customers, and then building really a strong technology base to be able to give good real-time visibility, how customers order, how they can see our products. It's a number of things.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

I would say some leverage, some of.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

That operational execution and efficiency just based.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

On the really building a more efficient business.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Of course, some of the.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Cost actions that we took coming into.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

This year.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

We expect in the back half, we expect margins in Q3 to.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

Be around that range, and then of course seasonally in Q4.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

It sequentially will go down.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

From a year over year standpoint, we expect to see nice improvement in the last two quarters of this year as well.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

I could just add on to that. I would agree a third of that was really from the cost improvements. The team did a really good job in terms of executing on volume, and we were able to pick up some share in that business in the quarter. A lot of the actions and so forth that the team has taken in terms of cross pollination have really played out in the quarter. Really proud of the team.

Bryan Blair
Bryan Blair
Managing Director and Senior Analyst at Oppenheimer

Appreciate the question and perhaps to offer a quick update on integration at Pump Engineers and Barnes. Joe, you noted that the deals are tracking well. I'm particularly interested in Barnes and how your team has to date and how you're thinking about leveraging the foundry capacity and capabilities there.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Yeah, no, it's a great question.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We had a good integration review.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

In Bogota a month and a half ago, I think what impressed me.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Is probably two things.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

One is our global team and our

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

North America team was there as well.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Some of their products.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

When we look at growth synergies, which is really the driver behind that acquisition.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We're getting a lot of return on our existing and mature channels and how.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We bring those products to end markets both in South America and in North America. We are seeing that run a little bit faster than we thought.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

From a foundry standpoint.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We know that being in Region 4 is the right way to serve our customers.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Jennifer just talked about our ability.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

To respond to volume, I think it really sets us apart.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

The foundry is performing well and we're.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Actually working on expanding the current footprint.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We had some of that optionality as we acquired the company.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We are going forward with those investments, and I think it will be two things. One is to support the additional volume growth based on that traditional set of products serving now a wider customer base.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I think I mentioned this last quarter looking at bringing some of.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

The tools that may have been in Southeast Asia or in China back here.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Closer to our customers is a real opportunity for us.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

There is some work to do there. That is some of the investment that Jennifer called out in terms of wanting to accelerate that here in the back half. There is some capital and expense to do.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We've got good line of sight.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

The foundry is performing well, and the teams are executing tremendously. Good start.

Bryan Blair
Bryan Blair
Managing Director and Senior Analyst at Oppenheimer

Very encouraging. Thanks again.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Thanks, Bryan.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Ryan Connors with Northcoast Research.

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

Good morning.

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

Thanks, Joe, and welcome, Jennifer.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Hey, Ryan.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Thank you.

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

Yeah, I wanted to jump into the water side in a little more detail. Specifically on mix. You mentioned their large dewatering and the mixed components there in the Water Systems segment. Is that all product driven mix, or is there some geographic mix impacts there as well? Based on the order boards and the backlog today, how does that mix element shape up for Water Systems in the back half?

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Most of it is really product-driven mix.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I can let Russ and Jennifer Wolfenbarger add to this, but that dewatering business.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

As you know, it is a cyclical business. It kind of has this three year run from peak to drop. We saw that business hit its peak.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

In the back half of 2023.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We talked about this a few times. We see a strong order book and backlog in that business.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

There will be some mix pressure that we see in that business, but most.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Of it is product mix versus geography. The geographies read out largely as we expected.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

I would just add both groundwater and dewatering solid, very healthy volumes. Just saw a little bit of that product mix play out. Book-to-bill, very healthy above 1. It varies across geographies a little bit, but all really healthy above 1 with strong backlogs.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

I think, Ryan, what you'll see less.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

Pressure from a margin standpoint.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

That mix is kind of hard.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

To pull out because we definitely, as.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

We accelerate that acquisition. We still are seeing some of those acquisition related costs in Q2, which diminished through the back half of the year.

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

Got it. Okay. Secondly, just talk about resi for a minute. I know it's an important market and it seems like everyone's waiting on a potential for a rate cut and maybe lower mortgage rates to drive that. Is that the only catalyst that we're banking on here, or are there other potential catalysts that can drive some more volume growth in?

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

That side of the business?

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

Is that really the catalyst that we're waiting on?

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I'll take a stab at that.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

That business was flattish for us, obviously, in Q2. I think to say that we're getting no help from kind of the market is true. We're in the same boat as everyone else.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

A couple good things about our business.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

When we talk about other things we look at.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

One is given our high service.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Replacement demand, that business is 70%+.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Percent replacement for us.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Our ability to serve that market has.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Held us to hold and even take share in some cases.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We believe that we're taking share there. I also think, and I think I mentioned one example. If I didn't, you're going to hear more about it here in Q3. Some really exciting new products that attend to that Resi market that we're just launching right now. I think new products, innovation, being.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Able to respond to our customers, all of those things help us to offset that weaker housing starts and housing sales.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

You know, one thing that I point.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I think we commented on this, if you look at our water treatment business, which is probably.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

You know, has a more direct correlation.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

To housing starts and sales than others.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

The fact that that business grew.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Mid plus single digits, I think is a testament to just that growth strategy, which is dealer ads, building a strong network out serving our peers.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We had a nice set of results.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Dealer ads as well. Again, in Q2, I think Jennifer referenced.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We think that there's some self.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Help there that can offset that soft Resi market, and Q2 demonstrated that for us.

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

Got it. One last one, kind of.

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

A bigger picture question.

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

Through the dewatering business and otherwise, Franklin Electric has long been seen as somewhat more mining resource driven than maybe some of the peers. When you look at some of the things happening like the copper tariffs and supposedly the method of madness there being to bring more resource development back domestic, do you view that as a catalyst or has the portfolio changed to the point where that's not the driver that it once was?

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I think if you go back five plus years, we actually were more exposed to markets like oil and gas and other things. That is coming way down, and we've seen that balance. I think just in general, if we look at mining, if you look at materials and minerals, I think there's an.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Opportunity there for us. We don't have a huge exposure to it in North America as you referenced before, but we're working on bringing those.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Products into North America post acquisition of companies like Minetuff and PumpEdge. It's copper, there's other metals and.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Materials where we see continued growth.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I think that's an opportunity for us.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

It's relatively small for us today, but if that market continues to grow and if you see the need for minerals,

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Domestic development continues to increase.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We'll be prepared for that.

Ryan Connors
Ryan Connors
Managing Director and Research Analyst at Northcoast Research

Got it. Thanks for your time this morning.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Yeah, thank you, Ryan.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Mike Halloran with Robert W. Baird.

Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
Senior Analyst at Robert W. Baird

Hey, good morning everyone.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Morning, Mike.

Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
Senior Analyst at Robert W. Baird

Maybe we just start with how you.

Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
Senior Analyst at Robert W. Baird

Think about the sequential trends and what's embedded in guidance, with all the moving pieces. If you just think about it in terms of end user demand across the segments, anything unusual and you think you're following a relatively normal cadence here. If I think about what the guide for the back half of the year implies, does it imply normal seasonality from here, normal sequentials, or is there any kind of variance as you think about it, whether in the quarter or embedded in the guide?

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Yeah, that's a good question, Mike. Maybe I'll start with coming into and as we went through Q2, which, if you look at headlines, if you look.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

At tariffs, if you look at the.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Noise globally normal. We didn't think we'd.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Use that term normal in terms of, obviously we executed well. We're really proud of what the team.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

has done, but it was a more normal market than we had thought. We see those trends continuing here into the back half.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We're a couple weeks in the backlog. The order trends, the order book look good. Parts of our business that we can see further out.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We talked about dewatering, that's one example.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

In the water space.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

In the energy systems segment, where we.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Can see further out there in terms.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Of our service partners and the service stations, everything looks positive. Based on backlog order trends and.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Kind of a snippet here as we get into Q3, we expect to be fairly normal, just to use that word. We don't expect any major disruption. I think to the other questions, obviously we watch interest rates, we watch some.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Of those other externalities that could provide.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

A lift to us.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Not baked in, no expectation.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Our sense is it's kind of business as usual in the back half. Yes to normal and yes to kind of the seasonal sequential. Q3 looks similar to Q2, and then Q4, the sequential.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

It's obviously a step down, but we.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Expect to perform well.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

I'll just add from a tariff and from a copper perspective, I think we're really proud of the work that our supply chain has done to look for various levers to pull to mitigate that, and we continue to remain confident in our ability to offset for the balance of the year.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

So.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

That holds true from a tariff perspective. From a copper perspective, we'll continue to look at multiple paths to win.

Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
Senior Analyst at Robert W. Baird

Thanks for that.

Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
Senior Analyst at Robert W. Baird

Just to follow up.

Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
Senior Analyst at Robert W. Baird

Just.

Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
Senior Analyst at Robert W. Baird

An update on how you're thinking about the M&A pipeline, intent, actionability. I know that's part of the mandate for the team moving forward, and just kind of any thoughts on how that's looking and where the focal points are?

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Yeah, you know, we've made some really fun investments and had a specific focus.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Here over the last three quarters, too.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Make sure that the pipeline is robust, that our team is ready to execute. The one nice thing, Mike, in the last couple months is you definitely.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

See a little bit more activity in.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Terms of what's out there and some.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Things that will potentially move. We are positive about it. We've got a good and an active.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Funnel, I think similar to what I said last quarter.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Our key focus right now is what?

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Are those products that can really put

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Us into those faster growing markets, take.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Advantage of secular trends, and then we.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Can bring through our great channel.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We expect that we'll continue to be active. It's always hard to predict what happens and when it happens, but that still.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

The mandate is to make sure that we put that strong balance sheet to use.

Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
Senior Analyst at Robert W. Baird

Thank you.

Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
Senior Analyst at Robert W. Baird

Really appreciate it.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Thanks, Mike.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Matt Summerville with D.A. Davidson.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Morning, Matt.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

A couple of questions.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

Morning. I apologize if you already addressed this. I missed some of the prepared remarks. You reiterated your EPS guide for the year, yet you bought back $1.2 million shares of stock from one of Franklin Electric's founding daughters. Can you sort of articulate maybe why not raise the bar from a guidance standpoint? I have a follow up.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Yeah, maybe I'll start, and then Russ and Jennifer can add to that.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I think one is, as you know, we had a slower start to the year. Two is, we've got a.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Fairly ambitious agenda in terms of accelerating our transformation, making some of those investments. I referred to just some examples in terms of near shoring, you know, tools in our supply chain. This is a big focus and we want to go faster to control our destiny. I think part of holding guidance is giving us the room to execute. There is a small benefit we got from obviously purchasing some of those shares.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We feel we're undervalued.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I think our execution in Q2 is a good example of what we expect and hope to see going forward.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We also are focused highly on.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Predictability, and we want to make sure that we prepare ourselves for further supply chain disruptions.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We've got a couple bigger capital investments that we've accelerated.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Two examples, I may have referenced these in the past.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We have a factory in Turkey.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We're going faster on that than we originally intended.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We have a factory that.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We're building in India that we want to get started and get moving. I think it's just making sure that, one, we're predictable. Two, we have room for transformation and for those key investments we think are important. Our intent is to grow and to serve the markets that we're in. We feel that this is the best route for us here where we sit.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

Thank you for that.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

Yeah.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

Sure.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

Yeah, I was just going to say the investments that Joe referenced are heavily back half loaded. That does impact the go forward as well.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

That's helpful.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

Thank you.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

Just as a follow up.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

Can you talk about.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

Strength in orders and backlog, can you maybe give a little bit of quantification around how those metrics look now versus this time last year, and can you review where you were at from a price cost standpoint in the second quarter and what you expect in the back half in that regard?

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

Thank you.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Yeah, maybe just a comment, I'll refer to Jennifer on some of this. From a backlog standpoint, backlogs are probably up overall, you know, in the low double digits.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Some of the segments, they're up more than that.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

As you know, Matt, we're a shorter.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Cycle business for a good portion. We look at book-to-bill as well. Book-to-bill is over one for all three segments.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I think that's one of our.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Better indicators where we can see out further.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We definitely have seen a nice uplift in backlog in the Energy Systems segment.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

I referred to that. From a year over year standpoint, as we give those reference points for backlog, that's kind of a good year over year view.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

From a book-to-bill.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

standpoint, this is just we look at the churn, we look at our daily.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Orders, we look at what's happening even.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

For our shorter cycle businesses, it gives us really a good pattern and understanding of kind of what's going to happen here at least in the near term.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Q3 we feel pretty good about.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

From a price cost standpoint, yeah, we can give you maybe, Jennifer, if you want to just talk about price, cost, volume here in Q2. I think I have those numbers here as well, but it was a good blend and a good mix,

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

yeah.

Jennifer Wolfenbarger
Jennifer Wolfenbarger
CFO at Franklin Electric

Overall, from a price over cost perspective, we were in really great shape versus the prior year. From a volume perspective, we talked about that throughout our prepared remarks. Seeing a bit of an uplift year over year from a volume perspective as we've taken share in a few places, namely Distribution, a bit in Energy, seeing really good performance in Energy with regard to international data center projects and grid growth. As I mentioned, price over costs, including the impact of a little bit of impact that we've seen in tariffs, we're covering that nicely.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Sorry for the F16 noise in the background here in Fort Wayne. Price productivity definitely more than.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Offset inflation, and I think you know.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Seeing a couple points of pricing, you know, more than a few points in volume, those are good indicators for us to see that balance.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

One thing you'll see, Matt, is the inflation.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

You know, some of this is due to tariffs and the purchases that we had to make in Q2. Some of this will read out a little more strongly.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

In the back half.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

They'll be a little closer in terms of the price and the inflation, but we expect it to be a positive story this year.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

I would add to that some.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

Of the tariffs that could have been or that we saw throughout the quarter, we were prepared to do more in.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

terms of our productivity, inventory, and price action, I think where we ended.

Russ Fleeger
Russ Fleeger
Water Systems CFO at Franklin Electric

Up in the quarter is we feel we're pretty good. We're pretty well positioned here in the back half to more than offset tariffs, inflation, etc.

Matt Summerville
Matt Summerville
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson

Thank you, guys.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Thanks, man.

Operator

Thank you.

Operator

I'm showing no further questions at this time. With that, I'd like to hand the call back over to CEO Joe Ruzynski for any closing remarks.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Thanks, Andrew.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We really appreciate the questions.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

As we close out our Q2 2025 earnings call, I want to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to our employees and stakeholders for the dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We had a solid Q2 and first.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Half with good order trends, a healthy backlog.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

We expect this to continue.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Holding guidance gives us the opportunity to.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Accelerate our transformation and position us well for 2026 as we continue to monitor tariffs and other disruptions to our market. Our strategy is working. We're excited about our prospects to find the right acquisitions, bring great customer service and innovation to our markets, and to continue to build on the great team and culture Franklin Electric is known for.

Joe Ruzynski
Joe Ruzynski
CEO at Franklin Electric

Thank you for joining us, and I hope everyone has a great week.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for participating. This does conclude today's program, and you may now disconnect.

Executives
    • Russ Fleeger
      Russ Fleeger
      Water Systems CFO
    • Jennifer Wolfenbarger
      Jennifer Wolfenbarger
      CFO
    • Joe Ruzynski
      Joe Ruzynski
      CEO
Analysts