Last week, Arch Coal Inc. (ACI) reported its third quarter results, which were better than expected. The stock was up 10% on the earnings release. Strong results for the company were driven by better demand and cost control efforts. ACI's results for the quarter are being viewed as a positive sign for the industry.
Arch Coal Inc. is the second largest domestic coal producer and one of the world's largest coal producers. It sold more than 156 million tons of coal in 2011. Last week, the company reported its third quarter 2012 results, which were better than what the market and analysts were anticipating. Reported revenues for the quarter were $1.09 billion, down 9% YOY, beating analysts' revenue expectations of $1 billion. Reported net income for the quarter was $45.8 million or 22 cents per share as compared to $8.9 million or 4 cents per share in the third quarter of 2011. The company was able to beat earnings estimates as analysts were expecting a loss of 16 cents per share. In 3Q 2012, EBITDA increased to $257 million, up 21% YOY. Better than expected results for the company in 3Q 2012 were mainly driven by cost control efforts, rising natural gas prices and favorable weather, leading to better domestic thermal coal demand.
In the recent third quarter, the company shipped 37.5 million tons of coal, which was 6% less than shipments in 3Q 2011. However, if we compare it with coal shipments for 2Q 2012, it was up 19%, which is certainly a healthy sign for the company. Due to better cost control measures, operating margin per ton improved from $1.87 in 2Q 2012 to $2.07 in 3Q 2012. Operating income margin for the company improved in the quarter to 12.5%, from 6.3% in 3Q 2011.
As of September
