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There's a company that makes electric conduit: the metal and plastic pipes that protect every electrical wire running through walls, factories, and data centers in America.
They're either number one or number two on every single product line they sell. They bought back so many shares that the share count has dropped from around 80 million in 2017 to under 34 million today. That's a 58% reduction.
The stock is up 40% off its 52-week low, and many retail traders don't know about it. Atkore, ticker ATKR on the New York Stock Exchange, trading around $84 with a $2.8 billion market cap at the time of this recording.
So here's the business. Atkore makes electrical conduit, cable management, metal framing, and electrical cable used in construction.
About 65% to 75% of sales come from non-residential construction. Their products are essentially infrastructure components. Wherever wire needs to run safely, Atkore's stuff is wrapping it. They operate 49 manufacturing facilities across eight countries with 7.5 million square feet of production space.
Because they offer such a broad portfolio, distributors order from one company, get one invoice, and one delivery. That convenience lets Atkore charge roughly a 7% premium over competitors.
The story is actually pretty wild. Atkore boomed during COVID when supply was tight and construction was hot. Margins exploded. Then 2025 hit, and PVC and steel prices normalized.
Competitors caught up, and revenue and earnings collapsed. The stock dropped from over $190 to under $54 in 18 months. Adjusted earnings per share fell from over $20 at peak to a guide range of $5.05 to $5.55 this year.
Then in Q2 of fiscal 2026, things started to turn. Organic volume grew 5%, revenue grew 4%, margins are stabilizing. So the bull case: AI data center build-out, solar installation boom, grid modernization.
Every single one of those mega trends requires electrical conduit, and Atkore is the dominant player. The buyback machine keeps grinding. P/E on adjusted earnings is around 14. But the bear case: They're currently posting a GAAP net loss because of impairment charges and price collapse.
The dividend is small at 1.77%. Margins are still compressed, and they have real competition from companies like Zekelman Industries."
@Ada2987_art I dont understand why people are hating on here. Game play and story is amazing so far..... seems like God of ear is going to Chinese mythology.