What Happened to DuPont in the Third Quarter?

Updated

When one of the oldest, most diversified companies in the United States releases less than stellar earnings, it tends to have an impact on the entire market. That's exactly what happened in today's trading, when DuPont displayed a 9% drop in sales versus the same quarter in 2011. Citing lower Chinese infrastructure spending, the company missed analysts' $8.15 billion revenue estimate by $750 million.

To address these poor results, DuPont will trim 2% of its workforce in a restructuring program aimed at improving productivity, competitiveness, and growth. Savings of $450 million are expected to be realized, with $100 million coming in 2012 and the remainder in 2013. These cuts are one of the more drastic measures we've seen a company take so far this earnings season.

The company's individual divisions had mixed reviews, and their performance could be telling for more specialized chemical companies that aren't nearly as diverse and might not be able to absorb such negative impacts as DuPont is able to do. Two companies that come to mind are Kronos Worldwide (NYS: KRO) and Huntsman (NYS: HUN) .


See more in the following video.

First Solar is a company that could also be negatively affected by the lack of demand in the photovoltaic market. Before you consider investing in this company, take a look at the brand-new report we have created that details every must-know side of this stock. To get started, just click here now.

The article What Happened to DuPont in the Third Quarter? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Joel South, Taylor Muckerman, and The Motley Fool have no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend First Solar. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't 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.

Advertisement