July 30 (Reuters) - Generac Holdings ( GNRC ) reported

better-than-expected second-quarter profit and revenue on

Wednesday, as frequent power outages lifted sales of its backup

generators, batteries and solar equipment.

Demand for the company's home standby generators has risen

in tandem with power outages caused by winter storms and

hurricanes last year.

CEO Aaron Jagdfeld said there was a "dramatic" increase in

the sales of Generac's ( GNRC ) residential segment after shipments to

Puerto Rico rose following widespread blackouts.

Sales in the residential segment, its biggest in terms of

sales, were up 6.6% from a year ago.

Jagdfeld also said demand from the company's industrial and

telecom customers remains strong and that there was a "strong

initial reception" to its entry into the power-hungry data

centre market during the quarter.

The Waukesha, Wisconsin-based company's commercial and

industrial (C&I) business segment posted a 5.2% rise in

quarterly sales from a year ago.

Its total net sales for the quarter ended June 30 was $1.06

billion, beating estimates of $1.03 billion, according to data

compiled by LSEG.

Gross profit margin in the second quarter was 39.3%,

compared with 37.6% a year ago.

It expects full-year net income margin to range between 7.5%

and 8.5%, compared with previous guidance range of 6.5% to 8.5%.

But Generac ( GNRC ) narrowed its annual net sales growth forecast to

between 2% and 5%, from its prior guidance of flat to 7%, citing

lower than anticipated price increases in the second half of the

year due to tariffs.

Adjusted quarterly net income per share came in at $1.65,

above analysts' expectations of $1.32.