Strong Organic Growth Drives A Beat For Johnson Controls

-0.50%
Downside
65.32
Market
64.99
Trefis
JCI: Johnson Controls logo
JCI
Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) posted its third quarter results on July 31, wherein a rise in both revenues and earnings was reported, with the company topping consensus estimates on both metrics. The increased focus of the company on its Buildings segment is paying off, with 5% organic sales growth, and 4% improvement in field orders noted in the third quarter. The solid growth in this segment can be expected throughout the financial year, given the promising underlying trends. This time around, even its Power Solutions segment noted impressive results, with 14% reported sales growth, 10% organic sales improvement, and higher unit volumes. Looking ahead, new business wins in the segment and higher global adoption of start-stop units should positively impact the top-line growth. JCI also tightened its full year earnings guidance to $2.80-$2.82, from $2.75 to $2.85 earlier. As per our estimates, we expect JCI to post an EPS of $2.80 for FY 2018.

We have a $42 price estimate for Johnson Controls, which is higher than the current market price. The charts have been made using our new, interactive platform. The various driver assumptions can be modified by clicking here for our interactive dashboard on JCI’s Third Quarter Performance, to gauge their impact on the EBITDA and price per share metrics.

Relevant Articles
  1. Q4’23 Earnings Preview: Down 21% YTD Will Johnson Controls Stock Continue To Underperform?
  2. What’s Next For Johnson Controls Stock After An 8% Fall Yesterday?
  3. Margin Expansion To Drive Johnson Controls’ Q3?
  4. What’s Next For Johnson Controls Stock After An Upbeat Q2?
  5. Here’s What To Expect From Johnson Controls’ Q2
  6. Here’s What To Expect From Johnson Controls’ Q1

Factors That May Impact Performance Going Forward

1. Addition of New Salespeople: During the fourth quarter 2017 earnings conference call, the management had stated its intention of adding 400 salespeople in its Buildings segment, net of attrition in FY 2018. This had already been completed by the end of Q2, and consequently, JCI upped the hiring of incremental sales professionals to 900, with 775 already hired by the end of the third quarter. The company has noted better than expected productivity as a consequence, which has resulted in increased orders. In the quarter, margins on new orders booked in North America increased approximately 110 basis points year-over-year, versus 70 bps in Q1 and 100 bps in Q2. Based on this progress, JCI plans to continue to add sales capacity in select regions and businesses, to ensure the business is in a good position heading into FY 2019.

2. Synergies and Productivity: JCI committed to a significant restructuring plan in FY 2017 related to cost reduction initiatives. The costs consist primarily of workforce reductions, plant closures, and asset impairments. The company currently estimates that upon completion of the restructuring action, there will be a significant reduction in annual operating costs from continuing operations, which is primarily the result of lower cost of sales and selling, general, and administrative expenses due to reduced employee-related costs, depreciation, and amortization expense. Such measures will result in an improvement in the margins. JCI had an incremental $70 million or $0.06 of synergy (from Tyco merger and Adient spin-off) and productivity savings in the third quarter, and $0.16 in the first nine months. The company expects $250 million or $0.23 of incremental savings in FY 2018. Besides the improvement on the cost side, JCI continues to benefit from cross-selling wins.

3. Strategic Review of Power Solutions Business: JCI has stated in the past that it is undertaking a strategic review of its Power Solutions business. This is because the company’s two segments have different dynamics, with a strategic priority given to the strengthening of, and investing in, its position in the HVAC, fire, and security solutions, and integrated Building Management Systems. Although the company did not reveal much regarding this, it did say the review will be complete by the end of Q4, and more details will be provided with the earnings release.

4. Favorable Macroeconomic Environment: Rising GDPs across its key geographic region has resulted in a conducive macroeconomic environment, despite FX volatility, inflationary pressures, and trade policy concerns. This has aided the growth in the North American non-residential construction markets. Moreover, the rebound in global oil prices has helped to ease budget constraints in the Middle East, supporting the release of some large infrastructure projects in the region. These trends are expected to continue in the fourth quarter.

5. Importance of China for Power Solutions: China continued to outpace the market, with units up 30% in both OE (Original Equipment) and aftermarket. Looking ahead, JCI expects production levels to stabilize, given the new business wins in both the spaces. In the third quarter, JCI also witnessed global shipments of start-stop batteries increase 30% year-over-year, with strong growth reported across the Americas, EMEA, and China.

6. Impact of Steel and Aluminum Tariffs: JCI is a direct buyer of steel and aluminum totaling approximately $225 million on an annual basis. Given the fact that all of its steel purchases and 70% of its aluminum needs are supplied in-country, the direct impact of the tariffs will be minor. The company is still evaluating the impact of the tariffs on Chinese original goods, as per Section 301, but expects this to have a minimal impact in Q4. Additionally, JCI is also actively managing pricing in the supply chain, as well as externally, to mitigate any impact.

Click here to see our complete analysis of Johnson Controls

 

What’s behind Trefis? See How It’s Powering New Collaboration and What-Ifs

For CFOs and Finance Teams | Product, R&D, and Marketing Teams

More Trefis Research

Like our charts? Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own.