Dec 31, 2019

A O Smith Q4 2019 Earnings Report

Reported net earnings and sales decline compared to the previous year, with North America segment performing steadily and Rest of World segment experiencing significant decline in earnings.

Key Takeaways

A. O. Smith reported Q4 2019 net earnings of $91.3 million, or $0.56 per share, on sales of $750.9 million. This compares to Q4 2018 net earnings of $126.3 million, or $0.74 per share, on sales of $812.5 million.

Q4 2019 sales decreased to $750.9 million from $812.5 million in Q4 2018.

Q4 2019 net earnings were $91.3 million, or $0.56 per share, down from $126.3 million, or $0.74 per share, in Q4 2018.

North America segment sales were essentially flat, while Rest of World segment sales declined by 21 percent.

The company increased its dividend by nine percent in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Total Revenue
$751M
Previous year: $813M
-7.6%
EPS
$0.56
Previous year: $0.74
-24.3%
Gross Profit
$295M
Previous year: $337M
-12.5%
Cash and Equivalents
$374M
Previous year: $260M
+44.0%
Total Assets
$3.06B
Previous year: $3.07B
-0.4%

A O Smith

A O Smith

A O Smith Revenue by Segment

Forward Guidance

A. O. Smith expects total company full year sales in 2020 will grow between 4.5 and 5.5 percent and 2020 earnings will be between $2.40 and $2.50 per share.

Positive Outlook

  • Acquisition was added to our North America water treatment portfolio
  • China channel inventory levels declined to be within the normal range of two to three months
  • We substantially completed our re-entry into the high-end of mid-price range products in China with new products specifically designed to target this demographic
  • Full implementation of our enterprise resource planning environment in North America is nearly complete.
  • Midpoint of 2020 earnings guidance represents a ten percent increase over 2019 earnings per share

Challenges Ahead

  • Potential impact to its businesses from the developing coronavirus originating in China.
  • A further weakening of the Chinese economy and/or a further decline in the growth rate of consumer spending or housing sales in China
  • Negative impact to the company’s businesses from international tariffs and trade disputes
  • Potential weakening in the high efficiency boiler segment in the U.S.
  • Significant volatility in raw material prices

Revenue & Expenses

Visualization of income flow from segment revenue to net income