Roper Technologies (ROP) Beats On Q1 Earnings, Ups '18 View

Roper Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:ROP) reported first-quarter 2018 adjusted earnings of $2.61 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.49 and improved 24% on a year-over-year basis.

Adjusted revenues of $1.2 billion rose 9% year over year, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.16 billion. Organic revenues grew 6%, while acquisitions/divestitures contributed 1% to the top-line growth.

The company enjoyed exceptional operational execution and broad-based growth in all its segments. The company’s software and network businesses maintained the momentum and the product businesses delivered robust growth as well as strong operating leverage.

Segment Details

For the quarter, Medical & Scientific Imaging revenues increased 5.2% year over year to $366.3 million, while RF Technology revenues surged 12.1% from the year-ago quarter to $481.6 million.

Industrial Technology revenues increased 17.8% year over year to $216.1 million. Also, revenues from Energy Systems & Controls grew 10.7% year over year to $138.5 million.

Adjusted gross margin expanded 30 basis points (bps) to 62.5% in the quarter.

Roper Technologies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Segment wise, Medical & Scientific Imaging, Industrial Technology and gross margins contracted 100 bps and 50 bps, respectively. However, RF Technology and Energy Systems & Controls gross margins expanded 410 bps and 40 bps, respectively.

Guidance

Buoyed by the robust performance, Roper Technologies raised 2018 guidance. The company expects adjusted earnings between $11.08 and $11.32, up from the previous range of $10.88-$11.20.

For second-quarter 2018, Roper Technologies projects adjusted earnings between $2.65 and $2.71 per share.

Conclusion

Roper Technologies holds a dominant position in most of the markets where it operates. The company has an optimum mix of highly-engineered and niche-oriented products, which help it gain market share. We are optimistic about the company’s expansion strategy, primarily through accretive acquisitions.

Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider

Roper Technologies carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). A few other better-ranked stocks in the broader space include IDEX Corp. (NYSE:IEX) , Kadant Inc. (NYSE:KAI) and Manitex International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MNTX) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

IDEX Corporation has a solid earnings surprise history for the trailing four quarters, beating estimates each time for an average of 4.8%.

Manitex International has a decent earnings surprise history, with an average beat of 137.5% over the last four quarters, beating estimates twice.

Kadant generated an impressive average earnings surprise 18.9% for the same time frame, beating estimates all through.

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