Oshkosh Corporation today announced that it expects a loss of approximately $1.22 to $1.32 per share for its third quarter of fiscal 2008 compared to the company's prior earnings per share (EPS) estimate range of $1.40 to $1.50 of income for the quarter.
The expected loss relates to a non-cash charge for the impairment of goodwill to be recorded in connection with the company's European refuse collection vehicle manufacturer, the Geesink Norba Group (Geesink). The impact of the impairment charge on third fiscal quarter earnings is estimated to be approximately $175 million, or $2.32 per share. Projected third fiscal quarter results also reflect weaker performance expectations compared with previous estimates for, most notably, the company's access equipment segment and, to a lesser extent, its fire & emergency and commercial segments.
"Lower than expected sales in both North America and Europe driven by softness in non-residential construction and general economic weakness, and rising raw material and fuel costs, have caused us to reduce our outlook for the third quarter and full fiscal year 2008," said Robert G. Bohn, Oshkosh Corporation chairman and chief executive officer.
"During the quarter, we also lowered our outlook for Geesink due to a slower and more difficult than expected return to profitability, coupled with expectations of a weaker European economy and higher raw materials costs. This revised outlook has caused us to believe that the value of Geesink no longer supports the goodwill recorded for this business, resulting in the impairment charge we are announcing today."
There is no tax benefit associated with the Geesink impairment charge, and the charge is not expected to affect the company's liquidity, cash flows from operating activities or compliance with debt covenants, nor is it expected to have any impact on future operations. The actual charge for the impairment of goodwill will be finalized during the upcoming third fiscal quarter close process.
The company expects that fourth fiscal quarter EPS will be below prior year's levels and will provide a new EPS estimate range for full fiscal year 2008 when it announces its third fiscal quarter results.