5 Things United Technologies Corporation's Management Wants You to Know

The downturn in oil prices and growth in China has hurt a lot of companies, and even an industrial conglomerate like United Technologies Corporation can't be insulated from these factors.

First-quarter results showed just how much of an impact macro factors are having on the company. While some might be temporary, some are going to have a big effect on its strategic decisions going forward. Here are my five biggest takeaways from United Technologies' comments on its first-quarter conference call with analysts.

The sales growth number to watch

The headline numbers weren't great for United Technologies, with revenue down 1% from a year ago. But currency had a lot to do with that, and organically the company grew at a steady 3% clip.

What's also important is where that growth came from within the company's business segments, and where struggles occurred. In building and industrials, the Americas and Asia both grew at 6%, although EMEA was up just 1%. Aerospace wasn't quite as strong, as the next quote shows.

What to do with Sikorsky?

Sikorsky has been an unstable business for United Technologies, and management is trying to figure out what the right strategic move is for the business. Potential sale or spinoff rumors have floated around for more than a year, and now we're seeing the financial reason.

Not only are military orders weak at the moment, a sharp decline in oil and gas drilling has led to a drop in commercial orders. The pain from the drop in oil prices is spreading well beyond drillers themselves.

China's not having the best year

I took note of this quote not because of Otis' orders, which can be volatile quarter to quarter, but instead because this is another data point indicating that China's economy is slowing. One major concern for markets today is that China's economy could begin slowing or even go into a recession, and one of the first places that would show up is in building products. Keep an eye on China's growth and infrastructure spending in coming quarters.

Commercial aircraft are hot

Military aircraft and helicopter demand is down, but commercial aviation is hot right now. That's why management expects profit to grow at a midpoint range of $250 million in UTC Aerospace Systems. This is arguably United Technologies' most important unit at the moment, with Otis, Carrier, and Pratt & Whitney all facing macro challenges in their end markets. Keep an eye on the performance of this unit in future quarters because it could be a key driver of growth in 2015.

Returning cash to shareholders

United Technologies isn't really a growth stock, but it's giving the cash it generates back to shareholders. You can see below that shares outstanding have declined 11% in the past decade, while dividends paid have tripled.

UTX data by YCharts.

This is a slow-and-steady way for investors to gain value in a company that is reliably profitable year after year. Investing in United Technologies may not be as exciting as investing in tech stocks, but with money being returned to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks, it will make it easier to sleep at night.

Slow growth but solid returns United Technologies is struggling with some macro factors that are out of its control, but it's growing organic sales at 3% and earnings per share by 7% on an adjusted basis. This is what investors should want to see given the economic backdrop. This is a strong cash flow business that investors can buy and hold for years to come and still sleep well at night.

The article 5 Things United Technologies Corporation's Management Wants You to Know originally appeared on Fool.com.

Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.