n 2008, things were looking grim for Generac. The 49-year-old firm, which makes natural-gas-powered backup generators, had been acquired a couple of years earlier by CCMP Capital, a New York City private equity shop. To buy out the 81-year-old founder’s 70% stake, CCMP had loaded up the Milwaukee-based firm, which had just $700 million in sales, with $1.4 billion in debt.
The young bean counter had a surprising solution: Get more aggressive. After buying in some debt at 50 cents on the dollar, he took the company public in 2010 and began a string of acquisitions . First, he bought into peripheral businesses such as cellphone transmission and outdoor light towers.
Over the 12 months ended March 30, the company did $4.1 billion in sales and $1.8 billion in gross profit—both double pre-pandemic levels. Non-generator sales now account for 20% of revenue. Since the company went public at $13 a share, Generac stock has been on a wild ride. It spiked to an incredible $498 last October and is now back at $250—still a hefty 33 times trailing earnings per share. Debt is a manageable 6% of enterprise value, compared to 80% after the IPO.
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