Distribution Solutions Group, Inc. (DSGR)

Executive Summary / Key Takeaways

• Multi-segment rollup at an inflection point: Distribution Solutions Group has assembled a portfolio of four specialty distribution businesses through aggressive M&A since 2022, doubling revenue and adding $100M in EBITDA. The strategy is now shifting from acquisition-led growth to operational execution and margin expansion.

• Lawson's sales force transformation creating near-term pressure: Lawson Products is undergoing a multi-year overhaul of its 930-person sales force, implementing Salesforce CRM and a new digital platform. While this builds long-term competitive advantage, new rep productivity has been slower than expected, compressing margins as the company invests ahead of revenue gains.

• TestEquity turnaround under new leadership: With Barry Litwin appointed CEO in July 2025, TestEquity is executing a refined go-to-market strategy targeting double-digit EBITDA margins (currently ~6-7%). The segment faces headwinds from soft test & measurement demand but is showing early signs of stabilization.

• Gexpro Services is the portfolio's growth engine: This segment delivered 12.4% organic growth in Q3 2025 with 13.6% EBITDA margins, driven by aerospace & defense, renewables, and industrial power. Its supply chain solutions model generates sticky revenue and expanding margins as it wins wallet share.

• Valuation reflects execution risk: Trading at 0.64x sales and 11.6x EV/EBITDA, DSGR trades at a significant discount to broadline peers like Grainger (2.6x sales, 16.3x EV/EBITDA). The discount appears warranted given integration challenges and margin pressure, but successful execution of the Lawson and TestEquity turnarounds could drive meaningful re-rating.

Setting the Scene: A Specialty Rollup in Transition

Distribution Solutions Group, originally incorporated as Lawson Products in 1952, underwent a fundamental transformation in April 2022 when it merged with TestEquity and Gexpro Services, rebranding as DSGR and relocating headquarters to Fort Worth, Texas. This wasn't a simple rebranding—it was a strategic pivot from a single-segment MRO distributor to a multi-platform specialty distribution company serving industrial, electronics, and supply chain markets. The company has since invested nearly $450 million across nine acquisitions, including five deals in 2024 alone that added Source Atlantic in Canada, TCR in Southeast Asia, and ConRes in test equipment rental.

DSGR operates in a highly fragmented $162 billion North American MRO distribution market, competing against broadline giants like W.W. Grainger (GWW), Fastenal (FAST), and MSC Industrial (MSM), as well as specialized players like Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT). Unlike these competitors, DSGR has pursued a rollup strategy, acquiring niche businesses with strong customer relationships but suboptimal margins, then integrating them into a shared infrastructure. This approach creates a different risk-reward profile: while Grainger and Fastenal generate consistent mid-teens operating margins through scale and operational excellence, DSGR is betting that operational improvements can transform acquired businesses from mid-single-digit margins to double-digit profitability.

The company's four segments serve distinct but complementary markets. Lawson Products distributes MRO supplies through a sales rep network to industrial and government customers. TestEquity provides test & measurement equipment and production supplies to electronics manufacturers. Gexpro Services offers mission-critical supply chain solutions to OEMs in aerospace, defense, and renewables. The Canada Branch Division combines Bolt Supply and Source Atlantic to serve the Canadian MRO market through 36 branch locations. This diversification is both a strength and a challenge: it reduces dependency on any single market, but it also creates complexity in integration and capital allocation across vastly different business models.

Technology, Products, and Strategic Differentiation

DSGR's competitive moat isn't built on proprietary technology in the traditional sense, but on deep customer intimacy and value-added services that are difficult for broadline distributors to replicate. Lawson's multi-year sales force transformation exemplifies this approach. The company has rebuilt its rep count from 830 in mid-2024 to approximately 930 by September 2025, targeting 1,000 by the second half of 2025. More importantly, it has implemented Salesforce CRM with 70% adoption and launched a rebuilt 24/7 digital platform. This transformation turns Lawson from a transactional distributor into a solutions provider that can capture customer data, predict needs, and increase wallet share. While Grainger and MSC Industrial have invested heavily in e-commerce, Lawson's hybrid model—combining field sales with digital tools—targets mid-market customers who require technical expertise and relationship-based selling.

TestEquity's differentiation lies in its multi-brand approach and rental fleet strategy. The company maintains specialized brands across the electronics lifecycle, from design and test to build and assembly, and maintain and repair. The ConRes acquisition significantly expanded its rental equipment fleet, driving higher profitability in the test & measurement rental and used equipment franchise. This creates a competitive advantage over pure-play distributors: when customers face tariff-related price increases on new equipment, TestEquity can offer rental or used alternatives with higher margins. The challenge is execution—TestEquity's EBITDA margins have remained in the 6-7% range, well below management's double-digit target, as the segment grapples with sales mix shifts toward lower-margin test & measurement products and higher depreciation expenses.

Gexpro Services' moat is its mission-critical supply chain solutions for OEMs. The company manages production line programs, aftermarket services, and field installations, often holding inventory and providing VMI services that reduce customers' working capital needs. This creates high switching costs: once an OEM has integrated Gexpro into its production process, replacing it requires significant operational disruption. The segment's 13.6% EBITDA margins in Q3 2025 reflect this stickiness, as Gexpro can leverage its fixed cost structure across growing end markets like aerospace & defense and renewables. Competitors like AIT offer similar services, but Gexpro's focus on electrical and automation components provides deeper technical expertise.

The Canada Branch Division faces the steepest integration challenge. The Source Atlantic acquisition, completed in August 2024, expanded DSGR's Canadian footprint but brought a business with lower margins and operational inefficiencies. Management is executing a plan to consolidate four facilities into one, with two completed by Q3 2025 and the remainder expected by year-end. This integration mirrors the challenges faced by any rollup: realizing synergies requires disrupting existing operations while maintaining customer service. Bolt Supply, the legacy Canadian business, maintains mid-teens EBITDA margins, but Source Atlantic's drag has compressed the division's overall margin to 9.6% in Q3 2025.

Financial Performance & Segment Dynamics: Mixed Signals

DSGR's Q3 2025 results illustrate the company's transitional state. Consolidated revenue increased 10.7% to $518.5 million, with organic growth of 6%—solid but decelerating from the 14.9% growth in Q1. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 9.4%, down 30 basis points sequentially from Q2's 9.7%. This compression reflects the dual pressures of integration investments and end-market headwinds.

Lawson Products, representing 23% of revenue, grew 3% organically in Q3 to $121.5 million. The segment's adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 11.5% from 12.6% in Q2, a 110 basis point decline that management attributed to a combination of ongoing investments (30 basis points) and timing items like incentive accruals (80 basis points). The underlying issue is sales force productivity: while rep count has increased, new hires are taking longer to reach target productivity than historical norms. Lawson's long-term target is mid-to-high teens EBITDA margins, potentially exceeding 20%, but it cannot achieve this without leverage from its sales force investments. The military business, historically a significant customer, remains a headwind—orders are "stuck on somebody's desk" due to changes in the ordering and approval process, with full-year 2024 military sales down over 50%.

TestEquity, at 40% of revenue, grew 5.8% in Q3 to $206.5 million, including $2 million from the ConRes acquisition. Adjusted EBITDA margin declined to 6.0% from 6.9% in Q2, pressured by a $1.2 million increase in depreciation from the expanded rental fleet and a sales mix shift toward lower-margin test & measurement products. The segment also incurred higher SG&A expenses, including $0.9 million in stock-based compensation and $0.6 million in bad debt expense. While Barry Litwin's leadership is expected to drive a turnaround, the timeline remains uncertain—management expects the full impact of initiatives to materialize over 18 to 30 months.

Gexpro Services, at 25% of revenue, was the standout performer. Revenue grew 12.4% organically to $130.5 million, driven by $5.7 million in renewable energy sales, $4.4 million in aerospace & defense, and $3 million in industrial power. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 20 basis points sequentially to 13.6%, demonstrating the segment's ability to leverage fixed costs across growing end markets. However, management cautioned that the segment faces tougher year-over-year comparisons in the second half of 2025, which could constrain growth rates.

The Canada Branch Division, at 12% of revenue, grew primarily through acquisition, with Q3 revenue of $60 million including $20.1 million from Source Atlantic. Organic growth for the legacy Bolt business was modest, while Source Atlantic has been "significantly impacted by declines in many of its top customers" due to cautious business behavior around tariffs. Adjusted EBITDA margin improved 300 basis points sequentially to 9.6%, but this remains well below the mid-teens margins Bolt achieved historically. The integration plan is progressing—two of four facility consolidations are complete, with the remainder expected by year-end—but the Canadian manufacturing sector's steep decline in the first half of 2025 creates a challenging backdrop.

Cash flow generation remains a key strength. DSGR produced $66.9 million in operating cash flow during the first nine months of 2025, with free cash flow conversion of approximately 96% over the trailing twelve months. The company repurchased over $20 million of stock in the first nine months, with the board approving an additional $30 million for the repurchase program in October 2025. Net debt leverage stands at 3.5x, providing flexibility for continued M&A while maintaining investment-grade credit metrics.

Outlook, Management Guidance, and Execution Risk

Management maintains a cautiously optimistic outlook for 2025, expecting "record performance as various market headwinds are expected to subside." The underlying assumption is that tariff-related uncertainty will eventually stabilize, allowing customers to resume normal purchasing patterns. DSGR's Q3 results were impacted by customer hesitation—Bryan King noted that "tariff disruptions continue to create noise and hesitation in decision-making," while Ron Knutson observed that "the marketplace revenue leverage will be important to getting margins over the next year above the 10% threshold."

For Lawson, the key milestone is reaching 1,000 sales reps by the second half of 2025. Management expects operating leverage to improve as the sales force matures, targeting historical levels of 20-30% EBITDA margins on incremental sales. However, new rep productivity has been slower than expected, and the military business remains an "enigma" with orders "stuck on somebody's desk." The path to mid-teens margins requires both sales force maturation and military order recovery—neither is guaranteed.

TestEquity's turnaround timeline is more extended. Barry Litwin's comprehensive diagnostic has identified opportunities in customer segmentation, pricing discipline, and digital expansion, but management expects the full impact to materialize over 18 to 30 months. The double-digit EBITDA margin target by end of 2025 appears ambitious given current 6% margins and persistent end-market headwinds. The segment's success hinges on expanding the higher-margin rental and used equipment business while improving pricing discipline in test & measurement.

Gexpro Services is expected to remain strong, with management highlighting "good visibility into backlogs and upward trends in most end markets." The segment's 13.6% EBITDA margins are within striking distance of its long-term objectives, but tougher comps in the second half of 2025 could pressure growth rates. The key risk is a slowdown in aerospace & defense or renewables spending, which would disproportionately impact this high-margin segment.

The Canada Branch Division's outlook is mixed. While facility consolidations are expected to drive operating leverage later in 2025, the Canadian manufacturing sector's weakness and tariff-related uncertainty may delay margin recovery. Management's target of double-digit EBITDA margins for Source Atlantic appears pushed out to 2026 rather than end of 2025. The integration's success depends on maintaining customer relationships during facility transitions while capturing cost synergies.

Risks and Asymmetries: What Could Break the Thesis

The most material risk is execution failure in the Lawson and TestEquity turnarounds. If Lawson's new sales reps cannot achieve target productivity, the segment will remain stuck at 11-12% EBITDA margins, well below the 20%+ long-term target. This would trap capital in a low-return business and limit overall DSGR margin expansion. The military business adds uncertainty—if the ordering process changes are permanent rather than temporary, Lawson could lose a historically significant revenue stream.

Tariff and trade policy uncertainty represents a macro risk that DSGR cannot control. While management estimates that only 5% of direct purchases and less than 6% of aggregate product spend comes from China, the indirect impact on customer behavior is more significant. Canadian customers are "anxious" and delaying purchase orders, while U.S. manufacturers are hesitant to commit to projects. If trade policy remains volatile into 2026, DSGR's growth could decelerate further, making margin expansion more difficult.

Integration risk from the rapid M&A pace is evident in the Canada Branch Division. Source Atlantic's margin profile remains well below Bolt's, and facility consolidations could disrupt customer relationships. While management has a clear synergy plan, execution missteps could lead to customer attrition and revenue loss, particularly in a weak Canadian market.

On the positive side, asymmetries exist if management's initiatives succeed faster than expected. If Lawson's sales force reaches productivity inflection in early 2026 rather than late 2026, operating leverage could drive margins toward 15% more quickly. If TestEquity's turnaround accelerates under Litwin's leadership, the segment could contribute meaningfully to overall EBITDA growth. If tariff uncertainty resolves and customers release pent-up demand, DSGR's diversified portfolio could capture disproportionate share.

Valuation Context: Discounted for Execution Risk

At $27.42 per share, DSGR trades at 0.64x trailing twelve-month sales and 11.6x EV/EBITDA, a significant discount to broadline peers. Grainger trades at 2.6x sales and 16.3x EV/EBITDA, while Fastenal commands 6.0x sales and 26.8x EV/EBITDA. Even MSC Industrial, facing its own growth challenges, trades at 1.2x sales and 12.6x EV/EBITDA. This discount reflects DSGR's lower margins (4.98% operating margin vs. Grainger's 15.2% and Fastenal's 20.7%) and execution risk from the ongoing transformations.

The valuation appears most reasonable on a free cash flow basis. DSGR's price-to-free-cash-flow ratio of 16.8x and price-to-operating-cash-flow of 11.3x compare favorably to Grainger's 37.6x and 22.6x, respectively. With 96% free cash flow conversion and a 3.5x debt leverage ratio, the company generates sufficient cash to fund its transformation while returning capital to shareholders. The $30 million share repurchase authorization announced in October 2025, adding to the $6 million remaining from prior authorizations, signals management's belief that the stock is undervalued at current levels.

However, the valuation discount will persist until DSGR demonstrates consistent margin expansion. The company's return on invested capital of approximately 11% trails Grainger's 30%+ and Fastenal's 40%+, reflecting the capital intensity of the rollup strategy and integration costs. For the valuation to re-rate toward peer levels, DSGR must show that its operational improvements can drive ROIC higher, either through margin expansion or more efficient capital deployment.

Conclusion: A Transformation Story with Measured Upside

Distribution Solutions Group sits at a critical juncture. The rollup strategy has successfully built a diversified specialty distribution platform with $1.8 billion in revenue and solid cash generation. Now the company must prove it can extract the promised operational improvements. The Lawson sales force transformation and TestEquity turnaround are binary outcomes that will determine whether DSGR can achieve its goal of mid-teens consolidated EBITDA margins and drive ROIC toward peer levels.

The investment thesis hinges on execution over the next 12-18 months. If Lawson's 1,000-rep sales force reaches productivity and TestEquity achieves double-digit margins under new leadership, the current valuation discount offers meaningful upside. The Gexpro Services segment provides a stable foundation of high-margin growth, while the Canada integration, though challenged, offers synergy potential. However, if new rep productivity remains sluggish and tariff uncertainty persists, margin expansion will be delayed and the valuation discount will persist.

For investors, the key monitorables are straightforward: Lawson's sales rep productivity metrics, military order releases, TestEquity's margin trajectory, and Canadian facility consolidation progress. The company's strong cash flow generation and disciplined capital allocation provide downside protection, but the story will be written by operational execution, not financial engineering. In a market that has rewarded consistent execution at Grainger and Fastenal, DSGR's transformation narrative offers a higher-risk, higher-reward alternative for patient investors willing to bet on management's ability to deliver on its integration promises.