>>> Emerson reports EPS in-line, revs in-line; reaffirms FY14 guidance

Emerson reports EPS in-line, revs in-line; reaffirms FY14 guidance

Reports Q1 (Dec) earnings of $0.67 per share, excluding non-recurring items, in-line with the Capital IQ Consensus of $0.67; revenues rose 1.0% year/year to $5.61 bln vs the $5.55 bln consensus. Underlying sales grew 3%, as divestitures deducted 3%and acquisitions added 1%. Global market conditions reflected slowly improving business investment with mixed demand among industries, as the U.S. grew 3%, Asia grew 10%, and Europe was flat. Strong emerging market growth was led by a 14% increase in China.

Co reaffirms guidance for FY14, sees FY14 revs of (1)-1% to ~$24.42-24.92 bln vs. $24.82 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. Underlying orders growth has been between 3 and 4% for several months, reflecting a slowly improving but uncertain macroeconomic environment. Emerson's outlook for 2014 is unchanged, with underlying sales growth of 3 to 5% and net sales of (1) to 1%, reflecting completed acquisitions, divestitures, and currency translation. Margin is expected to improve approximately half a%, as benefits from portfolio changes and volume leverage are partially offset by accelerated strategic investments. Excluding impairments and repatriation charges in the prior year, earnings per share are expected to increase 4 to 7%, or 33 to 38% on a reported basis.

NYT : Smith & Nephew Pounces on a Wounded Rival

Smith & Nephew Pounces on a Wounded Rival

Smith & Nephew, the British medical technology giant, has agreed to buy ArthroCare, an American specialist in sports medicine, for an enterprise value of $1.5 billion.

Treating injured athletes is a faster-growing business than selling artificial hips and knees, Smith & Nephew’s traditional focus. And because of the target’s own self-inflicted injuries, the buyer is paying the slimmest of premiums.

The price equates to about 15.5 times the roughly $97 million in earnings before interest, taxes,depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, that analysts reckon ArthroCare will make in 2014. That looks impressive, given that American “medtech” giants trade at roughly 10 times. But the valuation multiple has to be seen in context. Smith & Nephew expects annual synergies of $85 million, largely through cost cuts. That would drastically reduce the effective multiple.


Breakingviews
The $48.25 offer is only 6 percent above the last close, suggesting more strongly that Smith & Nephew received a bargain. Even over three months, the premium is a scant 20 percent. Against that, analysts’ average price target is $51.17, Datastream shows. In the sell side’s collective wisdom, investors would do better to stay put.

That is a little odd, as is the fact that ArthroCare just struck a “deferred prosecution agreement” with the United States Justice Department, concluding a six-year investigation into earnings manipulation. That the board can sell up so readily a month later seems strangely pessimistic. Then again, revenue barely grew in 2013. Maybe a bigger parent could do better.

The presence of One Equity Partners may also be a factor. Following a rescue financing in 2009, the buyout firm controls 17 percent of the voting rights. One Equity Partners paid $75 million then. Its stake now is worth more like $290 million. So it doesn’t need to haggle over the final dollar to get a handsome exit.

A counterbidder is possible but unlikely, because Smith & Nephew is a better fit, and so has more potential synergies, than other bidders. Given this is a friendly deal, shareholders might struggle to force a sweetener out of Smith & Nephew.

Smith & Nephew’s chief executive, Olivier Bohuon, had a good run since taking over in 2011. The onus is on him to prove sports medicine is as promising as it looks. This is no time to trip up.

>>> Becton Dickinson beats by $0.07, beats on revs; reaffirms FY14 revs guidance

Becton Dickinson beats by $0.07, beats on revs; reaffirms FY14 revs guidance

Reports Q1 (Dec) earnings of $1.37 per share, $0.07 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $1.30; revenues rose 6.1% year/year to $2.02 bln vs the $1.98 bln consensus.
Segment Results
  • Medical segment, worldwide revenues for the quarter were $1.06 billion, representing an increase of 8.2% compared with the prior-year period, or an increase of 8.6% on a foreign currency-neutral basis.
    • The segment's revenue growth reflects strong sales in the Medical Surgical Systems and Diabetes Care units and solid sales in the Pharmaceutical Systems unit. Both the Medical Surgical and Pharmaceutical Systems units also benefitted from favorable timing of orders.
  • Diagnostics segment, worldwide revenues for the quarter were $672 million, representing an increase of 3.1% compared with the prior-year period, or 4.2% on a foreign currency-neutral basis.
    • The segment's growth was driven by international expansion in both the Preanalytical Systems and Diagnostic Systems business units. Diagnostic systems growth was also aided, in part, from a timing of flu orders.
  • Biosciences segment, worldwide revenues for the quarter were $279 million, representing an increase of 5.4% compared with the prior-year period, or an increase of 5.7% on a foreign currency-neutral basis.
    • The segment's growth was driven by continued strength in emerging markets, clinical reagents sales and solid instrument placements in both the U.S. and Western Europe.
Geographic Results
First quarter revenues in the U.S. of $849 million represent an increase of 2.3% over the prior-year period. Revenues outside of the U.S. were $1.17 billion, representing an increase of 8.9% compared with the prior-year period, or an increase of 10.0% on a foreign currency-neutral basis. International revenues reflected continued strength in emerging markets and sales of safety-engineered products in addition to solid growth in Western Europe.

Guidance:
Co issues guidance for FY14, sees EPS of +6.5-7% YoY to ~$6.19-6.22, may not be comparable to $6.23 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; sees FY14 revs of +4-5% to ~$8.38-8.46 bln vs. $8.41 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.
  • On a foreign currency-neutral basis, adjusted diluted earnings per share are expected to grow about 9.0 to 9.5%, or 9.5 to 10.0% excluding the incremental impact of the medical device tax.
Stock repurchases - additionally, the co plans to repurchase, subject to market conditions, about $450 million of its common stock in fiscal year 2014.

>>> US Early premarket gappers

Early premarket gappers

Gapping up: NLST +23.2%, DXCM +5.7%, POWI +5.6%, UBS +5.6%, IDTI +5.2%, WSTL +4.9%, IPHI +4.6%, YUM +4.3%, BWLD +4.2%, LL +3.5%, ACT +3.1%, HOLX +3.1%, RTEC +3%, ALU +2.9%, AEIS +2.8%, GOGO +2.4%, S +1.9%, TWTR +1.8%, HIG +1.6%, RIO +1.4%, UNIS +1.4%, NOK +0.9%, SWY +0.8%, ILMN +0.7%, WFM +0.6%

Gapping down: DNB -15.2% (light vol), AFOP -9.9%, FN -7.7%, ABIO -6.4%, HALO -4.3%, ARMH -4%, EW -3.7%, TTWO -3.4%, TM -2.4%, GOLD -2%, CPHD -1.4%, HLF -1.3%, AIXG -1.3%, JRCC -1.1%, BP -1.1%, PACD -1%

(BFW) Gilat Says Fimi Agrees to Buy Stake From York at $5/Shr

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Gilat Says Fimi Agrees to Buy Stake From York at $5/Shr 2014-02-04 11:09:36.530 GMT

By Cristin Flanagan Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Gilat says Fimi to hold 23.2% stake after deal. * Per-shr price is 8% premium to yday close in NY * NOTE: GILT largest holders as of Jan. 29: * York Capital with 19% * Fimi 2007 with 18% * Phoenix Provident Funds 5.8% * NOTE: Feb. 3, El Al Gains on Talks of Fimi Premium Investment: Tel Aviv Mover

For Related News and Information: First Word scrolling panel: FIRST<GO> First Word newswire: NH BFW<GO>

--Editor: Cristin Flanagan

To contact the reporter on this story: Cristin Flanagan in New York at +1-212-617-8919 or cflanagan1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Joanna Ossinger at +1-212-617-7789 or jossinger@bloomberg.net

FT : Investment bankers discover an appetite for food entrepreneurship

Investment bankers discover an appetite for food entrepreneurship

When Jonathan Faiman, Jason Gissing and Tim Steiner quit their jobs at Goldman Sachs to create the online grocery service Ocado in 1999, it seemed an odd career move, sacrificing the expense accounts and promise of six-figure bonuses for the struggle of making a food start-up work.
But since the financial crisis, a raft of young investment bankers have been following their lead, seeing food entrepreneurship as a better alternative to the money markets.

Frank Yeung had been working at Goldman Sachs for a little under two years when he co-founded the burrito chain Poncho 8, aged 23. The business now has six outlets in London and 72 staff.
As the son of a restaurant owner, starting a food business had always been an option, Mr Leung notes. But it was the work trips to New York with Goldman that ended up giving him the idea of bringing Mexican food to London.
Others have followed. Monique Borst, a specialist consultant for food start-ups, has calculated that about a fifth of the 130 founders she advises have left jobs in finance to become entrepreneurs, by far the most common professional background among her client list.
“Founders of food businesses coming out of finance often have funding to development stage, and access to start-up capital,” Ms Borst notes. “However, they typically struggle to engage others into their idea because they’re used to a world where secrecy is very important.”
Before co-founding Coco di Mama, a chain of outlets in the Square Mile selling quick meals to the City-worker lunch market, Daniel Land’s only experience of work was in the corporate finance and broking team at Merrill Lynch. He had interned there as a student in 2005 then joined after university.
“I had not planned to be an entrepreneur,” he admits. “But I knew that I was going to do something else and I wanted to get a solid professional services grounding first.”
Neither he or his business partner knew anything about Italian food before deciding on their business concept. However, life as a banker had brought Mr Land into contact with a lot of fine food.
“Bankers are naturally curious about the businesses they use most frequently,” he explains. “They like to discuss the businesses that they use and therefore I think it is natural that some, myself included, become excited by the potential in such an exciting industry.”
Mr Land also had the contacts when it came to seed funding. Coco di Mama’s backers include the former chairman of Marks and Spencer Sir Stuart Rose and Arjun Waney, who has invested in several successful London restaurant chains, such as Zuma.
On a day-to-day level banking and food entrepreneurship have little in common, Mr Land admits, although both involve very long hours. “I start a few hours earlier than I used to,” he notes. “I am on my feet troubleshooting, and always have a lot of things at the forefront of my mind.”
For Nadia El Hadery it was the lack of certainty that she would have a job as much as the declining bonus payments that convinced her to quit the capital markets and co-found upmarket food delivery service Flavrbox.
“Everyone was too job insecure to say boo to a goose, so I decided it was time for me to make some radical changes,” she recalls. Although Ms El Hadery came from an entrepreneurial family – both her parents and her younger brother run their own companies – there was a significant price to be paid in moving from banking to food business start-up.
“They no longer know my name in Armani,” she jokes. But giving up the six-figure salary that enabled her to eat at top restaurants rather than try to deliver food to others were worth it, she insists. “My priorities have changed. The only thing I do really miss is free time.”
The greatest challenge of moving from banking to food start-up has been adjusting to the lack of back up support when it is just you against the world, Ms El Hadery says. She misses her Bloomberg terminal in particular.
“When you have a name of a big bank behind you and are given an address book which let’s you know if the person you are trying to contact is in or not. It makes your life a lot easier.
“In a start-up, you are an unknown name and you have no idea who the people you need to speak to are or how to get them to listen to you.”

(Makor) Top Trading Ideas - Banks long/short

Top Trading Ideas: our 3 top large cap global European banks hedged with a long bias

The current market volatility is bringing opportunities to (re)set-up long/short positions in our 3 top large cap global European banks vs. our 3 top short names in the banking sector. Namely, we recommend the following trades, which we would set-up with a long bias.

Long Barclays / Short Enskilda A
Long Deutsche Bk / Short BNP
Long Credit Suisse / Short UBS

Pls refer to our IRS reports for fundamental details

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>>>SKYD +3.8% today on Berenberg Upgrade(attached),-13% YTD...

Sky Deutschland : Snap, crackle and pop; up to Buy

● We are adjusting our estimates for Sky Deutschland (SkyD) to reflect
the costs of launching the OTT Snap service. This has a marginally
dilutive effect on 2013 financials (which the company will report on 6
February), but has a greater impact on 2014. We assume further, but
more limited, dilution of profitability in 2015 and thereafter a positive
contribution, meaning that our long-term estimates rise.
● While we have been concerned about the launch of NOW TV in the
UK, and how this could cannibalise take-up of the fully priced Sky TV
service, in Germany we believe that there is room for a cheaper
product. Premium penetration is, after all, below 10%, against more
than 50% in the UK. Snap offers different content to that which is
available via satellite, so is likely to be less of a direct substitute, in our
view.
● We note that management has taken a relatively cautious approach to
the launch of this new service, with relatively short (12-24 month)
contracts for content. Thus, if the service was to not achieve sufficient
take-up so as to be profitable, it could be shut down without major
liabilities. That being said, the drag on profits in the near to medium
term is quite large in percentage terms.
● The market has struggled to digest these downgrades, as well as
slightly softer guidance on 2013 net DTH additions. Nonetheless, if
Snap creates value, ultimately these cuts to near-term earnings will
have been worth it. We note that SkyD should benefit from leveraging
its existing investments in content and technology. While the success
of Snap is not assured, we retain our bias towards believing in
management’s ability to execute successfully. Ahead of the Q4 2013
results, we upgrade to Buy with an unchanged price target of €7.6.