“The second quarter of 2013 was highlighted by stronger than expected revenue performance across all segments,” said Cliff Pemble, president and chief executive officer of Garmin Ltd. “We were particularly pleased to generate revenue growth in each of our traditional markets. While our performance was strong in second quarter and we believe that the outlook for growth in 2013 for the traditional markets is positive, we also anticipate that declines in the PND market will continue to be a significant headwind. Third quarter will be particularly challenging as we compare against a period of strong prior year sell-in driven by the timing of new product introductions and end-of-life promotions. Given these factors, we are maintaining our full year revenue and EPS guidance. Longer term, our primary focus remains innovation that is expected to fuel sustained revenue and EPS growth.”
Outdoor:
The outdoor segment posted revenue growth of 6% in the quarter with our golf and dog tracking and training portfolios driving growth. Gross and operating margins within the segment remained strong at 66% and 42%, respectively. During the quarter, we introduced our latest outdoor handheld, the Monterra. This product is Android powered giving the user access to thousands of applications including those targeting outdoor enthusiasts. In addition, the Monterra includes WiFi connectivity, an FM radio and NOAA weather radio.
Fitness:
The fitness segment posted revenue growth of 3% in the quarter as our latest cycling products, the Edge® 510 and 810, and the Forerunner® 10 sold well. While gross and operating margins were consistent with our expectations at 65% and 35%, respectively, this is a decline from the prior year due to the product mix shifting toward lower priced devices. In the second half of 2013, we anticipate delivering a number of new products to the market, including the Vector power meter, which are expected to accelerate revenue growth.
Aviation:
The aviation segment posted revenue growth of 16% in the quarter as both OEM and aftermarket contributed to revenue improvement. OEM growth was driven by market share gains in the business jet and helicopter markets, as well as increased content with existing OEM partners. The gross margin in aviation was stable year-over-year at 70% while operating margins declined to 23% due to accelerated research and development spending in the quarter. Though we have experienced some delays in the avionics certifications with our business jet partners, we have passed significant milestones in recent weeks and remain confident in our ability to generate 10-15% revenue growth in the segment.
Marine:
The marine segment posted revenue growth of 7% in the quarter driven by the delivery of the new products that had been previously delayed. These deliveries included the GPSMAP® 8000 series glass helms and the 7” GPSMAP and echoMAP combination chartplotter and fishfinder, both of which have been well-received by the industry and are helping us regain market share in the category. With new product deliveries improving product mix in the second quarter, we returned to profitability in the segment with gross and operating margins of 56% and 20%, respectively. We recognize the importance of continued innovation and are working diligently on 2014 product introductions that will further our market share opportunity.
Automotive/Mobile:
The automotive/mobile segment posted a revenue decline of 12% as declining PND sales were partially offset by growth with our OEM partners. We continue to anticipate PND volumes declining 20% globally. Gross and operating margins in the quarter were 45% and 18%, respectively. This was a decline from 51% and 22% in the prior year primarily related to the $21 million royalty benefit recognized in second quarter 2012.
We do continue to innovate within the segment and have been encouraged by the strong sell-through of the recently released nüvi® 2700 series products. In addition, we have begun to ship the fleet 590, targeting a new market segment in which we hope to gain share.
Additional Financial Information:
Total operating expenses in the quarter were $214 million, a 2% decrease from the prior year. Decreased spending in advertising and selling, general and administrative expenses was partially offset by growing research and development investment in each of our segments. As we have indicated in the past, we anticipate continued research and development investment to fuel both near-term and long-term revenue growth opportunities.
The effective tax rate in second quarter 2013 was 16.5% compared to 10.4% in the prior year due to changes in income mix by tax jurisdiction, as well as reduced tax incentives in Taiwan.
In the second quarter, we generated $186 million of free cash flow which funded our quarterly dividend of $88 million and share repurchase activity of $13 million. We ended the quarter with cash and marketable securities of $2.7 billion.
2013 Guidance Update:
