Quanta Services Inc (PWR) — Q3 2021 Earnings Call Transcript

Thank you, and welcome, everyone, to the Quanta Services Third Quarter of 2021 Earnings Conference Call. This morning, we issued a press release announcing our third quarter results, which can be found in the Investor Relations section of our website at quantaservices.com, along with the summary of our 2021 outlook and commentary that we will discuss this morning. Additionally, we will use a slide presentation this morning to accompany our prepared remarks, which is viewable through the call's webcast and is also available on the Investor Relations section of the Quanta Services website. Please remember that information reported on this call speaks only as of today, November 4th, 2021, and therefore, you are advised that any time-sensitive information may no longer be accurate as of any replay of this call. This call will include forward-looking statements intended to qualify under the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include all statements reflecting Quanta's expectations, intentions, assumptions, or beliefs about future events or performance that do not solely relate to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict or beyond Quanta's control and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. For additional information concerning some of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, please refer to the cautionary language included in today's press release, along with the Company's periodic reports and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on Quanta's or the SEC's website. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and Quanta does not undertake any obligation to update such statements and disclaims any written or oral statements made by any third-party regarding the subject matter of this call. Please also note that we will present certain historical and forecasted non-GAAP financial measures in today's call, including adjusted diluted EPS, backlog, EBITDA, and free cash flow. Reconciliations of these measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in our earnings release. Lastly, if you would like to be notified when Quanta publishes news releases and other information, please sign up for email alerts through the Investor Relations sections of quantaservices.com. We also encourage investors and others interested in our Company to follow Quanta IR and Quanta Services on the social media channels listed on our website. With that, I would like to now turn the call over to Mr. Duke Austin, Quanta's President and CEO. Duke?

Thanks, Kip. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Quanta Services Third Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call. On the call today, I will provide operational and strategic commentary and will then turn it over to Derrick Jensen, Quanta's Chief Financial Officer. We will provide a review of our third quarter results and full year 2021 financial expectations. Following Derrick's comments, we welcome your questions. This morning, we reported solid third quarter results, which included a number of record financial metrics, including revenues, adjusted EBITDA, and earnings per share. Additionally, total backlog of $17 billion at the end of the quarter was also a record, which we believe reflects the benefits of our collaborative approach with customers, favorable market dynamics, and continued advancement of our long-term growth strategies. As many of you are aware, several weeks ago, we completed the previously announced acquisition of Blattner, which is a premier utility-scale renewable energy infrastructure solutions provider in North America with decades of experience and a strong safety culture. We believe the energy transition in North America is on the cusp of a significant acceleration, and that moving to a carbon-neutral economy will require sizeable and decades-long investment in renewable generation and related infrastructure. We believe this transaction fits Quanta in a unique position to enable the energy infrastructure for North America's energy transition. Since announcing our intention to acquire Blattner in early September, customer reactions and conversations across our customer base have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. Further, we previously commented about how remarkably similar Quanta and Blattner are, operationally and culturally, which has become increasingly apparent through working with the Blattner management team on integration. We were all excited about our combined growth opportunities when we first announced the transaction. And I can tell you that today, we're even more excited and increasingly confident in the value proposition, innovative solutions, and growth synergy opportunities that Quanta and Blattner are positioned to provide existing and new customers. Now, turning the call to our operating results. Our Electric Power Solutions operations continue to perform well with record revenues and strong margins driven by robust demand for our services, solid and safe execution, high utilization of our resources and operational excellence. We're proud of our execution and confident that our strong market position will allow us to capitalize on future opportunities created by favorable long-term trends driving utility investment and demand for our comprehensive solutions. Demand for grid modernization, system hardening, and renewable energy interconnection services remain active. Discussions around opportunities for our electric vehicle infrastructure installation and program management capabilities continue to advance. Our electric power backlog remains strong, driven primarily by significant multiyear master service agreements with utilities, which adds to the substantial MSA backlog growth we generated in the first half of this year. During the quarter, Hurricane Ida made landfall over Louisiana, which ultimately left 1.2 million customers across 8 States without power, including 1 million outages in Louisiana alone. One of our deployed significant resources to support utility customers whose electric power infrastructure was damaged or destroyed by the hurricane, including more than 2,500 line workers and front-end support services and engineering staff. Our comprehensive response resulted in record emergency restoration revenue and highlights our ability to quickly mobilize substantial resources to support our customers in times of need. Our customers continue to advance their efforts to achieve carbon neutrality over the coming decades, which is planned to be accomplished in large part through increasing renewable generation investment. We believe public policy and the positive general sentiment supporting a greener environment will drive North America's power generation mix increasingly towards renewables over the near and longer-term. Blattner's utility-scale renewable generation solutions, coupled with Quanta's complementary and holistic grid solutions, create a unique value proposition and opportunity to collaborate with our customers to shape their energy transition initiatives. For example, Blattner is currently constructing more than 30 utility-scale renewable energy projects across the country and another Quanta company is currently working on the largest solar-powered battery storage project in North America. Additionally, we're seeing accelerated demand for our services that enable renewable generation, including transmission interconnections and substations. We continue to scale our communication operations and progress our strategy. For example, we have developed wireless capabilities and are expanding our wireless services into certain markets. Communications revenues grew significantly in the third quarter as compared to last year, and though we incurred higher costs in certain jobs due to descoping of certain contracts and project closeouts which impacted profitability for these operations, these issues were not meaningful to the overall electric power segment or Quanta as a whole. Nevertheless, demand for our communication services remains high, and the majority of our communication operations are performing at or near our double-digit margin targets. Our underground utility and infrastructure solutions segment generally performed well in the quarter, despite being impacted by work disruptions along the Gulf Coast due to Hurricane Ida and work inefficiencies associated with the recent surge of the COVID-19 Delta variant in certain areas. We continue to experience solid demand for our gas utility and pipeline integrity services, which are driven by regulated spend to modernize systems, reduce methane emissions, environmental compliance, and improve safety and reliability. We expect our industrial services to strengthen through next year along with the continued recovery of the global economy and demand for refined products, as well as the return of our customer maintenance and capital spending that was previously deferred due to the effects of COVID-19 on the downstream market. Looking at the coming years, we believe the opportunity Quanta has with customers in this segment as they increasingly pursue strategies to reduce their carbon footprint and diversify their operations and assets towards greener business opportunities may be underestimated. There are several examples of such initiatives and project opportunities. Gas utilities are implementing system modernization initiatives that position them to blend hydrogen into their natural gas flow. To that end, Quanta is working with several gas utility customers on hydrogen pilot programs. Certain refiners are building renewable and bio-fuel processing facilities, which could create opportunities for our industrial services. Natural gas power plants are also exploring blending hydrogen with natural gas as a fuel source to power their turbines, which could create opportunities for our Pipeline Infrastructure services. Lastly, we are actively pursuing carbon sequestration projects in the U.S., which could utilize our Engineering and Pipeline Construction services. In Canada, Pembina Pipeline and TC Energy have proposed a plan to jointly develop a carbon transportation and sequestration system called the Alberta Carbon Grid, which is envisioned to serve as the backbone of Alberta's carbon capture utilization and storage industry and could include participation by other pipeline companies. The initiative with leverage existing pipelines requires new pipeline and facility investments, which when fully constructed, would be capable of transporting more than 20 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. The North American energy transition is just that; a transition process. The role our Electric Power Infrastructure Solutions play in the energy transition is clear. However, we believe Quanta's underground utility and infrastructure solutions could play an evolving and increasing role in this transition in support of our customers' carbon reduction initiatives. Progress continues in Washington DC towards enacting the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better plan. As commented on prior calls, our positive multi-year outlook and strategic plan are not reliant on either of these packages. But if either or both are enacted, they could provide incremental opportunities for Quanta over both the near and longer term. These packages include funding and policies to encourage new infrastructure development and modernization in several of our core markets. In particular, the Build Back Better plan currently contains policy that represents the largest clean energy legislative package in American history. While additional political steps are still required, we're encouraged by what we've seen recently. We have profitably grown the Company and executed well this year and expect to continue to do so. We are confident in the strategic initiatives we are executing on, the better position we have in the marketplace, and our positive multi-year outlook. We also believe that our business and opportunities for profitable growth in 2022 are gaining momentum, driven by our solution-based approach, the growth of programmatic spending with existing and new customers, opportunities for larger electric transmission projects, the addition of Blattner's renewable generation solutions, and the opportunity for recovery of certain portions of our business that have been affected by the global pandemic. Looking to the medium and longer-term, as energy transition and carbon reduction initiatives are increasingly implemented, in addition to the primary drivers of our business currently, we believe our visibility could increase and our growth opportunities could expand and accelerate. We believe the infrastructure investment and renewable generation necessary to support these initiatives are still in the early stages of deployment, and that this is arguably the most exciting time in Quanta's history. We are focused on operating the business for the long term and expect to continue to distinguish ourselves through safe execution and best-in-class field leadership. We will pursue opportunities to enhance Quanta's base business and leadership position in the industry and provide innovative solutions to our customers. We believe Quanta's diversity, unique operating model, and entrepreneurial mindset are the foundation that will allow us to continue to generate long-term value for our stakeholders. I will now turn the call over to Derrick Jensen, our CFO for his review of our third quarter results and 2021 expectations.

Thanks, Duke, and good morning, everyone. Today we announced record third quarter 2021 revenues of $3.4 billion. Net income attributable to common stock was $174 million or $1.21 per diluted share, and adjusted diluted earnings per share, a non-GAAP measure, was $1.48. Our Electric Power revenues were $2.3 billion, a quarterly record and a 10% increase when compared to the third quarter of 2020. This increase was driven by continued favorable dynamics across our core utility and communications markets and associated demand for our services. Also contributing to the increase were revenues from acquired businesses of approximately $55 million. Electric segment operating income margins in 3Q21 were 12.4%, slightly lower than 12.7% in 3Q20, but better than our initial expectations. Operating margins benefited from record emergency restoration revenues of approximately $230 million, which typically present opportunities for higher margins than our normal base business activities due to higher utilization, as well as overall solid execution across our electric operations. Additionally, segment margins benefited from approximately $10 million of income associated with our LUMA joint venture. Otherwise, a slight reduction in operating margin versus the prior year was attributable to normal job variability and mix of work in our communication operations, which delivered mid-single-digit margins during the quarter. As a reminder, last year's third quarter Electric Power results also included what was at the time a record level of emergency restoration revenues. Underground Utility and Infrastructure segment revenues were $1.02 billion for the quarter, 12% higher than 3Q20 due primarily to increased revenues from gas distribution and industrial services. Though our operations experienced increased activity year-over-year, current quarter revenues and margins in our industrial operations were negatively impacted by disruptions along the Gulf Coast attributable to Hurricane Ida, and both our industrial and non-U.S. markets within this segment remain pressured by COVID-19 dynamics. Third quarter operating income margins for the segment were 6.7%, 107 basis points lower than 3Q20 but generally in line with our expectations. The margin for the third quarter of 2020 benefited from favorable adjustments on certain larger pipeline projects with both scope changes and favorable closeouts in the quarter. Our total backlog was $17 billion at the end of the third quarter, the fifth consecutive quarter we posted record total backlog. Additionally, 12-month backlog of $9.8 billion also represents a quarterly record. Our backlog growth continues to be driven primarily by multi-year MSA programs with North American utilities, which we believe reinforces the repeatable and sustainable nature of the largest portion of our revenues and earnings. The Blattner acquisition occurred after September 30th, and accordingly, their backlog is not included in our current reported levels. However, the total backlog from Blattner and the other Q4 acquisitions is approximately $1.8 billion. For the third quarter of 2021, we generated negative free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure, of $40 million, compared to $70 million of positive free cash flow in 3Q20. Net cash provided by operating activities during the third quarter of 2021, although largely in line with our expectations, was down due to higher revenues and corresponding increases in working capital demands compared to the prior year, which benefited from lower revenues and a corresponding lower use of working capital. Also, 3Q20 benefited from the deferral of $41 million of payroll taxes in accordance with the Cares Act, 50% of which are due by December 31, 2021, with the remainder due by December 31, 2022. Partially offsetting these dynamics was a favorable impact of increased earnings as compared to 3Q20. Days sales outstanding, or DSO, measured 89 days for the third quarter of 2021, an increase of 7 days compared to the third quarter of 2020, and an increase of 6 days compared to December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to elevated working capital requirements associated with two large Canadian transmission projects driving an increase in contract assets. Specific to the Canadian projects, both continue to encounter work stoppage protocols in Canada associated with COVID mitigation and delays attributable to, among other things, wildfires impacting access to the worksite. These dynamics created substantial inefficiencies and production delays resulting in increased project costs. We are in active discussions with both customers regarding change orders associated with these increased costs, some of which have already been approved, with the remaining amounts being pursued in the normal course. In addition, normal variability in work production and associated payment cycles across our operations contributed to slightly higher DSO in the quarter. As Duke discussed, and as we previously announced, we closed on the acquisition on October 13th. Prior to the closing in September 2021, we issued $1.5 billion aggregate principal amount of senior notes with a weighted average interest rate of 2.12%, receiving net proceeds of $1.48 billion. Accordingly, as of quarter-end, we had approximately $1.7 billion of cash. Subsequent to the quarter, we amended our credit agreement to, among other things, provide a term loan facility of $750 million, which was fully drawn and combined with the net proceeds from the senior notes offering to fund a substantial majority of the cash consideration payable to the Blattner shareholders at closing. I would highlight that our financial strategy and consistent performance have allowed us to maintain investment-grade ratings subsequent to these financing transactions. From a capital allocation perspective, Blattner represents the largest acquisition in Quanta's history and a strategic opportunity to expand the solutions we deliver to support North America's transition to carbon-neutral energy infrastructure. Capital deployment for strategic acquisitions has always been a key part of our strategy, but as we've discussed in the past, our first priority for capital allocation remains supporting the working capital and equipment needs of our existing operations. While the debt issued to support the Blattner acquisition moved our leverage profile above our target range, it remains well below the financial covenant requirements in our credit facility, and we believe we can efficiently deliver while continuing to create shareholder value through our dividend and repurchase programs, as well as strategic acquisitions. To date, we have acquired approximately $64 million worth of stock since the beginning of the year as part of our repurchase program and we'll continue to evaluate potential acquisitions that fit our strategic objectives. To that end, during the third quarter and through the date of the earnings release, in addition to Blattner, we acquired 3 additional businesses and made a minority investment in another, for a total combined consideration of approximately $110 million. These incremental transactions further enhance our ability to deliver comprehensive infrastructure solutions to our North American utility and communications customers. Turning to our guidance. Our outlook for the remainder of the year reflects the strength of our core utility-backed operation, which continued to deliver solid results with robust year-over-year growth. However, the results of companies acquired during and subsequent to the third quarter, including Blattner's operations, will be included in our consolidated financial statements, which makes comparability to our previous expectations challenging. It should be noted that we are in the very early stages of establishing Blattner's specific opening balance sheet, which includes assessing the positions of our ongoing projects as of the closing and dialing the tangible and intangible assets acquired. The results of those ongoing efforts will have a meaningful impact on Blattner's fourth-quarter contribution, which we've attempted to address in the range of our fourth-quarter expectations for the acquired businesses. That said, excluding the expected contributions from the recently acquired companies, we now expect full-year revenues from our legacy operations to range between $12.15 to $12.35 billion. Due to the strength of our consolidated performance for the first nine months of the year, we are increasing our expectations for the contribution of our legacy operations to adjusted EBITDA to range between $1.17 billion and $1.2 billion. With the midpoint of the range representing an increase over our previous guidance and 13% growth when compared to 2020's record adjusted EBITDA. As it relates to our current reportable segments, while we continue to evaluate how these may change with the addition of Blattner, I wanted to provide some color on our current expectations compared to our previous commentary, again, excluding contributions from the recently acquired businesses. We continue to expect full-year revenues to range between $8.7 and $8.8 billion for our legacy electric segment operation. However, based on strong performance through the first 9 months of the year and continued confidence in our ability to execute on the opportunities across the segment, we've increased our full-year margin range for the segment, with 2021 operating margins expected to come in slightly above 11%. Our full-year expectations for the underground utility and infrastructure solution segment, however, have slightly moderated due primarily to lower third-quarter revenue levels than previously expected. Accordingly, we are reducing our full-year expectations for the segment, with revenues now expected to range between $3.45 and $3.55 billion while segment margins are now expected to range between 4.5% and 5%, which includes the $23.6 million provision for credit loss recognized in the second quarter, a nearly 70 basis point negative impact on a full-year basis. With regard to the recently acquired companies, including Blattner, we expect post-closing revenue contributions for the year to range between $400 and $500 million and adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, ranging between $40 million and $60 million. Accordingly, including the expected contributions from the recently acquired companies, we now expect our consolidated full-year revenues to range between $12.55 billion and $12.85 billion and adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure of between $1.21 and $1.26 billion. Corporate and unallocated costs will increase significantly, primarily due to the acquired companies. We currently estimate amortization expense for the full year will be between $149 million and $159 million, with $60 million to $70 million attributable to the recently acquired companies. Stock compensation expense for the full year is now expected to be approximately $89 million, with approximately $2 million attributable to restricted stock units issued to employees in the acquired companies. Acquisition and integration costs are expected to be approximately $26 million for the fourth quarter, resulting in approximately $36 million for the year. This includes approximately $10.5 million of expenses associated with change of control payments awarded to certain employees of Blattner by the selling shareholders, which require expense accounting, as they have a one-year service period requirement. We expect a comparable dollar amount will be accrued each quarter post-closing until the one-year anniversary of the transaction, at which time the payments will be made to the employee. We intend to include this amount as an adjustment to arrive at our adjusted EPS and adjusted EBITDA, both non-GAAP measures. Below the line, we expect interest expense for the year to be around $67 million, which includes approximately $16 million of incremental interest expense associated with debt financing used to fund the cash portion of the Blattner acquisition. Additionally, we now expect our full-year tax rate to be around 24%, reflecting a slight reduction from our prior expectations due primarily to a favorable shift in the mix of earnings between various taxing jurisdictions. As a result, our expectation for full-year diluted earnings per share attributable to common stock is now between $3.20 and $3.40 and our increased expectation for adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to common stock, a non-GAAP measure, is now between $4.62 and $4.87. On a consolidated basis, we now expect free cash flow for the year to range between $350 and $500 million. This slight decrease is primarily due to potential timing of payments associated with emergency restoration efforts, as well as the likelihood that the dynamics impacting the larger Canadian projects continued to pressure DSO in the fourth quarter. Additionally, while we expect Blattner will be meaningfully accretive to our cash flow profile on an annual basis, we expect certain favorable billing positions at the time of acquisition could unwind as Blattner incurs costs in the fourth quarter to finish projects for which they've already received payments. This dynamic could minimize Blattner's cash contribution during the quarter, which we factored into our range of expectation. As we've stated in prior quarters, our quarterly free cash flow is subject to sizable movements due to various customer and project dynamics that can occur in the normal course of operations. For additional information, please refer to our Outlook Summary, which can be found in the financial info section of our IR website at quantaservices.com. Overall, we continue to believe we are in the early stages of a significant infrastructure investment cycle, and the acquisition of Blattner further differentiates us in the markets we serve and expands our ability to deliver solutions to support North America's transition to carbon-neutral energy infrastructure. We remain confident in our ability to execute against the opportunities in front of us while maintaining the financial flexibility to opportunistically deploy capital to deliver long-term shareholder value. This concludes our formal presentation and we'll now open the line for Q&A.

Hi. Good morning, everyone. I want to focus on some areas of the business that fell short of expectations this quarter. First, regarding communication, you mentioned that higher-cost jobs affected margins. Can you provide some specifics on that? Do you anticipate this improving as we head into the fourth quarter of 2022? Additionally, on the Industrial Services side, you referenced some storm-related issues impacting results. Is that segment still profitable, or was it profitable in the third quarter? Finally, regarding the Canadian projects you mentioned, could you clarify if there were charges taken or if this was merely a working capital fluctuation, and were the Days Sales Outstanding normalized?

Hey, good morning. I think when we look at the Telecom business, we did call it out. We're operating from mid-single digits instead of upper-single to double digits when we looked at it. So it's not performing terribly. It's not where we want it to be. The macro market is very good and robust. The closeouts on a few projects are very difficult but the large majority or the vast majority of the business is performing in those double-digit margins and offsetting anything there is minimal, as we said on the call, from a charge standpoint or really just cost standpoint when we close things out. We'll go from there, but I do think we added backlog. We continue to build backlog in this segment. We see a long runway there and we did start up some wireless capabilities, it has some cost in it. In general, incidental to the Company, incidental to the segment, we like the market long-term, we will get into double digits there over time. Canada, when we looked at Canada, I think in general, the projects are performing well. We still see some COVID effects there to the Delta variant on some of those projects. There is some delays in getting billing cycles, billing points there as we run through a project, I think. So that it's more of a billing issue of when can we get things billed versus any problems with the project or charges. We did not take charges on Canadian projects. We performed very well. And the storm, yes, it did have a positive effect on the electric segment. It does when we get storms like that, it was up a little bit bigger than last year from the standpoint. Fairly large storm for us, I think it shows our collaborative effect with the client, how we've got in and worked our front-end services, we're still working the storm for our clients. It just shows the longevity of the Company and what we've done on the front side of the business to collaborate with the client, to get things up faster, to do a nice job there for them. And I think we performed very well there. Offset, but it did have some impact on some of our underground segments as it always does when it comes in. So you get some offset and you also come off some larger work to go pick up storm. So those things offset some in the quarter.

That's helpful. And then just my second question is a little bit longer term. It has to do with labor. Clearly, there's a lot of work coming down the pipe to decarbonize the U.S. and you guys have the Northwest Lineman College. But just trying to understand just your strategy for scaling labor. Maybe you could start off with how much throughput do you have into your ranks from Northwest Lineman College. And then how can you scale that program to meet future labor needs? And then lastly, maybe you can talk about whatever innovations or technology you have to minimize or actually improve labor productivity of your workers and your business.

I think if you're just now trying to scale labor, you're long ways behind. We've spent about $150 million over the last 5 years and we're way ahead of that. In my mind, we've done that. We've proven that we grow the Company, that's who we are. This is craft-skilled labor, and not just labor. In my mind, we self-perform about 85-90% of our business for a reason. And it's this reason: when you get tight labor markets, we can perform, we can perform on time, on budget, and give our client what they're asking for, which is certainty. And we're doing that on a daily basis. That's why we're collaborating, that's why you're seeing expansion. As far as productivity, I'll put our margins up against it and show the growth of the Company, the growth of our internal labor force. The 3,000 or 5,000 that we add every year to that labor force is proof that we can do it, we can scale it. We are scaling it and the productivity speaks for itself, and the margins.

Thank you, gentlemen. As it relates to higher DSOs due to the costs in delays on the two Canadian electrical transmission projects, can you address your confidence in collecting on these and what the likely timing of that will be?

Yeah. So on the DSOs there in Canada and our likelihood. Canada has traditionally had larger DSOs and projects are bigger. Some of the time frames in the way that milestone billings go in have typically been this way. We have a high degree of confidence and probability in collecting outlet. Derrick, comment on the DSOs.

Yeah. Exactly. What I would comment on is that from a timing perspective right now. I think it would be post year-end, which is reflected in our cash flow commentary. I think it is probably going to be more in the first quarter and second quarter of next year.

Both projects with longstanding clients, we have great relationships with that I believe ultimately, we're in very good shape. We're quite confident.

Hi, gentlemen, thanks for taking my questions. I feel like coming through earnings here just a lot of concerns around the renewables supply chain. I know you guys obviously just completed a big acquisition tied to renewable development into next year. I guess just in light of what you're seeing in the supply chain, could you maybe update us on how much cushion you think you have in that 2022 Blattner outlook that you framed back in September? Do you think that outlook is bias to the upside or is that looking increasingly realistic at this point?

If you said 2.5 to 2.7, we stand by it. We know more about the Company today than we did when we talked about it before. We feel highly confident in those numbers. And I would just say, in general, yes, there is some supply chain noise, is what I would call it, and I think us having the breadth of Quanta, the breadth of Blattner is only from my standpoint helps us to add to who we are. It adds to how we can go execute. And I want to also say, when we think about Blattner and we think about this long term, we're looking 20 years and we've given guidance out. Not only do we stand by the 2.5-2.7 that we've given, which also gave a 2025 guidance of 3.6. We stand by that even more today.

Okay. Fair enough, Duke. Thanks for that. And maybe you could comment on how Luma is trending relative to what they need to be doing to capture those performance incentives. Could that be upside in the fourth quarter? I'm just not exactly sure how that works. And obviously, a lot of noise in the headlines still. So great to get an update there.

Yes. So Luma, we expected noise in the headlines. I think we've said that from the start, and as you transition to these large transitions on an island, it does have some noise to it. We're performing very well underneath the governor, the government is very much behind it. What we're doing is the right thing. We will transition that all into a modern system. We're doing so every single day; you can't get the payments on the upside of those payments until we get into a full contract which doesn't go into a full contract until bankruptcy's declared out of bankruptcy, and then it goes into a 15-year contract. But as we stand today, we are in a contract that just has not started on the 15 years until they come out of bankruptcy. There were some favorable rulings on the bankruptcy proceedings in the last week or so, I believe. Really good stuff going on underneath, a little noisy on the top, primarily around the generation which we don't control. I feel confident in our ability to perform there and what we're doing for the people that.

Good morning, team. I want to spend a little time on transmission and there is breaking news of the whole thing of the NECEC transmission project. And do you foresee some risks to the electric power top-line growth in the future due to regulatory concerns around large project activity in transmission, and any of the current projects that you're working on facing similar risks that we should be aware of?

I look at it like this. I saw most of our clients either add to their $20 billion backlog over time, of what they're going to build in the CapEx and OpEx over the quarter. Almost every single one of them added to what they're trying to do from an energy transition. The large projects may get headlines and people want to talk about them. We're right around the edges on every one of them. They are additive to anything we said. The 85% of our business that still exists today, is the MSA work, those capital spends, there's undergrounding, what Energy said yesterday on; those kind of things and with the tight labor supply. So any headline you're reading or what you read into something on large projects, it's not affecting the underlying business in our growth trajectories. We've given good guidance on that. The 85% mid-upper single-digits, you can look at our track record over the last 5-6 years and see what it looks like. I expect that going forward.

That's really clear and thank you for saying that. The follow-up is around the budget reconciliation package. Would spending from both the budget reconciliation package, depending on what form it takes, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill drive project activity that Quanta could be involved in? And that's over and above the base case growth that you talk about.

I think you're going through energy transition, as we said. And I think the sentiment around North America and around what we're hearing, even in Canada, you're seeing more and more transition. And as you go into EVs, as you go into your renewables coming on, and you are also doubling load over time. And I think that's the unknown is people don't understand that you're doubling load, and you're going to a carbon-free fuel source. So as you do those things, you got to how transmission and we're sitting in very, very good spaces in all these areas. And it allows us through policy or without policy, we'll continue to see that sentiment move forward. That's what we see. I do think when both the five and plans that we've seen are additive to anything we said.

Hi. Good morning. I guess, two questions: one sort of short-term once or a longer-term. First, Derrick, can you help us understand the Industrial business or stronghold business. What is implied for the revenue in sort EBITDA, if any contribution in your 2021 guidance and just the opportunity for that business to be more accretive to margins and earnings as we look to 2022? And then my second question Duke, just longer term is, as we think about good long-term secular trends. You have Blattner, infrastructure, etc. Could you sort of help us reframe how you're thinking about the electric power margins, over the longer-term, and is there more of an upward bias versus how you've thought about margins historically? Thank you.

And good morning, Jamie. I will take a little bit of the question, and I'll let Derrick comment on the numbers. But in general, what we see is, we see an increase in that business in the fourth quarter a bit. I would say you have a higher oil price, so they'll be reluctant to do much in this environment. But as we go into next year, we see a real strong turnaround year. We believe that the business is coming back meaningfully. I feel confident in the next year on the business, but I'll let Derrick comment on the fourth quarter.

Sure, go ahead, Jamie.

Yes, sorry, go ahead, Derrick.

I was just going to say, relative to the fourth quarter, I think it would be slightly profitable, which is what we have said that they could be back and returning into a degree of profitability overall. That group is at slightly north of $500 million for '21 going into '22. I think we see it having the ability to start to return to the degree of normalcy that we talked about in the past. Those numbers have been north of a $700 million number. I don't know quite yet. It's too early to comment as to whether we'll get into those type levels, but I think we'll definitely see an increase. And we would see that it would be largely returning to some of that historical profitability again. I want to see how this fourth quarter plays out though.

And sir, can you remind me how you're thinking about historic profitability for strongholds?

Historically, they were a double-digit EBITDA.

Okay, so there's potential for that in 2022?

I believe there is potential for that. We are already assessing the guidance, so we'll see how it starts to perform. I think you could see results within that guidance range. Regarding the electric power segment, once we incorporate Stronghold, we expect to see a double-digit margin. Moving forward, we believe this segment will continue to perform well. As we approach 2022, we’ll be cautious with our guidance as we always are. We need to evaluate our performance in the field. Overall, the business is healthy and in a favorable macro-environment. We are pleased with our position and the collaborative efforts we’re making. Anything added from Blattner has benefited us, and our internal integration is progressing well. I feel more optimistic about it today than I did on October 3rd.

But I guess my question is, do you see longer-term an upward bias? Is it more profit dollar growth versus margin? Is that the way to think about it?

I believe our focus is on delivering cash to the bottom line. Regarding capital returns, we will continue to operate in the same manner as we have in the past in the Electric segment. Blattner adds value to us from a capital expenditure perspective, making them beneficial to our returns.

I wanted to discuss the acquired businesses and their implications for the fourth quarter, particularly in relation to the Blattner guidance for 2022. If I consider the fourth quarter revenue from the acquired businesses, it seems to indicate an annual run rate of $1.8 billion. You mentioned earlier that the Blattner guidance is between 2.5 to 2.7 for 2022. Is there significant seasonality in that business? Are there projects shifting around, or could it simply be a matter of conservatism? I'd appreciate any clarification you can provide on this progression.

Sure. Partly, it's because we only had a partial contribution for the quarter since we didn't acquire the Company at the very start of the period, so we only include part of October. Additionally, it's not fair to annualize a single quarter as we experience some seasonality, similar to Quanta. You can't extrapolate any specific quarter to predict the whole year. There are variations in project schedules and seasonal effects which also apply to Blattner and any of our acquisitions. We remain confident in our original guidance of 2.5-2.7 for Blattner, regardless of this quarter's contribution. Lastly, there have been some delays and timing issues with project starts that have impacted the numbers. We've been cautious about contributions due to the transaction outflows and the necessary work on the opening balance sheet, and we are assessing how this will affect future contracts. Overall, we still feel very comfortable with our annual guidance of 2.5-2.7 for 2022.

Okay. Super, thanks for that. Maybe looking longer-term, Duke, you mentioned CO2 and hydrogen pipeline opportunity work down the road. How big could that business be for you, maybe on a percentage of what you do today or maybe what the dollar addressable market might look like, and how does that differ from the work you do today on maybe a per mile basis or however you want to talk about it? Is it much larger in terms of total dollars per mile of pipeline or whatever the scope of the work is?

No, I don't think so. When we consider the situation, we are primarily focused on it as part of our segment, similar to how we approach LNG logistics. What we are witnessing is an infrastructure transition, and our role in this transition is pivotal as we look to the future. Essentially, we are positioned at the core of this evolution, which encompasses the need for pipelines to transport various resources, including hydrogen alongside natural gas. Blending these resources necessitates a different kind of infrastructure. We are introducing various elements to the market, such as batteries, electric vehicles, renewables, and 5G technology, all of which are integral to our position in this transition. As we assess Blattner's role in this context, it becomes clear that Quanta is prioritizing this transition from both a labor and technology perspective, working closely with clients on their current state and future integration. We're at the forefront of these developments, and while it's still early days for hydrogen, I believe significant opportunities lie ahead. We are already observing gas-fired turbines in power plants beginning to blend in hydrogen specifications to some extent. This will be essential for regulating and maintaining grid stability.

Okay, thanks very much.

Hi guys, good morning.

Good morning.

I wanted to touch on how we should think about the timing or cadence of work in 2022. I have two questions related to that. First, are higher steel or raw material costs impacting timing at all? Are you seeing any projects really pushed to the right? Second, could you discuss how we should think about Blattner's typical seasonality? That would be helpful. Thanks.

Yes, I can comment on the commodities. We are noticing an increase in commodity prices, but it hasn't impacted our business significantly. Our scale and ability to transition from project to project, even when some are delayed, is important. The macro environment is part of the reason we focus on scaling. In our renewable business and others, scaling gives us flexibility with clients and enhances our buying power. When we consider Fleet and how we manage it, we face constraints that others do not, and our ability to collaborate with clients, customers, and suppliers has provided us with a competitive advantage moving forward. I'll let Derrick address the rest.

And one other point I guess is that to the extent that there's anything for fluctuations in the timing of Blattner and any of that would be, from a supply perspective, could lead to projects pushing to the right at any given point in time. Not necessarily in our minds impacting a profitability type dynamic but could push things around. But having said that from overall seasonality, I think I'd probably say it's reasonably similar to our overall Electric power operations. Probably really a little bit lower in the first, rising in the second, stronger in the third and in the fourth being either comparable to or having a slight decline, depending upon the timing of any of these supply type dynamics. But largely, I think I'd say it's similar to our historical electric power patterns.

I would say our commentary on Blattner on the numbers that we've given you based upon us and whether we are going into next year or not. Any supply chain issue, we are highly confident in those numbers.

Okay, great. That's really helpful. And then second, I just wanted to clarify one point, within underground utility and infrastructure. On the LDC business, I know you said you're still seeing strong demand there. When you mentioned the COVID impact to margins, was that mostly a strong hold or did you also see that at any LDC business? And if you could comment on where margins are running today or this year versus where you expect them to be over the next couple of years. Thanks.

Actually, some of the other COVID dynamics were a little bit in Canada, London, Australia, and then yes, in some of the industrial side pressing it, not really so much on the LDC side. I think we're seeing normal operations for the most part on the LDC side. And then from a margins perspective, we're continuing to see that comparable to what we've been speaking to, trending towards getting into that upper single-digit overall as we go forward. We feel confident in our ability to capture that with LDC operation.

I would say that our Canadian operations were likely the most impacted by COVID. Looking ahead, we have initiated some promising projects there and I believe we are in good shape on the GAAP front. Regarding the electric side, we have emphasized the health and safety of our employees, ensuring they are safe every day. We have implemented robust mitigation measures and plans for their safety. In fact, we have not missed any work in two years. I am confident that we will continue operating smoothly and will collaborate with our clients on any geographic or holistic mandates that may arise.

Hey, thank you. Thanks for taking the questions. I just want to follow up on the gas utility portion of underground, maybe just give the latest and greatest in terms of what you're seeing among customers for modernization programs going forward. Do you still think that portion of the business can achieve the growth rates you've seen a bit of last several years going forward?

We have a positive outlook on the long-term potential of the business. There are regulations regarding methane gas emissions and the replacement of cast-iron pipes. We've observed promising developments in hydrogen, and we have a strong belief in the underground sector. It's essential to view this as a portfolio approach. Our goal is to integrate underground electrical systems with gas carriers. We plan to consolidate our offices and leverage our field capabilities, as some gas operations will be conducted within the underground electrical sector. I'm not concerned about segmentation; we aim to fully engage our team to maximize profitability. Our focus encompasses Telecom, Gas, and Electric. The equipment and personnel are generally similar, allowing us to operate across our various service lines. If executed effectively and if we utilize our field capabilities properly, we can enhance the overall margin of the company.

Hey, good morning, guys. Do still think that with the hydrogen and CO2 lines there's actually less industry pushback?

It's a complex situation when considering green hydrogen. It can be difficult to work with because it is corrosive and burns at high temperatures. As we collaborate with our clients during the initial phases, it becomes part of the solution. We need to manage the grid effectively since the load patterns are variable, and load regulation is crucial, especially with the challenges of building transmission lines. Although we often discuss this, constructing large projects remains tough, and the foundational infrastructure must be very strong. Therefore, we tend to focus on smaller projects and other initiatives. I believe hydrogen is merely one aspect of what utilities are aiming to achieve as they shift towards renewable energy, and the question of whether to build the transmission infrastructure is contingent on timing.

Good morning. Thanks for squeezing me in. Duke, I heard, I think $110 million of quarter-to-date following Blattner. I had imagined that inorganic strategy might tap the brakes a little bit. As we integrate Blattner, not the case, short-term, and I know that's a big part of your DNA and what Quanta does really, really well. But just curious on your thoughts on the merits versus risks of investing more pro-cyclically, now that things are hotter, evaluations are probably hotter, maybe there's more embedded backlog risk and targets you might acquire. So just your thoughts on what the go-forward cadence might look like for additional acquisitions. Thanks.

We recently assessed our ongoing mergers and acquisitions strategy, which is still relevant to some extent. We haven't actively pursued acquisitions; rather, we've responded to strong opportunities when they arise in specific regions and have made some excellent acquisitions. We're not currently seeking new opportunities as we've just completed a significant acquisition worth $2.7 billion. We will be cautious in managing our balance sheet and have consistently stated our commitment to generating cash and reducing debt. This is fundamental to our approach, but we won't overlook exceptional companies. We don't believe we've overextended our balance sheet given the current macroeconomic conditions. While we may slow down our acquisition pace slightly, we will not pass up on opportunities that we believe will enhance shareholder value.

Hey, good morning guys. Duke, I know of even a few years ago you deemphasized large oil and gas pipelines but in the last quarter I think you talked about winning some larger projects in that space and obviously oil prices are higher now. It seems like there are a couple of projects out there that you could bid on. How do you view the more traditional projects these days? Is there an active pipeline? Could there be significant growth in that world?

I think when we talked about that last quarter, when we were in construction on some in Canada today. We're opportunistic there. We can operate that business quite profitably. We're just not, in my mind, we decided not to invest in it and not to continue to invest. So that's a little bit different. We can still do a billion dollars in the business, we can do $2 billion in the business from what we have today. So we don't have to invest more in capital. We have the people, we have the things that we can do. As you look at carbon sequestration and all the lines there and all the things that are coming up on hydrogen, it certainly plays into the business and we'll look at it. We have the capabilities entirely. We'll continue to take the opportunities that will stack onto anything we're doing. Whether it be Canada, the U.S. but there are some nice projects out there and then certainly around the edges on every one of them. But we're not going to take the risk that it's not something that we have to have. And when we guide, it will be $3 to $500 million. I can almost tell you right now. And that's what it'll look like if we do $2 billion great. We'll let you know.

Yes, thank you. Regarding Duke, I'm curious about the capital budgets that your utility clients are planning for 2022 and beyond. Has there been a notable shift in focus, particularly on the T&D side, towards hardening resilience compared to investments in new replacement? Are they prioritizing the former more? I assume there isn't a significant difference in margin or utilization based on the services you provide, but I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

It's all of the above. So I think when we look at it depends on where you are geographically, but certainly all of the above escalates. We've seen undergrounding certainly come about in a significant way. Those two things are there. I think what's underappreciated is the amount of infrastructure and the modernization necessary on the distribution system to handle the load of electric vehicles. When you start putting these cars' batteries on at night and on the distribution load of what it does to the system, I think it's underestimated on the cost and the amount of work that's out there, capital that's necessary to get these systems ready for electric vehicles. In my mind, it's just underappreciated.

Hi, good morning, everyone. I guess my question and thanks for all the questions you've answered. But on Blattner, just the award activity in 3Q and since. Given that you talked about a lot of solar mix shift for next year relative to the wind projects, I guess maybe just an update on how things are trending there. And if that mix shift is coming through, and then also it seems like there's been a lot of approvals for offshore wind projects, and I think that's outside of the house that you're looking at. But are there opportunities for you to participate on any of those?

When we evaluate Blattner, I confirmed our guidance for 2022 and mentioned expectations of $3.5 billion to $3.6 billion in 2025. Our focus is on megawatts rather than individual projects, though projects can certainly be initiated if we choose to. However, I believe that pursuing those projects may not be in the best interest of our shareholders or our productivity. We anticipate significant growth in the coming quarters and in 2025, which reflects our strong outlook as a company in the renewable sector. This clarity demonstrates our current situation and our proactive engagement with clients, discussing long-term plans, not just single projects. Regarding offshore initiatives, while they can be costly, we are in discussions with clients who have established strategies for offshore developments, particularly in terms of interconnections where we excel. Nonetheless, I must reiterate that past experiences with boats have not been favorable, so I remain cautious about that aspect.

Thank you very much. It appears that you are currently facing a learning curve with Telecom, and I want to ensure we have clear expectations regarding margins moving forward. What specific aspects of the learning curve are you working through, and when do you anticipate a normalization that would allow for more consistent margin expectations in the Telecom sector within the electric segment? Additionally, to clarify on the Blattner deal, while you have expressed strong confidence in the revenue guidance numbers, I want to confirm that your level of confidence is the same regarding EBITDA contributions. Thank you.

We achieved double-digit EBITDA on Blattner. Regarding the Telecom sector, we've discussed this in detail. Overall, I would say that the closeouts, particularly in engineering and other areas, along with some descoping as we assist clients with their projects, have impacted some ongoing efforts. We are currently collaborating with the client to recover some of these challenges. To put it in perspective, if we secure $200 million and achieve 6% instead of 10%, that amounts to around $6 million, which is not significant for us in the long term. We don’t anticipate substantial impacts on our margins, and we expect to maintain our performance in the double-digit range. Generally, we operate within those parameters. While we faced some initial complicated projects, this is an industry-wide issue that everyone is encountering, including us. We're nearing the conclusion of these closeouts, and we expect to return to double-digit margins soon.

First, I really want to welcome the people of Blattner and certainly the culture there and then the people in the field, the people that pay our paychecks. Thank them for what they do every day. The storms were tough. Our people performed extremely well through the tough environment down in the Gulf Coast and certainly the families lost lives and it's tough. Our guys did really well and I'd like to thank all of you for participating in the conference call. We appreciate your questions and your ongoing interest in Quanta Services. Thank you. Close our call.