Delta Air December Traffic Up, Sonic Net Rises 24%

Mukesh Buch
06 Jan, 2016
New York City

Delta Air Lines said passenger traffic in December rose and revised fares higher in 2016. Monsanto net swung to a loss. MSC Industrial net declined 4%. Sonic fell despite revenues and earnings top estimate and estimated net to increase between 16% and 20%.

[R]12:30 PM New York – Delta Air Lines said passenger traffic in December rose and revised fares higher in 2016. Monsanto net swung to a loss. MSC Industrial net declined 4%. Sonic fell despite revenues and earnings top estimate and estimated net to increase between 16% and 20%.[/R]

Tollbooth Index dropped 102.33 or 0.9% to 10,498.24.

Earnings Review

Delta Air Lines, Inc ((DAL)) rose 5 cents to $48.63 after the airline said passenger traffic in December rose 1.6% to 16.38 billion revenue passenger miles from a year ago month and also increased passenger fares by as much as $4 a flight.

Load factor in the month rose 0.7% to 84.4% from 83.7% from a year ago month.

The airline forecasted operating margin to jump in the fourth-quarter in the range of 16.5% to 17.5% from the reported 12.6% in the same quarter a year ago but unit revenues are expected to fall 1.5%.

Landec Corporation ((LNDC)) slid 4 cents to $11.57 after the food and biomaterials products maker said revenues in the first-quarter ending on November 29 jumped 6% from a year ago to $140.4 million.

Net income in the quarter tumbled 42% to $1.9 million or 7 cents per diluted share compared to $3.2 million or 12 cents per share from the same quarter last year.

The company forecasted revenues in the fiscal 2016 to increase between 3% and 6% and operating income in the range of 25% to 35% and net income between 10% and 20%.

Monsanto Company ((MON)) slipped 65 cents to $96.09 after the agricultural products maker reported revenues in the first-quarter ending in November plunged 22.6% from a year ago to $2.22 billion.

Net in the quarter swung to a loss of $253 million or 56 cents per diluted share compared to profit of $243 million or 50 cents per share from the same quarter last year.

Monsanto forecasted earnings per share in the fiscal 2016 in the range of $4 to $4.66.

MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc ((MSM)) surged 7.6% or $4.28 to $60.84 after the maintenance products distributor said revenues in the first-quarter ending on November 29 dropped 3.3% from a year ago to $706.8 million.

Net income in the quarter declined 4% to $55 million or 89 cents per diluted share compared to $57.4 million or 91 cents per share from the same quarter last year.

The company estimated net sales in the second-quarter between $680 million and $692 million and diluted earnings per share in the rage of 76 cents and 80 cents.

RPM International Inc ((RPM)) slid 12 cents to $42.81 after the paints and coatings maker stated revenues in the second-quarter ending in November soared 7.9% from a year ago to $1.16 billion.

Net income in the quarter surged 19.6% to $83.4 million or 62 cents per diluted share compared to $69.8 million or 52 cents per share from the same quarter last year.

Sonic Corporation ((SONC)) plunged 8.5% or $2.69 to $28.75 after the drive-in restaurant operator said revenues in the first-quarter ending in November increased 4.2% from a year ago to $145.80 million.

Net income in the quarter soared 23.8% to $12.5 million or 24 cents per diluted share compared to $10.1 million or 18 cents per share from the same quarter last year.

The drive-in restaurant operator reaffirmed its fiscal year earnings per share outlook to increase between 16% and 20% and same store sales to increase between 2% and 4%.

UniFirst Corporation ((UNF)) jumped 2.5% or $2.53 to $104.18 after the workplace uniforms provider reported revenues in the first-quarter ending on November 28 rose 0.8% from a year ago to $373.4 million.

Net income in the quarter slumped 4% to $35.9 million or $1.78 per diluted share compared to $37.4 million or $1.85 per share from the same quarter last year.

The uniforms provider forecasted revenues in the year in the range of $1.46 billion to $1.48 billion and earnings per share between $5.60 and $5.80.