ALV Stronger Than Predicted

Autoliv reported stronger than expected second-quarter earnings per share of $1.48, besting the Street consensus by $0.10 and $0.09 higher than the year-ago $1.39 EPS. Owing to an anemic European new car market, analysts were also expecting Autoliv to report flattish earnings for the quarter. The company’s like-for-like European revenue increased by 4% compared with a 4% decline in new car registrations. Management also raised … Continue reading ALV Stronger Than Predicted

STERV Sees Loss in Paper and Writing Segment

In the second quarter, Finnish forest products company Stora Enso had a surprising loss in its Paper and Writing segment. Even though the secular headwinds for publishing paper in Europe are well known, Stora had previously been able to turn a consistent profit in the business in recent years. Management says it is stepping up its cost-cutting efforts in response to the loss, but many … Continue reading STERV Sees Loss in Paper and Writing Segment

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

Lower Impairment Charges Boost Danske Bank’s First-Quarter Results

Danske Bank DANSKE reported net profit of DKK 1.5 billion for first quarter 2013 (DKK 1.5 per share), higher than year ago profit of DKK 783 million (DKK 0.8 per share). Return on equity for first quarter 2013 equaled 4.3% compared with 2.5% a year ago. With much lower impairment charges in its non-core Ireland segment, overall profitability improved despite lower net interest income. With … Continue reading Lower Impairment Charges Boost Danske Bank’s First-Quarter Results