Shares of Avnet Inc. AVT went down more than 6% on Apr 28, 2016, after the company reported lower-than-expected third-quarter fiscal 2016 revenues. Also, a not-so-encouraging fourth-quarter guidance impacted the share price.
Avnet reported third-quarter fiscal 2016 adjusted earnings of $1.01 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 98 cents per share. However, earnings were down from $1.04 per share reported in the year-ago quarter.
Quarter Details
Revenues of $6.175 billion not only decreased 8.3% from the year-ago quarter but also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.317 billion. Reported revenues also came toward the lower end of management’s guidance of $6 billion to $6.6 billion. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to lower-than-expected sales in Technology Solutions (TS) and Electronics Marketing (EM) business.
Segment wise, reported revenues from EM decreased 4.2% on a year-over-year basis and came in at $4.04 billion. On a constant currency basis, sales from EM decreased 3.3% year over year. The decrease was primarily due to lower sales in the Asian region (down 12.3% year over year). Also, a decline in Americas (down 3.6% year over year) impacted the performance of the segment. However, sales from EMEA region went up 6.3% year over year basis on a reported basis.
Revenues from TS on a reported basis decreased 15.3% from the year-ago quarter to $2.13 billion. On a constant currency basis, sales from TS decreased 12.9% year over year. The decrease in sales was primarily due to a 13.8% decrease in Americas and 14.1% decrease in the EMEA region. Also, a decline of 23.2% in the Asian region impacted the segmental decrease.
Gross profit decreased 4.9% year over year to $736.8 million due to lower revenue base. Gross margin however expanded 40 basis points (bps) and came in at 11.9%, primarily due to a favorable product mix.
Adjusted operating income decreased 10.9% from the year-ago quarter to $205.2 million owing to lower sales and unfavorable foreign exchange fluctuations. Operating margin came in at 3.3% compared with 3.4% reported in the year-ago quarter. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues increased 50 bps on a year-over-year basis.
Adjusted net income came in at $132.6 million or $1.01 per share compared with $143.5 million or $1.04 per share in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted net income excludes restructuring, integration and other charges, and amortization of intangible assets.
Avnet exited the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $1.04 billion compared with $916.1 million in the previous quarter. Avnet’s long-term debt was $1.61 billion. The company generated $297.1 million cash in operating activities during the first nine months of fiscal 2016.
It paid a dividend of $21.9 million (17 cents per share) during the quarter. Moreover, the company repurchased 3.7 million shares worth $145.7 million during the quarter. The company now has approximately $221.7 million remaining under the current share repurchase authorization program.
Guidance
For fourth quarter fiscal 2016, the company projects consolidated sales in the range of $5.95 billion to $6.55 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimates is pegged at $6.545 billion. Avnet projects EM and TS sales in the range of $3.90 billion–$4.20 billion and $2.05 billion–$2.35 billion, respectively.
Adjusted earnings per share (excluding restructuring and integration charges related to costs reductions and acquisitions and amortization of intangibles) are expected within 95 cents per share to $1.05 (mid-point $1.00 per share). The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.14 per share. The tax rate is likely to be in a range of 27%–31%.
Our Take
Avnet posted mixed third-quarter fiscal 2016 results, wherein the bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates but the top line lagged the same. Year-over-year comparisons on both the counts were unfavorable, primarily due to a decline in the TS and EM business. Also, the company provided a tepid guidance for the forthcoming quarter.
A significant portion of the company’s revenues comes from the sale of semiconductors, which is a cyclical industry, characterized by changes in technology and manufacturing capacity and is subject to significant market upturns and downturns.
Nonetheless, Avnet’s leading position in electronics distribution, continuous cost cutting initiatives and acquisition synergies are encouraging. However, competition from Arrow Electronics Inc. ARW and Ingram Micro IM remains a headwind.
Currently, Avnet has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
However, a better-ranked stock in the technology space is Intuit Inc. INTU, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
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