Donaldson's Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Sales Rise Year Over Year

Donaldson Company, Inc. DCI reported first-quarter fiscal 2025 (ended Oct. 31, 2024) adjusted earnings of 83 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 82 cents. The bottom line increased 10.7% year over year.Stay up-to-date with all quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.DCI’s Revenue ResultsTotal revenues of $900.1 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $891 million. The top line increased 6.4% year over year (up 5% at constant currency), driven by strength in aftermarket arising from market share gains and customer destocking.Region-wise, Donaldson’s net sales in the United States/Canada increased 7% year over year. The metric increased 5% year over year in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 6% in Latin America. Also, net sales in the Asia Pacific improved 7%.Donaldson reports revenues under three segments, namely Mobile Solutions, Industrial Solutions and Life Sciences.A brief snapshot of segmental sales is provided below.The Mobile Solutions segment’s (accounting for 63.6% of net sales) sales were $572.4 million, indicating a year-over-year rise of 6%. Results benefited from a 10.7% improvement in aftermarket sales. However, sales fell 5.9% in Off-Road and 15% in On-Road businesses during the quarter.Revenues generated from the Industrial Solutions segment (28.6%) were $257.6 million, up 4.6% year over year. Results benefited from sales growth of 26.8% in Aerospace and Defense businesses.Revenues generated from the Life Sciences segment (7.8%) were $70.1 million, up 16.6% year over year. The results benefited from volume growth in Disk Drive and Food and Beverage businesses.Donaldson’s Margin ProfileIn the fiscal first quarter, Donaldson’s cost of sales inched up 6.4% year over year to $580.5 million. Gross profit jumped 6.2% to $319.6 million. The gross margin decreased 10 basis points (bps) to 35.5% due to higher costs.Operating expenses rose 7.1% year over year to $188.8 million. Operating profit increased 4.9% to $130.8 million. The operating margin was 14.5%, up 20 bps year over year.The effective tax rate was 24.2% compared with 25.1% in the year-ago quarter.Donaldson Company, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Donaldson Company, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Donaldson Company, Inc. QuoteBalance Sheet & Cash Flow of DCIExiting the fiscal first quarter, Donaldson’s cash and cash equivalents were $221.2 million compared with $232.7 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. Long-term debt was $538.6 million compared with $483.4 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024.In the first three months of fiscal 2025, the company generated net cash of $72.9 million from operating activities, indicating a decrease of 47.2% year over year. Capital expenditure (net) totaled $25.0 million compared with $23.2 million in the year-ago fiscal period. Free cash flow decreased 58.3% to $47.9 million. In the same time frame, management did not repay any long-term debt.It used $74.9 million to repurchase stocks and $32.4 million to pay out dividends during the first three months of fiscal 2025.Donaldson’s FY25 OutlookFor fiscal 2025 (ending July 2025), Donaldson expects adjusted earnings per share to be in the range of $3.56-$3.72 compared with $3.42 in fiscal 2024. Sales are anticipated to increase in the 2-6% band from the fiscal 2024 level. Positive pricing is projected to have an accretive impact of 1%.On a segmental basis, Mobile Solutions’ sales are expected to be flat to increase 4% from the fiscal 2024 level. Industrial Solutions’ sales are envisioned to jump in the range of 4-8% from the year-ago figure. The company forecasts its Life Sciences segment’s sales to increase in the low-double-digit range.Interest expenses are predicted to be approximately $21 million while other income is projected to be in the range of $16-$20 million. The effective tax rate is anticipated to be between 23% and 25%.Capital expenditure is expected to be between $85 million and $105 million. Free cash flow conversion is anticipated to be in the range of 85-95%.DCI’s Zacks RankThe company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Performance of Other Industrial CompaniesAvery Dennison Corporation AVY delivered third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.33 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.32. The bottom line increased 9% year over year, driven by higher volume and productivity gains.Total revenues grew 4.1% year over year to $2.18 billion and missed the consensus estimate of $2.2 billion.John Bean Technologies Corporation JBT reported adjusted earnings of $1.50 per share in third-quarter 2024, 35.1% higher than the prior-year quarter. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.41.Revenues of $454 million increased 12.4% from the year-ago quarter. The top line surpassed the consensus estimate of $445 million.A. O. Smith Corporation’s AOS third-quarter adjusted earnings of 82 cents per share matched the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The bottom line decreased 8.9% on a year-over-year basis.Net sales of $902.6 million missed the consensus estimate of $913 million. The top line decreased 4% year over year due to lower sales in China and decreased volumes of water heaters in North America.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Avery Dennison Corporation (AVY): Free Stock Analysis Report A. O. Smith Corporation (AOS): Free Stock Analysis Report Donaldson Company, Inc. (DCI): Free Stock Analysis Report John Bean Technologies Corporation (JBT): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks