Yahoo Finance Dow (DOW) Earnings and Revenues Trounce Estimates in Q1
Dow Inc. DOW recorded a loss (on a reported basis) of $93 million or 13 cents per share in first-quarter 2023 compared with a profit of $1,569 million or $2.11 per share a year ago.
Barring one-time items, adjusted earnings were 58 cents per share for the reported quarter, down from $2.34 a year ago. The figure topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 37 cents.
Dow recorded net sales of $11,851 million for the quarter, down roughly 22% year over year. It also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $11,338.2 million. The company saw lower sales across its segments in the quarter due to weaker macroeconomic activity globally. The top line was hurt by lower local pricing, reduced volumes and unfavorable currency translation.
The company saw a 10% year-over-year decline in local prices in the reported quarter. Prices also fell 4% on a sequential comparison basis. Volumes were down 11% year over year driven by a 15% decline Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India.
Dow Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Dow Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Dow Inc. Quote
Segment Highlights
Packaging & Specialty Plastics: The division’s sales fell 20% year over year to $6.1 billion in the reported quarter. Volumes were down 8% year-over-year while local prices fell 11% as gains in functional polymers were more than offset by reduced polyethylene and olefin prices. Currency reduced sales by 1%.
Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure: Sales for the unit tumbled 25% year over year to $3.4 billion. Local prices fell 6% in the quarter. Volumes declined 17% on lower demand in industrial, consumer durables, and building and construction applications. Currency reduced sales by 2%.
Performance Materials & Coatings: Revenues from the division declined 25% year over year to $2.3 billion. Volumes fell 11% while local price went down 12%. Volumes were impacted by declines in all regions. Currency reduced sales by 2%.
Financials
Dow had cash and cash equivalents of $3,319 million at the end of the quarter, up around 6% year over year. Long-term debt was $14,739 million, up around 4% year over year.
Cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations was $531 million in the reported quarter.
Dow also returned $621 million to shareholders in the quarter through dividends and share buybacks.
Outlook
Moving ahead, Dow said that its disciplined execution has enhanced its ability to navigate the impact of higher inflation on consumer demand and weak global economic activity through the balance of 2023. The company expects continued benefits of its operational and cost actions as it progresses through the year. It is making progress with its actions to deliver $1 billion in cost savings in 2023. DOW is benefiting from its advantaged feedstock positions. It expects oil and gas spreads to further support its strategic cost-advantaged positions.
Price Performance
Shares of Dow are down 17.8% over a year compared with the industry’s 0.5% rise.
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Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks
Dow currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Better-ranked stocks worth considering in the basic materials space include Steel Dynamics, Inc. STLD, PPG Industries, Inc. PPG and Linde plc LIN.
Steel Dynamics currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for STLD's current-year earnings has been revised 36.5% upward in the past 60 days. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Steel Dynamics’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 10.7%, on average. STLD has gained around 25% in a year.
PPG Industries currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PPG's current-year earnings has been revised 9.5% upward in the past 60 days.
PPG Industries’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 6.8%, on average. PPG has gained around 14% in a year.
Linde currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LIN’s current-year earnings has been revised 0.9% upward in the past 60 days.
Linde beat Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters. It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5.9% on average. LIN’s shares have gained roughly 21% in the past year.
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