Margins matter. The more CNOOC
Here's the current margin snapshot for CNOOC and some of its sector and industry peers, and direct competitors.
|
Company |
TTM Gross Margin |
TTM Operating Margin |
TTM Net Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CNOOC |
65.2% |
37.9% |
28% |
|
Newfield Exploration |
77.8% |
53.2% |
31.3% |
|
Pioneer Natural Resources |
74.3% |
49.2% |
25.1% |
|
Apache |
81.9% |
46.2% |
24.6% |
|
Occidental Petroleum |
67.2% |
37.2% |
22% |
Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's.
Unfortunately, that chart doesn't tell us much about where CNOOC has been, or where it's going. A company with rising gross and operating margins often fuels its growth by increasing demand for its products. If it sells more units while keeping costs in check, its profitability increases. Conversely, a company with gross margins that inch downward over time is often losing out to competition, and possibly engaging in a race to the bottom on prices. If it can't make up for this problem by cutting costs -- and most companies can't -- then both the business and its shares face a decidedly bleak outlook.
Of course, over the short term, the kind of economic shocks we recently experienced can drastically affect a company's profitability. That's why I like to look at five fiscal years' worth of margins, along with the results for the trailing 12 months (TTM), the last fiscal year, and last fiscal quarter (LFQ). You can't always reach a hard conclusion about your company's health, but you can better understand what to expect, and what to watch.
Here's the margin picture for CNOOC over the past few years.
(Because of seasonality in some businesses, the numbers for the last period on the right -- the TTM figures -- aren't always comparable to the FY results preceding them.)
Here's how the stats break down:
- Over the past five years, gross margin peaked at 69% and averaged 66.4%. Operating margin peaked at 52.1% and averaged 45.2%. Net margin peaked at 36.5% and averaged 33.8%.
- Fiscal year 2009 gross margin was 65.2%, 120 basis points worse than the 5-year average. Fiscal year 2009 operating margin was 37.9%, 730 basis points worse than the 5-year average. Fiscal year 2009 net margin was 28%, 580 basis points worse than the 5-year average.
- TTM gross margin is 65.2%, 120 basis points worse than the 5-year average. TTM operating margin is 37.9%, 730 basis points worse than the 5-year average. TTM net margin is 28%, 580 basis points worse than the 5-year average.
- LFQ gross margin is 65.3%, 180 basis points worse than the prior year quarter. LFQ operating margin is 36.6%, 160 basis points worse than the prior year quarter. LFQ net margin is 26.5%, 360 basis points worse than the prior year quarter.
With recent 12-month-period operating margins below historical averages, CNOOC has some work to do.
If you take the time to read past the headlines and crack a filing now and then, you're probably ahead of 95% of the market's individual investors. To stay ahead, learn more about how I use analysis like this to help me uncover the home run stock you're too afraid to buy.
