[SatNews] “Second quarter results were solid with earnings per share above prior year,”

Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) reported revenue in the second quarter of fiscal 2014 of $1.22 billion and income from continuing operations of $137 million, or $1.27 per diluted share. Income from continuing operations in the prior year was $142 million, or $1.25 per diluted share. Orders in the second quarter were $1.47 billion compared with $1.36 billion in the prior year and book-to-bill for the company was 1.20.

“Second quarter results were solid with earnings per share above prior year,” said William M. Brown, president and chief executive officer. “Outstanding program execution and operational excellence improvements, including the benefit of prior-year restructuring, resulted in higher operating margin. Orders were higher than in the prior year, and both revenue and orders were particularly strong in international markets.”

Revenue in the second quarter for the RF Communications segment was $455 million compared with $486 million in the prior year. Tactical Communications revenue was $320 million, decreasing 5 percent, and Public Safety revenue was $135 million, decreasing 9 percent. Segment operating income was $142 million compared with $151 million in the prior year. Operating margin was 31.3 percent compared with 31.1 percent in the prior year.

Orders for the segment totaled $512 million. Tactical Communications orders were $387 million, increasing 35 percent from the prior year. Public Safety orders were $125 million, increasing 8 percent. Book-to-bill was 1.13 for the segment, and backlog was $730 million in Tactical Communications and $591 million in Public Safety.
International tactical radio orders included a $100 million follow-on order from Australia, $49 million from a country in the Middle East, $36 million and $21 million from two NATO countries, and $28 million from a country in Latin America. Public Safety orders included $20 million from York County, Pennsylvania and a $14 million follow-on order under the previously awarded San Francisco Metropolitan Transport Authority contract.

Revenue in the second quarter for the Integrated Network Solutions segment decreased to $366 million compared with $403 million in the prior year, due to lower revenue from U.S. Government customers in both CapRock Communications and Healthcare Solutions. Segment operating income was $33 million, flat with the prior year.

During the quarter, IT Services received orders totaling $61 million from the U.S. Navy to extend continuity of services on the Navy/Marine Corps Intranet program, and a $53 million follow-on order to operate and support the U.S. Air Force Space Command’s 50th Space Wing. Also in the quarter, IT Services was awarded a position on the 6-year, multi-vendor NETCENTS-2 Products IDIQ contract from the U.S. Air Force with a $6.9 billion ceiling value.

CapRock Communications was awarded a 5-year contract from Carnival Corporation to provide dual-band satellite voice, data and Internet services across its fleet of 103 ships and received a $75 million follow-on order from the Defense Information Systems Agency to provide end-to-end managed terrestrial network services.

Revenue in the second quarter for the Government Communications Systems segment was $433 million, increasing 1 percent compared with $428 million in the prior year. Major drivers included higher revenue from classified and space customers, the ramp-up of the FAA’s NextGen DataComm program, and the start of full-rate production on the Army’s Modernization of Enterprise Terminals (MET) program, partially offset by lower revenue from NOAA’s GOES-R weather program as it transitions to an integration and test phase. Segment operating income was $66 million compared with $65 million in the prior year. Operating margin in the second quarter was 15.4 percent and resulted from strong program performance.

During the quarter, Harris received orders of $46 million from the FAA for the NextGen DataComm program and $31 million for avionics infrastructure for the F-35 program as well as awards totaling $121 million from classified customers.

Harris increased its fiscal 2014 guidance for income from continuing operations from a range of $4.65 to $4.85 per diluted share to a range of $4.80 to $4.90 per diluted share. Revenue guidance remains unchanged from an expected decline of 1 to 3 percent compared with the prior year.

Harris will host a conference call today, January 28, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) to discuss its second quarter fiscal 2014 financial results. The dial-in numbers for the teleconference are (877) 303-9481 (U.S.) and (760) 666-3582 (International), using participant code 32037311. Please allow at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time to connect to the teleconference. Participants are encouraged to listen via live webcast and view management’s supporting slide presentation at www.harris.com/conference-call. A recording of the call will be available on the Harris website beginning at approximately 12 p.m. ET on January 28

Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 125 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of annual revenue and about 14,000 employees — including 6,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications® products, systems and services. View this news release online at.