General Electric, Still Weighed by Energy, Boosts Profit Amid Cost Cutting Plan
April 21 2017 - 7:55AM
Dow Jones News
By Joshua Jamerson
General Electric Co. said Friday it boosted profit from its core
industrial businesses, though it was still weighed by its oil and
gas segment, amid its vow to cut costs amid investor unease over
its performance.
GE in March pledged to cut $1 billion in industrial expenses for
each of the next two years, which is twice the level of cuts
originally laid out by GE Chief Executive Jeff Immelt in a January
earnings call. The cost-cutting was stepped up following
discussions with activist investor Trian Fund Management, which The
Wall Street Journal previously reported has been frustrated by
missed profit goals.
GE said Friday total revenue and profit in the first quarter --
typically relatively slow for GE, which sees more business later in
the year -- beat Wall Street expectations.
In recent years, the company has turned focus to its industrial
businesses, shedding low-margin units like home appliances and
striking a big oil-and-gas deal with Baker Hughes Inc. last fall.
Still, analysts are wary that GE will reach a long-term goal of
delivering $2 a share in profit in 2018.
A problem for GE during the first quarter continued to be
energy. Oil-and-gas revenue fell 9% and segment profit fell
33%.
The Boston conglomerate reported several bright spots in other
parts of its business, such as a 22% increase in revenue in the
company's renewable-energy business, which includes wind turbine
sales. Also, revenue from its largest industrial segment, which
makes turbines for power plants, rose 17%. Total industrial profit
operating profit rose 11%.
Over all for the March quarter, GE reported net income of $653
million, compared with $228 million a year ago. On a per-share
basis, which in the latest quarter was aided by a lower outstanding
share count, GE earned 7 cents, compared to a year-ago loss of a
penny. On an adjusted basis, earnings were 21 cents a share;
analysts, polled by Thomson Reuters, projected 17 cents a
share.
Revenue slipped 1% to $27.66 billion, topping analysts'
projections for $26.41 billion.
Write to Joshua Jamerson at joshua.jamerson@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 21, 2017 07:40 ET (11:40 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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