AMETEK (AME) Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates, Lags Revenues

AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) reported second-quarter 2019 adjusted earnings of $1.05 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a couple of cents and came ahead of management’s guided range of $1.00-$1.02. The figure also increased 14.1% from the year-ago quarter and 5% sequentially.

Robust organic growth and positive contributions from acquisitions drove the bottom line.

Net sales increased 7% on a year-over-year basis and 0.13% sequentially to $1.29 billion. However, revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.32 billion.

The company recorded organic sales growth of 3% in the reported quarter. Notably, improved operational activities and strong segmental performance aided the results.

We believe that the proper execution of its four core growth strategies of operational excellence, global market expansion, investments in product development and acquisitions is expected to lead to business growth in the near term as well as in the long haul.

AMETEK, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Top Line in Detail

AMETEK reports sales under two organized segments — Electronic Instruments Group (“EIG”) and Electromechanical Group (“EMG”).

EIG (63.6% of total sales): The company generated $820.2 million of sales from this segment, which reflected 10% growth from the year-ago quarter. Benefits from acquisitions of Motec, Forza, Telular and Spectro Scientific drove year-over-year growth in this segment. Organic sales in the reported quarter remained positive in this segment.

EMG (36.4% of sales): This segment generated $469.2 million of sales in the second quarter, which increased 1% on a year-over-year basis. Top-line improvement in this segment can be primarily attributed to solid organic sales growth.

Operating Details

In the second quarter, operating margin was 22.9%, up 60 basis points from the year-ago figure. Segment wise, operating margins for EIG and EMG were 26% and 21.5%, respectively.

Selling, general and administrative expenses —as a percentage of sales —were 12.1%, expanding 5.6% from the year-ago quarter.

Balance Sheet

At the end of the second quarter, cash and cash equivalents were $567.9 million, up from $368.1 million in the comparable prior-year quarter.

Long-term debt was $2.37 billion, flat withthe first quarter.

Guidance

For third-quarter 2019, AMETEK expects sales to grow in high-single digits on a year-over-year basis. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales is pegged at $1.30 billion.

For 2019, the company anticipates total sales to grow in high-single digits and organic sales to rise 3-5% from a year ago. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for total sales is pegged at $5.25 billion.

AMETEK has upwardly revised its adjusted earnings per share guidance from $3.98-$4.08 to $4.04-$4.10, indicating growth of 10-12% from the 2018 reported figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings is pegged at $4.08.

Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

AMETEK currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader technology sector include Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) , Teradyne, Inc. (NASDAQ:TER) and eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Long-term earnings growth for Alibaba, Teradyne and eBay is currently projected at 26.8%, 11.4% and 9.4%, respectively.

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