Why Diebold's Shares Plunged

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of ATM and voting machine maker Diebold (NYS: DBD) fell as much as 12% today after the company reported preliminary results and cut its full-year forecast.

So what: The company said that it expects third-quarter revenue to be $710 million and earnings per share to be $0.39. Analysts expected $735 million in revenue and earnings of $0.50 per share.

For the full year, management expects growth of 6%, at the low end of the previous range. Earnings per share are expected to be between $2.25 and $2.30, below previous estimates of $2.50 and $2.60.

Now what: A delay in purchases from Brazil is the cause of the weak numbers as well as reduced spending from regional banks in the U.S. A reduction in guidance is never good but we need to keep in mind that revenue is still growing and management said that orders were delayed, not canceled. The stock is trading at just 10 times trailing earnings and pays a 3.4% dividend yield, so I think this is a buying opportunity for Foolish investors with a long-term horizon.

Interested in more info on Diebold? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.

The article Why Diebold's Shares Plunged originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Travis Hoiumhas no positions in the stocks mentioned above.You can follow Travis on Twitter at @FlushDrawFool, check out his personal stock holdings or follow his CAPS picks at TMFFlushDraw. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.