Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by, and welcome to the Q3 2020 UFP Industries Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. [Operator Instructions] I would now like to hand the conference over to your speaker, Mr. Dick Gauthier, Vice President of Business Outreach. Please go ahead, sir.

Welcome to the UFP Industries third quarter 2020 conference call. Hosting the call today are CEO, Matt Missad; and CFO, Mike Cole. Matt and Mike will offer prepared remarks and then answer questions. This conference call is available simultaneously and in its entirety, to all interested investors and news media through our webcast at www.ufpi.com. A replay will also be available at that website through November 22, 2020. Before I turn the call over to Matt Missad, let me remind you that yesterday's press release and today's presentation include forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to those factors identified in the press release and in the filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. I will now turn the call over to Matt Missad.

Thank you, Dick, and good morning everyone. When we decided to reorganize our Company to unleash the full power of UFP, we believe that would help us create greater success. We had no idea of the challenges we would face this year and our team members responded with an amazing performance that Aerosmith could think about. I can't tell you how proud I am of the effort of the UFP Industries team in the third quarter. The team blew past our expectations and posted a record quarter for both earnings and profits for UFP. One of the many lessons I will take from 2020 is that UFP Industries has the business diversification, processes and experienced team members to face serious challenges and continue to serve our customers while delivering strong results for our stakeholders. So far this year we faced a pandemic, shutdown orders that disrupted economic activity, a record increase in lumber price, supply constraints, wildfires, hurricanes and rail shortages. The only things missing are positiveness and a contested election. But we still have another two months to go and anything can happen. Despite the uncontrollables our teams work diligently at things they could control by responding quickly to shifting customer demands, managing inventory wisely and delivering record results. They set the bar of what is achievable even higher. I want to thank each and every one of our over 13,000 team members for their fantastic efforts. While Mike Cole will cover the numbers in detail, I wanted to hit on a couple of standouts. The first is net sales of $1.49 billion; the second is a unit sales increase of 8% overall; the third is a gross profit increase of 29%; and the fourth is net earnings up 49%. In addition, our new product sales for the third…

Thanks Matt. This quarter provided another example of how UFPs balanced business model and diversified product portfolio are great advantages in challenging times. Our results this quarter are highlighted by a 51% increase in operating profits, and a 110 basis point improvement in operating margins to 7.2%, a 230 basis point improvement in our trailing 12 month return on invested capital to 17.5%. Operating cash flow of $185 million and total liquidity of $707 million at the end of September, a $315 million increase since the end of the first quarter when the pandemic hit. And in spite of average lumber prices for the quarter that have more than doubled. Moving on to highlights from the income statement, our overall net sales increased 28% compared to last year and consisted of an 8% increase in our units sold and a 20% increase in our selling prices, as a result of the impact of lumber market on our variable price products. Similar to last quarter, our unit sales results vary greatly by segment. Sales to the retail segment increased 76%, consisting of a 34% organic unit increase and a 42% increase in prices. Unit growth was driven by our Deckorators, ProWood, Outdoor Essentials and Dimensions business units, as result of strong consumer demand for repair and remodel projects and outdoor living trends. New product sales for the retail segment were also strong, growing by over 59%. Given the time of the year, demand trends in this segment continue to be strong. Sales to the industrial segment increased by 4% due to a 6% increase in selling prices and a 3% contribution from recent acquisitions, offset by a 5% decrease in organic unit sales as our customers' business has recovered from government imposed shutdowns and a temporary drop in demand. This decline…

Thank you, Mike. Now I'd like to turn it over for questions.

[Operator Instructions] Our first question will come from Ketan Mamtora with BMO Capital Markets. Please go ahead.

Congrats on a very strong third quarter. First question, just starting off on the retail side, we've seen really strong demand over the last five to six months. I'm just curious as we get into fall and winter, and as typically demand flow seasonally, I'm just curious to see what you are hearing and seeing from your customers. Obviously it's been a very different year this time. So I'm just trying to get a sense of, are we seeing the normal pattern of seasonal slowing in demand?

Yes, I think Ketan, what we're seeing is the demand still is remaining strong. We do expect there to be seasonality, more weather driven than anything else. And our customers are very optimistic and bullish on 2021 as well. So they're seeing a lot of solid growth and obviously we're going to be there to provide the products they need.

Got it. So, I mean, some of the strength you say - you would say that has carried into October, is that fair?

Yes.

And then switching to lumber, so you know, we started to see pricing fall and fall quire sharply, maybe just give us an update in terms of how it impacts you sort of this time of the year. Mike, alluded to it, in terms of some contracts that are on fixed prices. So just maybe give us an update on the balance, kind of, how does it impact you during this time of the year?

Yes. So again, we talk a lot about the variable pricing model and the fixed pricing model and the different businesses and different products that are priced differently. And it's all about the balance of that product mix. And as we look at it typically second and third quarter tend to be heavier to variable price product and less so in the fourth and first quarters. We expect that to be consistent again this year. So, well on the retail side, which tends to be more variable price for the - I'll call it dimension lumber products that will be a headwind for us in the Q4. But on the other side, on the fixed-priced items it will actually be a tailwind for all the fixed price items which tend to be more in the construction and in the industrial segments.

And then just turning to M&A, Matt, has your view changed at all in terms of growth opportunity, let's say in industrials, which was clearly a focus area in the last few years versus finding more opportunity on the outdoor living product side, given what has happened this year?

Yes, I think Ketan, that's a great observation. There are some things that we've looked at, and I think a big part of the driver I give credit to the business unit leaders who have come up with growth runways. And while we're still committed to growing our industrial business, growing our construction business, may have look like we weren't as interested in growing some of the retail businesses, but we still see really strong runways and each one of the business unit leaders has identified targets whether those are for new products, whether those are for expansion and growth or whether those are to provide us with more opportunities to get closer to customers and sell them our entire product line. We see a lot of opportunities there. And obviously if you - couple of years ago everybody was talking about people moving in the cities and the suburbs were dying. Now, it appears that the reverse is true. So we're going to keep our balanced model and we're going to have targets in each of our segments and each of our business units and we just are very optimistic about the opportunities that are there.

Got it. That's very helpful. I'll jump back in the queue, good luck for the rest of this year and into 2021.

Thank you, Ketan.

Our next question will come from Reuben Garner with The Benchmark Company. Please go ahead.

First, I just want to express my condolences to the UFPI team for your loss yesterday, befitting hat you posted such an amazing quarter, but just wanted to say that.

Thank you.

Before we get started, it's hard not to start with the retail strength, maybe can you just talk about, you guys relative to the industry and where things stand or standed in the quarter, and where they stand kind of as we move into next year from a supply standpoint? Did you miss out on potentially some volume again in the third quarter? I know you mentioned having trouble keeping up earlier in the year or were you guys in a better position? Maybe, did you gained some business in both the Deckorators segment and the treated lumber space from competitors not being able to keep up, just talk about kind of you guys versus the industry in the third quarter?

Yes, that's a great point. One of the things that we saw - probably early in the third quarter where there was still supply shortages. And there was - I will call them missed opportunities, just simply because we didn't have the product. Having said that, relative to a lot of the smaller competitors, we were able to get product that they may not have been able to get, so that enables us to take more share. And hopefully that trend will continue going forward as we continue to see retail retain its strength. And we'll also have to be looking to time - the time to get back into the market as you know for the trading business, we have to make sure that we have ample inventory. We don't want to run our customers out of product. So everybody will retain attention to that this fall and early this winter, to make sure that we have ample supply for next year.

And on the Deckorators side, up 50%. I mean, did you - we heard in the quarter that some of your larger peers may have had some supply availability issues. I mean, were you guys able to take advantage of that or is this just kind of underlying strength that you're seeing because you guys are building out your distribution network and growing new products or is it a combination of the both?

I think it's a combination, Reuben, I think we were able to take advantage of some situations. But I also think it's a growing strength in the product line. And as people get more familiar with it, they love the product. And so, I hate, I would say it's - some of it's due to competitors maybe not being able to supply and some of it's just due to the quality of our products. I would tell you that as we mentioned earlier this year, we were a little bit behind where we thought we would be earlier in the year at year-over-year comp issues, but we've clearly made up. And as we said before, we thought we would be to our target by the end of the year and we still feel very comfortable with that.

And Matt, that's the first time I think I've heard you guys mentioned a new price point in absorbing your new capacity with that and adding new capacity in both Vault and Voyage. Can you just talk about what those couple of items Trailhead, is that a lower price point, a higher price point? And then the Vault and Voyage new capacity, how much are you planning to add in 2021?

Yes. So the Trailhead is a lower price point kind of an entry-level WPC product that is intended to fall in line with some of the competitive products out there. We're excited about where it's going to position us and so that's going to utilize some of the capacity that we are adding this year for wood plastic composite. And in 2021 because of the strong demand for the Vault and Voyage products, we want to add another 20% or so of capacity for those product lines as well. So very bullish on the future of those product lines and it's exciting times right now.

And I hit the harp on this, but just curious the Trailhead, the lower price point. I mean, is the goal there to just kind of, I mean is that an equally profitable business for you guys or is the goal just to continue to drive interest in the Deckorators suite of products and maybe upselling to some of your other products? I mean talk to me about kind of how that - how you're thinking about that?

Yes. So again, from our standpoint, we have always tried to have a good-better-best kind of mentality. We're going to add a couple of different levels of good for us. Our pressure treated lumber is a very good product line and that's a price point product line, kind of the next level up between that and the entry level or what we would call our better product line or midpoint, wood plastic composite product. There is a gap in pricing there, so we can fill that gap with the Trailhead product and still continue to grow that business. And then we have our premium product, which is the Vault, Voyage, the mineral composite line. So it's really just an extension of that product line and trying to make sure that we're competitive in the marketplace as well.

And then I'm going to sneak one more in, if that's all right. The construction business, I was a little bit surprised to see the volume declines in Site Built is - is that just a function of the weakness in the starts environment back in March and April? Is that the geographical thing? Were there issues with some of your facilities related to COVID or is that just kind of what the market looks like right now in a lot of the data you've seen in the housing space maybe will come - evolve in the business for you as we move into later this year and 2021?

Yes, there is a number of different factors in there, Reuben and you hit on most of them. One upstate New York, for example, had a longer lockdown. They still - we still have not fully optimized the facilities there. So that's - that is certainly part of that decline. There was still a little hangover on starts, I'll call it in July in some of the other markets, but I would tell you that in the Southeast and in Texas, our facilities are running full out. So they're just their geographic pockets where it just either demand hasn't come back or we haven't been able to operate given the COVID situation in those areas.

Great. Thank you, guys. Congrats on the quarter and good luck as you move through the rest of the year.

Thanks, Reuben.

Our next question will come from Steve Chercover with DA Davidson. Please go ahead.

So, what we are spending a bit of time on decking. I just wanted to get a couple almost point answers, obviously Deckorators rebounded from a tough comp. Can you give us what the year-to-date growth is so far for Deckorators?

I don't have that number specifically, Mike, do you have that?

I can look that up, Steve. One second. You have another follow-up question?

Well and yes, just in - which is growing faster do you think, I guess, it's hard to tell from the pricing dynamics. But do you think wood is recouping share from composites? Or composites still continue to gain share?

So I think overall the market exploded this year. So I would say that there was tremendous growth in all product lines. Relative share - treated lumber versus composites, I think composites still are gaining share, although I don't know how significant it was this year. I think the rising tide lifted all the boats this year. So from my perspective, long-term treated lumber is a very good, do it yourself product, to higher end wood plastic composite or our mineral composite products tend to be more of an installer product. So I think a lot of people who are home, were doing a do-it-yourself products and projects. So that really drove a lot of the lumber stuff.

Yes. And just...

To answer your first question, Steve - I'm sorry, to answer your first question, Steve, it's up 11% year-to-date.

And this might seem like an oddball [indiscernible] but a lot of people are using these outdoor sheds as almost offices or play rooms for the kids, thanks to COVID. So it's one thing that I don't think, I've heard you guys specifically talk about, but if we were to buy a wood top shed, it's kind of a kit. Is there a strong likelihood that you make that anyhow?

So, we supply the companies that make those products throughout the country. And I don't know if you were referring specifically to the company called [indiscernible] or that was just an example. But yes, so there is, we definitely supply the shed manufacturer, so our products are likely in those units.

Yes. I was just referring to them, because it's the one that came to mind but ever any consideration of you having a UFPI branded shed whether it's a play house or a man cave or she shed, whatever they call on these days?

Yes, without going into deep in the history, we've been down that path. Before I would never say never, but I think right now, we're really comfortable with our relationship with our customers on that product.

And I think you're doing just fine with the current stance. Okay. And then switching gears, the growth performance in Q3 was quite extraordinary given the spike in lumber. I guess, it was a bit of a - source of concern for us. Can you give us some insight on how you accomplished it? And are you concerned about a reversal of lumber really does crater?

Yes. So all of the credit goes to our teams, our purchasing team was outstanding and the operations were incredible in terms of how they managed the craziness of the lumber market. So again, I think if we didn't have the experience that we have within our company, it could have been disastrous but they were outstanding throughout. We recognize that the part of the performance is due to the headwind, excuse me, the tailwind from the market in the third quarter. And of course we're going to face a headwind in the fourth quarter as the market drops. But again, I think we've gotten out in front of it and we've been able to blunt a lot of that, a lot of that headwind I think so. Again, it's just experienced management kind of working with our managed inventory programs, working with our vendor partners. And as we've maintained, we are not really too concerned about the level of the lumber market. On a general basis, it's just if it falls faster rises fast in a period of time it causes us some concern for 30 or 60 days. So we'll see some of that, but again I think our team is managing it very well so far. And we look to be able to weather that storm as well.

And finally Reuben kind of asked, anticipated question I was going to ask in terms of Site Built construction. But maybe I'll ask you to put up to look at a crystal ball, you think there is any long-term permanent impacts from COVID, whether it's the demise of this - of Downtown back into suburban living or permanent changes in shopping habits and how they might impact commercial construction?

Yes, I think there is a lot of takeaways and I hesitate to make too many real long-term decisions based on the short-term information, but I think you hit on a few things. I think the retail environment is definitely changing - was changing before COVID, it just accelerated. So I think we have to look at the reality of that and change our customer profile and customer mix on the commercial side, which we're already doing. But I think if you also look at the cities, kind of the urban areas, a lot of it might be related to COVID. But quite honestly, I think a fair amount is related to the safety and security in those urban areas. And I think people who feel unsafe are going to move out. And so, I do see that being a potential trend particularly if we don't take the necessary steps to bring back safety and security. And obviously we're prepared for it either way. We see a much greater interest more recently here in the suburbs and moving out, which is creating more pressure on housing demand and that's a good thing overall for us.

Yes. I can tell you that downtown Portland is a shambles. Okay, well thank you and stay safe for the remainder of 2020.

All right. Thank you, Steve.

Our next question will come from Julio Romero with Sidoti & Co. Please go ahead.

So certainly a really strong quarter. How much of the growth within the quarter did the fixed price portion of your portfolio, maybe see if it was on the standalone basis. I don't know if you can touch on that either on a percentage basis, unit basis or dollar basis, but kind of any of the above would be helpful.

Yes, I think I'd like Mike to try to take a stab at that.

Yes, that's a difficult question to answer. We don't go about trying to measure it that way. I guess, I would probably point you to more of the business units and segments that have more variable and fixed price. So retail has more variable priced product, and lot of treated lumber goes through there. I mentioned earlier, what the price increase was in retail and that's predominantly the ProWood pressure-treated. When you get into the industrial in the cycle, excuse me, the construction segments, that's going to be much more fixed price.

The cost controls continue to trend really well. I mean the SG&A, excluding bonus was down on a dollar basis, I think in the quarter and year-to-date. Maybe how much of that would be due to some temporary reductions within the year that could potentially swing back in '21?

There is a fair amount of temporary reductions. At this particular quarter, I think travel and related costs were down about $3 million versus last year. We called out travel earlier in Q2 as well, health care costs have also trended much lower. So there are a handful of cost - for the last two quarters, that are definitely lower than what we would have normally planned for.

Yes. I guess - I would add there. I'd add there Julio. So some of the travel, some of the business meetings that we have historically done, we weren't able to do. But we have using technology, been able to accomplish a lot of meetings and things that we didn't do in the past. So, while some of those costs will come back, I think we've learned that we can do a lot more with less. And so, we should be able to recoup a lot of those savings in the future too.

Off the top of my head Julio, I think we call out maybe $10 million of costs last quarter that we felt like, we're not at a normalized level. The categories I mentioned and then this quarter $3 million to $5 million or so. So about $15 million so far for the year.

And I guess just last one for me is on the M&A pipeline, I think touched on it earlier, but you mentioned in the prepared remarks about consolidation, you just talked broadly about the industry. And you did issue some senior notes earlier in the summer. So I guess is the inference maybe a step up in maybe the quantity of potential bolt-ons that you're targeting for '21?

You have very good instinct, Julio.

Thanks. Okay, that's all from me. Thanks very much guys.

Thank you. And speakers, I'm showing no further questions in the queue at this time, I would now like to turn the call back over to management for any further remarks.

Well, thank you again. Yes, the third quarter was a remarkable quarter for UFP Industries. We have Halloween in mind, the frightening part of this quarter, at least for our leadership is that our team now sees what's possible for our future performance. Until recently, an 8% EBITDA as a percent of sales was thought to be far in our future, if reachable at all. Yes, a crazy lumber market provided a tailwind but still our team has proved it can be done and now we've set the bar even higher for themselves. We're very excited about our future and are proud to be a small but dynamic part of the land of the free and the home of the brave. And we will continue to work to ensure that these freedoms and opportunities are preserved for all Americans. Thank you for listening and have a great day.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.