Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions.  Legal Statement.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2023 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. FAQ - New Privacy Policy

Markets
Published

Orbital ATK Inc's Earnings Dip on a Tax Hit

Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA) reported a solid finish to 2017, posting higher revenue and delivering strong free cash flow. Further, it continues to win new business, which should propel future growth. That said, defense giant Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), which agreed to acquire Orbital ATK in an all-cash deal in September, will be the beneficiary since it expects that deal to close in the first half of this year.

Orbital ATK results: The raw numbers

What happened with Orbital ATK this quarter?

Taxes weighed on earnings:

  • The defense systems group led the way, with revenue jumping 19.9% to $578 million due to higher activity in all product divisions. Revenue from the flight systems group, meanwhile, rose 13.3% to $459 million thanks to higher activity in all product divisions driven by new business wins. Those strong results more than offset a 13.6% dip in revenue from the space systems group, which dropped to $367 million due to lower activities on its satellite systems division contracts.
  • For the full year, revenue rose 6.9% to $4.46 billion thanks to higher sales in all three of its operating groups.
  • While earnings declined in the quarter, that was mainly due to the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which reduced adjusted net income by $41 million, or $0.71 per share. Acquirer Northrup Grumman reported a similar impact from the tax law change.
  • Full-year adjusted earnings came in at $5.61 per share, which was only 1% higher than 2016 due to the impact of the changing tax code.
  • Cash flow from operations was a healthy $363 million for the quarter and $520 million for the full year. Further, it generated $346 million of free cash flow in the quarter and $366 for the full year.
  • Orbital ATK booked $1.57 billion of new orders during the quarter as well as receiving $685 million of option exercises. Those awards pushed the company's firm backlog up 9% to $10.2 billion, while its total backlog rose 12% to $16 billion.

What management had to say

"Orbital ATK reported excellent fourth-quarter and full-year financial results," according to CEO David Thompson, "reflecting strong revenues and profit along with robust free cash flow and new business wins." CFO Garrett Pierce echoed that statement, noting:

Looking forward

Orbital ATK didn't provide any outlook due to its pending merger with Northrup Grumman, which the defense giant currently expects to close in the first half of this year. The companies, meanwhile, received some positive news on that front this month when the European Commission approved the deal, leaving the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's review as the last hurdle to overcome before closing.

10 stocks we like better than Orbital ATKWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Orbital ATK wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of February 5, 2018

Matthew DiLallo owns shares of Orbital ATK. The Motley Fool recommends Orbital ATK. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.