General Cable (NYSE: BGC) reported Q4 EPS of $0.15, $0.01 worse than the analyst estimate of $0.16. Revenue for the quarter came in at $1.55 billion versus the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion.

General Cable sees Q1 2015 EPS of ($0.16)-($0.01), versus the consensus of ($0.24). General Cable sees Q1 2015 revenue of $1.1-1.15 billion, versus the consensus of $1.28 billion.

The Company anticipates adjusted operating income to be in the range of $10 to $25 million for the first quarter. Adjusted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $(0.16) to $(0.01) per share for the first quarter. The Company’s first quarter outlook assumes copper (COMEX) and aluminum (LME) prices of $2.60 and $0.84, respectively. The first quarter outlook does not include operating results from Venezuela nor does it include operating results from Asia Pacific and Africa. As noted in the Segment Information, the Company has recast its segments to align with its current strategy of portfolio simplification and new management structure, including presenting a new Asia Pacific and Africa reportable segment. For accounting purposes, these operations do not meet the requirement to be presented as discontinued operations.

“Overall, we anticipate a sluggish start to the year driven by the impact of typical seasonal demand trends and much lower metal prices. The first quarter is typically our slowest period of the year due to lower construction activity principally due to seasonal weather and extended holidays. The recent decline in copper and aluminum prices is expected to be a headwind to operating results in the first quarter in the range of $15 to $20 million as we sell higher weighted average cost inventory into a lower metal cost environment under our weighted average cost accounting methodology. However, if this lower metal price environment persists, we would expect to generate cash as our investment in working capital declines. While we clearly cannot control macroeconomic factors, I am very pleased with our progress on what we can control including our divestiture program and further cost reduction opportunities,” Kenny concluded.

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