Reports Strong Results -- EPS up 14% in Fourth Quarter, 13% for the Year
Reports Restatement Relating to Commercial Paper; No Cash Flow or Liquidity Impact
2006 Highlights (Continuing Operations and Prior Periods Restated)
4Q earnings per share (EPS) of $.64, up 14%; Earnings of $6.6 billion, up 12%
Full-year EPS of $1.99, up 13%; Earnings of $20.7 billion, up 11%
4Q revenues of $44.6 billion, up 11%; Organic revenue growth of 8%
Full-year revenues of $163.4 billion, up 10%; Organic revenue growth of 9%
4Q total orders up 19%; Services orders up 10%; Major equipment orders up 35%; Financial services assets grew 18%
4Q operating profit margin (ex-pension) increased 190 basis points to 18.2%
Return on average total capital (ROTC) increased 180 basis points to 18.4%
Launched strategic review of GE Plastics business
FAIRFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE announced today record full-year 2006 earnings from continuing operations of $20.7 billion or $1.99 per share, up 11% and 13%, respectively, from 2005. Full-year revenues from continuing operations were also a record $163.4 billion, up 10%, increasing 9% organically.
"With strong performances at Infrastructure, Healthcare and the financial services businesses, GE delivered double-digit growth in earnings and revenues for the quarter and the year," GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said. "NBC Universal's turnaround is advancing and Industrial had a good year in spite of continued commodity inflation and competitive challenges at Plastics. We completed the disposition of Advanced Materials in the quarter at a favorable tax rate, which enabled us to accelerate our comprehensive restructuring efforts.
"For the second straight year, we strengthened our operating leverage and achieved our organic revenue growth target. We expanded our operating profit margin 190 basis points to 18.2% in the fourth quarter, and we increased ROTC 180 basis points to 18.4% for the year," Immelt said. "We posted our eighth straight quarter of organic revenue growth of 2-3X GDP.
"Demand for our services and products continues to grow globally. Our higher-margin services revenues grew 13% for the quarter, and global revenues accounted for $78 billion of revenues for the year, up from approximately $40 billion in 2000.
"We generated total cash flow from operating activities (CFOA) of $24.6 billion in 2006, an increase of 14% over 2005. With this cash, we have invested in the businesses, increased the quarterly dividend for the 31st straight year and purchased $8.1 billion of stock," Immelt said.
"We continue to execute on our strategy to invest in leadership businesses. Our focus remains on building faster growth, higher margin businesses. Since the beginning of the year, we have announced $15 billion of acquisitions in fast growth platforms in Oil & Gas, Healthcare and Aviation," Immelt said. "We continue to exit slower growth and more volatile businesses, and we are currently reviewing the potential disposition of our Plastics business.
"We still intend to execute on our $5-7 billion buyback plan for 2007. This buyback will be back-end loaded after we complete our business development activity, and we are on track to achieve our 20% ROTC goal by 2008."
Restatement
GE today is also amending its 2005 Form 10-K to restate its financial position and results of operations for the years 2001 through 2005. GE is also amending its Forms 10-Q for each of the first three quarters of 2006 to restate related interim financial statements. The restatement adjusts GE's accounting for interest rate swaps used to fix certain otherwise variable interest costs in a portion of its financial services commercial paper program. The restatement is based on a determination of the Office of Chief Accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission, following discussions with GE and its auditors, that this commercial paper hedging program did not meet the specificity requirement of SFAS 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities. Accounting issues concerning this program had been referred to that Office in connection with a previously-disclosed SEC investigation relating to derivatives accounting. GE and its auditors had concluded that the company's accounting for the commercial paper hedging program satisfied the requirements of SFAS 133.
Keith Sherin, Senior Vice President and CFO, said, "Our commercial paper hedge positions were consistent with our risk management policies and economic objectives. While we are disappointed that our program did not meet the technical requirements of SFAS 133, we are committed to the highest standards of controllership and transparency and ensuring appropriate application of SFAS 133. We have corrected our commercial paper hedge policies and documentation, and related internal controls, as of January 1, 2007."
The impact of the restatement is as follows:
Highlights of Preliminary Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter 2006 Results (Prior Periods Restated):
Full-Year earnings from continuing operations were a record $20.7 billion, up 11% from $18.7 billion in 2005. EPS from continuing operations were $1.99, up 13% from last year's $1.76. Four of GE's six businesses contributed double-digit earnings growth for the year.
Full-year continuing revenues grew 10% to a record $163.4 billion. Industrial sales rose 10% to $99.1 billion, reflecting core growth and the net effects of acquisitions. Financial services revenues grew 11% over last year to $63.6 billion, reflecting core growth and the net effects of acquisitions.
Fourth-quarter earnings from continuing operations were $6.6 billion, up 12% from $5.9 billion in fourth quarter 2005. EPS from continuing operations were $.64 per share, up 14% from last year's $.56. Four of GE's six businesses contributed double-digit earnings growth.
Fourth-quarter continuing revenues were $44.6 billion, up 11% from $40.3 billion in fourth quarter 2005. Industrial sales increased 6% to $27.1 billion, primarily reflecting core growth. Financial services revenues grew 16% over last year to $17.1 billion, reflecting core growth and the effects of acquisitions.
Cash generated from GE's operating activities in 2006 totaled $24.6 billion, up 14% from $21.6 billion last year, reflecting a $2.0 billion increase in GE Capital Services' dividends, substantially all of which was proceeds from sales of insurance businesses, and a 7% increase from the Industrial businesses.
Discontinued Operations for the fourth quarter was a $3 million loss, which reflected the results of the sale of GE Life late in the quarter, and final adjustments to the June sale of Insurance Solutions. Accordingly, fourth-quarter net earnings were $6.6 billion ($.64 per share) in 2006 and $3.2 billion ($.30 per share) in 2005. For the year, earnings from discontinued operations were .2 billion in 2006 compared with a loss of $1.9 billion in 2005. Accordingly, total year net earnings were $20.8 billion ($2.00 per share) in 2006 and $16.7 billion ($1.57 per share) in 2005.
2007 Outlook
"Looking ahead, the global environment remains positive for GE. Our businesses are positioned to capitalize on the drivers of the global economy -- demand for infrastructure around the world, growth in emerging markets, favorable demographics, environmentally favorable technology, increasing use of digital connections, and robust liquidity in the financial markets," Immelt said.
"We begin 2007 with a stronger set of businesses, our key financial metrics heading in the right direction and a cash position that gives us tremendous flexibility," Immelt said. "We see full-year 2007 EPS from continuing operations of $2.18-2.23, an increase of 10-12% over comparable 2006 earnings. For 1Q'07, we expect to achieve EPS of $.43-.45, up 8-13%. Furthermore, we believe that our strategic moves position GE for sustained growth in the future."
GE will discuss preliminary fourth-quarter and full-year results on a conference call and Webcast at 8:30 a.m. ET today. Call information is available at www.ge.com/investor, and related charts will be posted there prior to the call.
GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work -- a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
2006 results are preliminary and quarterly information is unaudited. This document contains "forward-looking statements" - that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," or "will." Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, particular uncertainties which could adversely or positively affect our future results include: the behavior of financial markets, including fluctuations in interest rates and commodity prices; strategic actions, including dispositions; future integration of acquired businesses; future financial performance of major industries which we serve, including, without limitation, the air and rail transportation, energy generation, media, real estate and healthcare industries; unanticipated loss development in our insurance businesses; and numerous other matters of national, regional and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive and regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.
Russell Wilkerson
GE Capital Managing Director of Communications and Public Affairs
[email protected]
1-203-840-6420
1-203-581-2114