Univar Inc. (NYSE:UNVR) logged a profit (on a reported basis) of $27 million or 19 cents per share in fourth-quarter 2017 as against a loss of $59.2 million or 43 cents a year ago.
Methanex Corporation (MEOH): Free Stock Analysis Report
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB): Free Stock Analysis Report
Univar Inc. (UNVR): Free Stock Analysis Report
Olympic Steel, Inc. (ZEUS): Free Stock Analysis Report
Original post
Zacks Investment Research
Barring one-time items, earnings came in at 34 cents per share in the quarter, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 26 cents.
The chemical maker’s revenues rose 8.1% year over year to $1,959.2 million in the quarter, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,849 million.
Gross profit rose around 7.6% year over year to $444.9 million in the quarter with gains witnessed across all segments. Adjusted EBITDA margin increased 20 basis points to 7.6%.
Full-Year 2017 Results
For full-year 2017, the company posted profits of $119.8 billion, or 85 cents per share, against a loss of $68.4 million, or 50 cents per share, reported in 2016. Adjusted earnings for the year came in at $1.39 per share, up 35% from $1.03 reported a year ago.
Univar reported revenues of around $8.3 billion in 2017, up around 2.5% from $8.1 billion reported in 2016.
Univar Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Segment Review
Revenues from the USA division increased 4.2% year over year to $1.1 billion in the reported quarter. Gross profit rose 5.7% year over year to $260.2 million.
Revenues from the Canada segment went up around 12.3% to $271.9 million. Gross profit rose roughly 5.4% to $58.1 million in the quarter.
The EMEA segment raked in sales of $460.9 million, up 16.9%. Gross profit rose around 13.7% to $104.6 million.
Sales from the Rest of World unit rose 5% to $96.3 million. Gross profit grew 9.5% year over year to $22 million.
Balance Sheet
Univar ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $467 million, up around 38.8% year over year. Long-term debt was $2,820 million, down around 0.9% year over year.
Outlook
For full-year 2018, Univar sees adjusted EBITDA growth of low-double digits and revenue growth of mid-single digit. For 2018, adjusted earnings have been forecast to be in the range of $1.60-$1.80 per share. Adjusted EBITDA for first-quarter 2018 is forecast to grow around 10%.
Price Performance
Univar has significantly outperformed the industry over the last three months. The company’s shares have moved up 7.4% over this period as against the industry’s gain of 1.3%.
Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider
Univar carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Some other top-ranked companies in the basic materials space are Olympic Steel, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZEUS) , Methanex Corporation (NASDAQ:MEOH) and LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE:LYB) , all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Olympic Steel has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 7.5%. Its shares rallied 34% over the past six months.
Methanex has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 15%. Its shares have gained roughly 22% over the past six months.
LyondellBasell has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 9%. Its shares have rallied around 23% over the past six months.
Don’t Even Think About Buying Bitcoin Until You Read This
The most popular cryptocurrency skyrocketed last year, giving some investors the chance to bank 20X returns or even more. Those gains, however, came with serious volatility and risk. Bitcoin sank 25% or more 3 times in 2017.
Zacks has just released a new Special Report to help readers capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly.
Methanex Corporation (MEOH): Free Stock Analysis Report
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB): Free Stock Analysis Report
Univar Inc. (UNVR): Free Stock Analysis Report
Olympic Steel, Inc. (ZEUS): Free Stock Analysis Report
Original post
Zacks Investment Research
3rd party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Investing.com. See disclosure here or
remove ads
.