DIEBOLD INC. $33 (New York symbol DBD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 63.2 million; Market cap: $2.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.diebold.com) makes ATMs, safes, vaults and building security systems.
In the three months ended June 30, 2012, the company’s earnings rose 30.7%, to $26.5 million from $20.3 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 32.3%, to $0.41 from $0.31, on fewer shares outstanding. If you exclude unusual items, such as a writedown of obsolete computer software, Diebold’s earnings per share would have risen 11.4%, to $0.49 from $0.44.
Revenue rose 12.2%, to $743.2 million from $662.4 million. That’s mainly because the company continues to see strong demand for ATMs from banks in North and South America. That’s helping it offset weaker sales in Europe. Sales in Asia were flat.
However, the Brazilian government has delayed part of its order for 90,000 voting machines until 2013. As well, the high value of the U.S. dollar is lowering the contribution of the company’s overseas operations.
As a result, Diebold now expects its 2012 revenue to rise 6% to 8%, down from its earlier prediction of 7% to 10% growth. As well, the company cut its 2012 earnings estimate to $2.55 a share from $2.60. The stock trades at a reasonable 12.9 times the new forecast.
Diebold is a buy.