Is it true that multi-industry players are not worth a look? Let’s have a look at earnings reviews of some of the players in this space.
Earnings Reviews
A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS)’s performance during the second quarter of 2013 was relatively solid given the continued improvements in the US market alongside solid performance in China during the quarter. Although issues regarding the availability of credit in China have begun to creep in, this was not appropriately reflected in the company’s guidance for 2013. The company now expects its earnings per share to improve to a range of $1.84 – $1.90, a 20% increase from its 2012 levels.
In the US, April water heater statistics (the most recently available) had already given a hint of a strong start to the second quarter as residential water heater installations were up 27% while commercial units increased 17%. This follows 7% and 15% growth in the first quarter for residential and commercial units respectively.
In terms of operating margins, the company posted a margin of 11.8% that highlighted an increase of 110 basis points (on a year-over-year basis) due to gains in its North America and Rest of the World segments. While this was a material improvement when compared to results for the previous year, this was slightly down from the first quarter’s adjusted operating margin; this was primarily due to lower commercial water heater sales as a percentage of the mix. The second quarter’s performance experienced some modest operating inefficiencies which impacted earnings before interest and tax by $4 million.
Many analysts keenly listened to the company’s commentary on China. The company announced that it expects an 18% growth in revenues from China. Given the terrific figures for the first half of the year in this region, however, it can be easily inferred that the growth will decline to the low double digits in the second half of the year as a result of tighter housing regulations introduced by the local government.
Another beat
The very next day, Kaydon Corporation (NYSE:KDN), another multi-industry player, reported earnings results that topped the estimates. This came as a surprise for bears that had expected the company to miss its earnings on the basis of headwinds in Europe, power generation and the heavy equipment business.
Cash generation remains a focus for investors. As Kaydon Corporation (NYSE:KDN)’s primary means of capital redeployment has been for dividends (currently paying a dividend yield of 2.76%), any indication of future dividend policy changes would boost clarity and be well received by the investment community. The company’s free cash flow status improved in this quarter as FCF/revenues came out to be 16%, as compared to 11% in the same quarter previous year.
Merger and acquisition activity is likely on hold for the company in the near-term. Given the company’s modest debt levels (20% net debt/total capital) and limited changes in the M&A environment since the first quarter, the Street does not expect any indications of M&A activity from Kaydon Corporation (NYSE:KDN).
