Company Description
CDW Corporation (NASDAQ: CDW) is a Fortune 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Index that operates in the business-to-business electronic markets within the wholesale trade sector. CDW is described in its public communications as a leading multi-brand provider of information technology (IT) solutions serving business, government, education and healthcare customers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. The company focuses on helping customers navigate an increasingly complex IT market and maximize the return on their technology investments.
Business model and customer focus
According to CDW’s press releases and regulatory filings, the company’s model centers on providing IT solutions and services to a diversified customer base that includes small, medium and large businesses, as well as public sector entities such as government, education and healthcare organizations. CDW highlights that it serves more than 250,000 customers around the globe and works with more than 1,000 leading and emerging technology brands. This breadth of relationships underpins its role as a trusted advisor across the full technology stack and lifecycle.
CDW’s communications emphasize its ability to guide customers through dynamic market conditions and evolving technology needs. Management commentary in earnings releases notes that customers rely on CDW for “mission critical outcomes” and to address requirements across the “full IT stack and lifecycle,” reflecting a focus on both products and services that support long-term technology strategies.
IT offerings and solutions
CDW describes itself as a multi-brand provider of IT solutions rather than a single-product company. Based on information in its earnings and corporate descriptions, its offerings span:
- Discrete hardware and software products.
- Integrated IT solutions and services.
- On-premise and cloud capabilities.
- Support across hybrid infrastructure, digital experience and security domains.
The company also refers to its “technology services and solutions capabilities” and notes that these capabilities are crucial to meeting customers where they are in their full-stack and lifecycle journey. CDW has highlighted areas such as complex infrastructure solutions, client device refresh solutions, and a growing set of services and cloud offerings as important drivers of performance.
Geographic reach and operating segments
CDW’s public materials state that it serves customers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. For financial reporting purposes, the company groups its UK and Canadian operations together as “Other.” In addition, CDW identifies several operating segments that reflect its primary customer end-markets and geographies, including:
- Corporate – serving U.S. private sector business customers.
- Small Business – focused on smaller commercial customers.
- Public – addressing government, education and healthcare customers.
- CDW UK – operations in the United Kingdom.
- CDW Canada – operations in Canada.
Earnings releases describe how net sales trends vary across these segments, with commentary on demand from corporate, small business, government, education and healthcare customers. This segmentation underscores CDW’s positioning across both commercial and public sector markets.
Services, cloud and digital capabilities
CDW repeatedly highlights its services and cloud offerings as key contributors to growth and margins. Management notes that the company’s ability to deliver on “robust services and cloud offerings” and “complex infrastructure solutions” has been a driver of performance. CDW also references integrated technology solutions and Digital Velocity practices within its services and solutions business.
The company has discussed its digital transformation and the development of digital platforms to enhance customer engagement. For example, CDW has referenced the launch of Rubi, its digital platform and mobile app, as part of its digital journey. Leadership commentary links these initiatives to a more connected and differentiated customer and partner experience.
Technology partnerships and ecosystem
CDW’s disclosures emphasize its role as a partner to a large number of technology brands. The company notes that it is the partner of choice for more than 1,000 leading and emerging technology brands. While specific partner names are not detailed in the provided materials, CDW’s focus on a broad ecosystem supports its positioning as a multi-brand solutions provider capable of assembling and supporting a wide range of IT architectures.
Capital allocation and shareholder returns
CDW’s news releases and Form 8-K filings provide insight into its capital allocation approach. The company regularly declares quarterly cash dividends on its common stock, with the Board of Directors approving dividends that are described as aligned with a target percentage of trailing twelve-month non-GAAP net income. CDW also references share repurchases and strategic mergers and acquisitions, along with managing its capital structure, as core capital allocation priorities.
Management commentary highlights that dividends and share repurchases are important components of the company’s strategy to return capital to stockholders. CDW notes a long history of increasing dividends since its initial public offering and discloses the aggregate amount returned to stockholders through dividends and share repurchases over time.
Risk factors and operating environment
In its earnings releases and SEC filings, CDW outlines a variety of factors that can affect its financial performance. These include inflationary pressures, interest rates, relationships with vendor partners and wholesale distributors, competition, technology innovation by vendor partners, cybersecurity risks, potential service failures, workforce considerations, outsourcing arrangements, and potential adverse events at facilities or third-party data centers.
The company also points to macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions, changes in spending on technology products and services (including government spending and procurement policies), trade policy uncertainty, legal proceedings, regulatory changes, environmental and corporate responsibility expectations, indebtedness levels, and credit ratings as relevant considerations. This risk disclosure framework provides context for how CDW views its operating environment and the uncertainties that can influence results.
Position in the IT and wholesale trade sector
CDW is classified in the business-to-business electronic markets industry within the wholesale trade sector. Its public descriptions emphasize its scale as a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company and its role in helping organizations manage complex IT decisions. By combining multi-brand product access, integrated solutions, services and digital capabilities, CDW positions itself as a key intermediary between technology vendors and end customers across commercial and public sector markets.
Use of non-GAAP financial measures
CDW’s earnings releases and SEC filings describe the company’s use of non-GAAP financial measures such as non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating income margin, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per diluted share, net sales on a constant currency basis, free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow. The company explains that these measures exclude items such as amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, equity-based compensation and related payroll taxes, acquisition and integration expenses, transformation initiatives, workplace optimization and associated tax effects.
CDW states that it uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate period-over-period performance and to provide what it believes is a more comparable view of underlying business performance and liquidity. Certain non-GAAP measures are also used in determining components of performance-based compensation.
Leadership and organizational evolution
CDW’s public announcements show ongoing evolution in its leadership structure to support its go-to-market strategy. The company has described roles such as Chief Services and Solutions Officer and Chief Growth and Innovation Officer, and has discussed integrating growth and innovation functions with services and solutions to create a more connected customer and partner experience. Leadership communications emphasize a customer-focused approach, operational agility and long-term value creation for shareholders.
CDW stock and investor information
CDW Corporation’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol CDW. The company issues regular press releases regarding earnings, dividends, leadership changes and participation in investor conferences. It also files periodic reports and current reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which include financial statements, risk factor discussions and other disclosures relevant to investors evaluating CDW stock.