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WABCO's (WBC) Q2 Earnings Drive Past Estimates, Grows Y/Y

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WABCO Holdings Inc.’s second-quarter 2018 adjusted earnings were $2 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.91. Moreover, the bottom line improved 18.3% from the prior-year quarter figure of $1.69.

On a reported basis, total revenues rose 25.9% to $1 billion from $795 million a year ago while outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $994.2 million. Favorable global demand, along with market growth, contributed to this rise in sales.

During the reported quarter, gross profit was $310.3 million compared with $247.5 million recorded in second-quarter 2017. Adjusted operating expenses rose $150.2 million from $132.9 million in the prior-year quarter.

Wabco Holdings Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Financial Details

WABCO had cash and cash equivalents of $654.9 million as of Jun 30, 2018, compared with $1.14 billion as of Dec 31, 2017. The company’s long-term debt was $855 million as of Jun 30, 2018, a decline from $1.02 billion as of Dec 31, 2017.

In second-quarter 2018, WABCO witnessed a net cash inflow of $77.2 million from operations compared with $88.2 million a year ago.

Share Buyback Update

During the second quarter, the company bought 708,000 shares for $89.2 million. Between June 2011 and June 2018, it repurchased 20,257,912 shares for $1.71 billion in open market transactions.

In 2018, WABCO aims to repurchase shares worth approximately $300 million, subject to market conditions and regularity approvals.

2018 Outlook

For 2018, WABCO anticipates net sales to be approximately $3.85-$3.95 billion compared with the prior expectation of $3.89-$4 billion. The company has reiterated its performance operating margin expectation of 14.3-14.7%. Further, performance adjusted earnings per share is expected to be $7.45-$7.75 versus the prior expectation of $7.30-$7.80.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

WABCO currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the auto space are American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AXL - Free Report) , Oshkosh Corporation (OSK - Free Report) and Visteon Corporation (VC - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

American Axle has an expected long-term growth rate of 8.1%. Over a year, shares of the company have gained 6.3%.

Oshkosh has an expected long-term growth rate of 18.3%. Shares of the company have risen 6.3% in the past year.

Visteon has an expected long-term growth rate of 15%. Over a year, shares of the company have gained 20.3%.

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