Summary
Emerson Electric Co. (EMR) filed an 8-K on August 22, 2012, to disclose order trends for the three months ending May, June, and July 2012. The report indicates that overall company orders were flat to down 5% year-over-year for the trailing three months, largely due to a strengthening U.S. dollar and global economic softening. While reported orders showed weakness, underlying orders (excluding currency impacts) demonstrated a slower pace of growth, with improvements noted in specific segments like Process Management and Commercial & Residential Solutions. The company's outlook suggests continued global economic inconsistency driven by the European financial crisis, a slowing Chinese economy, and U.S. fiscal policy uncertainty. Despite these headwinds, Emerson highlighted specific areas of strength, such as oil and gas, chemical, and power industry investments driving Process Management orders, and improvement in U.S. residential markets supporting Climate Technologies and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Investors should note the significant impact of currency translation on reported order figures, which masked underlying operational performance.
Key Highlights
- 1Overall trailing three-month orders for Emerson were flat to down 5% year-over-year, reflecting global economic challenges.
- 2Underlying orders (excluding currency impacts) showed a slower pace of growth, indicating resilience in specific business segments.
- 3Process Management orders were strong, driven by investments in oil and gas, chemical, and power industries.
- 4Climate Technologies and Commercial & Residential Solutions showed signs of improvement, particularly in U.S. residential and construction markets.
- 5Industrial Automation and Network Power segments experienced continued weakness, impacted by challenging end markets and global economic conditions.
- 6Currency translation had a significant negative impact on reported order growth, with unfavorable currency movements deducting several percentage points from total orders.
- 7Emerson plans to present at the Vertical Research Partners Industrials Conference on September 6, 2012, with materials to be posted online.