Backed by the performance of its military business and Class 8 truck market share growth, Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) reported strong first-quarter net income in the face of the weakest North American truck market in nearly 35 years.
The company said net income for the quarter ended January 31, 2009, including the effects of the previously reported resolution of its disputes with the Ford Motor Company, totaled $234 million, equal to $3.27 per diluted share, on $2.97 billion in net sales and revenues. In the first quarter a year ago, Navistar reported a net loss of $65 million, equal to ($0.92) per diluted share, on $2.95 billion in net sales and revenues. Contributing to the first-quarter results are the impacts of the company’s settlement with Ford and other related costs, which were $190 million of profit before tax.
Backed by the performance of its military business and Class 8 truck market share growth, Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) reported strong first-quarter net income in the face of the weakest North American truck market in nearly 35 years.
The company said net income for the quarter ended January 31, 2009, including the effects of the previously reported resolution of its disputes with the Ford Motor Company, totaled $234 million, equal to $3.27 per diluted share, on $2.97 billion in net sales and revenues. In the first quarter a year ago, Navistar reported a net loss of $65 million, equal to ($0.92) per diluted share, on $2.95 billion in net sales and revenues. Contributing to the first-quarter results are the impacts of the company’s settlement with Ford and other related costs, which were $190 million of profit before tax.
“Building on our successful 2008 performance, we delivered a profitable first quarter due in part to the strength of our diversification strategy, increased market share in the heavy truck segment and our expanding military business,” said Daniel C. Ustian, Navistar chairman, president and chief executive officer. “By leveraging our core strengths and the strengths of companies that have become our partners, we are able to maximize our ability to remain profitable during a third-consecutive year of low truck volumes.”
Manufacturing segment profit was $407 million, including the impacts of the Ford settlement and other related costs, for the first quarter ended January 31, compared with $92 million in the year-ago period. In the first quarter, revenue for the period increased slightly from the year-ago period on the strength of the company’s military business and gains in its market share of Class 8 trucks, which has been strengthened by the addition of the International LoneStar and ProStar to its product offering.
The company now projects that total truck industry retail sales volume for Class 6-8 trucks and school buses in the United States and Canada for the fiscal year ending October 31, to total between 210,000 to 225,000 units, down from the previous forecast of 244,000 to 256,000 units.
Despite the revised forecast of lower industry sales volume, Navistar reaffirmed that its guidance for net income for its fiscal year ending October 31, should be in the range of $370 million, or $5.10 per diluted share, to $410 million, or $5.60 per diluted share, excluding the Ford settlement and related charges. Including results of the Ford settlement, per diluted share earnings should be in the range of $7.55 to $8.05 per diluted share.
“We are on target to meet our aggressive goals and will continue to invest in our products, expand our global footprint and contain costs in a difficult economy,” said Ustian. “I am optimistic about our ability to maintain our market leadership positions, advance our key new product initiatives and be solidly profitable in fiscal 2009.”
Truck — The company’s traditional market share remains strong and has been bolstered in the early months of fiscal 2009 as compared to the first three months of fiscal 2008 by an 8 percentage point growth in Class 8 market share, driven particularly by the success of the International ProStar and continued U.S. military procurement. Heavy truck market share in the first quarter totaled 24 percent, up 9 percent since 2007.
Notably, first quarter truck shipments of expansionary and U.S. military units accounted for 13 percent and 12 percent, respectively, of Navistar’s worldwide truck shipments, continuing to offset the strong headwinds in the truck market in the U.S. and Canada.
Engine — Engine segment results were favorably impacted by the Ford resolution. Offsetting this benefit was weaker overall demand for engine sales both in North America and worldwide, leading to a decline of 34,900 units to 50,900 units in the first quarter of fiscal 2009.
Parts — Parts sales, aided by the revenue growth of the military business as well, totaled $540 million in the current first quarter, compared with $401 million in the prior year first quarter. The launch of the PartSmart product line late in the first quarter marked the addition of a key new channel for parts growth to augment the opportunities available in all the company’s markets.