Rising air travel spurs Howmet

Article Excerpt

HOWMET AEROSPACE INC. $108 is a hold. The company (New York symbol HWM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 406.3 million; Market cap: $43.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.3; Dividend yield: 0.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.howmet.com) makes a range of industrial parts, from jet engine components and fasteners to forged aluminum wheels. Howmet’s revenue in the third quarter of 2024 rose 10.7%, to $1.84 billion from $1.66 billion a year earlier. That’s because rising travel volumes are prompting commercial airlines to upgrade their aging fleets. Savings from a restructuring plan increased earnings before unusual items by 54.3%, to $0.71 a share (or a total of $290 million) from $0.46 a share (or $192 million). The company expects its earnings will improve roughly 40% to $2.67 a share for all of 2024, and the stock trades at 40.4 times that forecast. That’s a somewhat high p/e for a cyclical manufacturer facing rising costs for raw materials and labour. The company is also a major supplier to…