Chances are that if you’ve ever done any DIY at home – hanging a picture, drilling of any sort, mowing the lawn, or mounting a TV to the wall – then you’ve probably used a product made by Techtronic Industries (TTNDY 0.44%) . Founded in 1995, the Hong Kong-listed company owns and manufactures a number of recognizable household brands in the handheld power tools segment, such as Ryobi, Milwaukee Electric and Homelite.
With that, here are three things investors should know about this innovative and fast-growing company.
1. Occupies a niche in the cordless segment
The company has carved out a niche and reputation for reliable cordless power tools for use in both the retail and industrial market. Its highly-regarded Ryobi ONE+ brand of cordless tools has witnessed strong growth and in 2018 registered yet another year of double-digit expansion in terms of sales.
Meanwhile, its Milwaukee brand delivered an outstanding 28.2% increase in sales over the same period. Supporting this growth is a strong distribution partnership with Home Depot in the US and the ongoing rising trend for DIY in Asia.
2. Constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index
Techtronic’s impressive rise has enabled the company to enter Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index as one of its 50 constituent stocks. It was added to the index in March of this year and the firm’s addition can be seen as a vote of confidence in the company’s ability to consistently grow profits for shareholders.
To be included in the index, a company must be among the companies in the 90th percentile of the total market cap of the city’s stock universe (based on a 12-month average). Given ETFs tracking the index are obligated to buy constituent stocks, the company’s share price was given a boost while its reputation as a solid blue-chip stock was also strengthened.
3. Record high earnings
Its latest 2018 earnings saw the company post an all-time record high profit of US$552 million. Around three-quarters of its 2018 sales came from North America but the company also saw strong revenue growth in its EMEA (up 16.6% year-on-year) and Rest of World (up 11.4% year-on-year) segments. Remarkably, it expanded its gross margin for a 10th consecutive year in 2018.
The company has also been prescient by actively expanding its manufacturing bases. Techtronic invested substantially to increase capacity in the US (it added a sixth facility at its Mississippi plant last year) and Vietnam (where it sees a lot of production moving to longer term given rising labor costs in China). Professional management, quality products and riding on a solid structural growth story mean Techtronic Industries is sure to continue making waves in Hong Kong’s stock market.
A version of article originally appeared on our Fool Asia site. For more coverage like this head over to Fool.hk.