Ferguson Enterprises recorded higher revenue and profit in the second quarter, as the company returned its residential business to growth despite continued housing-market headwinds.
The plumbing-and-ventilation company on Monday posted a profit of $666 million, or $3.43 a share, compared with $634 million, or $3.21 a share, a year earlier.
Stripping out certain one-time items, adjusted per-share earnings were $3.39, ahead of the $3.30 anticipated by analysts, according to FactSet.
Sales rose 4.6% to $8.75 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet forecast revenue of $8.68 billion.
Ferguson's residential business returned to growth despite a persistently sluggish housing market, the company said.
In the U.S., revenue increased 5%. While residential end markets were subdued and construction activity was weak, nonresidential sales rose 8% thanks to healthy large-capital project activity, Ferguson said.
Revenue in Canada fell nearly 2% primarily due to a divestment of noncore assets, the company said. Markets have remained challenging in Canada, particularly in residential, it said.
Ferguson said it now expects revenue to increase by a mid-single-digit percentage, compared with its previous guidance of low- to mid-single-digit growth.
The guidance doesn't include Ferguson's planned acquisition of FloWorks, which is expected to close in the third quarter.
Shares were up 2.1% to $261.99 in premarket trading.