ABB’s profits fall, but new orders climb

Article Excerpt

ABB LTD. ADRs $21 (New York symbol ABB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 2.3 billion; Market cap: $48.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 2.3%; WSSF Rating: Above Average) earned $623 million in the three months ended June 30, 2010, down 7.7% from $675 million a year earlier. Earnings per ADR fell 10.0%, to $0.27 from $0.30, on more shares outstanding. (Each American Depositary Receipt represents one ABB common share.) Restructuring costs and investment losses were the main reasons for the drop. Orders for new equipment rose 4.9%, to $7.7 billion from $7.3 billion, as strong sales of automated factory machinery offset slower demand for power-transmission equipment. ABB is a buy. buy…