Shares of portable navigation device maker Garmin (GRMN) are up $4.35, or almost 10%, at $49.04 after the company this morning reported Q4 revenue and profit per share well ahead of expectations, and forecast this year’s results ahead of� consensus as well.
Revenue in the three months ended in December rose 9%, year over year, to $910 million, yielding EPS of 96 cents, excluding some costs.
Analysts had been modeling $769 million and 64 cents per share.
For the full year, Garmin sees revenue in a range of $2.7 billion to $2.8 billion, above the $2.56 billion consensus. Profit per share is expected in a range of $2.45 to $2.60, higher than the average $2.52 Street estimate.
In a note to clients, RBC Capital‘s Mark Sue reiterated a Sector Perform rating on the shares this afternoon, while raising his price target to $52 from $38, writing that “Fortunes are turning for Garmin and the company may grow its top-line and earnings for the first time in a long time.”
Indeed, the forecast for this year represents revenue growth of 1.4% at the top of the range offered. The profit per share forecast is still a decline of 5% at the top of that range. Sue raised his estimate for this year’s revenue to $2.8 billion from $2.5 billion, and raised his EPS estimate to $2.50 from $2.35.
Sue notes that the company is managing to offset the decline in PND revenue growth with decent performance in other parts of its business:
The secular decline in Garmin�s PND business may be slowing and growth in premium bundles helped drive ASP improvement in the segment. Garmin�s four other segments performed well with YoY growth in Outdoor, Fitness and Marine; Aviation held flat. Our rating remains Sector Perform given the variability in the rate of PND decline and pace of growth in Garmin’s remaining segments.
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