Investopedia: Cummins Finds Another Gear

It looks like truck engine maker Cummins (NYSE:CMI) is back to its old ways by posting eye-popping growth and handily surpassing estimates. As the global truck market continues to grow, it looks like Cummins should have plenty of opportunities to continue to grow its already impressive business.


Better Results Down the Line at Cummins
Cummins seems to be one of the relatively few industrial companies not seeing any real margin pressures in the final results. Sales jumped 56% from last year's first quarter (though declined 7% sequentially), led by 68% growth in the engines business. Growth was strong across the board, though, as power generating was up 54%, components were up 47% and distribution sales rose 35%. (For more, see Truck-Makers Still Hauling In Profits.)

As mentioned, margins were not problematic. Gross margin rose 50 basis points from the year-ago quarter, while operating income doubled and those margins grew more than three full basis points. Also encouraging is that those margins grew sequentially - gross margin rose a full point on that basis, while operating margin grew about 70 basis points. (For more, see The Bottom Line On Margins.)


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