CDW Corp (CDW) FY 2022 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, as used in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” the terms “we,” “us,” “the Company,” “our,” “CDW” and similar terms refer to CDW Corporation and its subsidiaries. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.
Overview
CDW Corporation, a Fortune 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Index, is a leading multi-brand provider of information technology (“IT”) solutions to small, medium and large business, government, education and healthcare customers in the US, the UK and Canada. Our broad array of offerings ranges from discrete hardware and software products to integrated IT solutions and services that include on-premise and cloud capabilities across hybrid infrastructure, digital experience and security.
We are vendor, technology, and consumption model “agnostic”, with a solutions portfolio including more than 100,000 products and services from more than 1,000 leading and emerging brands. Our solutions are delivered in physical, virtual and cloud-based environments through approximately 10,600 customer-facing coworkers, including sellers, highly-skilled technology specialists and advanced service delivery engineers. We are a leading sales channel partner for many original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), software publishers and cloud providers (collectively, our “vendor partners”), whose products we sell or include in the solutions we offer. We provide our vendor partners with a cost-effective way to reach customers and deliver a consistent brand experience through our established end-market coverage, technical expertise and extensive customer access.
On December 1, 2021, we completed the acquisition of Sirius Computer Solutions, Inc. (“Sirius”). Sirius is a leading provider of secure, mission-critical technology-based solutions and is one of the largest IT solutions integrators in the United States, leveraging its services-led approach, broad portfolio of hybrid infrastructure solutions, and deep technical expertise of its 2,600 coworkers to support corporate and public customers. This strategic acquisition has enhanced our breadth and depth of services and solutions offerings.
We have three reportable segments, Corporate, Small Business and Public. Our Corporate segment primarily serves US private sector business customers with more than 250 employees. Our Small Business segment primarily serves US private sector business customers with up to 250 employees. Our Public segment is comprised of government agencies and education and healthcare institutions in the US. We also have two other operating segments: CDW UK and CDW Canada, each of which do not meet the reportable segment quantitative thresholds and, accordingly, are included in an all other category (“Other”). The financial results of Sirius have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements and the results of our Corporate, Small Business and Public segments since the date of the acquisition.
We may sell all or only select products that our vendor partners offer. Each vendor partner agreement provides for specific terms and conditions, which may include one or more of the following: product return privileges, price protection policies, purchase discounts and vendor incentive programs, such as purchase or sales rebates and cooperative advertising reimbursements. We also resell software for major software publishers. Our agreements with software publishers allow the end-user customer to acquire software or licensed products and services. In addition to helping our customers determine the best software solutions for their needs, we help them manage their software agreements, including warranties and renewals. A significant portion of our advertising and marketing expenses are reimbursed through cooperative advertising programs with our vendor partners. These programs are at the discretion of our vendor partners and are typically tied to sales or other commitments to be met by us within a specified period of time.
For a discussion of results for the year ended December 31, 2021, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2022.
26
Table of Contents
Trends and Key Factors Affecting our Financial Performance
We believe the following key factors may have a meaningful impact on our business performance, influencing our ability to generate sales and achieve our targeted financial and operating results:
•General economic conditions are a key factor affecting our results as they can impact our customers’ willingness to spend on information technology. Macroeconomic uncertainty persists as a result of the continued rate of inflation and the corresponding increase in interest rates driven by monetary policy. Additionally, social and geopolitical factors such as resurgences of COVID-19, changes in government administration and laws and the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine have resulted in business volatility and disruption. The enhanced uncertainty in the current environment may result in a delay or pause on investments in technology by our customers.
•Customers’ top priorities continue to be digital transformation, security, hybrid and cloud solutions and end point solutions as hybrid environments become the accepted work model and drive demand for remote collaboration and work-and-learn-from-anywhere capabilities. We have orchestrated solutions by leveraging client devices, accessories, collaboration tools, security, software and hybrid and cloud offerings to help customers build these capabilities and achieve their objectives.
•Changes in spending policies, budget priorities and funding levels, including current and future stimulus packages, are key factors influencing the purchasing levels of Government, Healthcare and Education customers. As the duration and ongoing economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic remain uncertain, current and future budget priorities and funding levels for Government, Healthcare and Education customers may be adversely affected.
•Technology trends drive customer purchasing behaviors in the market. Current technology trends are focused on delivering greater flexibility and efficiency, as well as designing IT securely. These trends are driving customer adoption of solutions such as those delivered via cloud, software defined architectures and hybrid on-premise and off-premise combinations, as well as the evolution of the IT consumption model to more “as a service” offerings, including software as a service and infrastructure as a service, in addition to ongoing managed and professional service arrangements. Technology trends are likely to change as customers prioritize the projects that produce the most important outcomes for their operations.
Key Business Metrics
We monitor a number of financial and non-financial measures and ratios on a regular basis in order to track the progress of our business and make adjustments as necessary. We believe that the most important of these measures and ratios include average daily sales, Gross profit, Net income, Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP net income, Net sales growth on a constant currency basis, Net income per diluted share, Non-GAAP net income per diluted share, Free cash flow, Cash and cash equivalents, cash conversion cycle and debt levels including available credit. These measures and ratios are closely monitored by management, so that actions can be taken, as necessary, in order to achieve financial objectives.
In this section, we present Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP net income, Non-GAAP net income per diluted share, Net sales growth on a constant currency basis and Free cash flow, which are non-GAAP financial measures.
We believe Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP net income, Non-GAAP net income per diluted share and Net sales growth on a constant currency basis provide analysts, investors and management with helpful information regarding the underlying operating performance of our business, as they remove the impact of items that management believes are not reflective of underlying operating performance. Management uses these measures to evaluate period-over-period performance as management believes they provide a more comparable measure of the underlying business. We also present Free cash flow as we believe this measure provides more information regarding our liquidity and capital resources. Certain non-GAAP financial measures are also used to determine certain components of performance-based compensation. For the definitions of Non-GAAP measures and reconciliations to the most directly comparable US GAAP measure, see “Results of Operations - Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliations.”
27
Table of Contents
The results of certain key business metrics are as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions, except per share amounts) | 2022 | 2021 | ||||
| Net sales | $ | 23,748.7 | $ | 20,820.8 | ||
| Gross profit | 4,686.6 | 3,568.5 | ||||
| Operating income | 1,735.2 | 1,419.0 | ||||
| Net income | 1,114.5 | 988.6 | ||||
| Non-GAAP operating income | 2,050.5 | 1,645.4 | ||||
| Non-GAAP net income | 1,341.5 | 1,118.9 | ||||
| Net income per diluted share | 8.13 | 7.04 | ||||
| Non-GAAP net income per diluted share | 9.79 | 7.97 | ||||
| Average daily sales(1) | 93.5 | 82.0 | ||||
| Net debt(2) | 5,607.5 | 6,600.4 | ||||
| Cash conversion cycle (in days)(3) | 21 | 24 | ||||
| Cash provided by operating activities | 1,335.9 | 784.6 | ||||
| Free cash flow | 1,292.7 | 476.7 |
(1) There were 254 selling days for both the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
(2) Defined as Total debt minus Cash and cash equivalents.
(3) Cash conversion cycle is defined as days of sales outstanding in Accounts receivable and certain receivables due from vendors plus days of supply in Merchandise inventory minus days of purchases outstanding in Accounts payable and Accounts payable-inventory financing, based on a rolling three-month average.
28
Table of Contents
Results of Operations
Results of operations, in dollars and as a percentage of Net sales are as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||
| Dollars in Millions | Percentage of Net Sales | Dollars in Millions | Percentage of Net Sales | |||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 23,748.7 | 100.0 | % | $ | 20,820.8 | 100.0 | % | ||||||
| Cost of sales | 19,062.1 | 80.3 | 17,252.3 | 82.9 | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 4,686.6 | 19.7 | 3,568.5 | 17.1 | ||||||||||
| Selling and administrative expenses | 2,951.4 | 12.4 | 2,149.5 | 10.3 | ||||||||||
| Operating income | 1,735.2 | 7.3 | 1,419.0 | 6.8 | ||||||||||
| Interest expense, net | (235.7) | (1.0) | (150.9) | (0.7) | ||||||||||
| Other (expense) income, net | (11.7) | — | 29.7 | 0.1 | ||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 1,487.8 | 6.3 | 1,297.8 | 6.2 | ||||||||||
| Income tax expense | (373.3) | (1.6) | (309.2) | (1.5) | ||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 1,114.5 | 4.7 | % | $ | 988.6 | 4.7 | % |
Net sales
Total Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $2,928 million, or 14.1%, to $23,749 million compared to the prior year. All operating segments contributed to the Net sales growth. For additional information, see the “Segment Results of Operations” below.
Gross profit
Gross profit was $4,687 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $1,118 million, or 31.3%, compared to $3,569 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. As a percentage of Net sales, Gross profit margin increased 260 basis points to 19.7% for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in Gross profit margin was primarily driven by more favorable product mix and rate and higher mix of netted down revenue, as well as increased Net sales and margins on services as a result of the recent business acquisitions.
Selling and administrative expenses
Selling and administrative expenses increased $802 million, or 37.3%, to $2,951 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $2,150 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by higher payroll expenses consistent with higher Gross profit and higher coworker count, including the impact of the acquisition of Sirius, and higher intangible asset amortization expense from the acquisition of Sirius.
Operating income
Operating income was $1,735 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $316 million, or 22.3%, compared to $1,419 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Operating income increased primarily due to higher Gross profit dollars, partially offset by higher payroll expenses and higher intangible asset amortization from the acquisition of Sirius.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net was $236 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $85 million, or 56.2%, compared to $151 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. This increase was primarily driven by additional interest expense from the $2.5 billion aggregate principal amount of unsecured senior notes issued on December 1, 2021, the net proceeds of which were used to fund the acquisition of Sirius.
Other (expense) income, net
During the year ended December 31, 2021, we sold all ownership interests in an equity method investment and recognized a $36 million gain, with no similar activity in 2022.
29
Table of Contents
Income tax expense
Income tax expense was $373 million in 2022, compared to $309 million in 2021. The effective income tax rate, expressed by calculating income tax expense as a percentage of Income before income taxes, was 25.1% and 23.8% for 2022 and 2021, respectively.
For 2022, the effective tax rate differed from the US federal statutory rate primarily due to state and local income taxes, partially offset by excess tax benefits on equity-based compensation. For 2021, the effective tax rate differed from the US federal statutory rate primarily due to state and local income taxes and a discrete deferred tax expense as a result of an increase in the UK corporate tax rate effective in 2023, partially offset by excess tax benefits on equity-based compensation.
The 2022 effective tax rate was higher than 2021 primarily attributable to lower excess tax benefits on equity-based compensation, partially offset by a prior year discrete deferred tax expense as a result of an increase in the UK corporate tax rate effective in 2023.
Segment Results of Operations
Net sales by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of total Net sales, and the year-over-year dollar and percentage change in Net sales are as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | Net Sales | Percentage of Total Net Sales | Net Sales | Percentage of Total Net Sales | Dollar Change | Percent Change(1) | |||||||||||||||
| Corporate | $ | 10,350.1 | 43.6 | % | $ | 8,179.7 | 39.3 | % | $ | 2,170.4 | 26.5 | % | |||||||||
| Small Business | 1,938.9 | 8.2 | 1,870.1 | 9.0 | 68.8 | 3.7 | |||||||||||||||
| Public: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Government | 2,574.3 | 10.8 | 2,155.6 | 10.4 | 418.7 | 19.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Education | 3,621.4 | 15.2 | 4,108.7 | 19.7 | (487.3) | (11.9) | |||||||||||||||
| Healthcare | 2,355.6 | 9.9 | 1,919.3 | 9.2 | 436.3 | 22.7 | |||||||||||||||
| Total Public | 8,551.3 | 35.9 | 8,183.6 | 39.3 | 367.7 | 4.5 | |||||||||||||||
| Other | 2,908.4 | 12.3 | 2,587.4 | 12.4 | 321.0 | 12.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Total Net sales | $ | 23,748.7 | 100.0 | % | $ | 20,820.8 | 100.0 | % | $ | 2,927.9 | 14.1 | % |
(1)There were 254 selling days for both the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Operating income by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of Net sales, and the year-over-year percentage change was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||
| Dollars in Millions | Percentage of Net Sales | Dollars in Millions | Percentage of Net Sales | Percent Change in Operating Income | |||||||||||||
| Segments:(1) | |||||||||||||||||
| Corporate | $ | 931.7 | 9.0 | % | $ | 697.3 | 8.5 | % | 33.6 | % | |||||||
| Small Business | 186.8 | 9.6 | 167.7 | 9.0 | 11.4 | ||||||||||||
| Public | 681.7 | 8.0 | 606.7 | 7.4 | 12.4 | ||||||||||||
| Other(2) | 130.7 | 4.5 | 115.8 | 4.5 | 12.9 | ||||||||||||
| Headquarters(3) | (195.7) | nm* | (168.5) | nm* | 16.1 | ||||||||||||
| Total Operating income | $ | 1,735.2 | 7.3 | % | $ | 1,419.0 | 6.8 | % | 22.3 | % |
* Not meaningful
30
Table of Contents
(1)Segment operating income includes the segment’s direct operating income, allocations for certain Headquarters’ costs, allocations for income and expenses from logistics services, certain inventory adjustments and volume rebates and cooperative advertising from vendors.
(2)Includes the financial results for our other operating segments, CDW UK and CDW Canada, which do not meet the reportable segment quantitative thresholds.
(3)Includes Headquarters’ function costs that are not allocated to the segments.
Corporate
Corporate segment Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $2,170 million, or 26.5%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. This increase in Net sales, which also included the contribution from the acquisition of Sirius, was primarily driven by customers’ priorities on digital transformation and a hybrid work model. These factors resulted in higher Net sales across various categories, including software, netcomm products, services, enterprise storage, notebooks/mobile devices and video.
Corporate segment Operating income was $932 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $234 million, or 33.6%, compared to $697 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Corporate segment Operating income increased primarily due to higher Gross profit dollars, partially offset by higher payroll and higher intangible asset amortization from the acquisition of Sirius.
Small Business
Small Business segment Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $69 million, or 3.7%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. This increase was primarily driven by customers’ priorities on digital transformation, resulting in increased Net sales in services, software and notebooks/mobile devices.
Small Business segment Operating income was $187 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $19 million, or 11.4%, compared to $168 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Small Business segment Operating income increased primarily due to higher Gross profit dollars, partially offset by higher payroll.
Public
Public segment Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $368 million, or 4.5%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. This increase in Net sales, which also included the contribution from the acquisition of Sirius, was primarily driven by Healthcare and Government customers. Net sales to Healthcare customers increased by 22.7% primarily due to continued focus in digital transformation to enhance patient experiences, which resulted in increased Net sales in services, netcomm products and software. Net sales to Government customers increased 19.4% primarily driven by state and local customers, which resulted in increased Net sales in netcomm products, services and software. These increases were partially offset by decreased Net sales to Education customers of 11.9% primarily driven by decreased Net sales in notebooks/mobile devices with K-12 customers.
Public segment Operating income was $682 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $75 million, or 12.4%, compared to $607 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Public segment Operating income increased primarily due to higher Gross profit dollars, partially offset by higher payroll and higher intangible asset amortization from the acquisition of Sirius.
Other
Net sales in Other, which is comprised of results from our UK and Canadian operations, for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $321 million, or 12.4%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. This increase was driven by both our UK and Canadian operations as customers continued to focus on digital transformation, resulting in increased Net sales in software, netcomm products, notebooks/mobile devices and services.
Other Operating income was $131 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $15 million, or 12.9%, compared to $116 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Other Operating income increased primarily due to higher Gross profit dollars, partially offset by higher payroll.
31
Table of Contents
Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliations
We have included reconciliations of Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP income before income taxes, Non-GAAP net income, Non-GAAP net income per diluted share, Net sales growth on a constant currency basis and Free cash flow for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 below.
Non-GAAP operating income excludes, among other things, charges related to the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, equity-based compensation and the associated payroll taxes, and acquisition and integration expenses. Non-GAAP operating income margin is defined as Non-GAAP operating income as a percentage of Net sales. Non-GAAP income before income taxes and Non-GAAP net income exclude, among other things, charges related to acquisition-related intangible asset amortization, equity-based compensation, acquisition and integration expenses, and the associated tax effects of each. Net sales growth on a constant currency basis is defined as Net sales growth excluding the impact of foreign currency translation on Net sales compared to the prior period. Free cash flow is defined as cash flows from operating activities less capital expenditures, adjusted for the net change in accounts payable-inventory financing and other financed purchases.
Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP income before income taxes, Non-GAAP net income, Non-GAAP net income per diluted share, Net sales growth on a constant currency basis and Free cash flow are considered non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company’s performance or financial condition that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with US GAAP. Non-GAAP measures used by management may differ from similar measures used by other companies, even when similar terms are used to identify such measures.
We believe Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP net income, Non-GAAP net income per diluted share and Net sales growth on a constant currency basis provide analysts, investors and management with helpful information regarding the underlying operating performance of our business, as they remove the impact of items that management believes are not reflective of underlying operating performance. Management uses these measures to evaluate period-over-period performance as management believes they provide a more comparable measure of the underlying business. We also present Free cash flow as we believe this measure provides more information regarding our liquidity and capital resources. Certain non-GAAP financial measures are also used to determine certain components of performance-based compensation.
Non-GAAP operating income and Non-GAAP operating income margin
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | 2022 | 2021 | % Change | |||||||
| Operating income, as reported | $ | 1,735.2 | $ | 1,419.0 | 22.3 | % | ||||
| Amortization of intangibles(1) | 167.9 | 94.9 | ||||||||
| Equity-based compensation | 91.1 | 72.6 | ||||||||
| Acquisition and integration expenses | 48.3 | 54.3 | ||||||||
| Other adjustments | 8.0 | 4.6 | ||||||||
| Non-GAAP operating income | 2,050.5 | 1,645.4 | 24.6 | % | ||||||
| Non-GAAP operating income margin | 8.6 | % | 7.9 | % |
(1)Includes amortization expense for acquisition-related intangible assets, primarily customer relationships, customer contracts and trade names.
32
Table of Contents
Non-GAAP net income and Non-GAAP net income per diluted share
| Year Ended December 31, 2022 | Year Ended December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | Income before income taxes | Income taxexpense(1) | Net income | Income before income taxes | Income taxexpense(1) | Net income | Net Income % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| US GAAP, as reported | $ | 1,487.8 | $ | (373.3) | $ | 1,114.5 | $ | 1,297.8 | $ | (309.2) | $ | 988.6 | 12.7 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangibles(2) | 167.9 | (44.6) | 123.3 | 94.9 | (18.9) | 76.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equity-based compensation | 91.1 | (30.4) | 60.7 | 72.6 | (42.6) | 30.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Acquisition and integration expenses | 48.3 | (12.4) | 35.9 | 54.3 | (10.4) | 43.9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on sale of equity method investment | — | — | — | (36.0) | 8.5 | (27.5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss on extinguishment of long-term debt | 1.6 | (0.4) | 1.2 | 6.0 | (1.5) | 4.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other adjustments | 8.0 | (2.1) | 5.9 | 4.6 | (1.2) | 3.4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP | $ | 1,804.7 | $ | (463.2) | $ | 1,341.5 | $ | 1,494.2 | $ | (375.3) | $ | 1,118.9 | 19.9 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Net income per diluted share, as reported | $ | 8.13 | $ | 7.04 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP net income per diluted share | $ | 9.79 | $ | 7.97 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares used in computing US GAAP and Non-GAAP net income per diluted share | 137.0 | 140.5 |
(1)Income tax on non-GAAP adjustments includes excess tax benefits associated with equity-based compensation.
(2)Includes amortization expense for acquisition-related intangible assets, primarily customer relationships, customer contracts and trade names.
Net sales growth on a constant currency basis
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | 2022 | 2021 | % Change(1) | ||||||||
| Net sales, as reported | $ | 23,748.7 | $ | 20,820.8 | 14.1 | % | |||||
| Foreign currency translation(2) | — | (197.3) | |||||||||
| Net sales, on a constant currency basis | $ | 23,748.7 | $ | 20,623.5 | 15.2 | % |
(1)There were 254 selling days for both the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
(2)Represents the effect of translating Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2021 of CDW UK and CDW Canada at the average exchange rates applicable in 2022.
Free cash flow
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 1,335.9 | $ | 784.6 | |||
| Capital expenditures | (127.8) | (100.0) | |||||
| Net change in accounts payable - inventory financing | 84.6 | (161.8) | |||||
| Financing payments for revenue generating assets | — | (46.1) | |||||
| Free cash flow | $ | 1,292.7 | $ | 476.7 |
33
Table of Contents
Seasonality
While we have not historically experienced significant seasonality throughout the year, sales in our Corporate segment, which primarily serves US private sector business customers with more than 250 employees, have historically been higher in the fourth quarter than in other quarters due to customers spending their remaining technology budget dollars at the end of the year. Additionally, sales in our Public segment have historically been higher in the third quarter than in other quarters primarily due to the buying patterns of the federal government and education customers. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced variability compared to historic seasonality trends. Seasonality by channel is expected to continue to be different than historical experience.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
We finance our operations and capital expenditures with cash from operations and borrowings under our revolving loan facility. As of December 31, 2022, we had $1.1 billion of availability for borrowings under our revolving loan facility. Our liquidity and borrowing plans are established to align with our financial and strategic planning processes and ensure we have the necessary funding to meet our operating commitments, which primarily include the purchase of inventory, payroll and general expenses. We also take into consideration our overall capital allocation strategy, which includes dividend payments, assessment of debt levels, acquisitions and share repurchases. We believe we have adequate sources of liquidity and funding available for at least the next year; however, there are a number of factors that may negatively impact our available sources of funds. The amount of cash generated from operations will be dependent upon factors such as the successful execution of our business plan, general economic conditions and working capital management.
Our material contractual obligations consist of debt and related interest payments and operating leases. See Note 9 (Debt) and Note 11 (Leases) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding future maturities of debt and operating leases.
Long-Term Debt and Financing Arrangements
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we prepaid $636 million on our senior unsecured term loan facility without penalty. As a result of the prepayment, no additional mandatory payments are required on the remaining principal amount until its maturity date on December 1, 2026.
As of December 31, 2022, we had total unsecured indebtedness of $5.9 billion and we were in compliance with the covenants under our various credit agreements and indentures.
We may from time to time repurchase one or more series of our outstanding unsecured senior notes, depending on market conditions, contractual commitments, our capital needs and other factors. Repurchases of our senior notes may be made by open market or private transactions and may be pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 plans or otherwise.
For additional information regarding our debt and refinancing activities, see Note 9 (Debt) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.
Inventory Financing Agreements
We have entered into agreements with certain financial intermediaries to facilitate the purchase of inventory from various suppliers under certain terms and conditions. These amounts are classified separately as Accounts payable-inventory financing on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We do not incur any interest expense associated with these agreements as balances are paid when they are due. For additional information, see Note 7 (Inventory Financing Agreements) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.
Share Repurchase Program
During 2022, we made no share repurchases. For additional information about our share repurchase program, refer to Note 12 (Stockholders’ Equity) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.
34
Table of Contents
Dividends
A summary of 2022 dividend activity for our common stock is as follows:
| Dividend Amount | Declaration Date | Record Date | Payment Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.500 | February 9, 2022 | February 25, 2022 | March 10, 2022 | |||
| $0.500 | May 4, 2022 | May 25, 2022 | June 10, 2022 | |||
| $0.500 | August 3, 2022 | August 25, 2022 | September 9, 2022 | |||
| $0.590 | November 2, 2022 | November 25, 2022 | December 9, 2022 | |||
| $2.090 |
On February 8, 2023, we announced that our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock of $0.590 per share. The dividend will be paid on March 10, 2023 to all stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 24, 2023.
The payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, business prospects, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, any potential indebtedness we may incur, restrictions imposed by applicable law, tax considerations and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends on our common stock will be limited by restrictions on our ability to pay dividends or make distributions to our stockholders and on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, in each case, under the terms of our current and any future agreements governing our indebtedness.
Cash Flows
Cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities are as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | 2022 | 2021 | ||||
| Net cash provided by (used in): | ||||||
| Operating Activities | $ | 1,335.9 | $ | 784.6 | ||
| Investing Activities | ||||||
| Capital expenditures | (127.8) | (100.0) | ||||
| Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired | (36.7) | (2,705.6) | ||||
| Proceeds from sale of equity method investment | — | 36.0 | ||||
| Cash flows used in investing activities | (164.5) | (2,769.6) | ||||
| Financing Activities | ||||||
| Net change in accounts payable - inventory financing | 84.6 | (161.8) | ||||
| Financing payments on revenue generating assets | — | (46.1) | ||||
| Other cash flows from financing activities | (1,186.7) | 1,040.7 | ||||
| Cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities | (1,102.1) | 832.8 | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | (12.2) | 0.1 | ||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | $ | 57.1 | $ | (1,152.1) |
35
Table of Contents
Operating Activities
Cash flows from operating activities are as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | 2022 | 2021 | Change | |||||||
| Net income | $ | 1,114.5 | $ | 988.6 | $ | 125.9 | ||||
| Adjustments for the impact of non-cash items(1) | 388.0 | 227.6 | 160.4 | |||||||
| Net income adjusted for the impact of non-cash items | 1,502.5 | 1,216.2 | 286.3 | |||||||
| Changes in assets and liabilities: | ||||||||||
| Accounts receivable(2) | (34.8) | (616.8) | 582.0 | |||||||
| Merchandise inventory(3) | 111.9 | (151.0) | 262.9 | |||||||
| Accounts payable-trade(4) | (260.0) | 374.5 | (634.5) | |||||||
| Other | 16.3 | (38.3) | 54.6 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 1,335.9 | $ | 784.6 | $ | 551.3 |
(1)Includes items such as depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, provision for credit losses and equity-based compensation expense.
(2)The change is primarily due to sales volume and collection performance.
(3)The change is primarily driven by shipment activity related to customer stocking positions.
(4)The change is primarily due to timing of payments.
In order to manage our working capital and operating cash needs, we monitor our cash conversion cycle, defined as days of sales outstanding in accounts receivable plus days of supply in inventory minus days of purchases outstanding in accounts payable, based on a rolling three-month average. Components of our cash conversion cycle are as follows:
| December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in days) | 2022 | 2021 | ||
| Days of sales outstanding (DSO)(1) | 71 | 65 | ||
| Days of supply in inventory (DIO)(2) | 17 | 17 | ||
| Days of purchases outstanding (DPO)(3) | (67) | (58) | ||
| Cash conversion cycle | 21 | 24 |
(1)Represents the rolling three-month average of the balance of Accounts receivable, net at the end of the period, divided by average daily Net sales for the same three-month period. Also incorporates components of other miscellaneous receivables.
(2)Represents the rolling three-month average of the balance of Merchandise inventory at the end of the period divided by average daily Cost of sales for the same three-month period.
(3)Represents the rolling three-month average of the combined balance of Accounts payable-trade, excluding cash overdrafts, and Accounts payable-inventory financing at the end of the period divided by average daily Cost of sales for the same three-month period.
The cash conversion cycle decreased to 21 days at December 31, 2022, compared to 24 days at December 31, 2021. The overall decrease was impacted by the acquisition of Sirius. In addition, netted down revenue increases DSO and DPO as the corresponding receivables and payables reflect the gross amounts due from customers and due to vendors while the corresponding sales and cost of sales are reflected on a net basis.
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities decreased $2,605 million in 2022 compared to 2021. This decrease was primarily due to the acquisitions of Sirius, Amplified IT LLC and Focal Point Data Risk LLC in 2021, partially offset by increased capital expenditures in 2022 due to increased investment in our information technology systems and proceeds received from the sale of an equity method investment in 2021. For additional information regarding the acquisitions, see Note 3 (Acquisitions) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.
36
Table of Contents
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities decreased $1,935 million in 2022 compared to 2021. The decrease was primarily due to less debt proceeds and higher debt payments in 2022. This decrease was partially offset by the absence of share repurchases and increased volume in our inventory financing arrangements. For additional information regarding the inventory financing and debt activities, see Note 7 (Inventory Financing Agreements) and Note 9 (Debt) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.
Issuers and Guarantors of Debt Securities
Each series of our outstanding unsecured senior notes (the “Notes”) are issued by CDW LLC and CDW Finance Corporation (the “Issuers”) and are guaranteed by CDW Corporation (“Parent”) and certain of each CDW LLC’s direct and indirect, 100% owned, domestic subsidiaries (the “Guarantor Subsidiaries” and, together with Parent, the “Guarantors”). All guarantees by Parent and the Guarantors are joint and several, and full and unconditional; provided that guarantees by the Guarantor Subsidiaries are subject to certain customary release provisions contained in the indentures governing the Notes.
The Notes and the related guarantees are the Issuers’ and the Guarantors’ senior unsecured obligations and are:
•structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of our non-guarantor subsidiaries and
•rank equal in right of payment with all of the Issuers’ and the Guarantors’ existing and future unsecured senior debt.
The following tables set forth Balance Sheet information as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, and Statement of Operations information for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 for the accounts of the Issuers and the accounts of the Guarantors (the “Obligor Group”). The financial information of the Obligor Group is presented on a combined basis and the intercompany balances and transactions between the Obligor Group have been eliminated.
Balance Sheet Information
| December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | 2022 | 2021 | ||||
| Current assets | $ | 5,588.3 | $ | 4,584.1 | ||
| Goodwill | 3,939.7 | 2,373.1 | ||||
| Other assets | 2,032.6 | 1,017.3 | ||||
| Total Non-current assets | 5,972.3 | 3,390.4 | ||||
| Current liabilities | 4,369.3 | 3,393.0 | ||||
| Long-term debt | 5,792.9 | 6,534.6 | ||||
| Other liabilities | 641.9 | 562.4 | ||||
| Total Long-term liabilities | 6,434.8 | 7,097.0 |
Statements of Operations Information
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | 2022 | 2021 | ||||
| Net sales | $ | 20,741.8 | $ | 17,979.4 | ||
| Gross profit | 4,156.6 | 3,078.0 | ||||
| Operating income | 1,584.7 | 1,301.9 | ||||
| Net income | 1,005.8 | 921.3 |
37
Table of Contents
Commitments and Contingencies
The information set forth in Note 16 (Commitments and Contingencies) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report is incorporated herein by reference.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with US GAAP requires management to make use of certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, as well as related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Historically, we have not made significant changes to the methods for determining these estimates as our actual results have not differed materially from our estimates. We do not believe it is reasonably likely that the estimates and related assumptions will change materially in the foreseeable future; however, actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions, judgments or conditions.
Critical accounting policies and estimates are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations, and which require us to make our most difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. Based on this definition, we have identified the critical accounting policies and estimates addressed below. For additional information related to significant accounting policies used in the preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements, see Note 1 (Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.
Revenue Recognition
We sell some of our products and services as part of bundled contract arrangements containing multiple deliverables, which may include a combination of different products and services. Significant judgment may be required when determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together.
For contracts consisting of multiple performance obligations, the total transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation based upon its standalone selling price. Judgment is required to determine the standalone selling price for each distinct performance obligation. For certain types of performance obligations, we use a combination of methods to estimate the standalone selling price based on recent transactions. When evidence from recent transactions is not available to confirm that the prices are representative of the standalone selling price, an expected cost plus margin approach is used.
Additional judgment is required in determining whether we are the principal, and report revenues on a gross basis, or agent, and report revenues on a net basis. For each identified performance obligation in a transaction, we evaluate the facts and circumstances present to determine whether or not we control the specified good or service prior to transfer to the customer. This evaluation includes, but is not limited to, assessing indicators such as whether: (i) we are primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the specified goods or service, (ii) we have inventory risk before the specified good or service has been transferred to a customer and (iii) we have discretion in establishing the price for the specified good or service. When the evaluation indicates we control the specified good or service prior to transfer to the customer, we are acting as a principal. When the evaluation indicates we do not control the specified good or service prior transfer to the customer, we are acting as an agent.
The nature of our contracts give rise to variable consideration, primarily in the form of volume rebates and sales returns and allowances. We estimate variable consideration at the most likely amount to which we expect to be entitled. The estimates of variable consideration and determination of whether to include estimated amounts in the transaction price are based on an assessment of our anticipated performance and all information that is reasonably available.
We recognize revenue from performance obligations when, or as, the customer obtains control over the specified good or service. That is, when the customer has the ability to direct the use of and obtain substantially all of the benefits from the good or service. For the sale of hardware and software, this is generally upon delivery to the customer. As a result, we perform an analysis to estimate the amount of Net sales in-transit at the end of the period and adjust revenue and the related costs to reflect only what has been delivered to the customer. This analysis requires judgment whereby we perform an analysis of the estimated number of days of sales in-transit to customers at the end of each reporting period based on a weighted-average analysis of commercial delivery terms that include drop-shipment arrangements. Changes in delivery patterns may result in a different number of business days estimated to make this adjustment. For the sale of professional services, we recognize the revenue over time given that our customers simultaneously receive and consume the benefits from these services as they are performed. Revenues from professional services are primarily recognized using an input method, which requires management to make estimates regarding the amount of resources required for each engagement in order to satisfy the performance obligation.
38
Table of Contents
Goodwill
Goodwill is allocated to reporting units expected to benefit from the business combination. Goodwill is subject to periodic testing for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis during the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. These events or circumstances could include a significant change in the business climate, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition or sale or disposition of a significant portion of a reporting unit.
We may elect to utilize a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. As part of our qualitative assessment, judgment is required in weighing the effect of various positive and negative factors that may affect the fair value. We consider various factors, including the excess of fair value over carrying value from the last quantitative test, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, the projected financial performance and actual financial performance compared to prior year projected financial performance.
If we elect to bypass the qualitative assessment, or if indicators of impairment exist, a quantitative impairment test is performed. As part of the quantitative assessment, application of the goodwill impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units and determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. Fair value of a reporting unit is determined by using a weighted combination of an income approach and a market approach, as this combination is considered the most indicative of our fair value in an orderly transaction between market participants. This analysis requires significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business, estimation of the useful life over which cash flows will occur, determination of our weighted average cost of capital, future market conditions and profitability of future business strategies. The estimates used to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit change from year to year based on operating results, market conditions and other factors. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and goodwill impairment for each reporting unit. However, our past estimates of fair value would not have indicated an impairment when revised to include subsequent years’ actual results.
We completed our annual impairment analysis during the fourth quarter of 2022. We performed a qualitative analysis for all reporting units and concluded that it was more likely than not that the fair values of all reporting units exceeded their respective carrying values and, therefore, did not result in an impairment. In 2020, we performed a quantitative analysis of goodwill impairment and determined that no impairment existed.
Business combinations
We allocate purchase price consideration to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their fair values as of the acquisition date. Determining the fair value of these assets and liabilities requires the use of significant estimates, particularly in valuing acquired intangible assets and Goodwill.
Purchased intangible assets other than goodwill are initially recognized at fair value and amortized over their useful lives. We determine the fair value of purchased intangible using an income approach on an individual asset basis. The fair value measurements were primarily based on significant inputs that are not observable, which are categorized as a Level 3 measurement in the fair value hierarchy. The values assigned to consideration transferred, assets acquired and liabilities assumed may be adjusted during the measurement period as new information arises.
We use the multi-period excess earnings method to determine the fair value of customer relationships. This method identifies the portion of revenue expected to be generated through repeat customers existing as of the valuation date and includes an attrition rate to account for the loss of customers over time. Critical estimates utilized in valuing customer relationships include estimated forecasted future revenue and EBITDA margin growth rates, customer attrition rates and market-participant discount rates. The assumptions we apply in forecasting future revenue and customer attrition rates is based on analysis of historical data, assessment of current and anticipated market conditions, estimated growth rates, and management plans.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
The information set forth in Note 2 (Recent Accounting Pronouncements) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report is incorporated herein by reference.