Mettler-Toledo Q4 Earnings Top Estimates, Sales Up Y/Y, Shares Rise

Mettler-Toledo International MTD reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings of $12.41 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.16%. The bottom line jumped 32% on a year-over-year basis.See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.Net sales of $1.045 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.51%. The figure rose 12% both on a reported and local currency basis from the year-ago quarter.MTD shares were up 2.8% in pre-market trading. The stock appreciated 10.8% compared with the broader Zacks Medical sector’s decline of 4.6%. Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. Quote MTD’s Top Line in DetailMTD reports revenues under three segments, namely Laboratory Instruments, Industrial Instruments and Food Retail, which generated sales of $603 million (57.7% of the net sales), $398 million (38.1% of the net sales) and $44 million (4.2% of the net sales), respectively, in the fourth quarter.The Laboratory and Industrial segment witnessed year-over-year growth of 18% and 8%, respectively, on a local currency basis, while the Food Retail segment’s sales declined 14%. Total sales from the Americas, Europe and Asia/Rest of the World were $424 million (40.6% of the net sales), $308 million (29.5%) and $313 million (30%), respectively.Sales in Europe and Asia / Rest of the World grew 19% and 14% year over year, respectively, on a local currency basis. Meanwhile, Americas sales increased 7%.Mettler-Toledo’s Operating ResultsThe gross margin was 61.2%, expanding 210 basis points (bps) year over year.Research & development (“R&D”) expenses were $50.1 million, up 7.8% from the year-ago quarter. Selling, general & administrative (“SG&A”) expenses increased 6.2% year over year to $237.3 million.As a percentage of sales, R&D expenses declined 20 bps year over year. SG&A expenses declined 120 bps year over year as a percentage of sales.The adjusted operating margin was 33.7%, which expanded 350 bps from the prior-year quarter.MTD’s Balance Sheet & Cash FlowAs of Dec. 31, 2024, Mettler-Toledo’s cash and cash-equivalent balance was $59.4 million, up from $71.6 million as of Sept. 30, 2024.The long-term debt was $1.83 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024.Mettler-Toledo generated $266.2 million in cash from operating activities in the reported quarter compared with $254.7 million in the previous quarter. The free cash flow was $229.8 million in the reported quarter.Mettler-Toledo’s Q1 & 2025 GuidanceFor the first quarter of 2025, Mettler-Toledo anticipates sales to decrease 3-4% in local currency from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. Adjusted earnings are anticipated to be $7.75-$7.95 per share, implying 11-13% decline from the year-ago quarter’s reported number. For 2025, Mettler-Toledo anticipates sales in local currency to rise 3% over 2024. The company expects adjusted earnings between $42.35 per share and $43 per share, representing 3-5% growth over 2024.Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderCurrently, Mettler-Toledo has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).Castle Biosciences CSTL, Integer Holdings ITGR and Community Health Systems CYH are some better-ranked stocks in the broader sector. While CSTL sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), ITGR and CYH carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Castle Biosciences is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 27. Integer is set to report fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 20, while Community Health is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 18.Free Today: Profiting from The Future’s Brightest Energy SourceThe demand for electricity is growing exponentially. At the same time, we’re working to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. Nuclear energy is an ideal replacement.Leaders from the US and 21 other countries recently committed to TRIPLING the world’s nuclear energy capacities. 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