Tag: profit (Page 2 of 4)

American Airlines Reports Q4 and Full-Year 2019 Profit

January 23, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) today reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 financial results, including these highlights:

Fourth-quarter 2019 earnings were $0.95 per diluted share. Excluding net special items¹, earnings were $1.15 per diluted share, up 19% year over year.
Full-year 2019 earnings were $3.79 per diluted share. Excluding net special items², earnings were $4.90 per diluted share, up 8% year over year.
Accrued $213 million for the company’s profit-sharing program in 2019, including $74 million in the fourth quarter.
Returned $1.3 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases in 2019.

“During the fourth quarter, we made important progress to address the issues that impacted our business in 2019, and, thanks to our incredible team, we ended the year with our strongest operational quarter on record,” said American Airlines Chairman and CEO Doug Parker.

“While our results for the quarter reflect this progress, we know there is more work to be done. Looking to 2020, we are focused on three key areas. First, we will continue to deliver operational excellence and build on our strong fourth-quarter results. Our team has done a tremendous job, and we will keep driving improvement in key operational metrics in the year ahead. Second, we will deliver those results while growing where we have a competitive advantage in our most profitable hubs. And third, these initiatives combined with our capital plan will enable us to drive significant free cash flow in 2020 and beyond.”

Fourth-Quarter Revenue and Expenses

Pre-tax earnings were $571 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. Pre-tax earnings excluding net special items for the fourth quarter of 2019 were $679 million, a $90 million increase from the fourth quarter of 2018, or 15.1% year-over-year increase from the same period last year.

Continued strength in passenger demand and a record passenger load factor drove a 3.4% year-over-year increase in fourth-quarter 2019 total revenue to a record $11.3 billion. Driven by a 2.4% increase in passenger load factor, passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) grew 0.9% to 14.72 cents, a record for the fourth quarter. Cargo revenue was down 18.3% to $216 million due primarily to a 15.6% decline in cargo volume. Other revenue was up 5.4% to $750 million due primarily to higher loyalty revenue. Fourth-quarter total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) increased by 0.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 on a 2.9% increase in total available seat miles.

Total fourth-quarter 2019 operating expenses were $10.6 billion, up 2.1% year over year, driven primarily by higher salaries and benefits, maintenance, and regional expenses. Total fourth-quarter 2019 cost per available seat mile (CASM) was 15.06 cents, down 0.8% from fourth-quarter 2018. Excluding fuel and net special items, consolidated fourth-quarter CASM was 11.59 cents, up 2% year over year.¹

2020 Priorities

In 2020, American is focused on operational excellence, efficient and profitable growth, and generating significant free cash flow.

Operational excellence: Running a reliable operation is a significant driver of customers’ likelihood to recommend and American’s goal to become customers’ airline of choice.
Efficient and profitable growth: Grow in high-revenue markets that produce at or above average unit revenues, largely due to new gates in Dallas-Fort Worth and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Generating significant free cash flow³: Use free cash flow to naturally de-lever the company’s balance sheet and return capital to American’s shareholders.

United Beats Wall Street Expectations Despite 737 MAX Delays

January 21, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

CHICAGO (Reuters) – United Airlines Holdings Inc <UAL> on Tuesday beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit and held to its 2020 profit target, with a turnaround strategy overseen by its outgoing CEO underpinning growth even as the Boeing 737 MAX remains grounded.

Chicago-based United is one of three U.S. airlines cancelling more than 1,000 monthly flights in a hit to profits as the 737 MAX remains grounded following two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Boeing Co <BA> said on Tuesday it does not expect approval for the 737 MAX’s return to service until mid-year, later than previously forecast.

While United has warned of a hit from the MAX grounding, it did not disclose any estimated financial impact from the fallout and stood by its full-year adjusted EPS range of $11 to $13.

Total operating revenue rose 3.8% to $10.89 billion, boosted by strong travel demand and Chief Executive Oscar Munoz’s three-year strategy to build up the airline’s flight connections through its main U.S. hubs. United President Scott Kirby will succeed Munoz as CEO later this year.

Revenue per mile flown, a closely watched industry measurement, rose 0.8% in the fourth quarter and United forecast similar growth in the first quarter given solid bookings.

However, unit costs excluding fuel and profit-sharing expenses, a concern for investors in a year of contract negotiations with pilots, rose 2.7%.

United had already announced a non-cash impairment charge of $90 million in the fourth quarter related to its Hong Kong routes, following anti-government protests in the city.

Shares of United closed 4.4% lower at $85.79 before the earnings release, tracking sharp declines for U.S. airline and travel stocks on concerns over the Wuhan coronavirus in China, which J.P.Morgan analyst Jamie Baker said poses a near-term overhang for airlines.

United did not comment on the outbreak in its results but separately said there is no impact on its operations and it remains in close contact with U.S., Chinese and other Asian authorities on safety.

United management will host a conference call to discuss results on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. EST (1630 GMT).

Adjusted net income rose to $676 million, or $2.67 per share, in the fourth quarter to Dec. 31, from $657 million a year earlier, topping a Wall Street consensus forecast for $2.65 per share.

Fellow U.S. MAX operators Southwest Airlines Co <LUV> and American Airlines Group Inc <AAL> are due to report quarterly results on Thursday.

The three airlines are scheduling without the MAX until early June though that timeline will likely need to be pushed back following Tuesday’s guidance from Boeing.

United, which had 14 737 MAX jets in its fleet at the time of the grounding, said it plans to take delivery of 28 MAX variants in 2020 depending on U.S. regulatory approval and Boeing’s subsequent pace of production and deliveries.

Among other aircraft orders, it expects to take delivery of two Boeing 777-300’s and 15 Boeing 787’s in 2020 but has decided to assign its purchase obligations for 20 Embraer 175’s to one of its regional partners once each jet is delivered.

(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Additional reporting by Dominic Roshan K L in Bengaluru; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight approaches to land at Reagan National Airport in Washington

American Airlines Reaches Settlement with Boeing for 737 MAX Compensation

January 6, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

(Reuters) – American Airlines Group Inc <AAL> said on Monday it had reached a confidential agreement with Boeing Co <BA> to address damages the airline incurred in 2019 due to the ongoing grounding of its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

American, the largest U.S. airline, said the compensation will be received over several years. The airline will use more than $30 million of the compensation for the airline’s 2019 employee profit-sharing program.

American said it does not expect any material financial impact of the agreement to be realized in its fourth-quarter 2019 earnings and it will continue talks regarding compensation for damages related to the MAX grounding beyond 2019.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents American Airlines’ 28,000 flight attendants, said it welcomed the news about compensation, and was evaluating the details.

Boeing said it does not comment on discussions with airlines.

Boeing’s best-selling 737 MAX has been grounded since two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people. The company is halting production this month. A number of airlines have struck confidential settlements with Boeing in recent weeks.

(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)

An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8, on a flight from Miami to New York City, comes in for landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York

Brazil Association Takes Fight Against Embraer-Boeing Deal to Europe

December 5, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

BRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) – An association representing minority investors in Brazil is lobbying European antitrust regulators to spike a deal between planemakers Embraer SA and Boeing Co, calling it a killer acquisition.

Aurelio Valporto, the head of minority investor association Abradin, said the European Commission should block Boeing’s proposed $4.2 billion purchase of 80% Embraer’s commercial passenger jet division or demand hefty concessions.

“What will be left from Embraer won’t survive, and even if it was possible to survive, Embraer wouldn’t be able to produce any aircraft with 50 passengers or more,” Valporto said in an interview late on Wednesday, arguing that Embraer and Boeing planes compete in the marketplace.

Embraer’s commercial jet division focuses on the 70 to 150-seat segment, competing directly with the CSeries jets designed by Bombardier Inc, a division that was bought by Europe’s Airbus SE.

Boeing aims to take control of Embraer’s commercial jet business, its most profitable, to compete directly with Airbus in the market for planes with fewer than 150 seats.

Embraer said in a statement on Thursday that the deal will “serve the interests of shareholders by enabling Embraer to expand markets and increase sales.” The deal was backed by around 97% of Embraer’s shareholders earlier this year.

Valporto complained about the deal to the European Commission two months ago, saying it hurt competition in the Brazilian aerospace industry, and on Wednesday took his grievance to antitrust officials in Brasilia.

The deal has already been approved by regulators in the United States, China and Japan. If it closes, Embraer will receive dividends from its remaining 20% stake in the commercial jet business, but will have to rely more heavily on its business jets and defense divisions to turn a profit. Those two divisions have posted losses in recent quarters.

The European Commission, which launched a full-scale investigation into the deal in October, declined to comment.

Boeing said it and Embraer had been engaged with the European Commission and other global regulatory authorities since late last year.

“We continue to co-operate with the European Commission and CADE as they assess our transaction and look forward to a positive resolution,” a spokesman for the company said.

The EU has voiced concerns the deal would remove Embraer, the world’s third-largest commercial aircraft maker, from the industry, an indication that it may demand significant concessions from Boeing.

The EU regulator halted its investigation last month while waiting for Boeing to submit data on the deal.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels Additional reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun in Sao Paulo Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Matthew Lewis)

Cathay Pacific Cuts 2020 Capacity Plan as Hong Kong Unrest Continues

November 30, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd <CPCAY> plans to cut passenger flight capacity by 1.4% next year, reversing an earlier plan for a boost of 3.1% because of a challenging business outlook, an internal memo reviewed by Reuters showed.

The capacity reduction follows Cathay Pacific cutting its second-half profit guidance earlier this month, the second cutback in less than a month, because of anti-government protests that began in Hong Kong in June that have discouraged travel to the city.

“Given the immediate commercial challenges and the fact that our position has deteriorated in recent weeks, we must take swift action to adjust our budget operating plan for 2020 downwards again,” Chief Executive Augustus Tang said in the memo.

“Put another way, rather than growing our airlines in 2020, for the first time in a long time, our airlines will reduce in size.”

Revenue performance continues to be disappointing and advance bookings into 2020 remain much lower than expected due to weak traffic from some of its key markets, particularly mainland China, the memo said.

A Cathay representative said the carrier had no comment.

Full-service carrier Hong Kong Airlines, backed by indebted Chinese conglomerate HNA, also said on Friday it would further reduce its capacity to mitigate the impact from the political unrest.

Several Asian airlines have also cut flights to Hong Kong, as the protests in the financial hub and an escalating China-U.S. trade war have pushed the Chinese-ruled territory into recession for the first time in a decade.

Hong Kong has enjoyed a week of relative calm since local elections on Sunday delivered an overwhelming victory to pro-democracy candidates.

But protesters stirred support for more rallies over the weekend, as police withdrew on Friday from a university campus where some of the worst clashes with security forces had occurred as part of nearly six months of unrest.

Shares in Cathay rose 0.8% on Friday, outperforming a 2% drop in the broader market.

(Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney; Writing by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Christian Schmollinger)

A passenger walks to the First Class counter of Cathay Pacific Airways at Hong Kong Airport in Hong Kong

General Motors to Restart Mexican Plants after Labor Deal Ratified

October 25, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

MEXICO CITY, Oct 25 (Reuters) – General Motors Co will gradually restart operations at several idled plants in Mexico beginning this weekend, after unionized workers for the U.S. automaker ratified a new labor contract, the company’s Mexican unit said on Friday.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union announced earlier on Friday that its members had formally approved a new four-year labor contract with General Motors, ending a 40-day strike with the top American automaker.

GM said that by the end of next week all of its Mexican operations should be operating normally with all employees back to work.

In a statement, GM’s Mexican unit said its Ramos Arizpe motors plant will resume operating on Saturday, while its transmissions plant and Chevrolet Blazer assembly line located at the same facility will start back up on Monday. The Ramos Arizpe facility is located in the Mexican border state of Coahuila, just south of Texas.

All of the plants located at GM’s Silao facility, in central Guanajuato state, will restart on Monday.

Thousands of Silao workers had been furloughed as anxiety grew earlier this month among residents who viewed the facility as the city’s economic anchor.

Tensions over the future of manufacturing in North America were at the heart of the striking GM workers. The debate pitted U.S. labor advocates eager to reduce Mexico’s cost advantage against Mexican trade unions fighting to protect local jobs.

The strike began in September with UAW negotiators demanding higher pay for workers, greater job security as well as a bigger share of profits and the protection of healthcare benefits.

(Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie Adler)

United Lifts 2019 Profit Target on Strong Travel Demand

October 15, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Oct 15 (Reuters) – United Airlines on Tuesday topped Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit, boosted by higher fares and lower fuel costs, and lifted its 2019 profit target despite the continued grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX.

Chicago-based United is one of three U.S. airlines that have each had to cancel more than 2,000 monthly flights through the end of the year as Boeing Co’s 737 MAX remains grounded following two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

The flight cancellations have weighed on airline profits and costs, but strong travel demand, despite concerns of a global economic slowdown, continued to offset MAX headwinds and disruption in Hong Kong and China.

As a result, United raised its 2019 adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance to $11.25-$12.25 versus $10.50-$12.00 previously.

United shares, which closed up 1% at $87.88 before the earnings release, were about 1% higher in after-hours trading.

Total operating revenue rose 3.4% to $11.38 billion, underpinned by the airline’s three-year strategy to build up flight connections through its main U.S. hubs.

But closely watched unit costs excluding fuel and profit-sharing expenses, a concern for investors, rose 2.1%.

The airline, which is in talks with Boeing over 737 MAX compensation, did not provide any details on the estimated financial impact of the grounding.

Adjusted net income rose to $1.05 billion, or $4.07 per share, in the third quarter, from $834 million or $3.05 per share a year earlier.

Analysts on average had forecast $3.95 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

United management will host a conference call to discuss results on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT).

Fellow U.S. MAX operators Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, which have both warned of a pretax profit hit from the MAX grounding, are due to report quarterly results next week.

United, Southwest and American are all scheduling without the MAX until early January.

(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago and Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Matthew Lewis)

Canadian Pacific Railway Reports 33% Rise in Profit

July 16, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

FILE PHOTO: The Canadian Pacific railyard is pictured in Port Coquitlam.

Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) today announced record second-quarter revenues of $1.98 billion, an increase of 13 percent from last year, and record earnings per share (EPS) with reported diluted EPS of $5.17 or $4.30 on an adjusted diluted EPS basis.

“I commend the team for this record second-quarter performance,” said CP President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel. “These results demonstrate the strength of precision scheduled railroading and are a testament to our collective commitment to deliver for our customers and the broader economy.”

SECOND-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

Revenues increased by 13 percent to $1.98 billion from $1.75 billion last year
Reported diluted EPS of $5.17, a 70 percent increase from $3.04 last year, and adjusted diluted EPS of $4.30, a 36 percent increase from $3.16 last year
Operating ratio was a second-quarter record 58.4 percent, a 580 basis point improvement over last year’s second-quarter operating ratio of 64.2 percent

“This quarter, we saw revenue growth across every line of business, strong operating metrics, and our best-ever second-quarter performance from a workload perspective, as measured by Gross Ton-Miles,” said Creel. “As has been proven time and again, our operating model can perform well in all economic conditions and we will remain disciplined in controlling our costs and doing what we said we would do. Our strategy for sustainable, profitable growth is working and we look forward to a strong finish to 2019.”

CP will discuss its results with the financial community in a conference call beginning at 9:30 a.m. eastern time (7:30 a.m. mountain time) today.

Conference Call Access

Toronto participants dial in number: 1-647-427-7450

Operator assisted toll-free dial-in number: 1-888-231-8191

Callers should dial in 10 minutes prior to the call.

Webcast

We encourage you to access the webcast and presentation material in the Investors section of CP’s website at investor.cpr .ca
A replay of the second-quarter conference call will be available by phone through to July 30, 2019 at 416-849-0833 or toll-free 1-855-859-2056, password 8144989.

Daimler Cuts 2019 Profit Outlook on Diesel Issues

June 23, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Daimler has cut its earnings outlook for this year after lifting provisions for issues related to its diesel vehicles by “a high three-digit million euro amount”, the carmaker said on Sunday.

Group earnings before interest and tax for 2019 are now expected to be at last year’s level. Previously, the carmaker had expected the figure to be “slightly higher”.

The revision is related to an increase in expected expenses linked to “various ongoing governmental proceedings and measures with regard to Mercedes-Benz diesel vehicles,” the company said.

A spokesman declined to elaborate on the nature of those issues.

However, Sunday’s profit warning follows news over the weekend that Daimler must recall 60,000 Mercedes diesel cars in Germany after regulators found that they were fitted with software aimed at distorting emissions tests.

The transportation ministry said it was expanding its investigation into further models.

The company also said it was reducing its forecast for the return on sales for Mercedes-Benz vans.

It now sees a return between minus 2% and minus 4%, below its previous forecast of a return on sales of 0% to 2%.

(Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by Jan Harvey)

Boeing to Buy Aerospace Interiors Company EnCore Group

June 14, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

June 14 (Reuters) – Boeing Co on Friday said it would buy aerospace interiors company EnCore Group, the planemaker’s second foray into aircraft seats after it partnered with auto seats maker Adient last year.

The deal could help cut delays in the supply chain and improve profit margins for the planemaker, and is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2019.

California-based EnCore designs, certifies and produces airplane galleys and seats for airlines, and also supplies components to Boeing.

Last year, the planemaker moved into making aircraft seats with a joint venture with car seating leader Adient to reduce costly delays to deliveries.

Traditionally, aircraft seat makers sell seats to airlines, a process that can involve multiple customized designs and regulatory approvals and in turn lead to industrial delays.

(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

Fourth-Quarter Revenue and Expenses

2020 Priorities

SECOND-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

Conference Call Access

Webcast

Archives