To quote that great line from TheA-Team, "I love it when a plan comes together." Utility services provider Quanta Services'
For Quanta's fourth quarter, executing on its plan meant 25% more revenue and a whole heckuva lot more net income. I also found it interesting that SG&A rose less than 18%, allowing the company to significantly expand operating margins.
While Quanta did a lot more storm work this quarter than in the year-ago period (about $70 million versus $18 million), I wouldn't read too much into that when comparing "storm" and "non-storm" revenue. Storm work is performed on an urgent basis, and the company frequently has to set aside other less-urgent projects to do it. All in all, though, the company earned 25% more revenue from utility and gas customers, 17% more from telecomm and cable customers, and 33% more from its "ancillary services" business.
From what the company had to say on its call, it certainly seems that the utility business is improving. The company has been working with American Electric Power
This stock has already had a heckuva run. Still, improving, updating, and upgrading the power infrastructure should be a multi-year process. The company also has newer business prospects like broadband rollouts from Verizon
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Fool contributor Stephen Simpson has no financial interest in any stocks mentioned (that means he's neither long nor short the shares).