NCR Corp. Q2 Earnings: A Springboard to Second-Half Growth?
Image source: NCR.
NCR (NYSE: NCR) reported second-quarter results last week. The maker of business tools for retailers, telecoms, financial services, and more exceeded expectations and raised its full-year guidance targets. Let's dig a little deeper into NCR's report.
NCR's Q2 results: The raw numbers
|
Q2 2016 Actuals |
Q2 2015 Actuals |
Growth (year-over-year) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Revenue |
$1.62 billion |
$1.60 billion |
1.3% |
|
Net Income From Continuing Operations |
$74 million |
($343 million) |
N/A |
|
GAAP EPS (diluted) |
$0.49 |
($2.03) |
N/A |
|
Free Cash Flow |
$55 million |
$95 million |
(42%) |
Source: NCR.
What happened with NCR this quarter?
If the year-ago quarter looks rough here, it's because NCR took a $426 million non-cash charge for mark-to-market pension adjustments in that period. Backing out that large item and some one-time costs related to restructuring and acquisitions, NCR's adjusted earnings rose from $0.66 to $0.72 per diluted share.
- Recurring sales now account for 43% of NCR's total revenue, as the company pushes for long-term deals over snapshot sales. That's up from 42% in the year-ago quarter.
- Hardware revenue decreased 5% year-over-year, which amounts to holding flat if adjusted for currency exchange effects. The software and services divisions grew by single-digit percentages, with or without currency adjustments.
- Free cash flow fell back as NCR invested cash now to pave the way for higher sales in the second half of 2016. Full-year cash flow guidance was unchanged, remaining at roughly $450 million.
Heartened by a strong order flow in the second quarter, management raised their revenue target for the full year.
- The full-year revenue goal increased from approximately $6.3 billion to $6.36 billion. The expected improvement comes from stronger hardware orders and a shrinking impact from currency headwinds.
- Earnings guidance for the full fiscal year was untouched, much like the cash flow forecast. Management remains "confident" that the current target of $2.95 per share is reachable.
What management had to say
CEO Bill Nuti saw the first half of 2016 as a springboard to greater achievements in the back half of the year.
Nuti sees omnichannel and digital sales as primary value creators between now and 2025, across NCR's many client industries.
Looking ahead
NCR has been riding a rocky road in recent quarters, missing its own revenue targets more often than not. This quarter was a sharp break from that negative trend.
Management has a clear long-term plan in mind. The challenge now becomes executing against these long-term goals. NCR is off to a good-looking start, but the second half of 2016 had better deliver on Nuti's cash-intensive strategic vision.
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Anders Bylund has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends NCR. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.
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