DUBLIN, Ireland — Power management company Eaton Corporation plc today announced that earnings per share were $1.50 for the second quarter of 2019. Adjusted earnings per share, which exclude charges of $0.03 per share for acquisition and divestiture transaction and integration costs, were $1.53. This represents an increase of 10 percent over the second quarter of 2018.
Sales in the second quarter of 2019 were $5.5 billion, up 1 percent over the second quarter of 2018. The sales increase consisted of 2½ percent growth in organic sales, partially offset by 1½ percent negative currency translation.
Craig Arnold, Eaton chairman and chief executive officer, said, “We had a solid second quarter, with adjusted earnings per share at the high end of our guidance range. Organic growth came in at 2½ percent, reflecting a moderation of global growth, particularly in Europe and China. Our segment margins in the second quarter were 17.9 percent, an all-time quarterly record and above the high end of our guidance. This represents a 90 basis point improvement over the second quarter of 2018. We had all-time record margins in three segments: Electrical Products, Electrical Systems and Services, and Aerospace.
“Operating cash flow in the second quarter was $880 million, a record for a second quarter. For the first half, operating cash flow was $1.43 billion, a first half record. We now expect full year 2019 operating cash flow to be between $3.3 billion and $3.5 billion, $200 million above our prior guidance,” said Arnold. “We continued to return substantial cash to our shareholders in the quarter, repurchasing $260 million of our shares, bringing our first half repurchases to a total of $410 million.
“For full year 2019, we are maintaining our prior guidance at the midpoint. We are, however, narrowing our guidance range by $0.05 at the top and the bottom of the range. As a result, we now expect 2019 adjusted earnings per share to be between $5.77 and $5.97, representing at the midpoint a 9 percent increase over 2018, excluding the 2018 arbitration decision,” said Arnold. “For the third quarter of 2019, we anticipate adjusted earnings per share to be between $1.50 and $1.60, an 8 percent increase at the midpoint over the third quarter of 2018, excluding the 2018 arbitration decision.”
Business Segment Results
Sales for the Electrical Products segment were $1.8 billion, up 2 percent over the second quarter of 2018. Organic sales were up 4 percent, partially offset by negative currency translation of 2 percent. Operating profits were $361 million. Excluding $1 million of transaction costs related to the spin-off of the Lighting business, adjusted operating profits were an all-time record of $362 million, up 8 percent over the second quarter of 2018.
“Operating margins in the second quarter were 19.5 percent. Excluding costs related to the spin-off of the Lighting business, adjusted operating margins were 19.6 percent, up 110 basis points over 2018 and an all-time quarterly record,” said Arnold. “Orders in the second quarter were up 1 percent over the second quarter of 2018, driven by continued growth in residential 3 and commercial construction markets in the Americas, partially offset by softness in industrial markets.”
Sales for the Electrical Systems and Services segment were $1.6 billion, up 5 percent over the second quarter of 2018. Organic sales were up 5 percent, and the acquisition of Ulusoy added 1 percent to sales, partially offset by negative currency translation of 1 percent. Operating profits were $275 million. Excluding transaction and acquisition integration costs of $1 million related to Ulusoy, adjusted operating profits were an all-time record of $276 million, up 22 percent over the second quarter of 2018.
“Operating margins were 17.4 percent, an improvement of 240 basis points over 2018 and an all-time quarterly record,” said Arnold. “The twelve-month rolling average of our orders in the second quarter was up 3 percent, with growth across all regions. Excluding hyperscale data center orders, which are sometimes lumpy due to customers placing orders for multiple years in a single quarter, the twelve-month rolling average of our orders in the second quarter was up 8 percent.”
Hydraulics segment sales were $698 million, down 3 percent from the second quarter of 2018. Organic sales were flat, with negative currency translation of 3 percent. Operating profits in the second quarter were $80 million, down 21 percent from the second quarter of 2018.
“Orders in the second quarter decreased 8 percent from the second quarter of 2018, driven by continued weakness in the global mobile equipment market,” said Arnold.
Aerospace segment sales were $517 million, a quarterly record and up 12 percent over the second quarter of 2018. Organic sales were up 13 percent, while negative currency translation was 1 percent. Operating profits in the second quarter were an all-time record $127 million, up 41 percent over the second quarter of 2018.
“Operating margins in the quarter were 24.6 percent, 520 basis points over 2018 and an alltime quarterly record,” said Arnold. “The twelve-month rolling average of our orders in the second quarter was up 15 percent. We saw particular strength in orders for commercial transports, military fighters, and the commercial aftermarket.
“We were pleased to sign in July a commitment to acquire Souriau-Sunbank Connection Technologies,” said Arnold. “Souriau-Sunbank is a leader in aerospace connectors and provides us with the capability to more effectively serve the growth of electrical systems on aircraft. Additionally, we believe we have significant opportunities to expand distribution of Souriau-Sunbank’s products through our large electrical wholesaler network.”
The Vehicle segment posted sales of $803 million, down 11 percent from the second quarter of 2018. Organic sales were down 9 percent and currency translation was negative 2 percent. Operating profits in the second quarter were $136 million, down 18 percent from the second quarter of 2018.
“Our revenue in Vehicle declined due to global weakness in light vehicle markets, as well as revenues that transferred over to the Eaton Cummins joint venture,” said Arnold. “The joint venture’s revenues in the second quarter grew 11 percent over the second quarter of 2018.”
eMobility segment sales were $84 million, up 1 percent over the second quarter of 2018. Organic sales were up 2 percent, partially offset by negative currency translation of 1 percent. Operating profits in the second quarter were $7 million, down 50 percent from the second quarter of 2018 due to increased investment in research and development.
“Operating margins in the quarter were 8.3 percent,” said Arnold. “We continued to win new business, including another major high-voltage inverter win for a new plug-in hybrid platform. The estimated mature year revenue from this platform is expected to be about $160 million. Our total estimated mature year revenue from all the wins in eMobility since the segment was formed at the start of 2018 is $390 million.”
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