DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., February 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Dover (NYSE: DOV), a diversified global manufacturer, announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023. All comparisons are to the comparable period of the prior fiscal year, unless otherwise noted.
For the quarter ended December 31, 2023, Dover generated revenue of $2.1 billion, a decrease of 2% (-3% organic). GAAP net earnings of $296 million increased 12%, and GAAP diluted EPS of $2.11 was up 13%. On an adjusted basis, net earnings of $345 million increased 13% and adjusted diluted EPS of $2.45 was up 13%.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, Dover generated revenue of $8.4 billion, a decrease of 1% (-1% organic). GAAP net earnings of $1.1 billion decreased 1%, and GAAP diluted EPS of $7.52 was up 1%. On an adjusted basis, net earnings of $1.2 billion increased 2%, and adjusted diluted EPS of $8.80 was up 4%.
A full reconciliation between GAAP and adjusted measures and definitions of non-GAAP and other performance measures are included as an exhibit herein.
Management Commentary:
Dover’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard J. Tobin, said, “The fourth quarter market conditions and our business posture were in line with our forecasts. In the end markets where secular demand trends inflected positively, such as CO2 refrigeration systems, waste handling and precision components, we were able to capitalize on the market conditions and drive margin mix higher benefiting the consolidated portfolio in the quarter. We reduced production volumes in certain product lines in line with our mid-year forecasts in response to destocking trends that resulted from lead time normalization and higher inventory carrying costs driven by interest rate increases. We believe these proactive actions balanced channel inventories in the majority of our markets with forecasted demand for 2024. This operating posture drove an exemplary operating cash flow performance in the quarter and positions us to match production performance with prevailing demand in the coming year.
“Our solid operational execution was complemented by active portfolio enhancement in line with the priorities we reiterated at our investor day last March. In the past few months we completed several accretive and synergistic bolt-on acquisitions that improve our revenue mix with high-growth recurring and software revenue streams. We anticipate completing the De-Sta-Co sale by the end of the first quarter. Bolstered by our proactive working capital management and margin enhancement, we enter 2024 with a strong balance sheet and ample capacity to execute against a strong acquisition pipeline and pursue opportunistic capital return strategies, as we continue our portfolio enhancement strategy.
“We have a constructive outlook for 2024. We expect demand conditions to progressively improve from the fourth quarter exit rate through the year on solid underlying end markets across most of the portfolio, supported by the recent positive year-over-year order momentum. There is significant runway in our margin improvement plan with numerous cost and performance levers available to continue driving strong margin conversion. With this backdrop, we are confident in our ability to continue to deliver long-term value creation for our shareholders through a combination of accretive top line growth, capital allocation, and portfolio enhancement.”
Full Year 2024 Guidance:
In 2024, Dover expects to generate GAAP EPS in the range of $7.90 to $8.10 (adjusted EPS of $8.95 to $9.15), based on full year revenue growth of 2% to 4% (1% to 3% on an organic basis).
Conference Call Information:
Dover will host a webcast and conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2023 results at 9:30 A.M. Eastern Time (8:30 A.M. Central Time) on Thursday, February 1, 2024. The webcast can be accessed on the Dover website at dovercorporation.com. The conference call will also be made available for replay on the website. Additional information on Dover's results and its operating segments can be found on the Company's website.
About Dover:
Dover is a diversified global manufacturer and solutions provider with annual revenue of over $8 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy & Fueling, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Climate & Sustainability Technologies. Dover combines global scale with operational agility to lead the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 65 years, our team of over 25,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV."
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. All statements in this document other than statements of historical fact are statements that are, or could be deemed, "forward-looking" statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous important risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company's control. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, general economic conditions and conditions in the particular markets in which we operate; supply chain constraints and labor shortages that could result in production stoppages, inflation in material input costs and freight logistics; the impact of interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impacts of natural or human-induced disasters, acts of war, terrorism, international conflicts, and public health crises on the global economy and on our customers, suppliers, employees, business and cash flows; changes in customer demand and capital spending; competitive factors and pricing pressures; our ability to develop and launch new products in a cost-effective manner; our ability to realize synergies from newly acquired businesses; and our ability to derive expected benefits from restructuring, productivity initiatives and other cost reduction actions. For details on the risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein, we refer you to the documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. These documents are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission, and on our website, dovercorporation.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.