Saturday, November 23, 2013

Alcoa - To Buy or Not to Buy?

One of the world’s leading aluminum producers Alcoa (AA) is forming a joint venture with Russia’s VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation, the biggest player of the titanium ingots and forged products market. The two companies will fulfill the ever-increasing demand of aluminum and high-end titanium from aircraft manufacturers. 

Last month, Alcoa reported its quarterly results for the first time after its exit from the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company has been suffering due to the global economic slowdown and weakness in metal prices but the business has been working on improving its margins. The aluminum giant is also expecting some improvements from China. Alcoa has struggled due to the persistent weakness in the business environment, it has large levels of debt and its stock has performed poorly. But after the recent earnings beat and a relatively better performance at the NYSE in October, should you put your money in this company? 

Earnings Beat
Last month, Alcoa reported its results for the third quarter in which it managed to beat both top and bottom line estimates. The company’s revenues dropped 1.17% from last year to $5.77 billion, which was above market’s expectations of $5.63 billion. Adjusted earnings came in at $120 million, or $0.11 per share, showing a significant increase from $32 million or $0.03 per share in the third quarter of 2012, easily beating the profit estimates of $0.05 per share.

The better than expected performance, despite the weakness in metal prices, can be attributed to  .... read full article at GuruFocus