DuPont: overly cautious guidance on Wall Street?

(Boursier.com) — DuPont loses ground before the stock market on Wall Street, while the group has just beaten the profit consensus for the quarter ended but also delivered cautious forecasts. The chemicals giant posted net income of $105 million, or 20 cents per share, for the quarter, compared with $167 million a year earlier. Adjusted earnings per share were 89 cents, while the FactSet consensus was 78 cents. Sales fell 4% to $3.1 billion, but remained in line with the FactSet consensus. “In the face of weak conditions in certain end markets, namely electronics and construction, we achieved revenue and operating EBITDA results in line with our expectations,” said Chief Executive Ed Breen. DuPont now expects first-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 80 cents and sales of $2.9 billion. The consensus was 88 cents adjusted EPS for $3.1 billion in billings. For the full year, the group expects adjusted EPS of $3.5 to $4 and sales of $12.3 billion to $12.9 billion. The consensus was $3.87 EPS and $12.9 billion in revenue.