Interpublic (IPG) Misses Q1 Earnings & Revenue Estimates

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) reported weak first-quarter 2018 results with revenues and earnings lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Interpublic reported first-quarter 2018 GAAP loss of $14.1 million or loss of 4 cents per share against earnings of $24.7 million or 6 cents in the year-earlier quarter. Excluding non-recurring items, earnings of 3 cents missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1 cent.

Interpublic’s first-quarter 2018 net revenues of $1,774 million also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,793.1 million. However, the figure increased 5.9% year over year. The year-over-year growth was driven by favorable foreign currency movement of 3% and organic growth of 3.6%. There was a negative impact of 0.7% from net divestures.

First-quarter 2018 total revenues were $2,169.1 million, up 5.1% from the year-ago quarter.

Interpublic witnessed organic growth of 4.3% in the United States and 2.6% in international markets.

Operating Results

Operating income in first-quarter 2018 increased 11.8% year over year to $38.8 million. Operating margin on net revenue was 2.2% compared with 2.1% in the year-ago quarter. Operating margin on total revenue was 1.8% compared with 1.7% in the year-ago quarter. Operating expenses increased 5% from the year-ago quarter to $2,130.3 million.

Balance Sheet

Interpublic exited first-quarter 2018 with cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $597.4 million compared with $778.1 million in the year-ago quarter. As of Mar 31, 2018, total debt was $2.09 billion compared with $1.37 billion at the end of 2017.

Share Repurchase Program and Dividend

During the first quarter of 2018, the company repurchased 2.4 million shares at an aggregate cost of $54.9 million and an average price of $22.59 per share, including fees.

During the reported quarter, the company also declared and paid a cash dividend of 21 cents per share, aggregating $80.8 million.

2018 Outlook

Interpublic reaffirmed its target for 2018. The company expects organic revenue growth of 2% to 3% and operating margin expansion of 60 to 70 basis points from its restated 2017 results.

Zacks Rank & Upcoming Releases

Interpublic Group currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Investors interested in the broader Business Services sector are keenly awaiting first-quarter earnings reports from key players like Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISV) , Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) and Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) . While Fiserv and Verisk Analytics are slated to report quarterly numbers on May 1, Automatic Data Processing will release its results on May 2.

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