Frank S. Hermance
Analyst · Scott Graham with Jefferies
Thank you, Kevin, and good morning, everyone. AMETEK had a very good second quarter. We established quarterly records for operating income, operating margins, net income and diluted earnings per share. In addition, we ended the quarter with a record backlog of over $1.1 billion. Orders in the second quarter were $895 million, up 2% organically from the prior year. The book-to-bill ratio in the quarter was 1.02. Sales in the quarter were up 6% to $878.8 million. Organic sales were flat and in line with our expectations, while acquisitions added 6% and currency was flat. Operating income for the second quarter was very strong. It increased 10% to $202.6 million from $185 million last year, reflecting the impact of the higher sales and our Operational Excellence activities. Operating income margin in the quarter was a record 23.1%, a 70 basis point improvement over the second quarter of 2012. Net income was up 13% to $128.3 million, and diluted earnings per share of $0.52 were up 11% over last year's second quarter. Both net income and diluted earnings per share were records. Operating cash flow in the quarter was strong at $128 million, up 11% over last year's second quarter. Free cash flow was also strong at $117 million. Working capital management was excellent. Operating working capital was 17.9% of sales. Turning our attention to the individual operating groups. The Electronic Instruments Group had an excellent second quarter. Sales were up 7% to $483.3 million, on strength in our longer cycle aerospace and oil and gas businesses, plus the contributions from the Micro-Poise acquisition. We also saw strength in our Measurement and Calibration Technology business and our Advanced Measurement Technology business. Organic sales were up 1 %, acquisitions added 7 %, while currency was down 1%. EIG's operating income performance was excellent, operating income increased 10% to $129.6 million and operating margins were strong at 26.8 %, up 80 basis points over last year's second quarter. The Electromechanical Group also had a solid quarter. Sales were up 6% to $395.5 million, on strength in our Floorcare and Specialty Motors business and the contribution from the acquisition of Dunkermotoren. Organic sales were flat, acquisitions added 6% and foreign currency was also flat. EMG's operating income increased 6% to $83.4 million and operating margins were 21.1%. Focusing now on our 4 growth strategies of Operational Excellence, Global and Market Expansion, new product development and acquisitions. Operational Excellence is the cornerstone strategy for the company, and our focus on cost and asset management has been a key driver to both our competitive and financial success. Our results this quarter reflect the tremendous impact of our various Operational Excellence initiatives, as we were able to expand operating margins in the second quarter by 70 basis points to a record 23.1%. Operational Excellence within AMETEK includes lean manufacturing, Six Sigma in our factories and back-office operations, design for Six Sigma in our new product development efforts and the movement of production to low-cost locales. We also continue to see excellent results from our global sourcing and strategic procurement initiatives. From these sourcing activities, we recognized approximately $16 million in savings in the second quarter. As a result of the weak global environment, we have increased our cost savings for 2013. We now expect approximately $100 million in total savings, up from the $95 million we targeted at the end of the first quarter. Global and Market Expansion continues to be a driver for AMETEK's growth. In the second quarter, international sales represented 54% of our total sales, up from 50% of sales in the second quarter of 2012. The increase in international sales percentage was driven by strong growth in our process businesses and last year's acquisitions. Overall sales growth in the BRIC regions in the second quarter was very strong, up 21% over last year's second quarter. We continue to make investments to develop and expand our global sales channels, service capabilities and manufacturing footprint in order to position our businesses to capitalize on the attractive global growth opportunities. In the second quarter, AMETEK's Process Instrument business was awarded a large contract for process analyzers at the Shah Gas Field in the U.A.E. The $4.6 million contract covers 26 AMETEK analyzers for the field software recovery unit, the largest complex of this kind ever built. The Shah Field was not previously developed because the gas has a high hydrogen sulfide concentration, making it especially challenging. We were selected because of our extensive experience worldwide in sulfur recovery, as well as our ability to meet the project's demanding schedule. Also in the second quarter, AMETEK's Power Systems & Instruments business was chosen by STX Heavy Industries, a South Korean-based EPC firm, to provide power supplies to support their ballast water management systems on both new and existing ships. Ballast water management systems are now increasingly being mandated for use on ships to provide a reliable and environmentally safe solution to properly chlorinate ballast water before discharge. We will be providing 40-kilowatt water-cooled high-frequency power supplies to STX for use in their electro-chlorination systems. New product development is a key to our long-term health and growth. We have consistently invested in RD&E. In 2013, we expect to spend $173 million, a 12% increase over 2012. We're excited about some recent new product introductions driven by these R&D efforts. AMETEK Solartron Metrology further extended the capabilities of their Orbit measurement system with the introduction of 2 noncontact laser probes. These high-accuracy measurement devices are specifically designed to support quality control in high-volume precision manufacturing applications. The addition of noncontact capability allows Solartron Metrology to meet the manufacturing requirements of smartphones and tablet computers that might be scratched by traditional touch probes. Within our programmable power business, we added 2 new benchtop products to our source in SG Series of DC power supply units. Our source in SG Series leads the industry in power density and is the most widely used DC power supply in its class, with more than 20,000 units in the field. The higher voltages and quality of power supplied by these benchtop units makes them well suited for a broad range of applications, including testing components for electric and hybrid vehicles, solar energy systems, semiconductor processing equipment, laser etching devices and the scanners used for airport security. From an overall perspective, revenue from products introduced over the last 3 years was 21% of sales in the second quarter, reflecting the excellent work of our businesses in developing the right products to serve their customers. Now turning our attention to our 4 strategy of acquisitions. We announced the acquisition of Controls Southeast this morning, which closed after the end of the second quarter. Controls Southeast or CSI is the leader in custom engineered thermal management solutions used to maintain temperature control of liquids and gases in demanding process applications. Their thermal solutions are used across a wide product range of process industries, including oil and gas, petrochemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals. CSI is a highly strategic and synergistic acquisition for our process and analytic instruments division. The combination of CSI's thermal management solutions with our process instruments analyzers and our recently acquired O'Brien gas and fluid handling systems, now allows us to provide our global customers with a more complete end-to-end process control solution. In addition, we can leverage our market leading position in the global sulfur analyzer market to better position CSI globally. CSI was privately held and has annual sales of approximately $50 million. The price paid was approximately $160 million. The business is headquartered in Pineville, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte. Acquisitions will continue to be a focus for us during 2013 as we see this -- as this strategy is a key driver to the creation of shareholder value, especially during periods of soft global growth. We have the financial and managerial capacity and disciplined approach to support this acquisition focus. Our backlog of deals remains excellent, our balance sheet is strong and our cash flow and financing facilities provide us with ample liquidity to pursue this strategy. Turning to the outlook now for the remainder of 2013. Our estimates for the balance of 2013 reflect the impact from the continued soft and uncertain demand environment. We anticipate 2013 revenue to be up mid-single digits on a percentage basis from 2012. Organic growth is expected to be up low single digits for all of AMETEK and for both operating groups. We expect our earnings to come in at the low end of our original guidance range of $2.08 to $2.12 per diluted share. Third quarter 2013 sales are expected to be up mid-single digits from last year's third quarter, with organic growth flat to up low single digits. We estimate our third quarter earnings to be approximately $0.51 to $0.52 per diluted share, up 9% to 11% over last year's third quarter. In summary, our overall business performed well in the second quarter. Our Operational Excellence initiatives and focus on strategic growth initiatives enabled us to deliver earnings in line with our guidance against the backdrop of a continued soft demand environment. We remain well positioned for the remainder of 2013. We have a strong balance sheet and generate significant cash flow that provides us with plenty of liquidity to operate the business and pursue our acquisition strategy. Our record level of backlog, strong portfolio of businesses, proven operational capabilities and a successful focus on strategic acquisitions should enable us to perform well for the remainder of 2013. Bob will now cover some of the financial details, and then we will be glad to answer your questions.