Arctic Cat Inc.
(
ACAT
) swung to a profit in its fiscal 2013 first quarter (ended June
30, 2012) and delivered a whopping earnings surprise of 275%. This
marks the 9th straight positive earnings surprise for the
snowmobile maker. This Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) is targeting the
highest net earnings in its history during fiscal 2013, and has a
long-term earnings growth projection of 22.0%.
Turnaround Quarter
On July 26, Arctic Cat posted a profit of $2.0 million or 14 cents
per share for its fiscal first quarter, a sharp contrast from a
loss of $2.3 million or 13 cents in the year-ago quarter. The
result also trounced the Zacks Consensus Estimate at a loss of 8
cents. The higher profit was primarily driven by strong sales
volumes and a lower cost structure.
Revenues in the quarter surged 49% to $111.3 million, driven by a
significant 93% surge in revenues to $73.0 million for the
all-terrain vehicle (ATV) business. Strong demand for the all-new
Wildcat V-Twin 1000i H.O. pure-sport ROV, Prowler side-by-side
utility vehicles and core ATVs fueled the growth in the business.
Strong Outlook
For fiscal 2013, Arctic Cat foresees continued growth in its
ATV/ROV business and expects to boost profitability through
operational efficiencies and cost reduction measures. The company
anticipates sales to increase between 13% and 17% to the range of
$662 million to $682 million. Earnings per share are expected to
shoot up 48% - 54% to between $2.55 and $2.65 for the year.
Earnings Momentum Moves Higher
Most analysts raised their estimates for both fiscal 2013 and 2014
over the last 30 days. For 2013, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has
gained 7.5% or 20 cents to $2.86, driven by upward revisions from 5
of 7 estimates. For 2014, the Zacks Consensus Estimate advanced
2.7% or 9 cents to $3.44, again on upward revisions from 5 of 7
estimates. The estimates for 2012 and 2013 reflect double-digit
annualized growth of 66.2% and 20.2%, respectively.
Valuation is Reasonable
Arctic Cat is currently trading at a forward P/E of 15.1x, a
discount of 10.7% to the peer group average of 16.9x. The
price-to-book of 4.0x is at a premium of 53.8% compared to the peer
group average of 2.6x. The company has a PEG ratio of 0.69, which
is less than 1 and indicates that the stock is reasonably valued
given the expected growth. Moreover, the company has a 1-year ROE
of 21.9%, which is much higher than its peer group average of
13.9%.
Chart Looks Promising
After moving sideways with the 50-day and 200-day moving averages
for about a year, the stock started outperforming since late 2011,
except a short span in the second quarter of 2012 where it tumbled
from the 50-day moving average after reaching its 52-week high of
$47.46 on April 20.
Incorporated in 1982 and headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota,
Arctic Cat manufactures snowmobiles and ATVs under the Arctic Cat
moniker and supplies related parts, garments and accessories. The
company, which competes with Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (
HMC
) and Polaris Industries, Inc. (
PII
), operates through a network of independent dealers in the U.S.,
Canada and Europe and through distributors in Russia, South
America, the Middle East, Asia and other international markets.
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