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Global stocks

Company books multiple records which results in increase of its fair value estimate

investment stockbroker risk analysis. Financial analysis using phone app and laptop. Market trading profit.

Business Strategy and Outlook:

Stifel Financial, along with other investment banks, had relatively strong revenue in 2020 that has been sustained in 2021 as economic uncertainty led to strong trading volume. Additionally, an initial need for capital in the recession and then low interest rates and a strong stock market led to high capital-raising activity.

Stifel Financial has a long history of being an active acquirer. The company ended 2020 with a Tier 1 leverage ratio of about 12% compared with a previously targeted 10%. With several hundred million dollars of arguably excess capital, the company could make some decent-size acquisitions. Barring growth through acquisitions, as valuations may be too high for most investment banks and investment managers, the company may see some growth from a renewed commitment to its independent advisor business.

Financial Strength:

Stifel’s financial health is fairly good. At the end of 2020, the company had approximately $1.1 billion of corporate debt and over $2 billion of cash on its balance sheet. Its next large debt maturity is $500 million in 2024.The company’s total leverage is less than 8, which is fair considering the mix of its investment banking and traditional banking operations. At the end of 2020, Stifel was at its disclosed target of a 11.9% Tier 1 leverage ratio. Given that its Tier 1 leverage ratio is above management’s previously stated target of 10%, the company should resume more material share repurchases or pursue acquisitions. Stifel has a history of making opportunistic acquisitions.

Bulls Say:

  • Stifel’s string of acquisitions has increased operational scale and expertise. 
  • Stifel is an experienced acquirer and integrator. A recession could provide ample acquisition opportunities. 
  • Net interest income growth over the previous several years at the company’s bank materially expanded wealth management operating margins, and the increased size of the bank and wealth management business provides diversification with its institutional securities business.

Company Profile:

Stifel Financial is a middle-market-focused investment bank that produces more than 90% of its revenue in the United States. Approximately 60% of the company’s net revenue is derived from its global wealth management division, which supports over 2,000 financial advisors, with the remainder coming from its institutional securities business. Stifel has a history of being an active acquirer of other financial service firms.

(Source: Morningstar)

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Dividend Stocks

J.B. Hunt’s Intermodal Rate Backdrop Holding Strong, Comfortably Offsetting Volume Constraints

Business Strategy and Outlook

At its core, J.B. Hunt is an intermodal marketing company; it contracts with the Class I railroads for the line-haul movement of its domestic containers. It was one of the first for-hire truckload carriers to venture into intermodal shipping, forming a partnership with Burlington Northern Santa Fe in the West in 1990. Years later, it struck an agreement with Norfolk Southern in the East. Hunt has established a clear leadership position in intermodal shipping, with a 20%-plus share of a $22 billion-plus industry. The next-largest competitor is Hub Group, followed by Schneider National’s intermodal division and XPO Logistics’ intermodal unit. Intermodal made up slightly less than half of Hunt’s total revenue in 2021.

Hunt isn’t immune to downturns, but over the past decade-plus it’s reduced its exposure to the more capital-intensive truckload-shipping sector, which represents about 28% of sales (including for-hire and dedicated-contract business) versus 60% in 2005. Hunt is also shifting its for-hire truckload division to more of an asset-light model via its drop-trailer offering while investing meaningfully in asset-light truck brokerage and final-mile delivery. 

Rates in the competing truckload market corrected in 2019, driving down intermodal’s value proposition relative to trucking. Thus, 2019 was a hangover year and fallout from pandemic lockdowns pressured container volume into early 2020. However, truckload capacity has since tightened drastically, contract pricing is rising nicely across all modes, and underlying intermodal demand has rebounded sharply on the spike in retail goods consumption (intermodal cargo is mostly consumer goods) and heavy retailer restocking. Hunt is grappling with near-term rail network congestion that’s constraining volume growth, but the firm is working diligently with the rails and customers to minimize the issue. It is  expected that 2.5%-3.0% U.S. retail sales growth and conversion trends to support 3.0%-3.5% industry container volume expansion longer term, with 2.0%-2.5% pricing gains on average, though Hunt’s intermodal unit should modestly outperform those trends given its favorable competitive positioning.

Financial Strength

J.B. Hunt enjoys a strong balance sheet and is not highly leveraged. It had total debt near $1.3 billion and debt/EBITDA of about 1 times at the end of 2021, roughly in line with the five-year average. EBITDA covered interest expense by a very comfortable 35 times in 2021, and we expect Hunt will have no problems making interest or principal payments during our forecast period. Hunt posted more than $350 million in cash at the end of 2021, up from $313 million at the end of 2020. Historically, Hunt has held modest levels of cash, in part because of share-repurchase activity and its preference for organic growth (including investment in new containers and chassis, for example) over acquisitions. For reference, it posted $7.6 million in cash and equivalents at the end of 2018 and $14.5 million in 2017. The company generates consistent cash flow, which has historically been more than sufficient to fund capital expenditures for equipment and dividends, as well as a portion of share-repurchase activity. It is expected that the trend will persist. Net capital expenditures will jump to $1.5 billion in 2022 as the firm completes its intermodal container expansion efforts, but after that it should also have ample room for debt reduction in the years ahead, depending on its preference for share buybacks. Overall,  Hunt will mostly deploy cash to grow organically, while taking advantage of opportunistic tuck-in acquisitions (a deal in dedicated or truck brokerage isn’t out of the question, but it is  suspected that the final mile delivery niche is most likely near term). 

Bulls Say’s

  • Intermodal shipping enjoys favorable long-term trends, including secular constraints on truckload capacity growth and shippers’ efforts to minimize transportation costs through mode conversions (truck to rail). 
  • It is believed intermodal market share in the Eastern U. S. still has room for expansion, suggesting growth potential via share gains from shorter-haul trucking. 
  • J.B. Hunt’s asset-light truck brokerage unit is benefiting from strong execution, deep capacity access, and tight market capacity. It’s also moved quickly in terms of boosting back-office and carrier sourcing automation.

Company Profile 

J.B. Hunt Transport Services ranks among the top surface transportation companies in North America by revenue. Its primary operating segments are intermodal delivery, which uses the Class I rail carriers for the underlying line-haul movement of its owned containers (45% of sales in 2021); dedicated trucking services that provide customer-specific fleet needs (21%); for-hire truckload (7%); heavy goods final-mile delivery (6%), and asset-light truck brokerage (21%).

(Source: MorningStar)

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Global stocks Shares

Rollins well positioned to fend off mounting inflationary pressures in 2022

Business Strategy and Outlook

Rollins’ strategy aims to further reinforce the density benefits afforded to its market-leading operations in the highly localized pest-control services markets, which it competes in, across North America. Ever-improving unit costs are offered by economies of density in each regional market in which Rollins operates. Rollins seeks to continue to amass these benefits via organic growth and continued focus on tuck-in acquisitions aimed at rolling up the fragmented North American pest-control service market. Recent investments in route optimization technology exemplify Rollins’ cost-out strategy, the continued roll-out of which is likely to widen EBIT margins. 

A sustainable cost advantage has accrued to Rollins as result of execution of the business’ strategy, leading to our wide-moat designation. Pest-control acquisitions and continuing focus on cost-out initiatives are key to the strategy. Nonetheless, Rollins remains equally focused on the defense of its leading North American market positions, noting the loss of customers quickly unwinds the operating-margin-widening benefits of density. Rollins requires annual training of all of pest-control technicians, while also limiting its own organic market share gains to maintain strong service levels and customer satisfaction.

Financial Strength

Rollins’ typically conservative balance sheet is in good health, sitting in a net debt position of $50 million at the end of 2021, or 0.1 times net debt/EBITDA. Rollins takes a highly prudent approach to the use of debt, typically using it only to act opportunistically when a quality acquisition target is in play and using subsequent operating cash flow to promptly retire debt. Alternatively, returning surplus capital to shareholders could also be considered. Rollins maintains $425 million in debt facilities, which provide the group with an additional source of liquidity. The facilities carry a leverage covenant of 3.0 times net debt/EBITDA and matures in April 2024.

Wide-moat Rollins capped off an already impressive 2021 performance with a strong fourth-quarter showing. 2021 adjusted EBITDA of $546 million tracked 2% ahead of our full-year expectations. On a constant-currency basis, full year organic sales grew at an elevated 8.7%, aligning with our expectations for a strong cyclical recovery in pest control demand in 2021. Tuck-in acquisitions added 2.7% in additional top-line growth in 2021 and drove the business’ modest outperformance relative to our revenue and earnings forecasts. Otherwise, Rollins’ late 2021 performance tracked in line with our long-term expectations for the U.S. pest control industry leader. 

Bulls Say’s 

  • The recent uptick in capital allocated to tuck-in acquisitions is likely to continue, supporting economies of scale and boosting operating margins. 
  • Phase 2 of the route optimization technology rollout looks to further widen Rollins’ EBIT margin. 
  • Increasing per-capita spending on pest control should support Rollins’ organic growth at a mid-single-digit clip.

Company Profile 

Rollins is a global leader in route-based pest-control services, with operations spanning North, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Australia. Its portfolio of pest-control brands includes the prominent Orkin brand, market leader in the U.S.–where it boasts near national coverage–and in Canada. Residential pest and termite prevention predominate the services provided by Rollins, owing to the group’s ongoing focus on U.S. and Canadian markets. 

(Source: Morningstar)

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Dividend Stocks

Citigroup Remains a Complex and Developing Story

Business Strategy and Outlook

Citigroup has large trading, investment banking, international corporate banking, and credit card operations. The bank’s best performing business is its Institutional Clients Group, or ICG, unit, where the bank’s commercial banking and capital markets operations have scale and a unique global footprint that few can replicate. Citigroup is currently in the middle of a major strategic shift and remains a complex story. The bank is selling off multiple consumer units throughout APAC, will eventually sell its consumer unit in Mexico, and is refocusing on its core ICG unit, North American Consumer, and global wealth. At the end of this process, Morningstar analysts think the bank will be easier to understand, structurally more focused, and will likely have a marginally better return profile, however Morningstar analysts think the bank will still structurally trail its peers from a profitability standpoint.

The bank also has operational issues to solve, which the Revlon payment fiasco and resultant regulatory scrutiny highlighted once again. New CEO Jane Fraser has promised to redouble efforts to clean up internal regulatory issues. In the meantime, the bank has less sensitivity to interest rates than peers and expenses are on the rise as the bank invests in its ICG unit and in regulatory initiatives. Morningstar analysts see Citigroup taking some time before returns are better optimized.

After updating  projections with the latest quarterly results, Morningstar analysts are maintaining a fair value estimate of $83 per share. Morningstar analysts had initially thought to raise its fair value estimate due to no longer incorporating a tax rate hike, however a reevaluation of revenue growth assumptions largely balanced out the benefit of the lower tax rate. Thus, fair value is equivalent to just over 1 times tangible book value per share as of December 2021.

Financial Strength 

As per Morningstar analyst, Citigroup is in sound financial health. Its common equity Tier 1 ratio stood at 12.2% as of December 2021. The bank’s supplementary leverage ratio was 5.7%, in excess of the minimum of 5%. Citigroup’s liabilities are prudently diversified, with just over half of its assets funded by deposits and the remainder of liabilities made up of long-term debt, repurchase agreements, commercial paper, and trading liabilities. Roughly $19 billion in preferred stock was outstanding as of December 2021.

The capital allocation plan for Citigroup is now fairly standard, with the bank generally targeting for roughly 25% of earnings to be devoted to dividends, with share buybacks being flexible in response to the investment needs of the business. As the bank sells off businesses and frees up capital, there could be more room for repurchases, however how much the bank requires for further investment into the business remains an open question.

Bulls Say

  • Citigroup is in the middle of a strategic repositioning, taking major moves such as selling off its consumer business in Mexico and reinvesting in its strong points, ICG and wealth. Citigroup may finally emerge as a structurally improved franchise. 
  • Citigroup remains uniquely exposed to card loan growth and global transaction and trade volumes. As card loans hopefully eventually rebound and as the global economy recovers, these should drive revenue growth for the bank. 
  • Citigroup’s stock is not expensive, trading at less than tangible book value, not a hard hurdle to clear.

Company Profile

Citigroup is a global financial services company doing business in more than 100 countries and jurisdictions. Citigroup’s operations are organized into two primary segments: the global consumer banking segment, which provides basic branch banking around the world, and the institutional clients group, which provides large customers around the globe with investment banking, cash management, and other products and services.

 (Source: Morningstar)

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
LICs LICs

Cadence final quarter performance for the calender year 2021

On 17 November 2021, CDO listed on the ASX. The Company raised $15.55m as part of the IPO Offer, issuing 5.6m shares at a price of $2.7716 per share (the mid-point of the of the NTA at 31 October 2021). The Company has 15.06m shares on issue and a market cap of $41.9m as at 30 November 2021.

The average stock in the ASX 200 is down over 15% whilst the index is down only 1%. Generally speaking, larger capitalization value-style stocks have held up well whilst smaller capitalisation and growth-style stocks have experienced significant retracement and a reversal in trend.

CDO provides exposure to an actively managed long/short portfolio, with a long bias, of Australian and international securities. Cadence Asset Management Pty Limited (Cadence) is the Manager of the portfolio. Cadence manages the portfolio of Cadence Capital Limited, which listed in 2006, using a similar investment philosophy and process that is used for the CDO portfolio.  The Company has two stated investment objectives: (1) provide capital growth through investment cycles; and (2) provide fully franked dividends, subject to the Company having sufficient profit reserves and franking credits and it being within prudent business practices.

Cadence Opportunities Fund was down 2.1% in December, compared to the All Ordinaries Accumulation Index which was up 2.7% for the month. The Company has had a strong start to FY22 with the fund up 21.1% over the first six months of the year, outperforming the All Ordinaries Accumulation Index by 16.5%.

The Board has declared a 7.5 cents fully franked half year dividend, an annualised increase of 25% on last year’s ordinary dividends, reflecting the strong performance of the company over the current year. The current share price is $2.92 and interim dividend equates to a 5.1% annualised fully franked yield or a 7.3% gross yield. 

 (Source: FN Arena)

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Dividend Stocks

Heavier Than Expected Content Investment Dents AT&T’s 2022 Outlook; FVE Down to $35

Business Strategy and Outlook

AT&T is the third largest wireless carrier in the U.S. Morningstar analyst believe that AT&T management is now putting the firm on the right path, shedding assets and refocusing on the telecom business, investing aggressively to extend its fiber and 5G networks to more locations, which will build on the firm’s core strengths. The complexity of the Warner transaction and the intensity of this investment will likely create a bumpy ride over the next couple years, but it is  believed that patience will be rewarded.

AT&T also benefits from its ownership of deep network infrastructure across much of the U.S. and its ability to provide a range of telecom services, particularly among enterprise customers. The plan to extend fiber to at least 3 million homes and businesses annually through at least 2025 builds on this position and should allow it to serve those locations directly and enhance wireless coverage in the surrounding areas.

Also, Morningstar analysts believe that the T-Mobile merger greatly improved the industry’s structure, leaving three players with little incentive to price irrationally in search of short-term market share gains. We don’t believe Dish Network presents a credible threat to the traditional wireless business. AT&T is also positioned to benefit as Dish builds out a wireless network as the firm recently signed a 10-year wholesale agreement that generates revenue for AT&T and gives it access to Dish spectrum.

Heavier Than Expected Content Investment Dents AT&T’s 2022 Outlook; FVE Down to $35

AT&T posted mixed fourth-quarter results and 2022 expectations. The wireless business continues to perform well, attracting customers at a solid clip. Management still expects to deliver at least 3% wireless service revenue growth in 2022, in line with Verizon’s forecast. Overall, the firm expects to generate $23 billion of free cash flow this year, down from $27 billion in 2021, reflecting heavy investments in networks and content, which as per Morningstar analysts believe are necessary to protect and build on its narrow economic moat. Thus, lowering fair value estimate to $35 from $36 but still believe the shares are substantially undervalued.

Financial Strength 

AT&T ended 2020 with net debt of $148 billion, down from $177 billion immediately after the Time Warner acquisition closed in mid-2018. The firm’s purchase of C-band spectrum for $23 billion, partially offset by the proceeds from assets sales, pushed the net debt load back up to $156 billion as of the end of 2021, taking net leverage to 3.2 times EBITDA from 2.7 times. This load is far higher than the firm has operated under in the past.In addition, the firm has issued more than $5 billion of general preferred shares. The WarnerMedia spin-off will take $43 billion of debt with it. Coupled with an additional $9 billion spectrum purchase in early 2022, AT&T will carry about $120 billion in net debt after the deal closes, which management expects will shake out in the range of 2.6 times EBITDA. That debt load compares favorably versus Verizon and reasonably well against T-Mobile. The firm plans to continue repaying debt, pulling net leverage below 2.5 times by the end of 2023, a year sooner than it had previously expected. The firm will use the Warner spin-off to adjust its dividend policy, targeting a payout of around 40% of free cash flow, down from more than 70% in 2021 (by our calculation), leaving substantial excess cash to reduce leverage or take advantage of opportunities, including share repurchases. In total, management will target a payout of around $8 billion-$9 billion annually, down from $15 billion in 2021. Morningstar analysts consider this policy makes sense, as it contemplates a sizable increase in network investment, notably in fiber infrastructure, which we believe is important to AT&T’s long-term health.

Bulls Say

  • AT&T has pulled together assets no telecom company can match. The firm has direct contact with more than 170 million customers across various products, providing an opportunity to build deeper relationships. 
  • Within the wireless business, AT&T holds the scale needed to remain a strong competitor over the long term. With Sprint and T-Mobile merging, industry pricing should be more rational going forward.
  • WarnerMedia holds a broad array of content rights and has a strong reputation with content creators. Shareholders will own 71% of this firm after it merges with Discovery

Company Profile

Wireless is AT&T’s largest business, contributing about 40% of revenue. The firm is the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier, connecting 66 million postpaid and 17 million prepaid phone customers. WarnerMedia contributes a bit less than 20% of revenue with media assets that include HBO, the Turner cable networks, and the Warner Brothers studios. AT&T plans to spin Warner off and merge it with Discovery to create a new stand-alone media firm. The firm recently sold a 30% stake in its traditional television business, which serves 15 million customers and generates about 17% of sales. This business will be removed from AT&T’s financials going forward. Fixed-line telecom services provided to businesses and consumers account for about 20% of revenue, serving about 15 million broadband customers.

 (Source: Morningstar)

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Technology Stocks

Amphenol Expanding Technological and Geographical Breadth through M&A

Business Strategy and Outlook

It is seen Amphenol is a differentiated connector supplier, an excellent operator, and an exceptional steward of shareholder capital. Amphenol competes against myriad competitors in the fragmented electrical component industry, but its broad array of diverse end markets allows it to grow the top line even in the midst of an individual market downturn. It is also viewed the firm’s unique ability to effect cost controls gives it the highest operating margins of its peer group, and allows it to quickly bring its numerous acquisitions up to firmwide profitability. 

It is held, Amphenol provides connectors with high performance and reliability that are specialized for mission-critical applications in harsh environments. As such, it is alleged its customer relationships tend to be very sticky, with customers facing high financial and opportunity costs from switching to another component supplier, as well as higher risk of component failure. It is supposed Amphenol’s customers rely on the firm as a design partner to supply cutting-edge products and enable new capabilities in end applications. As older products become commoditized, the firm is able to maintain high prices with new designs for new sockets. As a result of these switching costs and pricing power, it is made-up Amphenol possesses a narrow economic moat. 

Going forward, it is likely Amphenol to maintain its diversified end market structure and expand its technological and geographic breadth through M&A, which has funded about one third of historical top line growth for the firm. Specifically, it is potential the firm will focus its resources on opportunities that expand its content in individual end products, allowing it to grow revenues at a faster pace than the underlying markets it serves. As Amphenol grows, it is observed it will maintain its best-in-class operating margins by expanding its decentralized organizational structure. The firm operates through more than 125 general managers that operate with great autonomy to respond to end customers’ needs and manage costs, and it is pragmatic this count will grow as the firm adds acquisitions and expands into new markets.

Financial Strength

It is perceived Amphenol is in good financial shape. As of its fiscal year-end on Dec. 31, 2021, the firm carried $4.8 billion in total debt, compared with $1.2 billion in cash and short-term investments. While the firm is leveraged, it is alleged, it generates ample cash to fulfil its obligations. Amphenol has less than $500 million due annually over the next four years, and it has averaged over $1 billion in free cash flow since 2017, generating $1.2 billion in free cash flow in 2021. It is foreseen the firm to average $2 billion in free cash flow over explicit forecast. If the firm were to run into a liquidity squeeze, it has a $2.5 billion revolver available that is currently untapped. It is not anticipated the firm needing to drawdown this credit line, though it has the option to if it wanted to supplement its cash for a larger acquisition. It is believed it will use the excess cash it generates over the next five years to maintain its dividend, conduct opportunistic share repurchases, and make tuck-in acquisitions.

 Bulls Say’s

  • No industry vertical represents more than 25% of Amphenol’s revenue, which insulates it from individual end market downturns. 
  • Amphenol’s organizational structure, featuring more than 120 general managers who operate with high levels of autonomy, gives it an unparalleled ability to control costs and maintain industry-leading margins. 
  • Amphenol benefits from sticky customer relationships, arising from its specialization in mission-critical applications for harsh conditions.

Company Profile 

Amphenol is a leading designer and manufacturer of electrical, electronic, and fiber-optic connectors and interconnect systems, sensors, and cable. The firm sells into a broad array of industries, including the automotive, industrial, communications, military, and mobile device markets, and no single market makes up more than 25% of the firm’s total annual revenue.

(Source: MorningStar)

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Shares Small Cap

Oshkosh to Focus on Driving Product Innovation and Aftermarket Offering

Portrait of handsome man smiling and listening to female manager while discussing contract in meeting, copy space

Business Strategy and Outlook

It is alleged, Oshkosh will continue to be a leading player across its end markets. The company’s enviable competitive positioning is underpinned by its ability to produce strong performing products that exhibit high durability. Remarkably, Oshkosh has been able to replicate its brand strength in unrelated end markets, such as aerial lifts and commercial vehicles (military, fire, and emergency). Despite having very few synergies between its businesses, Oshkosh has been adept at implementing its technology across vehicle platforms. 

Going forward, it is foreseen the company’s strategy will largely be focused on driving product innovation and improving its aftermarket offering. In defense, Oshkosh has proven that it can develop innovative products for military customers. The joint light tactical vehicle, or JLTV, program is a prime example of its strength in the segment, which is essentially the replacement to the Humvee. Research and development investments allowed the company to win a lucrative contract from the U.S. Department of Defense in 2015. The contract is expected to be up for a recompete in late 2022, upon which the U.S. DOD will then reconsider alternatives. It is held, Oshkosh will win an extension given its strong product capabilities and performance. In addition, it is likely, the company is focused on growing its aftermarket business, which will help improve the profitability of its largely cyclical businesses. 

Finally, the company has exposure to end markets with near-term, attractive tailwinds. In access equipment, the recently passed infrastructure legislation will create demand for its aerial equipment over the medium term. Many of its customers are construction companies, which are direct beneficiaries of increased infrastructure spending. It is also understood, Oshkosh’s aerial equipment benefits from a replacement cycle. Rental customers typically refresh their fleet every 7-8 years, setting up strong revenue growth in the near term. It is regarded, the company’s emergency and commercial vehicle businesses will benefit from the replacement cycle. In defense, it is projected the JLTV program to drive steady sales growth, as military customers ramp up their vehicle fleet.

Financial Strength

Oshkosh maintains a sound balance sheet. Total debt at the end of 2021 stood at $819 million, which is roughly where the company’s debt balance has been over the past decade. It is unforeseen for Oshkosh to increase its debt levels, as management looks to be set on keeping its net leverage ratio under 2 times for the foreseeable future. It is often seen net leverage ratios spike when companies make large acquisitions, but in Oshkosh’s case, management will likely pursue small tuck-in deals. This will allow the company to expand its product capabilities, without stressing its balance sheet. Oshkosh’s strong balance sheet gives management the financial flexibility to run a balanced capital allocation strategy going forward that mostly favors organic growth and returns cash to shareholders. It is believed Oshkosh can generate solid free cash flow throughout the economic cycle. By midcycle year, it is projected the company to generate over $500 million in free cash flow, supporting its ability to return free cash flow to shareholders. Oshkosh’s capital allocation strategy includes both dividends and buybacks. The company began paying out a dividend in 2014 and has steadily grown it over time. With respect to repurchases, Oshkosh has returned $1.7 billion to shareholders since 2010. Looking ahead, it is anticipated more of the same from management, in addition to a greater focus on tuck-in deals to acquire new product capabilities. In terms of liquidity, it is held, the company can meet its near-term debt obligations given its strong cash balance. The company’s cash position as of year-end 2021 stood at just under $1 billion on its balance sheet. It is also found comfort in Oshkosh’s ability to tap into available lines of credit to meet any short-term needs. The company has access to $833 million in credit facilities. It is regarded, Oshkosh maintains a strong financial position supported by a clean balance sheet and strong free cash flow prospects.

 Bulls Say’s

  • Increased infrastructure spending in the U.S. and emerging markets could result in more aerial equipment purchases, driving higher revenue growth for Oshkosh. 
  • The U.S. DOD elects to stay with Oshkosh’s JLTV program following the recompete process in late 2022, providing strong revenue visibility through 2030. 
  • The average fleet age of Oshkosh’s emergency and commercial vehicles could lead customers to refresh their fleet with newer models, boosting Oshkosh’s sales.

Company Profile 

Oshkosh is the top producer of access equipment, specialty vehicles, and military trucks. It serves diverse end markets, where it is typically the market share leader in North America, or, in the case of JLG aerial work platforms, a global leader. After winning the contract to make the Humvee replacement, the JLTV in 2015, Oshkosh became the largest supplier of light defense trucks to the U.S. military. The company reports four segments—access equipment (42% of revenue), defense (32%), fire & emergency (15%), commercial (12%)—and it generated $7.9 billion in revenue in 2021. 

(Source: MorningStar)

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Technology Stocks

TE Connectivity Ltd. to grow its midcycle operating margins and enhance its cash flow

fintech icon on abstract financial technology background represent Blockchain and Fintech Investment Financial Internet Technology Concept.

Business Strategy and Outlook

TE Connectivity is a leading designer and manufacturer of connectors and sensors, supplying custom and semicustom solutions to a bevy of end markets in the transportation, industrial, and communications verticals. TE has maintained a leading share of the global connector market for the last decade, specifically dominating the automotive connector market, from which it derives more than 40% of revenue. While the firm’s entire business benefits from trends toward efficiency and connectivity, these are especially notable in cars, where shifts toward electric and autonomous vehicles provide lucrative opportunities for TE to sell into new vehicle sockets, like an onboard charger or advanced driver-assist system. 

TE’s products offer high performance and reliability for mission-critical applications in harsh environments. As such, its customer relationships tend to be very sticky, with customers facing high financial and opportunity costs from switching to another component supplier, as well as the risk of component failure in new products. TE’s customers also rely on the firm supplying cutting-edge products to power new capabilities in end applications. As older products become commoditized, the firm can maintain high prices with new innovations. As a result of these switching costs and pricing power, TE Connectivity possesses a narrow economic moat.

In the future, TE Connectivity will focus on increasing its dollar content in end applications across its end markets. TE’s products pave the way for greater electrification and connectivity in vehicles, planes, and factories, which allows the firm to occupy a greater portion of these end products’ electrical architectures. TE will remain a serial acquirer, bolting on smaller components players to expand its geographic and technological reach. Finally, TE is expected to continue expanding its margins via footprint consolidation, as it streamlines the fixed-asset portfolio it has gained over a decade of acquisitions

Financial Strength

TE Connectivity is expected to remain leveraged, using strong free cash flow to invest organically and inorganically, and to send capital back to shareholders. As of Sept. 24, 2021, the firm carried $4.1 billion in total debt and $1.2 billion in cash on hand. While the firm is leveraged, its cash flow generation will be more than able to fulfil its obligations. TE has less than $700 million a year in payments due through fiscal 2026, and it is projected to generate more than $2 billion in free cash flow annually over the next five years. Even in a severely soft macro environment in 2020, the firm generated $1.4 billion in free cash flow. After fulfilling its obligations, TE is expected to use the remainder of its cash to maintain its dividend and conduct share repurchases. The firm will remain leveraged, using extra capital for opportunistic acquisitions while using its heady cash flow to pay off its principal and interest.

Bulls Say’s

  • TE Connectivity is a leader in the automotive connector and sensor market, enabling OEMs to build more advanced and efficient electric and autonomous vehicles. 
  • TE’s products are specialized for mission-critical applications in harsh environments, where reliable performance creates sticky customer relationships. 
  • TE’s ongoing footprint consolidation should allow it to expand its midcycle operating margins and improve its cash flow.

Company Profile 

TE Connectivity is the largest electrical connector supplier in the world, supplying interconnect and sensor solutions to the transportation, industrial, and communications markets. With operations in 150 countries and over 500,000 stock-keeping units, TE Connectivity has a broad portfolio that forms the electrical architecture of its end customers’ cutting-edge innovations.

(Source: Morningstar)

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Dividend Stocks

Corning’s Q4 Reaffirms Expectations for Long-Term Growth Despite Short-Term Margin Pressure

Business Strategy and Outlook

Corning is a materials science behemoth with differentiated glass products for televisions, notebooks, mobile devices, wearables, optical fiber, cars, and pharmaceutical packaging. In its 170 years of operation, the company has constantly innovated (including inventing glass optical fiber and ceramic substrates for catalytic converters) and oriented itself toward evolving demand trends that it can serve through its core competency of materials science. 

Corning is able to use its scale to invest heavily in research and development–$1 billion or more per year–and spread these expenses across its five segments. Centralizing R&D allows the firm to manufacture products for a materially lower cost than its competitors, all while using this hefty investment to maintain an innovation lead that results in leading share positions in its end markets. Corning’s cost advantage and intangible assets result in a narrow economic moat.

Financial Strength

Narrow-moat Corning capped off the year with strong fourth-quarter results, coming in at the top end of its guidance ranges for the top and bottom lines. Corning’s fourth quarter–and 2021 in general–show the firm reaping the benefits of its diverse end-market exposure and enjoying broad-based demand. The firm uses a combination of debt and strong operating cash generation to fund its capital and debt obligations, and this trend to continue. As of Dec. 31, 2021, Corning had $7 billion in total long-term debt and $2.1 billion in cash on hand. While the firm is highly leveraged, it has the longest debt maturity of any S&P 500 company, with debt maturities upward of 20, 30 and 40 years.

Through 2026, the company has barely $1 billion coming due. Corning is a reliable generator of free cash flow, despite capital-intensive businesses. Since 2016, Corning has averaged more than $700 million in free cash flow each year, even with the impact of COVID-19 in 2020. After $1.8 billion in free cash flow in 2021, it is expected that at least $1 billion in annual free cash flow over our explicit forecast.

Bulls Say’s 

  • Corning boasts a leading share in four distinct end markets: display glass, optical fiber, cover glass, and emissions substrates/filters. 
  • Corning’s portfolio is aligned toward global secular trends of increasing connectivity and efficiency. 
  • Corning’s debt has the longest average time to maturity of the entire S&P 500, giving it ample time and liquidity to fulfill its obligations.

Company Profile 

Corning is a leader in materials science, specializing in the production of glass, ceramics, and optical fiber. The firm supplies its products for a wide range of applications, from flat-panel displays in televisions to gasoline particulate filters in automobiles to optical fiber for broadband access, with a leading share in many of its end markets.

(Source: Morningstar)

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Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.