Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) has reported results for the first quarter of 2021.
First-quarter revenues of $6.1 billion increased 22 percent from the same quarter in 2020. Sales in North America increased 7 percent while international revenues increased 45 percent driven by strong demand across all global markets as well as new product sales in China and India.
“Demand accelerated in the first quarter, as the global economy continued to improve, driving strong sales growth across most businesses and regions and resulting in solid profitability. The strength and breadth of the rebound in demand has surpassed our original expectations and we have raised our full-year outlook,” said Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger. “While we are encouraged by the rising demand, the pace of recovery has placed a strain on global supply chains leading to increased costs and challenges in fulfilling end-user demand. The shortage of key components such as semiconductor chips has been the primary challenge, with adverse weather conditions impacting the US, and bottlenecks in global logistics further adding to order backlogs. The ability to supply is our key focus now and we are doing everything we can to mitigate the impact. I want to thank our global employees, especially those in our supply chain and manufacturing operations, and our suppliers for their extraordinary efforts to manage through these challenges and support our customers.”
Eric Neal, Executive Director, Cummins Off-Highway Business said: “Demand in off-highway markets around the globe continues to be strong. Supply chain issues remain our biggest challenge in further growth.”
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) in the first quarter were $980 million (16.1 percent of sales), compared to $846 million (16.9 percent of sales) a year ago.
Net income attributable to Cummins in the first quarter was $603 million ($4.07 per diluted share) compared to $511 million ($3.41 per diluted share) in 2020. The tax rate in the first quarter was 22.0 percent including $4 million, or $0.03 per share, of favorable discrete items.
2021 Outlook:
Based on the current forecast, Cummins is raising its full-year 2021 revenue guidance to 20 to 24 percent, an increase from 8 to 12 percent due to stronger demand across all markets. EBITDA is expected to be in the range of 15.5 to 16.0 percent, an increase from the prior range of 15.0 and 15.5 percent of sales, primarily due to increased demand. The Company expects to return 75 percent of Operating Cash Flow to shareholders in 2021 in the form of dividends and share repurchases.
“We are raising our guidance for 2021 on both revenue and profitability. We continue to take necessary precautions at all our facilities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and our focus remains on the health and safety of our employees. We are optimistic that continued vaccination distribution globally will reduce the impact of the virus in the second half of the year, but there is still a risk of an increase in cases and the potential for new virus variants that could result in lower customer demand, additional facility shutdowns or additional supply chain constraints in the future. Cummins is in a strong position to keep investing in future growth, bringing new technologies to customers and returning cash to shareholders,” said Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger.
