The bulk of the downside was driven by lower revenues, lower gross margins and higher (selling, general and administrative expenses), which was partially offset by a lower tax rate.
The plant closings and consolidation make sense to us and should be viewed favorably by investors. We suspect that management is once again being overly conservative in pushing the potential cost benefits out to 2008.
The departure of Mr. Miller will open the door for creating shareholder value through further changes and operating improvements at the company.
The disappointing fourth-quarter results indicate to us that, like its peers, Beckman Coulter faces a tougher environment and management does not yet have its arms around the one-offs that have been negatively impacting its margins.
