Hubbell’s Data Center Sales Rose More Than 80% in Q3 as Electrical Solutions Reached $845 Million, Up 51%
- AI Energy Demand Analysis Data Centers
Marin Holt
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- 6 minutes read
- Electrical Solutions Q3 sales: $845 million, up 51%
- Data center sales growth: more than 80% organic
- Utility Solutions Q3 sales: $1,028 million, up 9%
- 2026 adjusted EPS outlook: $20.40 to $20.60
Hubbell said its data center sales grew more than 80% organically in the third quarter of 2026. The Shelton, Connecticut electrical equipment maker reported results on October 27. Electrical Solutions segment sales reached $845 million, up 51% from $559 million a year earlier. Total net sales rose 25% to $1.873 billion.
Organic growth in Electrical Solutions was 22%. The NSI acquisition added 29 percentage points. CEO Gerben Bakker said wiring devices and pin-and-sleeve products drove the data center gains. Content gains, new products and added capacity helped. Segment adjusted operating income rose to $210 million, or 24.8% of sales, from $116 million, or 20.8%, a year earlier.
Utility Solutions sales rose 9% to $1,028 million from $944 million. Organic growth was about 5%. Grid Infrastructure sales rose about 13% and Grid Automation fell about 4%. Segment operating income was $241 million, or 23.5% of sales. On the call, Bakker said a contract manufacturer could not source a meter component. That shifted about $15 million of revenue into the fourth quarter. Protection and Controls grew at a double-digit rate on demand for substation switching products.
Adjusted diluted earnings per share rose 14% to $5.91. GAAP diluted earnings per share were $4.94. Adjusted operating margin was 25.5%, up 160 basis points. Free cash flow was $280 million, up from $254 million. Hubbell raised its 2026 outlook. It now expects sales growth of 18-19% and organic growth of 10-11%. Adjusted earnings guidance is $20.40 to $20.60 per share.
Hubbell does not break out data center revenue in its release. Bakker’s statement that data-center sales rose more than 80% organically comes from the call, not the segment table. The 22% organic growth in Electrical Solutions is the checkable number. Management said utility backlog kept building and cited data centers, grid infrastructure and renewable energy demand heading into 2027.
Why It Matters
Hubbell sells the connectors, wiring devices, grounding and enclosures that sit between a utility feed and a data hall. An 80% organic jump in that business is a direct read on electrical fit-out happening now. It is not a read on announced megawatts.
The utility side tells the other half of the story. Grid Infrastructure net sales increased approximately 13%. Grid Automation net sales decreased approximately 4% on a single missing meter component. That shows how thin the supply chain for grid gear still is. Buyers planning 2027 substation and switchgear orders should expect that pressure to continue. Hubbell describes its answer as capacity expansion.
Critical Perspective
The 80% number is a call remark with no dollar base. Hubbell does not disclose data center revenue, so the figure could describe a small line growing fast inside the $845 million segment, and 29 of the 51 points of segment growth came from buying NSI, not from organic demand. The utility segment, still the larger business at $1,028 million, grew only 5% organically and lost about $15 million to a single meter component. If one missing part in a contract manufacturer’s supply chain moves $15 million of revenue out of a quarter, how resilient is the grid-hardware supply that utilities are counting on for 2027 substation builds?
Sources
- Hubbell reports third quarter 2026 results, Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1 (Oct. 27, 2026)
- MarketBeat: Hubbell Q3 earnings call highlights (Oct. 27, 2026)
- Finviz: Hubbell reports third quarter 2026 results (Oct. 27, 2026)
