Abb Share Discussion Threads

[waldron] 29/4/2008 18:39

ABB "outperform," target price raised
7:44a.m. - Credit Suisse
LONDON, April 29 (newratings.com) - Analyst P Marshall of Credit Suisse maintains his "outperform" rating on ABB Ltd (ABJ), while raising his estimates for the company. The target price has been raised from CHF36 to CHF39.

In a research note published yesterday, the analyst mentions that the company has reported robust 1Q08 results. ABB's order intake was higher than expected in the quarter and the company is likely to generate 20% organic sales growth in 2008, as compared to the previous expectation of 13%, the analyst says. The company is in a robust position to reallocate its capital, given net cash of $5.6 billion on its balance sheet, Credit Suisse adds. The EPS estimates for 2008 and 2009 have been raised by 9% and 16%, respectively.

[waldron] 29/4/2008 05:27

ABB "hold," target price raised
04/28/08 - Dresdner Kleinwort Wasser.
LONDON, April 28 (newratings.com) - Analysts at Dresdner Kleinwort maintain their "hold" rating on ABB Limited (ABBN), while raising their estimates for the company. The target price has been raised from CHF25 to CHF28.

In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that the company is likely to post robust 1Q results due to exceptionally strong pricing that offset the rise in input costs. The demand for ABB's products remains healthy with short supply of core materials, the analysts add. ABB's end markets remain healthy and the company's execution strong, Dresdner Kleinwort says. The EPS estimate for FY08 has been raised from CHF1.70 to CHF1.85.

[waldron] 27/4/2008 15:19

You are in: swissinfo.ch > indexSize: large |normal
April 27, 2008 - 4:34 PM ABB looks to hire 20,000
Swiss-Swedish electro-engineering giant ABB is expecting to create 20,000 new jobs over the next five years.
The firm's financial director and interim CEO Michel Demaré told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper that Switzerland would be among the beneficiaries of the job drive.

Last year alone, the Zurich-based company created 480 new Swiss positions and employed 111,000 people in 100 countries.

Demaré called on young Swiss to learn engineering skills as job prospects were looking particularly good at the moment.

He added that energy consumption is expected to rise nearly 50 per cent by 2030, allowing ABB to pursue its development. Demaré said the firm would benefit from strong demand for new energy infrastructure.

The company's net income was more than SFr1 billion in the first quarter, up 87 per cent over the same period in 2007.

[ariane] 26/4/2008 05:44

ABB "buy," target price raised
04/25/08 - ING Financial Markets
LONDON, April 25 (newratings.com) - Analysts at ING Financial Markets maintain their "buy" rating on ABB (ABBN). The 12-month target price has been raised from CHF32.50 to CHF36.

In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that the company has posted robust 1Q08 results, with sales and orders ahead of expectations. Despite an unfavourable comparison base, ABB's operating margins continue to be supported by the company's solid performance, the analysts say. ABB is likely to continue to benefit from the robust demand for new infrastructure in emerging markets and upgrade requirements related to already existing networks in mature markets, ING Financial Markets adds.

[ariane] 25/4/2008 10:04

ABB LTD : Les cours approchent les niveaux de résistance

ven 25 avr, 11h28


STRATEGIE Au dessus de 25,65 CHF la tendance majeure reste haussière 31,82 CHF et 32,84 CHF sont en ligne de mire.La rupture de 25,65 CHF annulerait cette anticipation, et favoriserait une correction vers 24,62 CHF.
SYNTHESE Le MACD est positif et supérieur à sa ligne de signal. Cette configuration confirme la bonne orientation du titre. Néanmoins, le RSI se trouve dans la zone de surachat, on peut s'attendre à une correction technique à court terme. De plus, les stochastiques sont très élevés, ce qui confirme les risques en cas de retournement brutal. Les volumes échangés sont supérieurs à la moyenne des volumes sur les 10 derniers jours.

MOUVEMENTS ET NIVEAUX Le titre est orienté à la hausse. Il est au-dessus de sa moyenne mobile 50 jours. La moyenne mobile à 20 jours est supérieure à la moyenne mobile à 50 jours. Le support est à 25,65 CHF, puis à 24,62 CHF et la résistance est à 31,82 CHF, puis à 32,84 CHF.

[ariane] 24/4/2008 10:16

ABB Profit Soars 87%, Beating Estimates; Shares Gain (Update3)

By Antonio Ligi

April 24 (Bloomberg) -- ABB Ltd., the world's largest builder of electricity networks, reported record profit that beat analyst estimates as China and India increased investment in power stations and grids.

First-quarter net income almost doubled to $1 billion from $537 million a year earlier, Zurich-based ABB said today in a statement. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey predicted profit of $737 million, according to the median of 14 estimates.

ABB advanced the most in four years in Zurich trading. The Swiss company forecast spending on electricity distribution will remain ``buoyant'' in 2008 and reiterated its robot and factory- machines business will grow. It's tapping investment in emerging markets, while the U.S. and other mature economies are modernizing electricity infrastructure to cope with power needs.

``An excellent result and confirmation that markets are still positive,'' said Mark Diethelm, an analyst at Zuercher Kantonalbank. ``That's reassuring in the current economic climate. The fear of a slowdown in the early cyclical Automation Products division was unfounded.''

Sales gained 29 percent to $7.96 billion. Profit equaled 44 cents a share, up from 25 cents.

ABB rose as much as 9.5 percent to 31.98 francs, the biggest gain since February 2004. The shares traded at 30.76 francs as of 10:39 a.m. local time, bringing 12-month gains to 39 percent. ABB is valued at 70 billion francs ($67 billion), compared with 1.7 billion francs in 2002, when the business faced bankruptcy.

Dubai Smelter, Dutch Power

Formed in 1988 through the merger of BBC Brown Boveri of Switzerland and ASEA AB of Sweden, ABB makes components and systems to transmit and distribute electricity, motors and generators as well as robots. Its workforce has shrunk to about 111,000 from a peak of 219,000 in mid-1998 as units including paper-making equipment and water treatment were jettisoned.

Power-related activities will grow sales 15 to 20 percent, the company said reiterating earlier targets. Automation, which supplies industrial robots and factory machines, is still forecast to expand 10 percent.

Among orders in the quarter were a $53 million contract to upgrade electrical and automation systems at a Dubai aluminum smelter and a $150 million order to provide energy systems and grid connections for a natural gas and steam-turbine power plant in the Netherlands.

``We expected good earnings and they were great,'' said Dresdner Kleinwort analyst James Stettler, who has a ``hold'' recommendation on the stock. ``Factories were fully loaded. In short, ideal conditions,'' he said in a note.

Demare Debut

Today's results were presented by interim-Chief Executive Officer Michel Demare. ABB is currently without a CEO after Fred Kindle quit Feb. 13 after clashing with the board over strategy.

Earnings at Power Products, ABB's largest division, jumped 71 percent. Power Systems, which builds substations, reported the steepest growth, with a doubling in earnings. Automation Products, the unit that makes generators and motors and ABB's second-biggest division, advanced 48 percent. The total order backlog swelled 46 percent to $26.82 billion.

``Execution is key with the order backlog,'' Demare said on a conference call. ``If I look at growth rates in the industry, it seems to indicate that we indeed gained market share.''

ABB's profit follows disappointing results among peers. General Electric Co., the No. 1 maker of power generators, cut its annual forecast after quarterly earnings fell for the first time in five years. Turmoil in financial markets slashed the value of financial investments. Sales at circuit-breaker maker Schneider Electric SA missed estimates on slowing homebuilding.

Surplus Cash

There's too much cash on the balance sheet and potential acquisition targets are now cheaper, Demare said Feb. 14.

ABB is ``very happy to grow organically,'' though it will continue to screen acquisition opportunities, he said today. The company had a cash pool of $5.6 billion and spent about $240 million to repurchase shares as part of its 2.2 billion- franc buyback program.

The company last spent more than $1 billion on a takeover in 1998, when it bought Elsag Bailey Process Automation NV for $2.1 billion from Finmeccanica SpA.

ABB's acquisition strategy may have been the reason for Kindle's exit, with the former CEO more interested in keeping a ``war-chest'' ready for acquisitions than share buybacks, Stockholm-based Swedbank analyst Mats Liss said in an April 16 research note. It will be at least a year before a new CEO is settled so that may also reduce the likelihood of a large purchase, he said.

Chairman Hubertus Von Gruenberg, who joined a year ago, has said that the company was looking internally and externally for a successor. Demare said the search will likely extend through the summer. The chief financial officer has said he would accept the CEO job permanently, if offered.

To contact the reporter on this story: Antonio Ligi in Zurich at [e-mail]

Last Updated: April 24, 2008 04:58 EDT

[ariane] 21/4/2008 17:35

ABB "buy," target price reduced
4:08a.m. - ING Financial Markets
LONDON, April 21 (newratings.com) - Analysts at ING Financial Markets maintain their "buy" rating on ABB Ltd (ABBN). The target price has been reduced from SFr35 to SFr32.50.

In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that the company is expected to report robust 1Q08 results, driven by the performance of its power and auto divisions. Although the departure of the CEO has created some uncertainty surrounding ABB's management, strong fundamentals support the company's end-markets, the analysts say. The company is expected to generate robust sales growth and stronger-than-expected operating margin expansion going forward, ING Financial Markets adds. The downward revision in the target price reflects the market's increased aversion to risk and the new Swiss francs/US dollar exchange rate, according to the analysts.

[waldron] 19/4/2008 16:01

ABB installs process control system at Jura Cement

Go to company's web site



Baden, Switzerland, April 17, 2008 – ABB Switzerland Ltd announced that the control system replacement for Jura Cement's production line No. 5 has successfully been completed. The new control room was put into operation at the end of February 2008.

The contract for this project was signed in August 2006. ABB was responsible for delivery and replacement of the complete control system, as well as for the modernization of the control room equipment and furniture.

Installation was done in two stages, during planned annual shutdowns in February 2007 and February 2008. At all other times during the project, the plant continued full operation without any interruption. At the end of February 2008, the new control system and control room went into operation. It was officially inaugurated on March 14 and is one of most modern control systems and control rooms at any Swiss cement plant

ABB's scope of supply consisted of a complete server-client based ABB IndustrialIT Extended Automation System 800xA that included three engineering workstations and eleven individual operator stations, one of which was equipped with an ABB Extended Operator Workplace. ABB was also responsible for delivery of the entire IO-hardware as well as the supervision of erection and commissioning.

At the inauguration event, Adrian Streuli, plant manager of Jura Cement Fabriken Wildegg, said the new control room and control system, including all ABB cement specific applications were a "perfect combination of most modern design and ultimate functionality".

During the project, ABB integrated the existing 25 year old, control units of the subsystems into the new level one control system in the most efficient way. ABB met every single installation deadline on the day.

Jura Cement operates two cement plants in Switzerland. With a capacity of 950,000 tons per year, the company is the second largest cement producer in Switzerland.

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 110,000 people.

[waldron] 14/4/2008 08:25

Swiss shares TFN market data at 9:10 a.m.: SMI down tracking oversea markets




ZURICH (Thomson Financial) -
Major Indices:
Swiss Market Index down 65.23 points at 7,193.73.
Swiss Performance Index down 49.06 points at 5,939.95.


Major losers:
-ABB, down 0.60 Swiss francs or 2.2 percent at 26.24, after Lehman cut the
stock to 'equal-weight' from 'overweight'
-Credit Suisse, down 1.20 francs or 2.2 percent at 52.90, on media reports
suggesting that the bank is likely to face writedowns of 3-5 billion Swiss
francs in the first quarter
-Swiss Re, down 1.80 or 2 percent at 86.20, after UBS cut the stock to
'sell' from 'neutral'

Sole gainers:
-Syngenta, up 1.50 francs at 304.25



[e-mail]
at/jmt/jlw/jmt/rfw/jmt/slj/jmt/jmt/slm

[grupo guitarlumber] 11/4/2008 04:43

ABB "buy," target price reduced
04/10/08 - Kaupthing
LONDON, April 10 (newratings.com) - Analysts at Kaupthing Bank maintain their "buy" rating on ABB Ltd (ABJ), while raising their estimates for the company. The target price has been reduced from SEK215 to SEK210.

In a research note published yesterday, the analysts mention that the company's share price is likely to be range-bound, until a new CEO is appointed. ABB is expected to report robust order intake for 1Q08, the analysts say. The company is likely to have generated robust organic growth of 9% in the quarter, Kaupthing Bank adds. The EPS estimates for 2008 and 2009 have been raised by 1.8% to reflect the revised forex assumptions.

[grupo guitarlumber] 09/4/2008 06:20

ABB CEO says weakening economy yet to impact on customer spending




ZURICH (Thomson Financial) - ABB Ltd. remains calm amid the ongoing
financial market crisis, with the engineering group's customers continuing to
invest in infrastructure and power grid upgrades, chief executive and CFO Michel
Demare said.
Speaking in an interview with Swiss finance bi-weekly Finanz und Wirtschaft,
Demare also said that business in the automation segment was not affected by
short-term fluctuations.
Demare, who last month replaced CEO Fred Kindle on an interim basis, said he
would be happy if he was appointed as the Swedish-Swiss engineering group's
permanent chief executive.
He also confirmed the group's recently revealed mid-term targets.
ABB is "well under way", he said, without going into details, pointing
towards the group's upcoming first-quarter results.
For the 2007-2011 period, ABB targets a compound annual growth rate for
revenue of 8-11 pct, and an EBIT margin of 11-16 pct.
In the long-term, prospects are even better given rising energy prices which
will prompt increased spending in energy efficiency, he said.
He also reiterated the group's acquisition strategy, saying ABB is
interested in companies that fit within its existing portfolio while it is not
dependent to grow via acquisitions.
[e-mail]
at/slj

[grupo guitarlumber] 05/4/2008 16:58

Investor calendar

2008
February 14 Fourth-quarter and full-year 2007 results
April 24 First-quarter 2008 results
May 8 Annual General Meeting Zurich/Switzerland
May 9 Annual general information meeting Västerås/Sweden
July 24 Second-quarter 2008 results
October 23 Third-quarter 2008 results

[grupo guitarlumber] 05/4/2008 06:29

ABB Technology Gives Offshore Wind Farms New Capabilities
4/4/2008




Zurich, Switzerland, - One of ABB's largest orders in 2007 came from a unit of E.ON, Germany's biggest utility, for technology that will link the world's largest offshore wind farm to the German power grid. "The project is unique," said Karl-Heinz Lampe, Managing Director for E.ON Netz Offshore.

Valued at more than $400M, it will use ABB's HVDC Light technology, a high-voltage direct current solution that enables the transmission of large amounts of power underwater and underground, with minimal impact on the environment.

"A rectifier station has never been built on its own platform in the North Sea before," Lampe said. "Besides being 130 kilometers out to sea and connecting 80 wind turbines – the world's largest offshore wind farm – the station will also transmit power to a receiving station on land via undersea cables and landlines."

At present, there are no wind farms along Germany's coasts. Land-based wind power accounts for about 7 percent of the country's electrical production, which makes Germany the leading wind-power nation in Europe. The government aims to double wind-power capacity by 2020, and a large part of the additional power is expected to come from offshore farms.

"Politicians here in Germany are following the project NORD E.ON 1 with special interest and it has also drawn considerable attention from abroad," Lampe said.

Wind-power engineering company BARD Engineering is building the wind farm in an area known as Borkum 2 – one of four areas set aside for offshore wind-power clusters in the German North Sea. The 80-turbine farm is scheduled to enter service in 2009 with a combined output of 400 megawatts (MW), and Lampe believes that new wind farms in the North Sea could be producing 3,000 MW as early as 2011.

Many new development plans have emerged since a law in December 2006 that requires German grid companies to connect German wind farms as soon as they are ready to be put into service, and to bear the costs of the necessary connections. This has reduced costs for wind-power developers by 25 to 30 percent and has significantly accelerated the growth of wind farms, Lampe said.

20 to 25 new wind parks
According to Lampe, there are now concrete plans for 20 to 25 farms in the four German North Sea wind-power clusters, known as Borkum 1 and 2, Helgoland and Sylt. Current plans will see German offshore wind farms providing a total of 12,000 MW by the year 2020.

"Each of the four wind-power clusters will need a separate connection to the grid," Lampe added. "We also need to increase the grid connection capacity as early as the next cluster connection. The HVDC Light installation that will be put in service in the autumn of 2009 is rated at 400 MW, but we have to increase this quickly to between 1,400 and 1,600 MW for each cluster."

There are even plans to build German wind farms in the Baltic, for example in Krieger's Flak, near Trelleborg, an economic zone shared by Sweden, Denmark and Germany. The Swedish utility Vattenfall is also investigating the feasibility of building a 128-turbine wind farm in this area.

Good supplement
But for the new offshore wind power system to be developed further, national and cross-border infrastructure for power transmission must be improved to accommodate the large quantities of electrical power generated when winds are high. And when the wind is light, it must be possible to access supplemental power sources that are easy to regulate.

Power from the North Sea wind farms could be supplemented with hydropower from Norway. This is one of the reasons for a preliminary study being carried out by E.ON Netz and Norway's Statnett on a planned high-voltage link between Germany and Norway.

NorNed, a project connecting the electrical grids in Norway and the Netherlands via a 580-kilometer HVDC cable, will be put in service later this year. This will enable greater use of Norwegian hydropower and further development of wind power in Europe.

Beyond these projects, there are also plans for a "super grid" of undersea transmission cables that includes both links between wind parks and onshore grids, and between the countries around the North Sea. This is still a vision, but it was not that long ago that large-scale offshore wind-power production was just a vision.

SOURCE: ABB

[waldron] 27/3/2008 12:15

ABB wins 53 mln usd contract in Dubai




ZURICH (Thomson Financial) - ABB Ltd said it has won a 53 mln usd contract
from Dubai Aluminum Company Limited to upgrade electrical and automation systems
at the companys 480-hectare smelter complex in Dubai.
Under the terms of the contract, the Swedish Swiss engineering group will
replace 16 high-voltage regulating transformers.
[e-mail]
jmt/sal

[waldron] 20/3/2008 08:44

naughty naughty, its only the public lighting business.

[waldron] 20/3/2008 08:41

Anticipated acquisition by E.ON UK plc of the public lighting business of ABB Holdings Limited
Parties: Anticipated acquisition by E.ON UK plc of the public lighting business of ABB Holdings Limited - issued 19/03/2008
Affected sector: Public lighting
Case officer: Lucília Falsarella Pereira 020 7211 8252 Email [e-mail]
Deadline for comment: 3 April 2008

[waldron] 19/3/2008 07:00

Developing Nations Fuel Growth For ABB
March 18, 2008: 08:05 PM EST


Mar. 19, 2008 (Investor's Business Daily delivered by Newstex) --

ABB ABB may be working on a base that started in the week ended Nov. 9. That's when the big-cap stock peaked after a long run-up.

The Swiss firm makes automation and power products used in industrial, commercial and utility applications. Its product line includes circuit breakers, measurement systems, motors and cables.

Expanding infrastructure in emerging markets has increased demand for ABB's (NYSE:ABB) products. As a result, the company expects its Asian market to grow 50% over five years. It also sees 40% growth in the Middle East, 25% in the Americas and 24% in Europe. And mature markets are always in need of replacements for aging parts and improvements to electric grids.

This demand has translated into double-digit earnings and sales growth in the past five quarters. Analysts expect an earnings jump of 35% in the current quarter.

In 2007, ABB's return on equity stood at 32% for the second year running. The company also successfully reduced its long-term debt to about 20% of its capital.

And ABB's margins grew steadily over four years. At the end of '07, its pretax margin stood at 14%, up from 4% three years ago.



Newstex ID: IBD-0001-23872541

Originally published in the March 19, 2008 version of Investor's Business Daily.

[waldron] 18/3/2008 10:34

ABB wins 150 mln usd turbine order from Dutch co Nuon
Date : 18/03/2008 @ 10:26
Source : TFN

[waldron] 18/3/2008 10:34

cheers She

trust all is well