GPC Misses Street EPS Estimate

Genuine Parts Company reported earnings per share of $1.17, $0.04 less than the Street consensus but $0.09 better than year-ago EPS. The Street was expecting better performance from Genuine Parts’ office products and electrical wholesale operations. With the automotive group performing well and our expectation that the industrial and electrical/electronic (EIS) groups should improve as the year progresses, plus the accretion from the Exego acquisition, … Continue reading GPC Misses Street EPS Estimate

FWRD 2Q Consolidated Revenue Increased

Forward Air’s FWRD second-quarter consolidated revenue increased 8% but was roughly flat when excluding the addition of TQI, which was acquired in March. The core airport-to-airport business fell 5% from last year, driven by 3% deterioration in total yield and a low-single-digit fall in tonnage. A large portion of the revenue decline relates to a previously announced customer loss ($6 million impact). Forward Air Solutions … Continue reading FWRD 2Q Consolidated Revenue Increased

STO Second Quarter Production Has Modest Rise

Santos’s second-quarter production rose 2% to 12.4 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe), marginally below expectations, and full-year 2013 production guidance has been reduced by 3% to between 52 and 55 mmboe. The decline reflects deferred oil and gas production from Chim Sao in Vietnam due to power system constraints, steeper than- expected natural field decline at Sangu, and deferred Carnarvon production due to poor … Continue reading STO Second Quarter Production Has Modest Rise

Nokia Earnings Show Some Bright Spots

Nokia’s second-quarter earnings report had a couple of bright spots but was mostly concerning as the firm’s mobile phone business continues to languish.  The favorable view of Nokia’s pending acquisition of the remainder of its Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) joint venture is mostly offset by a rapidly deteriorating basic phone market and only modest Windows Lumia phone adoption to date. Nokia sold 7.4 million Lumia … Continue reading Nokia Earnings Show Some Bright Spots

MAT Adapting to Consumers

Mattel MAT continues to adapt to children’s demands, innovating new products tailored to changing tastes. With a number of new franchises coming on line in 2013 (including Ever After High and Max Steel), the company will maintain the wide brand recognition it has captured over numerous decades, keeping its narrow rating intact. While second-quarter results fell short of expectations,  the rest of the year will … Continue reading MAT Adapting to Consumers

Smith & Nephew Counters Soft 1Q Reconstructive Sales with Strength in Wound Management

Smith & Nephew SNN posted first-quarter results that were largely consistent with our expectations, and we are standing behind our fair value estimate of $58 per share. As we had suspected, the growth of reconstructive products slowed considerably as Smith & Nephew’s new product cycle is waning just as competitors are launching new products. Nonetheless, the firm plans to launch its new knee system later … Continue reading Smith & Nephew Counters Soft 1Q Reconstructive Sales with Strength in Wound Management