Economy
General Cable Posts Strong 2017 First Quarter Results
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
General Cable Corporation has released results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017 and during the period, it reported diluted earnings per share were $0.24, while the operating income stood at $24 million.
The Company generated adjusted earnings per share for the quarter of $0.27 and adjusted operating income of $45 million.
Commenting on the results, President and CEO of the firm, Mr Michael McDonnell, stated that, “We’re very pleased with our strong first quarter results. First quarter adjusted operating income was above expectations driven in part by the execution of our strategic initiatives in North America and substantial improvement in Latin America.
“We continue to be encouraged with the progress of North America as we execute our strategic roadmap. We expect to see improvement in Europe through the remainder of 2017 as we are continuing to address delays in a European restructuring project while also driving favourable performance in our land turn-key project business and improved backlog in our subsea project business.
“Overall, we are moving our businesses forward despite declines in certain key end markets over the recent past, and we maintain a positive outlook on our ability to execute against our roadmap in 2017.”
It was gathered that the reported operating income of $24 million and adjusted operating income of $45 million were up 16 percent and 7 percent, respectively, compared to the prior year period
Adjusted operating income of $45 million benefited from strong performance in North America, substantial improvement in our Latin America business, and rising metal prices
The company maintained significant liquidity with $317 million of availability on its asset based credit facility, while impact of metal prices was a $7 million benefit compared to a negative $4 million impact in the prior year period
Segment Demand
North America – Unit volume was even with the prior year as stronger demand for construction and industrial and specialty (I&S) products was offset by lower demand for rod products. Overall in the first quarter of 2017, demand for our products in construction and I&S markets was up 18% and 6%, respectively, year over year. Demand year over year for electric utility products was stable.
Europe – Unit volume was relatively flat as stronger demand for electric utility products including land-based turnkey projects as well as energy cables helped to offset the easing performance of the Company’s submarine turnkey project business and continued weak demand for industrial and construction projects throughout the region.
Latin America – Unit volume remained relatively flat as increased shipments of aerial transmission cables in Brazil were offset by the continued pressure across the portfolio driven by uneven spending on electric infrastructure and construction projects.
Net Debt
At the end of the first quarter of 2017 and the end of the fourth quarter of 2016, total debt was $1,053 million and $939 million, respectively, and cash and cash equivalent was $83 million and $101 million, respectively. The increase in net debt was principally due to investment in working capital, partly due to rising metal prices, and payments of $33 million related to our FCPA resolution.
Second Quarter 2017 Outlook
Revenues in the second quarter are expected to be in the range of $925 to $975 million. Unit volume is anticipated to be up low-single digits year over year. Reported operating income is anticipated to be in the range of $20 to $35 million and adjusted operating income is anticipated to be in the range of $30 to $45 million for the second quarter. Reported diluted earnings per share are anticipated to be in the range of $0.05 to $0.20 per share and adjusted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $0.15 to $0.30 per share for the second quarter.
The second quarter outlook assumes copper (COMEX) and aluminum (LME) prices of $2.60 and $0.88, respectively. Foreign currency exchange rates are assumed constant in the second quarter outlook. The second quarter outlook for adjusted operating results does not include results from Asia Pacific and Africa.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Adjusted operating income (defined as operating income before extraordinary, nonrecurring or unusual charges and other certain items), adjusted earnings per share (defined as diluted earnings per share before extraordinary, nonrecurring or unusual charges and other certain items) and net debt (defined as long-term debt plus current portion of long-term debt less cash and cash equivalents) are “non-GAAP financial measures” as defined under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
These company-defined non-GAAP financial measures exclude from reported results those items that management believes are not indicative of our ongoing performance and are being provided herein because management believes they are useful in analysing the operating performance of the business and are consistent with how management reviews our operating results and the underlying business trends.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Four price decliners overpowered the two price gainers recorded at the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange on Monday, August 10, weakening it by 0.32 per cent at the close of transactions.
The advancers were led by Food Concepts Plc, which chalked up 25 Kobo to sell at N2.75 per unit versus the previous price of N2.50 per unit, and Mass Telecoms Innovation Plc appreciated by 3 Kobo to 35 Kobo per share from 32 Kobo per share.
However, 11 Plc lost N24.75 to close at N222.75 per unit versus N247.50 per unit, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc declined by N3.09 to N145.00 per share from N148.09 per share, Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc went down by 5 Kobo to 50 Kobo per unit from 55 Kobo per unit, and Geo-Fluids Plc slid by 1 Kobo to N2.27 per share from N2.28 per share.
As a result, the market capitalisation contracted by N8.94 billion to N2.798 trillion from the previous session’s N2.807 trillion, and the NASD Security Index (NSI) retreated by 14.9 points to 4,663.18 points from 4,678.08 points.
The trading data showed that the volume of securities exchanged by investors rose by 108.9 per cent to 1.1 million units from 535,7560 units, and the value of securities jumped by 69.5 per cent to N10.2 million from N6.0 million, while the number of deals executed receded by 2.8 per cent to 35 deals from 36 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc closed the trading session as the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units exchanged for N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc with 77.0 million units transacted for N5.5 billion.
GNI Plc also ended the day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units sold for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units traded for N415.7 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira opened the week on a positive note, appreciating against the US Dollar by N5.55 or 0.41 per cent in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) on Monday, August 10, to N1,360.14/$1 from N1,365.69/$1.
The domestic currency also improved its exchange rate against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by 67 Kobo to sell at N1,838.50/£1 compared with the preceding session’s N1,839.17/£1, and gained N4.64 against the Euro to quote at N1,571.09/€1, in contrast to last Friday’s N1,575.73/€1.
However, the Naira maintained stability against the Dollar in the black market and the GTBank forex counter on Monday at N1,400/$1 and N1,371/$1, respectively.
Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that interbank FX turnover fell by 46 per cent yesterday to $213.845 million from the $393.477 million recorded at the close of trading on Friday.
The decline came despite a sharp increase in the volume of foreign exchange transactions executed during the session, indicating weaker participation by high-ticket FX customers and other major market participants.
The lower turnover suggests reduced demand for FX among large-scale buyers, even as market makers continued to facilitate transactions through the NAFEM window, with the number of FX traded rising to 182 from 102.
In the cryptocurrency market, traders and investors took profit as broader markets’ focus shifted to rising bond yields, higher oil prices and upcoming US inflation data.
Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 5.2 per cent to $0.1873, Ethereum (ETH) slipped by 2.6 per cent to $1,873.43, Ripple (XRP) slumped by 2.3 per cent to $1.01, Bitcoin (BTC) fell by 1.8 per cent to $63,949.22, Solana (SOL) crashed by 1.3 per cent to $75.81, and Binance Coin (BNB) tumbled by 0.6 per cent to $599.49.
But TRON (TRX) gained 0.5 per cent to trade at $0.3314, and Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.2 per cent to $0.0700, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 apiece.
By Dipo Olowookere
The first trading session of the week on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited ended in the green territory on Monday, with a 1.20 per cent rise.
This was buoyed by the gains recorded by Airtel Africa and other equities, according to analysis of data harvested from the Customs Street yesterday.
During the trading day, the consumer goods index grew by 0.76 per cent, enough to offset the losses recorded by the other sectors.
The insurance counter shrank by 1.64 per cent, the banking space lost 0.24 per cent, the energy sector contracted by 0.09 per cent, and the industrial goods segment retreated by 0.05 per cent.
When trading activities ended for the day, the All-Share Index (ASI) was up by 2,956.15 points to 248,529.75 points from 245,573.60 points, and the market capitalisation gained N1.909 trillion to finish at N160.422 trillion compared with the previous session’s N158.513 trillion.
Fortis Global Insurance expanded by 10.00 per cent to N2.86, Chams surged by 9.80 per cent to N4.48, NAHCO jumped by 9.29 per cent to N153.00, Airtel Africa soared by 8.59 per cent to N6,300.00, and Sovereign Trust Insurance rose by 6.59 per cent to N1.78.
Conversely, AVA Capital shed 10.00 per cent to N9.90, Ecobank decreased by 9.92 per cent to N64.95, Caverton crashed by 9.09 per cent to N5.00, Ikeja Hotel slipped by 8.41 per cent to N43.00, and FTN Cocoa dropped 8.37 per cent to trade at N8.10.
A total of 23 equities were on the gainers’ chart yesterday, while 37 equities ended on the losers’ table, indicating a negative market breadth index and weak investor sentiment.
As for the activity log, the trading volume remained elevated, though lower than the preceding session, as it receded by 26.67 per cent to 1.1 billion units from 1.5 billion units. The trading value, however, increased by 1.12 per cent to N27.0 billion from N26.7 billion, while the number of deals advanced by 39.00 per cent to 59,185 deals from 42,580 deals.
Consolidated Hallmark was the most active stock yesterday, with a turnover of 354.1 million units valued at N1.5 billion, Fortis Global Insurance traded 307.3 million units worth N818.3 million, Access Holdings exchanged 48.1 million units for N1.4 billion, Chams transacted 37.4 million units worth N163.3 million, and First Holdco sold 35.8 million units valued at N5.1 billion.
