SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. (SITE)

Executive Summary / Key Takeaways

• SiteOne Landscape Supply, the leading national distributor in a fragmented $25 billion market, is executing a multi-pronged strategy focused on organic growth, strategic acquisitions, and operational efficiency to drive consistent Adjusted EBITDA margin expansion.
• The company achieved solid Q3 2025 results with 4% net sales growth and 11% Adjusted EBITDA growth, driven by effective SG&A leverage, gross margin improvement, and market share gains, despite softer end markets.
• Technological differentiators like siteone.com and DispatchTrack are enhancing customer engagement, sales force productivity, and delivery efficiency, contributing significantly to organic growth and cost reduction.
• SiteOne is actively optimizing its footprint through "focused branch" initiatives and consolidations, with underperforming branches showing over 200 basis points of Adjusted EBITDA margin improvement year-to-date in Q3 2025.
• Despite a projected "lighter than normal" year for acquired revenue in 2025, the company maintains a robust acquisition pipeline and a strong balance sheet, with net debt at 1x TTM Adjusted EBITDA, supporting future growth and shareholder returns.

The Landscape of Opportunity: SiteOne's Dominant Position and Evolving Strategy

SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. (NYSE:SITE), incorporated in 2013, stands as the largest and sole national full-product-line wholesale distributor of landscape supplies across the United States and Canada. With a vast network of over 680 branches spanning 45 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces, SiteOne commands an estimated 18% share of the highly fragmented $25 billion wholesale landscape products distribution market. This market leadership provides a significant runway for continued growth and market share expansion.

The company's overarching strategy centers on leveraging its scale, resources, and functional talent to empower its local, entrepreneurial teams, thereby consistently delivering superior value to customers and suppliers. This approach is deeply rooted in its history, marked by a robust acquisition strategy initiated in 2014, which has seen over 100 acquisitions and the addition of more than $2 billion in acquired revenue. Key acquisitions, such as a 75% stake in Devil Mountain Wholesale Nursery, LLC in April 2024, have established new platforms for growth, particularly in specialized product categories like nursery and hardscapes.

SiteOne's business model is well-balanced across end markets: 65% of sales are derived from maintenance, repair, and upgrade activities (35% maintenance, 30% repair & upgrade), 21% from new residential construction, and 14% from new commercial and recreational construction. This diversification provides resilience, especially in softer market conditions. The long-term outlook for the landscape supply industry remains robust, fueled by favorable population trends, housing demand, and sustained interest in outdoor living spaces.

Technological Edge: Driving Efficiency and Customer Engagement

SiteOne's competitive moat is significantly enhanced by its strategic investments in technology, which serve as core differentiators in a traditionally low-tech industry. These technological advancements are not merely operational enhancements; they are integral to the company's ability to drive organic growth, improve efficiency, and expand margins.

The company's B2B e-Commerce platform, siteone.com, exemplifies its digital leadership. This platform offers customers the convenience of online sales, enhanced account management, and industry-specific productivity tools. The tangible benefits are clear: digital sales surged by 180% in 2024 and continued to grow by over 125% year-to-date in 2025. Thousands of new regular users are adopting siteone.com, and critically, customers engaged digitally grow significantly faster than those who are not. This digital engagement translates directly into increased market share and improved associate productivity, creating a "win-win-win" scenario for customers, associates, and the company.

Another key technological differentiator is DispatchTrack, a system that allows SiteOne to manage customer deliveries more closely. This technology improves both associate and equipment efficiency for delivery operations and enables more consistent pricing for this service. Year-to-date in 2025, SiteOne has reduced its net delivery expense by approximately 30 basis points on delivered sales, which constitute about one-third of its total sales. This is a multi-year initiative with expectations for significant ongoing progress, directly contributing to SG&A leverage and operational excellence.

Furthermore, SiteOne leverages a robust CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system to enhance sales force productivity. This system helps establish more disciplined revenue-generating habits and processes among its inside and outside sales associates. In 2025, the outside sales force is covering approximately 10% more revenue than in 2024 without additional headcount, leading to higher organic sales growth at a lower cost. These technological investments collectively strengthen SiteOne's competitive position by improving customer service, driving sales efficiency, and reducing operational costs, which are crucial advantages in a competitive market.

Strategic Initiatives and Operational Excellence

SiteOne's strategy is not solely reliant on technology; it is complemented by a series of commercial and operational initiatives designed to capture market share and enhance profitability.

Organic Growth Drivers

The company is actively pursuing several organic growth avenues. A significant opportunity lies in increasing sales with smaller customers, a segment where SiteOne is currently underweight compared to its overall market share. Initiatives like the "Partners Program" (which has grown to 71,000 members, mostly small customers) and targeted Hispanic marketing programs, supported by an increasing percentage of bilingual branches (up from 58% to 63% in 2024), are effectively driving growth in this segment. Private label brands such as Pro-Trade, Solstice Stone, and Portfolio are also key contributors, growing by 50% in Q3 2025 and nearly 40% year-to-date. These brands not only boost gross margins but also contribute to organic growth by offering competitive products across various lines, including lighting, tools, fittings, erosion control, and synthetic turf.

Operational Efficiency and Network Optimization

SiteOne has demonstrated a strong commitment to operational efficiency, particularly in managing its cost structure. A major focus has been on addressing underperforming branches, termed "focused branches," which represent about 20% of the company's revenue. Through Q3 2025, these branches have shown an impressive improvement of over 200 basis points in Adjusted EBITDA margin. This initiative includes strengthening local teams, improving customer service, driving organic growth, and reducing SG&A. The acquisition of Pioneer Landscape Centers in 2024, initially a "turnaround opportunity," is now fully integrated, with significant SG&A reductions and operational restructuring completed by Q4 2024.

Further illustrating this commitment, SiteOne consolidated or closed 22 locations in 2024 and plans to consolidate or close an additional 15 to 20 branches in Q4 2025. These actions aim to optimize the company's footprint and cost structure, with the expectation of retaining most of the sales from these locations by serving customers from nearby branches.

Financial Performance and Liquidity

SiteOne delivered solid financial results in Q3 2025, demonstrating the effectiveness of its strategic initiatives amidst a challenging macroeconomic backdrop. Net sales for the third quarter increased 4% to $1,258.2 million, contributing to a 4% increase for the nine months ended September 28, 2025, reaching $3,659.2 million. Organic daily sales grew 3% in Q3 2025, with pricing contributing 1% to this growth, marking a significant improvement from prior periods of deflation. For the nine-month period, organic daily sales increased 1%.

Gross profit for Q3 2025 rose 6% to $437.2 million, with the gross margin expanding by 70 basis points to 34.7%. This improvement was primarily driven by better price realization, benefits from commercial initiatives (like private label growth), and contributions from acquisitions with higher gross margins. Selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses increased 2% to $357.4 million in Q3 2025, but as a percentage of net sales, SG&A decreased by 50 basis points to 28.4%. This SG&A leverage reflects the company's successful actions to increase productivity and align operating costs with market demand.

Net income attributable to SiteOne saw a substantial increase of 33% in Q3 2025 to $59.1 million, and for the nine months ended September 28, 2025, it grew to $160.8 million. Adjusted EBITDA for Q3 2025 increased 11% to $127.5 million, with the Adjusted EBITDA margin improving by 60 basis points to 10.1%. This margin expansion is a key indicator of the company's operational effectiveness.

SiteOne maintains a strong liquidity position, with $106.9 million in cash and cash equivalents and $577.8 million in available capacity under its ABL facility as of September 28, 2025, totaling $685 million in available liquidity. Net debt stood at approximately $423 million, resulting in a leverage ratio of 1x trailing 12-month Adjusted EBITDA, which is at the low end of the company's target range of 1x to 2x.

While net cash provided by operating activities decreased for the nine months ended September 28, 2025, due to strategic inventory purchases ahead of potential tariffs, the company's overall financial health remains robust.

SiteOne also actively returns capital to shareholders, repurchasing 656,095 shares for approximately $77.7 million year-to-date through October 29, 2025, with $234.3 million remaining under its authorization.

Competitive Landscape and Positioning

SiteOne operates in a highly competitive and fragmented industry, yet it maintains a distinct leadership position. The company is over three times the size of its nearest competitor and larger than its next two through ten competitors combined. This scale provides significant advantages in procurement, distribution, and the ability to invest in technology and strategic initiatives.

Compared to direct competitors like The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG), Home Depot Inc. (HD), Lowe's Companies Inc. (LOW), and Tractor Supply Company (TSCO), SiteOne's primary differentiation lies in its specialized wholesale focus and comprehensive consultative services tailored for professional landscapers. While SMG excels in branded consumer products and innovation, and HD and LOW leverage their vast retail footprints for broad accessibility and pricing power, SiteOne's extensive branch network and dedicated professional support create a more personalized and efficient experience for its target customers. SiteOne's operational execution in wholesale distribution, including its digital tools and delivery efficiency, provides a competitive edge over the more generalized retail approaches of HD and LOW.

SiteOne's strategic focus on growing its market share with smaller customers, expanding private label offerings, and penetrating adjacent product lines (e.g., pest control, synthetic turf) directly addresses competitive pressures and capitalizes on underserved segments. The company's strong relationships with suppliers, who serve the professional landscape industry, also differentiate its route to market from retail-focused competitors. Despite competitive market dynamics, SiteOne's consistent outperformance in organic sales volume growth, driven by its commercial initiatives, underscores its effective competitive positioning.

Outlook and Risks

SiteOne anticipates continued market uncertainty, elevated interest rates, and weak consumer confidence to persist, leading to softer demand in new residential construction and repair and upgrade end markets through the remainder of 2025. However, the maintenance end market is expected to continue its steady growth. Overall, end markets are projected to be slightly down for the remainder of the year.

Despite these headwinds, SiteOne expects low single-digit organic daily sales growth for the remainder of 2025, driven by slightly positive sales volume and modest price inflation. Pricing is anticipated to be up 1% to 2% in Q4 2025, with the full year ending flat to up 1%, and a return to "normal" 1% to 3% inflation expected in 2026. The company's full-year Adjusted EBITDA guidance for fiscal 2025 is set between $405 million and $415 million, which includes a $4 million to $6 million charge in Q4 2025 for planned branch consolidations and closures. SiteOne expects solid Adjusted EBITDA margin expansion for the full year 2025, primarily driven by SG&A leverage from its cost control and efficiency initiatives.

Key risks to this outlook include further deterioration in market demand, persistent commodity price deflation (particularly for grass seed and PVC pipe), and uncertainties related to trade policy and geopolitical conflicts. While labor scarcity is a perennial concern for the industry, management believes it is not the primary limiter on current market demand.

Conclusion

SiteOne Landscape Supply is strategically positioned to capitalize on its market leadership and operational strengths, even as it navigates a complex economic environment. The company's disciplined execution of its organic growth initiatives, coupled with a robust acquisition strategy and a strong focus on technological differentiation, underpins its ability to consistently outperform the market and expand profitability. The ongoing success of its "focused branch" program and the leverage gained from digital platforms like siteone.com and efficiency tools like DispatchTrack are critical drivers of its Adjusted EBITDA margin expansion.

With a healthy balance sheet and a clear path to return to double-digit Adjusted EBITDA margins, SiteOne presents a compelling investment thesis. Its ability to integrate acquisitions effectively, optimize its operational footprint, and leverage technology to enhance customer value and internal efficiency provides a durable competitive advantage. While macroeconomic uncertainties persist, SiteOne's proactive management and strategic investments are building a resilient and growing enterprise, poised for sustained long-term value creation for its shareholders.