Why MRC Global's Shares Dropped

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 MRC Global fell as much as 16% today after the company said sales will miss expectations.

So what: A regulatory filing today said that line pipe sales in April and May will be about $100 million below expectations. Overall, sales will be down about 10% from a year ago as demand for drilling pipe comes in lower than expected and crude oil pipelines high approval delays.

Now what: This is bad news for the company's operations and for the full year management expects line pipe sales to be down about $300 million. With the stock trading at 23 times trailing earnings a decline in revenue makes the stock look even more expensive. I see this as a pressure for the company all year and wouldn't consider buying in until we see a pickup in demand in the line pipe business.

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The article Why MRC Global's Shares Dropped originally appeared on Fool.com.

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