It has been about a month since the last earnings report for CDW (CDW). Shares have lost about 16.3% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is CDW due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.

CDW's Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates

CDW reported fourth-quarter 2024 non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of $2.48, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.33. However, the bottom line contracted 3.5% year over year.

The company’s revenues grew 3.3% year over year to $5.186 billion. The results reflected a mixed demand environment, with some end-markets stabilizing while others, such as government and education, showing weakness. Robust momentum across its Corporate, Small Business, Public, and International (UK & Canada) business segments backed the top-line growth. Quarterly revenues surpassed the consensus mark of $4.97 billion.

For 2024, net sales fell 1.8% year over year to $21 million, owing to slower demand across all segments resulting from cautious technology spending behavior by customers. However, its healthcare vertical showcased strength with 7.1% year-over-year growth. 

Segmental Details

Net sales of CDW’s Corporate segment amounted to $2.345 billion, increasing 2.6% on a year-over-year basis.

The Small Business segment’s net sales of $380 million rose 2.7% year over year.

The Public segment’s revenues totaled $1.854 billion, representing 4.4% growth from the year-ago quarter. The uptick was driven by a 27.5% surge in net sales to Healthcare customers amid a 7.1% decline in Government and a 3.7% fall in Education customers.

Net sales in Other (Canadian and U.K. operations) rose 3.4% to $607 million.

Margin Details

CDW’s gross profit of $1.155 billion inched up 0.1% on a year-over-year basis. Gross profit margin decreased slightly from 23% to 22.3% due to a higher mix of notebook and desktop sales and a reduced pricing rate across multiple product categories.

Non-GAAP operating income declined 3.8% year over year to $499 million. The non-GAAP operating margin was down to 9.6% from 10.3%.

Selling and administrative expenses increased 3.9% year over year to $747 million. The increase was mainly driven by lower performance-based compensation adjustments, higher workplace optimization costs and credit loss provisions, with some offset from lower payroll expenses.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of Dec. 31, 2024, CDW had $503.5 million of cash and cash equivalents compared with $946.7 million as of Sept. 30, 2024.

The company had a long-term debt of $5.607 billion, compared with $5.608 billion as of Sept. 30, 2024.

For the year ended Dec. 31, 2024, CDW generated $1.277 billion of cash flow from operating activities compared with $1.6 million in the year-ago period. 

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

It turns out, estimates review have trended downward during the past month.

VGM Scores

Currently, CDW has an average Growth Score of C, a grade with the same score on the momentum front. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock was allocated a grade of B on the value side, putting it in the second quintile for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook

Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. Notably, CDW has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.

Performance of an Industry Player

CDW belongs to the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry. Another stock from the same industry, Amdocs (DOX), has gained 2.9% over the past month. More than a month has passed since the company reported results for the quarter ended December 2024.

Amdocs reported revenues of $1.11 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of -10.9%. EPS of $1.66 for the same period compares with $1.56 a year ago.

For the current quarter, Amdocs is expected to post earnings of $1.71 per share, indicating a change of +9.6% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

The overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions translate into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Amdocs. Also, the stock has a VGM Score of C.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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