A. Schulman – SHLM – Reports Solid Fiscal 2013 First Quarter

A. Schulman, Inc. (Nasdaq: SHLM) announced earnings for the fiscal 2013 first quarter ended November 30, 2012.

• Net income for the quarter was $11.8 million, or $0.40 per diluted share; excluding certain items, net income was $14.6 million, or $0.50 per diluted share
• Volume increased in all three regions during the quarter
• Company reaffirms full-year fiscal 2013 net income guidance, excluding certain items, to be in the range of $2.14 to $2.19 per diluted share

SHLM reported net income for the first quarter of $11.8 million, or $0.40 per diluted share, a 13% decline compared with the prior-year period.  The translation effect of foreign currencies negatively impacted net income for the quarter by $0.5 million, or approximately $0.02 per diluted share.

The Company’s net sales improvement was a result of volume increases in all regions.  The Americas segment experienced an overall volume increase of 13.8%, related to improvement across all product families. Incremental net sales from the recent acquisition of ECM Plastics, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of niche engineered plastics and masterbatch, were $8.7 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2013.  The Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) segment experienced a volume increase of 1.5% related to its custom performance color and masterbatch solutions product families.  Incremental net sales from the acquisition of Elian, a leading global producer of highly specialized color masterbatch, were $9.6 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2013.  Foreign currency translation negatively impacted EMEA’s net sales by $16.5 million. The Company’s Asia Pacific (APAC) segment reported increased volume of 3.5% primarily in its engineered plastics and specialty powders product families.

“We are very encouraged to see modest volume growth in all regions. Excluding acquisitions and foreign currency impact, volume increased 3% and we saw a sales improvement of 4%,” said Joseph M. Gingo, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our acquisition strategy continues to position us to better serve customers with our broad array of product offerings.  I am proud that we continue to perform well despite a difficult global competitive environment.  I’m confident that our skilled team can mitigate tough headwinds and continue to advance our strategy over the course of the fiscal year.”  

Fiscal 2013 first-quarter gross profit, excluding certain items, was $71.3 million compared with $69.5 million for the same period last year. Excluding the foreign currency impact, total gross profit increased by $3.9 million.  The Company’s two acquisitions in fiscal 2012 contributed approximately $3.1 million of incremental gross profit in the first quarter of fiscal 2013.  Additionally, the Company continues to benefit from prior restructuring initiatives and ongoing efforts to control costs.

SHLM Business Outlook

“We will continue to support value-added strategic initiatives to bolster long-term earnings growth while aggressively pursuing acquisitions that enhance our core offerings and technical capabilities and contribute to our profitability,” Gingo said.  “As we have done in the past, we will continue to monitor trends and refine our operations as needed.  Because of our proven track record of executing our strategy, we are reiterating our expectations for fiscal 2013 full-year net income guidance to be in the range of $2.14 to $2.19 per diluted share.”

About A. Schulman, Inc. – SHLM

A. Schulman, Inc. (SHLM) is a leading international supplier of high-performance plastic compounds and resins headquartered in Akron, Ohio.  Since 1928, the Company has been providing innovative solutions to meet its customers’ demanding requirements.  The Company’s customers span a wide range of markets such as packaging, mobility, building & construction, electronics & electrical, agriculture, personal care & hygiene, sports & leisure, custom services and others.  The Company employs approximately 3,300 people and has 34 manufacturing facilities globally.  A. Schulman reported net sales of $2.1 billion for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2012.

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Post Written By: Ed Liston Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications. He is widely quoted in various financial publications on the Internet. When Ed is not writing about stocks, investing in stocks, talking about stocks, or otherwise doing something stock related, he likes to go sailing and fishing in his yacht.