Lexmark Issues Q4 2014 Earnings, supplies Revenue Declines 2%

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Lexmark Issues Q4 2014 Earnings, supplies Revenue Declines 2%
Lexmark International Inc (LXK) Issues Q4 Earnings Guidance
By Angela Chen

Lexmark International Inc. said its earnings rose 12%, driven by higher hardware and services revenue, while its recent acquisition of Swedish software maker ReadSoft AB also buoyed the top line.

The results topped analysts’ expectations, and the company boosted the low end of its guidance for the year.

Lexmark said it now expects revenue to be flat to down 1% year-over-year, compared with its previous call of flat to down 2%. The company said it expects earnings of $4.05 to $4.15 a share, an increase of 10 cents on the bottom end.

 

In May, the Lexington, Ky.-based company made an all-cash bid for Swedish software maker ReadSoft AB, which helps businesses automate payments. Throughout the summer, it engaged in a bidding war with Hyland Software U.K. over ReadSoft and, in early September, announced that it had been successful and would pay about $251 million for the company.

Like others in the technology industry, Lexmark has struggled with a maturing hardware market that brought squeezed margins and weaker growth from developed economies. Unlike competitors such as Xerox Corp., Lexmark has shied away from diversifying with new options, such as outsourcing. Instead, it has focused on its core business, working to add software, such as that provided by ReadSoft.

Lexmark reported a profit of $37.9 million, or 60 cents a share, up from $33.7 million, or 53 cents a share, a year earlier. The results from the most recent period include ReadSoft’s results after Aug. 19, which added $14 million to revenue and but hurt per-share earnings by six cents. Excluding items, per-share earnings rose to $1.05 from $1.02.

Revenue edged up 3.1% to $918.1 million.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had projected earnings of 92 cents a share on $890 million in revenue.

The imaging solutions and services revenue grew 3% and hardware revenue grew 8%, while supplies revenue declined 2%.

Operating expenses climbed 5.6% to $303 million.

Looking to the current quarter, Lexmark said it expects earnings of $1.10 to $1.20 a share, and revenue that is down 2% to 4% from last year. Analysts called for $1.17 a share in earnings and a 4% revenue decline to $972 million.

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October 21, 2014 at 11:01 AM