- After Friday's 10.8% moonshot, General Electric (NYSE:GE) sells for 16x 2015 estimated earnings, writes Avi Salzman, a pretty rich multiple considering the company's industrial businesses have boosted operating earnings by an average 1.4% annually for the last four years.
- United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) trades at a 16 multiple, but has grown operating earnings by an average 4.9% over that period, and Honeywell (NYSE:HON) sells for 17x after growing earnings by an average 16%.
- "Here’s the problem: The assets they have deployed in the finance unit were generating a lot of earnings,” says a fund manager and longtime GE owner. “As they sell those down, they have to replace them with industrial earnings or share buybacks. There’s going to be a period of time where earnings will be stagnant ... The Street will get bored waiting."
- Previously: GE's move away from finance sets up industrial deals, Immelt says (April 10)
- Previously: GE sets plan to exit almost all of GE Capital; launches $50B buyback (April 10)