Yahoo Finance Here's Why You Should Steer Clear of Howmet (HWM) Stock Now
Howmet Aerospace HWM is grappling with weakness in the Engineered Structures segment due to softness in the defense market. Supply-chain disruptions, raw material cost inflation and foreign currency headwinds are added concerns for the company.
Let’s delve deeper to unearth the factors that are weighing on this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company’s performance.
Weakness in the defense aerospace market and a decline in Boeing 787 production are weighing on the Engineered Structures segment’s performance, revenues from which declined 3% year over year in the third quarter of 2022. Boeing 787 production declines are also affecting the performance of the Fasting Systems segment.
Supply-chain disruptions are affecting volumes and limiting commercial truck production in the commercial transportation end market. Unfavorable foreign currency movements also pose a challenge to Howmet. In the third quarter, unfavorable forex movement hurt revenues for the Forged Wheels segment.
High raw material costs are raising the cost of goods sold, denting the bottom line. In third-quarter 2022, the company’s cost of goods sold grew 13.8% year over year to $1,056 million.
Amid these headwinds, Howmet has lowered its 2022 forecast. The company expects revenues of $5.60-$5.65 billion for 2022 compared with $5.64-$5.71 billion stated earlier. Adjusted earnings are anticipated to be $1.39-$1.41 per share compared with the $1.38-$1.42 mentioned earlier. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be $1.265-$1.276 billion for the year compared with the aforementioned $1.276-$1.299 billion.
Rising capital expenditure might impact Howmet’s profitability in the near term. The company incurred a capex of $148 million in the first nine months of 2022, up 7.2% year over year.
Shares of Howmet have gained 5.1% in the past three months, underperforming the industry’s 6.7% growth.
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The negativity surrounding the stock is evident from the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 and 2023 earnings being revised downward by 1.4% and 4.4% in the past 60 days, respectively.
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks within the broader Construction sector are as follows:
Acuity Brands AYI currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 16.9%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks.
Acuity Brands has an estimated earnings growth rate of 4.1% for fiscal 2023. Shares of the company have gained 7.3% in the past six months.
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. STRL carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. The company pulled off a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 20%, on average.
Sterling Infrastructure has an estimated earnings growth rate of 47.4% and 6.3% for 2022 and 2023, respectively. Shares of the company have rallied 27.7% in the past six months.
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Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
