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Roper Technologies (ROP) Q3 Earnings Top,'18 EPS View Up

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Roper Technologies, Inc. (ROP - Free Report) reported better-than-expected results for third-quarter 2018.

Earnings/Revenues

Quarterly adjusted earnings came in at $3.09 per share, up nearly 31% year over year. The bottom-line figure also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.94.

Adjusted revenues in the reported quarter came in at $1,321 million, up 12.8% year over year. The top line also outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,312 million. Revenues in the reported quarter improved 9% year over year on an organic basis, on the back of stellar sales generated by network, software and product businesses.

Segmental Break-Up

For the quarter, Medical & Scientific Imaging revenues increased 10.6% year over year to $380 million, while RF Technology revenues were up 16.6% to $560.4 million.

Industrial Technology revenues jumped 14.5% year over year to $229.5 million. Moreover, revenues from Energy Systems & Controls climbed 10% to $148.8 million.

Roper Technologies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

 

Roper Technologies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Roper Technologies, Inc. Quote

Costs/Margins

Cost of sales in the third quarter was $478.7 million, up 10.4% year over year. Adjusted gross profit margin in the quarter was 63.8%, up 80 basis points (bps) year over year. 

Selling, general and administrative expenses in the reported quarter were $462.5 million, up from $415.6 million recorded in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted operating profit margin in the Sep-end quarter was 31.8%, up 180 bps year over year.

Balance Sheet/Cash Flow

Exiting the third quarter, Roper had cash and cash equivalents of $363.4 million, down from $671.3 million recorded as of Dec 31, 2017. Long-term debt stood at $4,414.3 million, up from $4,354.6 million recorded in 2017-end.

In the first nine months of 2018, the company generated $966 million cash from operating activities, higher than $865.7 million secured in the year-ago quarter.

Free cash flow in the quarter under review was $404 million, up 34% year over year.

Guidance

Buoyed by the robust performance, Roper raised its 2018 adjusted earnings guidance from $11.40-$11.56 per share to $11.69-$11.73 per share.

For fourth-quarter 2018, Roper projects adjusted earnings between $3.10 and $3.14 per share.

Conclusion

Roper holds a dominant position in most of the markets where it operates. The company has an optimum mix of highly-engineered and niche-oriented products, which help it gain market share.

Also, the company's unique asset-light business model makes it less dependent on large-scale production equipment. We are also optimistic about its expansion strategy, primarily through accretive acquisitions.

However, over the past several quarters, rising cost of goods sold remained a major concern for this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company, which may continue hurting its margins going forward.

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Industrial Products sector are listed below:

Altra Industrial Motion Corp. sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company pulled off an average positive earnings surprise of 4.01% in the past four quarters. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Donaldson Company, Inc. (DCI - Free Report) also sports a Zacks Rank of 1. The company delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 2.29% in the preceding four quarters.

Atkore International Group Inc. (ATKR - Free Report) carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company generated an average positive earnings surprise of 24.46% in the trailing four quarters.

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