H. Lawrence Culp
Analyst · Barclays Capital
Matt, thanks. Good morning, everyone. In the second quarter, better-than-anticipated core revenue growth and outstanding execution from our team led to strong earnings margin and cash flow performance. Core revenue growth of 2.5% was slightly higher than expected, led by Hach, Gilbarco, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics and our Life Sciences platform, all of which were up mid-single-digits. Investments we've made in innovation and go-to-market initiatives in the high-growth markets continue to drive growth and help us capture market share. The impact of the Danaher Business System and the quality of this growth were evident in the excellent year-over-year margin improvement in the quarter. Our gross margin improved by $140 million or 100 basis points and our core operating margin expanded 95 basis points. As we look to the second half, we intend to make additional investments aimed at share gains and margin expansion for 2014 and beyond. So with that as a backdrop, let me move to the details of the quarter. Today, we reported second quarter diluted net earnings per share of $0.87, a 3.5% increase compared to our diluted net earnings per share a year ago and representing another record quarter for Danaher. Excluding a $0.03 gain recognized in the prior year period, adjusted net earnings per share increased 7.5% year-over-year. Revenues increased 4% to $4.7 billion with core revenues up 2.5%. The impact of acquisitions increased revenues by 2%, while the negative impact of currency translation reduced sales by 0.5%. From a geographic perspective, high-growth markets grew high single-digits. In particular, we saw sequential improvements in Brazil and the Middle East, as each region was up more than 15% year-on-year. China saw low double-digit growth in the second quarter, led by our Life Sciences & Diagnostics and Dental segments, which grew in excess of 20%. In addition, our Water Quality platform in China grew at a double-digit rate for the second quarter in a row. Developed markets were up slightly with the U.S. and Japan up low single-digits and Western Europe down low single-digits. Our gross margin increased 100 basis points year-over-year to 52.7%, driven by both volume increases and prior year-over-year productivity improvements. This significant improvement has allowed us to increase our growth investments while still delivering excellent bottom line results. Our reported operating margin in the second quarter was essentially flat at 17.8% while core operating margin improved 95 basis points. The Danaher Business System continued to serve us well, helping to generate yet another quarter of solid cash flow performance. Second quarter operating cash flow was $899 million and free cash flow was $763 million. Our free cash to net income conversion ratio for the second quarter was 124%. We continue to find attractive bolt-on opportunities and closed over $300 million of acquisitions in the quarter, focused in our Environmental and Life Sciences & Diagnostics segments. Given our healthy balance sheet, we have more than $8 billion of potential M&A capacity available through 2014 to expand and strengthen our strategic growth platforms. Turning to our 5 operating segments. Test & Measurement core revenues increased 0.5%. Core operating margin decreased 30 basis points while our reported operating margin declined 60 basis points to 20.9%. In our instruments platform, core revenues declined low single-digits. Fluke's core revenues were flat with 10% growth in high-growth markets, offset by weak demand in most developed markets. However, we are encouraged by the mid-single-digit growth we saw in North American industrial instruments during the quarter. At Tektronix, core revenues declined low single-digits with growth rates in both developed and high-growth markets improving sequentially from the first quarter. Core revenues for our Communications platform grew low single-digits, led by strength in the high-growth markets, specifically the Middle East and Latin America. Across the platform, we've increased our R&D spending by approximately 15% year-to-date, focusing our new product development and innovation to address the expanding needs of our wireless and enterprise customers. At Fluke Networks, we unveiled the new product Versiv product family designed for copper and fiber certification during network installation. The DSX-5000 CableAnalyzer gives field technicians unmatched speed and efficiency in certifying performance in copper cables while the CertiFiber Pro provides the same certification capability for fiber networks. In Arbor Networks, demand for network security solutions remains very strong across all major geographies. During the quarter, we added over 50 new customers in both the enterprise and service provider markets, which include significant expansion orders at 2 large global financial institutions. As a testament to Arbor's innovation and leadership in network security, they were recently named the Best Overall Security Company during the Info Products Guide Awards at the RSA Conference. Turning to our Environmental segment. Revenues increased 8% in the quarter with core revenues increasing 4%. The segment core operating margin increased 70 basis points with reported operating margin essentially flat due primarily to the dilutive effect of recent acquisitions. Our Water Quality platform core revenues increased at a low single-digit rate. Hach grew mid-single-digits, driven by core lab and process instrumentation and mid-teens growth in service. We believe we are growing faster than the market. Geographically, the U.S. was up mid-single-digits in the quarter while China grew double-digits, driven by solid demand for drinking water projects. During the quarter, we launched several new products, including a value line of electrochem products designed to specifically for China. We also unveiled the 5500sc Silica Analyzer, which features predictive diagnostic software, allowing customers to avoid unplanned downtime caused by silica buildup on boilers and turbines in power gen stations. Gilbarco Veeder-Root's core revenues grew mid-single-digits, led by healthy demand across all major product lines in most major geographies. Sales in Asia and the Middle East were particularly robust, driven by large customer site upgrades for dispensers and payment solutions. We believe we are gaining share with our point-of-sale and payment products, both of which grew at mid-teens rates in the quarter. GVR recently completed the previously announced acquisition of Automated Fuel Systems Group, a leading provider of fuel management solutions to government, fleet and mining customers in South Africa. Moving over to Life Sciences & Diagnostics. Revenues increased 5.5% with core revenues up 5%. We saw outstanding margin performance with our core operating margin improving 180 basis points and our reported operating margin increasing 130 basis points to 14.4%. This strong margin performance occurred even with a double-digit increase in R&D expenses at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, where we continue to ramp up our product development efforts. The diagnostics platform continued their solid performance with mid-single-digit core growth in the quarter. At Beckman, core sales increased at a mid-single-digit rate with growth in all major product categories. This quarter marks the second anniversary of the Beckman Coulter acquisition, and we are exceptionally pleased with the progress that's been made by the team around the world. We've seen low single-digit core growth or better for the last 5 quarters and the business is becoming more competitive each day. Over the last 8 quarters, we've made significant improvements in our internal capabilities, specifically addressing on-time delivery, service and product quality through improved design to ensure that we're serving our customers well. We've also made tremendous progress to enhance efficiency with second quarter operating margin expanding 150 basis points year-over-year. We've also made considerable progress on the regulatory front. For example, we recently received FDA 510(k) clearance for the troponin assay for use on our Access 2 system. This approval allows Beckman to offer troponin to new customers in the U.S. for the first time since 2010 and marks an important milestone for our customers, as well as the Beckman Coulter team. As Beckman enters its third year with Danaher, we are actively increasing growth investments in business, particularly in R&D, to boost new products vitality and ultimately, drive higher organic growth rates. At Radiometer, core sales were up at a high single-digit rate with growth in all major product lines. High-growth markets were up more than 20% in the quarter, led by China, which grew about 45%. Instrument placements were particularly strong in the quarter with blood gas up 25% and AQT up over 50%. As previously announced, Radiometer closed the acquisition of HemoCue, a leader in hemoglobin and glucose point-of-care testing. At Leica Biosystems, sales increased at a mid-single-digit rate, led advanced staining, which is up low-teens in the quarter. Most major geographies saw growth with particular strength in China, which grew at a high-teens rate. Further, our core histology business grew low single-digits year-over-year. And we are pleased to report that Leica Biosystems can be found in 100% of the top 50 cancer centers in America as recently ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Subsequent to quarter end, Leica Biosystems acquired Amsterdam-based Kreatech Diagnostics. Along with Leica's advanced staining instruments, Kreatech's probes and reagents enable customers to detect genetic aberrations that may lead to cancer and other diseases. Our Life Sciences platform core revenues increased at a mid-single-digit rate in the quarter. AB SCIEX core revenues were up mid-single-digits, led by robust growth in pharma and the applied markets, particularly food and environmental. The 6500, our high-end Triple Quad platform, continues to be very well received by customers globally in all major market segments and is expected to generate more than $100 million in revenue on an annualized basis. AB SCIEX recently launched its 3200MD CE-IVD series of mass spectrometers for clinical diagnostic use in Europe. This is an exciting achievement for AB SCIEX as the 3200MD expands their addressable market to include clinical care customers. And we look forward to leveraging channel synergies with our diagnostics platform to help drive growth of this largely previously focused product category from the research realm. Leica Microsystems core revenues were up mid-single-digits, led by double-digit growth in China, the Middle East and Japan. We continue to see solid demand for our confocal microscopy systems, which grew over 10% in the quarter. Demand for our SP8 modular confocal laser scanning microscope remains robust, growing at a mid -- growing at a high-teens rate. To expand our go-to market efforts in Latin America, we acquired Aotec, Leica's distribution partner for microscopy and histopathology solutions based in São Paulo, Brazil. Turning to Dental. Segment revenues grew 3% in the second quarter with core revenues up 2.5%. Core operating margin increased 90 basis points while reported operating margin expanded 90 basis points to 15.3%. Dental consumables core revenues grew mid-single-digits, led by sales of professional dental consumables across most major geographies. In addition, our implant business grew at a high-teens rate as they continue to take market share. Kerr recently launched the Demi Ultra curing light system, the industry's first Ultracapacitor-powered light curing system, which provides dentists with more efficient curing and eliminates the need for battery power. Ormco's Insignia Advanced Smile Design received the 2013 American Technology Award in Health & Medical Technologies from the TechAmerica Foundation. This award is presented annually to the product that most improves the delivery of health services. KaVo's core revenues were up low single-digits, driven by demand in China and other high-growth markets. Last quarter, we highlighted the new i-CAT Flex, which achieves a full 3D scan at lower radiation doses than traditional 2D Panoramic X-ray imagers. Reception in the market has been outstanding with the Flex receiving a best new product award at the Henry Schein National Sales Meeting and the 2013 Pride Institute award for best-in-class technology. In Industrial Technologies, total revenues increased 2% while core revenues declined 2.5% for the quarter. Both our reported and core operating margin increased 110 basis points with our reported operating margin at 23.5%. Our Motion businesses core revenues declined at a mid-teens rate with weakness in most major verticals. We've begun seeing signs of stabilization in North American distribution, which grew modestly both year-over-year and sequentially. As evidenced by strong profit performance, Motion continues to transition out of some of their lower-margin business. This transition will continue to impact core revenues, which are expected to remain negative in the second half of this year. Core revenues were up -- in Product Identification platform were up mid-single-digits with solid demand from our in-line variable printing technologies, as well as our packaging and color management solutions. Sales increased across most major geographies. Those of you who joined us last week in Chicago at our Investor Day saw firsthand the evolution of our Product ID platform from our core marking and coding businesses into a leading provider of integrated packaging solutions, spanning the entire consumer packaging value chain. I thought our team did a great job illustrating how we use strategy and DBS to establish and then build and grow a strategic platform. For those of you that weren't able to participate, I strongly encourage you to watch the replay available on our website. At Videojet, new product introductions have been an important driver of our share gains. In the quarter, we introduced the 1620 and 1650 lines of ultra high-speed printers capable of speeds 40% faster than the previous industry benchmark with minimal planned downtime. Also in the quarter, Procter & Gamble announced their adoption of Pantone's new cloud-based color management solution, PantoneLIVE, which improves operational efficiency throughout the packaging supply chain. This is the second major consumer packaged goods company to adopt PantoneLIVE, building on early momentum in the market. So to wrap up, we were very pleased with our second quarter results, better-than-anticipated core revenue growth and outstanding execution led to solid operational performance. We are initiating third quarter diluted net earnings per share guidance of $0.78 to $0.83, which assumes 2% to 3% core revenue growth. We are narrowing our full year 2013 adjusted diluted net earnings per share guidance to $3.37 to $3.42 from a previous range of $3.32 to $3.47. As we move into the second half of the year, we're maintaining a conservative macro outlook while staying confident in our ability to deliver solid operating margin expansion. We expect investments in innovation and the high-growth markets to continue to drive growth and share gains. Our earnings outperformance in the second quarter allows us to make additional high-impact growth investments and to fund productivity and efficiency initiatives that we believe will position us well for the balance of this year and beyond.