Market activity
Last week, major indexes fell from record highs, with the DJIA
down 13.52, S&P 500 down 15.92 as of Monday April 8th. On
Friday, disappointing labor market numbers were announced. Only 88,000 jobs were added last month, which
was the lowest since June. The unemployment
rate fell to a four-year low of 7.6%, but it was mainly due to workers leaving
labor force. Labor participation rate
dropped to 63.3%, a 34 year low.
The Commerce Department announced that new orders for
factory goods sharply increased in February.
Monsanto announced 15% in revenue growth to 5.47 billion, better than
what analysts projected. Conagra announced profits dropped to $120 million last
quarter, compared to $280 million this period last year. Greenbrier announced
profits fell 22% last quarter due to 27% fall in deliveries.
General Electric Acquisition of Lufkin
On Monday, April 8, General Electric announced that they
would be acquiring Lufkin Industries for $2.98 Billion. The market reacted
positively to this, with Lufkin is up 37% on Monday following this
announcement, and GE up .5%.
General Electric is an American multinational conglomerate
corporation headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut. The company operates
through four segments: Energy, Technology, Infrastructure, and Capital Finance.
It is currently listed as the 3rd largest in the, with a market cap
of $237.60 billion. Stock Currently trades at $22.87/share. After buying Lufkin, GE will still have $120
billion in cash.
Lufkin Industries is a manufacturing company based out of
Lufkin, Texas. They produce machinery like power transmission gearboxes,
oilfield pumping units, and oilfield electrical equipment. Lufkin’s lift technologies
are used in 94% of the one million oil wells worldwide and have 4500 employees
in over 40 countries. They had $1.3 billion in revenue and 37% improvement in
2012. The stock is trading at $88.00 as of Monday, April 8, up from $63.93.
Why buy Lufkin Industries?
GE’s CEO Jeff Immelt has indicated a desire to use GE’s cash
balance to buy mid-sized companies that fit with what they’re doing. Buying
Lufkin (LUFK) will greatly increase GE’s presence in the fast growing market to
extract oil and natural gas from shale rock. This is a key part of Immelt’s
plan to focus more on growth in the energy- rich shale fields of North Dakota,
and Texas. Last year Immelt told analysts, Natural gas Development “is the
place to play both in terms of the U.S. and the rest of the world,” GE sees the
oil pump market growing 12% to 13% each year for the next 10 years and the
conglomerate wants to make Lufkin's products available abroad. Oil and Gas is GE’s
fastest growing business in 2012. Their revenues are over $15 billion and new
orders are growing by 16%. Last week they announced plans to build a Global
Research Center focusing on oil and gas technology advancements. Since 2007
they have made an $11 billion investment in the oil and gas sector. Their
revenue was $1.92 billion in 2012.
GE has spent more than $11 billion in the last six years to
expand its energy business. The energy segment accounts for 10% of GE's total
revenue. So it's no surprise the Lufkin deal is GE's first major acquisition
since the conglomerate sold its stake in NBC Universal in February. GE will
acquire new lift types (hydraulics, progressive cavity pumps) and well
automotive and production optimization technology. “The artificial lift segment
is at the heart of critical changes that are helping producers maximize well
potential-which translates into increased output at lower operational
cost.”-Daniel Heintzelman, GE Oil & Gas president.
What does this mean for the US?
It reinforces the fact that the energy boom in the US is
legitimate. U.S. oil output is expected to top Saudi Arabia's in 2020,
according to the International Energy Agency. ExxonMobil says that by 2025,
North America will be a net energy exporter to the rest of the world…the OPEC
of the Americas. This will be good for the US economy in the next decade. Jobs
will come back from overseas due to cheap energy costs.
U.S to Become Biggest Oil and Natural Gas Producer
Increase in Global Demand for Energy
The IEA said it expects global energy demand to increase by
more than a third by 2035, with China, India and the Middle East accounting for
60% of the growth and more than outweighing reduced demand in developed
economies.
Conclusion
GE wants to become the leader in energy production in the
United States. They bought Lufkin Industries at a premium because they believe
that growth in the industry will be enormous in next few decades. Rising cost
of oil and gas production will give GE opportunity to offer its products and
services in those fields.
Bibliography
http://www.forbes.com/sites/marketnewsvideo/2013/04/05/weekly-market-wrap-april-5-2013/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/08/us-ge-lufkin-idUSBRE9370AL20130408
No comments:
Post a Comment