Acquired businesses contributed 3.2% to net sales growth, with 1.5% specifically from acquired stores in the U.S. Automotive business, including MPEC and Walker. This highlights the strategic importance of acquisitions in driving top-line growth.

The company approved and initiated a global restructuring in February 2024, designed to better align assets and improve business efficiency. The company expects to incur total costs of up to $200 million related to these efforts.

The company's key priorities for capital deployment include reinvesting in the business through capital expenditures, mergers and acquisitions, dividends, and share repurchases. This balanced approach aims to drive growth, improve efficiencies, and enhance shareholder value.

Operating cost inflation, including personnel costs and rent, caused a significant portion of the increase in SG&A expenses. Ongoing investments in technology also contributed to higher depreciation and amortization expenses.

Automotive comparable sales were essentially flat, while Industrial comparable sales declined by 2.4%. These declines, partially offset by acquisitions, suggest challenges in driving organic growth across all segments.

The global restructuring initiative, approved in February 2024, includes a voluntary retirement offer in the U.S. and rationalization of distribution centers and stores. This initiative demonstrates management's proactive approach to addressing inefficiencies.

The company acknowledges that changes in general economic conditions, including unemployment, inflation, and geopolitical conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, can materially affect its business.

The company identifies its ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and maintain favorable supplier arrangements as important factors that could impact future results.

The company recognizes the potential for disruptions caused by failures or breaches of its information systems as a significant risk factor.

The Automotive segment experienced a 4.8% sales increase, driven by acquisitions, particularly MPEC and Walker. This highlights the effectiveness of acquisitions in strengthening the company's competitive position in the automotive market.

The Industrial segment saw a 1.2% sales decrease, driven by a 2.4% decline in comparable sales, reflecting weaker macroeconomic conditions. This suggests a weaker competitive position in the industrial market compared to the automotive market.

Third quarter comparable sales were negatively impacted by hurricanes and the CrowdStrike outage, with an estimated total negative impact of 0.7%. These events highlight the vulnerability of the company's operations to external disruptions.

SG&A expenses increased to 28.8% of sales for the third quarter, up 2.2% from the prior year, primarily due to operating cost inflation, including personnel costs and rent. This indicates challenges in controlling operating expenses.

The company's global restructuring initiative includes a voluntary retirement offer and rationalization of distribution centers and stores. These actions are designed to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs.

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $22 million related to ongoing investments in technology and supply chain initiatives. These investments are intended to improve long-term operational efficiency.

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $22 million, indicating continued investments in technology. While the filing does not provide specifics, this suggests a commitment to innovation and technological advancement.

The company continues to invest in enhancing technology to generate better pricing data and analytics, which allows it to shift pricing dynamics across each market it serves. This indicates a focus on leveraging technology for competitive advantage.

The CrowdStrike technology outage negatively impacted comparable sales, highlighting the company's reliance on technology and the potential risks associated with system failures.

The company paid $411 million in dividends to shareholders and repurchased $112 million of stock. This demonstrates a commitment to returning capital to shareholders.

The company issued $750 million of unsecured 4.95% Senior Notes due 2029, intending to use the proceeds to repay existing debt and for general corporate purposes. This indicates proactive debt management.

The company had $1.2 billion in net cash used for investing activities, consisting of capital expenditures and acquisitions. This shows a focus on growth through both organic investments and strategic acquisitions.

The company terminated its frozen U.S. qualified defined benefit plan, effective September 30, 2024, and intends to transfer management to a third-party insurance company. Upon settlement, a non-cash, pre-tax pension settlement charge will be recognized in 2025.

The Industrial segment experienced a sales decrease due to weaker macroeconomic conditions and moderation in demand. This highlights the sensitivity of the Industrial segment to broader economic trends.

The company faced persistent soft demand in its U.S. Automotive business, inclusive of sales disruption from hurricanes and the CrowdStrike outage. This indicates ongoing challenges in the automotive market.

The company estimates that a significant portion of the declines in Automotive segment profit relates to persistent segment operating cost pressures from ongoing inflation, particularly personnel costs and rent.