Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) has reported its second quarter 2021 results.
“In the second quarter, we saw continued improvement in both the breadth and pace of the recovery, with organic revenue growth at the segment level ranging from 17 to 84 percent,” said E. Scott Santi, chairman and CEO. “In the face of rising raw material costs and a challenging supply chain environment, our people around the world leveraged the strength and resilience of our proprietary business model and the ‘Win the Recovery’ actions taken over the course of the past year to serve our customers with excellence while delivering 43 percent revenue growth and 143 percent earnings growth. While the near-term environment is certainly not without its challenges, order intake rates in all segments and geographic regions remain strong and I have no doubt that we are well positioned to continue to execute at a high level as we move through the remainder of the year.”
Second Quarter 2021 Results
Second quarter revenue of $3.7 billion increased 43 percent versus the prior year period, as organic revenue grew 37 percent and foreign currency translation impact was favorable by six percent.
GAAP EPS of $2.45 increased 143 percent and included a $0.35 one-time tax benefit related to the remeasurement of net deferred tax assets in the United Kingdom. Operating income increased 99 percent to $893 million and incremental margin was 40 percent. Operating margin was 24.3 percent, an increase of 680 basis points with enterprise initiatives contributing 150 basis points, partially offset by dilutive price/cost margin impact of 120 basis points. In the quarter, price recovery actions essentially offset raw material cost increases on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
All seven ITW segments delivered double-digit organic growth in the quarter, led by Automotive OEM up 84 percent and Food Equipment up 46 percent. Welding, Test & Measurement and Electronics, Construction Products, and Polymers & Fluids delivered organic growth in the range of 28 to 33 percent, and Specialty Products grew 17 percent. On a geographic basis, organic growth was 36 percent in North America, 50 percent in Europe, and 20 percent in Asia Pacific. As expected, the impact of Automotive OEM customers adjusting production schedules to account for the well-publicized shortage of several components reduced ITW’s revenues by approximately $60 million or two percentage points in the quarter.
2021 Guidance
The company is raising its full-year GAAP EPS guidance to $8.55 to $8.95 per share, an increase of $0.35 or 32 percent at the midpoint versus prior year. This compares to previous guidance of $8.20 to $8.60 per share and incorporates the one-time tax benefit realized in the second quarter. The company is also raising its organic growth guidance to a range of 11 to 13 percent. Foreign currency translation impact at current foreign exchange rates is projected to contribute 3 percentage points to revenue growth. Raw material cost increases are expected to be offset by price increases on a dollar-for-dollar basis and therefore EPS neutral. The full year margin dilution impact from price/cost is now forecasted to be approximately 100 basis points, partially offsetting the expected margin contribution from Enterprise Initiatives of more than 100 basis points. As a result of price/cost, operating margin is expected to be in the range of 24.5 to 25.5 percent, an increase of 210 basis points at the midpoint versus 2020 and 50 basis points lower versus previous guidance. Free cash flow is expected to be approximately 100 percent of net income adjusted for the second quarter one-time tax benefit, and the company is on pace to repurchase approximately $1 billion of its shares, having repurchased $500 million in the first half of the year. Guidance excludes any impact from the previously announced acquisition of the MTS Test & Simulation business.
