UPDATE 4-Juniper Networks Q1 profits rise; 2001 to lag
(Adds analyst and executive comments)
NEW YORK, April 12 (Reuters) - Networking equipment maker
Juniper Networks Inc. on Thursday posted a seven-fold
increase in first-quarter net income, but warned its 2001
earnings and revenues will fall below Wall Street forecasts due
to the slowing U.S. economy and cutbacks in equipment spending
by many service providers.
Juniper, which makes routers that speed traffic along
communications networks, said net income, including
amortization of goodwill and other items, jumped to $58.6
million, or 17 cents a share, from $8.1 million, or 2 cents a
share, a year earlier.
Pro forma net income, which excludes those items, was $85.4
million, or 25 cents a share, compared with $10.5 million, or 3
cents a share, a year ago. The results were in line with Wall
Street profit forecasts, which ranged from 21 to 25 cents a
share, with a consensus forecast of 25 cents, according to
research firm Thomson Financial/First Call.
"They performed extremely well across all metrics during
the quarter," said Seth Spalding, an analyst with Epoch
Partners.
First-quarter revenues increased 420 percent to $332.1
million, which was slightly lower than the $340 million
expected by U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray.
Juniper's days sales outstanding (DSOs), a measure of how
long it takes for a company to collect its bills from
customers, were down slightly to 53 days in the quarter from 54
days in the prior quarter, which Spalding pointed to as a
positive sign.
"If they'd scrambled to meet the quarter, DSOs would've
gone up," he said.
LACK OF BIG CUSTOMERS REDUCES VISIBILITY
But Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Juniper, whose core routers
compete heavily with Cisco Systems Inc. , cut its
growth forecasts, saying it had limited visibility on near-term
prospects due to the softening economy and spending cuts on
network gear by telephone companies and other service
providers.
During the first quarter, purchases by Juniper's key
customer, WorldCom Inc. , were "significantly less" of
percentage of revenues than in previous quarters. Sales to
WorldCom accounted for less than 10 percent of quarterly
revenues "for the first time," Juniper Chief Executive Scott
Kriens told analysts on a conference call.
"Our customers have shortened buying horizons and are
reluctant to purchase more than they need in the short-term,"
said Juniper Chief Financial Officer Marcel Gani.
Spalding said Juniper's lack of big customers was a cause
for concern.
"It's hard to get visibility if the big guys aren't
spending," he said.
Juniper said it expects second-quarter earnings of 25 cents
a share, with revenues similar to those of the first quarter.
Wall Street analysts had expected second-quarter earnings of 26
cents a share, according to First Call.
For the full year, Juniper said it expects earnings of 90
cents to $1 a share, on revenue growth of 85 to 100 percent.
Analysts had expected the company to post full-year
earnings of $1 to $1.10 a share, with a consensus estimate of
$1.05, according to First Call. Revenues were expected to be
$1.598 billion, up 137 percent over last year's $673.5 million,
First Call said.
STOCK GAINS AS ANALYSTS RAISE RATINGS
Despite the warning, Juniper's stock gained 15 percent, to
$49.57 in heavy early-afternoon Nasdaq trading after some
analysts issued positive comments on the company.
CIBC World Markets said it raised Juniper to 'strong buy'
from 'buy,' while traders said Merrill Lynch reiterated its
long-term buy rating.
Shares of Juniper, which has been rumored as a potential
merger partner of another networking infrastructure firm
Redback Networks Inc. , have fallen 62 percent over the
past year, underperforming the Standard and Poor's 500 index by
53 percent. It is far off its 52-week high of $244.50.
Juniper is just one of several equipment makers hurt by a
lagging economy and slower capital spending. Others include
Nortel Networks Corp. , Motorola Inc. ,
ADC Telecommunications Inc. and Cisco.
Juniper said it remains confident about demand for its
high-speed routing products from telecommunication carriers,
and will continue to hire new workers, though at a slower pace
than in the past.
"This market is not going away...," Kriens said, "but we
must also operate within the reality that there's no immunity
to short-term fluctuations."
((--Jessica Hall, New York newsroom 212-859-1729))
REUTERS
Rtr 16:24 04-12-01 |
