Friday, May 11, 2012

Ohio Corporate 2011 Annual Earnings On Fire Under Obama

I found a huge number of Corporations…..60….., headquartered in Ohio, which file with the SEC, and which had Pretax Income or Pretax Loss of more than $100 mil in any of the most recent three fiscal years.

Procter & Gamble dominates the corporate landscape in Ohio.  It generated Pretax Income in 2011 of $15.2 bil, up only 1% from 2010, and up only 5% from 2009.

The remaining 59 Ohio Corps generated Total Pretax Earnings in 2011 of $33.2 bil, up $9.3 bil, or up a very impressive 39% over 2010, and up a massive $23.2 bil, or up an off-the-charts 233% over 2009.  Whoa!

In deriving Pretax Income, I start with Pretax Income under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and then exclude several clearly unusual very large items relative to Pretax Income, such as Asset Impairments, Gains and Losses on both Debt Retirements and Asset Dispositions, Acquired In Process Research and Development Charges, and Special Litigation Charges and Gains.

Ohio citizens should be extremely proud of the operating performance in the most recent two years of their superb Ohio Corporations. 

Clearly, the Obama Administration has created an economic environment that has permitted these Ohio Corporations to flat-out flourish. 

Ohio is very fortunate to have Sherrod Brown in the US Senate looking out for its interests.  Brown and the following excellent members of the US House…..Marcy Kaptur, Marcia Fudge, Betty Sutton, Tim Ryan, and Dennis Kucinich…..have all been strong advocates for Ohio businesses of all sizes, and played key roles in fostering this exceptional earnings growth of these Ohio Corporations.

With this off-the-charts 233% Total Pretax Earnings growth of these remaining 59 Ohio Corps in the most recent two years, which includes very strong Total Pretax Earnings growth of 39% in 2011 over 2010, there is no way that this robust 39% total earnings growth in 2011 will continue in 2012. 

And this 39% earnings growth in 2011 for these 59 Ohio Corps has massively decelerated in the 1Q of 2012 to only 4%, going from Total Pretax Income of $9,515 mil in the 1Q 2011 to $9,879 mil in the 1Q 2012.

I think the only way to ensure that these fine Ohio Corps, especially its many superb manufacturing companies, will generate total earnings growth for the remainder of 2012 of at least 15%, and at the same time, also result in very robust US job creation, is for the US Congress to immediately pass the following economic initiatives:

  • Extend the 100% first-year tax expensing of equipment and computer software investments made in the remainder of 2012.  The CBO-scored cost should not be very significant.
  • Substantially accelerate first-year tax depreciation on all new building and building remodeling investments made in the remainder of 2012, and rein in its CBO-scored cost, by lowering tax depreciation in years 2 through 10.
  • Pass the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit for businesses for all 2012 expenditures, but substantially enhance it, especially for smaller businesses, and simplify it.
  • Give small businesses, creating US jobs in 2012, a 10% tax credit.
  • Give businesses a 20% income tax credit for the expenses of moving operations from overseas back to the US.  And pay for this by removing income tax deductions businesses now get for moving their production from the US to overseas.  This one's pretty cool, where the pay-for is also positive to the US job count.
  • Permit US taxpayers, who have their mortgage loans financed by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, to have their mortgages refinanced at the current lower prevailing market interest rates.  
  • Pass the substantial amount of school construction infrastructure fix ups for K-12 Schools and for Community Colleges, which is in the American Jobs Act (AJA).  And all of these school investments should occur in 2012, and mostly from now through the end of the summer of 2012.

The above first two will result in explosive US economic stimulation, particularly when viewed in light of future business income tax reform, which should result in a much lower business income tax rate in 2013 and going forward.

Thus, businesses will get both the 100% first-year tax depreciation on equipment purchases and the substantially accelerated first-year tax deprecation on building investments in 2012 at a business income tax rate reduction which is much higher in 2012, and then the future earnings from these equipment and building investments will generate post 2012 earnings streams from these investments which are taxed at a much lower post tax reform business income tax rate.  Wow, now that is bold economic stimulation.

This above bold economic stimulation effectively works like a back-door, stealth investment tax credit in 2012, due to the expected future reduction in business income tax rates starting in 2013 under any reasonable business tax reform. 

The investment tax credit was used first by President Jack Kennedy in the early 1960s to get the US out of a deep recession.  And President Lyndon Johnson also used it after he took over.  The end result was US real GDP growth which averaged 4.85% from 1960 to 1968.  And the US unemployment rate dropped substantially while this investment tax credit was in effect during the 1960s

This kind of very robust US real GDP growth, markedly north of 4%, and for an extended period of time, is precisely what the US economy now needs.  And this very strong GDP growth is by far the best way to substantially reduce the massive US Deficit.  

But these explosive economic benefits to US businesses from this accelerated first-year tax depreciation does not necessarily mean that there will be resultant substantial US job creation from it.

Thus, I would make sure that the largest of the US Corps…..say the top 50 or so…..would get these first-year accelerated tax depreciation benefits in 2012 only if they add a sufficient number of US full-time workers in 2012.

And similar economic benefits will result from the Research and Experimentation Expenditures.  Not only will businesses get higher Research Tax Credits in 2012 for making investments in 2012, but they will also get 2012 tax deductions from these Research investments made in 2012 at the higher business income tax rate in 2012, and then subsequently get the future earnings stream from these Research investments taxed at the lower post tax reform business income tax rate that will be applicable starting in 2013 and going forward.

Below here is the Ohio headquarters location and the Sector of each of these 60 Ohio Corporations. 

Ohio Corporation Ohio HQs Sector



Procter & Gamble Cincinnati Home Products
Marathon Petroleum Findlay Petroleum Refining, Marketing and Transportation
Cliffs Natural Resources Cleveland Metal Mining
Macy's Cincinnati Retail: Department Stores
Fifth Third Bancorp Cincinnati Banking
Kroger Cincinnati Retail: Grocery Stores
Eaton Cleveland Manufacturing: Power Management
Cardinal Health Dublin Wholesale: Drugs
Progressive Corp Mayfield Village Property and Casualty Insurance
Parker Hannifin Cleveland Manufacturing: Motion and Control Technologies and Systems
Limited Brands Columbus Retail: Clothing
Key Corp Cleveland Banking
Scripps Networks Interactive Cincinnati TV Services: Lifestyle Content
Sherwin Williams Cleveland Retail: Paints
JM Smucker Orrville Foods
Huntington Bancshares Columbus Banking
Timken Canton Manufacturing: Ball and Roller Bearings
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Akron Manufacturing: Tires and Inner Tubes
American Financial Cincinnati Property and Casualty Insurance
Teradata Dayton Technology: Computers
Cintas Cincinnati Workclothing
Owens Corning Toledo Manufacturing: Fiber Glass and Building Materials
Mettler Toledo Columbus Manufacturing: Lab Analytical Instruments
Big Lots Columbus Retail: Variety Stores
Nordson Westlake Manufacturing: Miscellaneous
TransDigm Cleveland Aircraft and Parts
Lincoln Electric Cleveland Manufacturing: Metalworking Machinery and Equipment
Dana Holding Maumee Manufacturing: Motor Vehicle Parts
RPM Intl Medina Manufacturing: Paints
Greif Delaware Paperboard Container and Boxes
Express Columbus Retail: Apparel
Owens-Illinois Perrysburg Manufacturing: Glass Containers
Health Care REIT Toledo Health Care: REIT
Steris Mentor Health Care: Orthopedics, Prosthetic and Surgical Appliances
Polyone Avon Lakes Manufacturing: Plastics
Scotts Miracle-Gro Marysville Agriculture Chemicals
Abercrombie & Fitch New Albany Retail: Clothing
Worthington Industries Columbus Manufacturing: Steel Works
Convergys Cincinnati Technology: Customer, Information and Human Resource Management
Cincinnati Financial Fairfield Property and Casualty Insurance
First Merit Akron Banking
Diebold North Canton Manufacturing: Accounting Machines
Lancaster Colony Columbus Foods
Nacco Industries Cleveland Manufacturing: Industrial Trucks, Tractors and Trailers
Aleris Intl Beachwood Manufacturing: Metals
American Greetings Cleveland Greeting Cards
Thor Industries Jackson Center Manufacturing: Motor Homes
Applied Industrial Technologies Cleveland Wholesale: Machinery, Equipment and Supplies
Andersons Maumee Wholesale: Farm Products
Graftech Intl Parma Manufacturing: Graphite Electrodes
DSW Columbus Retail: Shoe Stores
Chemed Cincinnati Health Care: Home Services
Momentive Specialty Chemicals Columbus Manufacturing: Plastics
Cooper Tire Findlay Manufacturing: Tires and Inner Tubes
Park National Newark Banking
First Financial Bancorp Cincinnati Banking
Cincinnati Bell Cincinnati Telephone Communications
OM Group Cleveland Manufacturing: Metals
AK Steel West Chester Manufacturing: Steel Works
State Auto Financial Columbus Property and Casualty Insurance

And below here is the Pretax Income (PTI) or Pretax Loss (PTL) of these 60 Ohio Corps for each of the most recent three years, with the most recent fiscal year ends ranging from March 2011 to February 2012.






Obama





Bump




PTI(L) PTI(L)

1 Year 2 Year

PTI(L) PTI(L) PTI(L) % %

2011 2010 2009 Change Change
mils $s mils $s mils $s

Ohio




The Dominant One




Procter & Gamble 15,189 15,047 14,413 1% 5%






The Rest




Marathon Petroleum 3,719 1,023 685 264% 443%
Cliffs Natural Resources 2,242 1,303 297 72% 655%
Macy's 1,968 1,320 898 49% 119%
Fifth Third Bancorp 1,831 940 (991) 95% 285%
Kroger 1,796 1,734 1,702 4% 6%
Eaton 1,553 1,036 303 50% 413%
Cardinal Health 1,518 1,212 1,160 25% 31%
Progressive 1,487 1,565 1,557 -5% -4%
Parker Hannifin 1,414 755 683 87% 107%
Limited Brands 1,348 1,251 650 8% 107%
Key Corp 1,345 793 (2,057) 70% 165%
Scripps Networks Interactive 883 736 531 20% 66%
Sherwin Williams 742 678 623 9% 19%
JM Smucker 717 731 396 -2% 81%
Huntington Bancshares 707 352 (1,071) 101% 166%
Timken 697 406 14 72% 4879%
Goodyear Tire & Rubber 618 (65) (357) 1051% 273%
American Financial 560 689 812 -19% -31%
Teradata 481 414 334 16% 44%
Cintas 393 344 411 14% -4%
Owens Corning 353 216 81 63% 336%
Mettler Toledo 349 308 225 13% 55%
Big Lots 342 355 323 -4% 6%
Nordson 315 231 116 36% 172%
TransDigm 301 251 251 20% 20%
Lincoln Electric 301 187 87 61% 246%
Dana Holding 296 35 (298) 746% 199%
RPM Intl 295 268 181 10% 63%
Greif 243 252 138 -4% 76%
Express 236 142 77 66% 206%
Owens-Illinois 235 424 215 -45% 9%
Health Care REIT 226 156 170 45% 33%
Steris 204 192 166 6% 23%
Polyone 199 141 93 41% 114%
Scotts Miracle-Gro 195 320 208 -39% -6%
Abercrombie & Fitch 186 229 120 -19% 55%
Worthington Industries 183 113 (44) 62% 516%
Convergys 182 123 96 48% 90%
Cincinnati Financial 176 501 582 -65% -70%
First Merit 166 140 108 19% 54%
Diebold 164 174 124 -6% 32%
Lancaster Colony 162 175 137 -7% 18%
Nacco Industries 157 116 19 35% 726%
Aleris Intl 157 63 (461) 149% 134%
American Greetings 156 156 121 0% 29%
Thor Industries 153 171 33 -11% 364%
Applied Industrial Technologies 153 105 103 46% 49%
Andersons 148 104 61 42% 143%
Graftech Intl 143 174 81 -18% 77%
DSW 142 112 (54) 27% 363%
Chemed 141 134 121 5% 17%
Momentive Specialty Chemicals 135 103 (100) 31% 235%
Cooper Tire 134 160 116 -16% 16%
Park National 117 75 97 56% 21%
First Financial Bancorp 105 92 12 14% 775%
Cincinnati Bell 94 114 154 -18% -39%
OM Group 25 107 37 -77% -32%
AK Steel 14 (111) (98) 113% 114%
State Auto Financial (109) 25 (13) -536% -738%






Total 59 Rest 33,193 23,850 9,965 39% 233%