Replies to post #544 on Oshkosh Truck Corporation (OSK)

[Investorman]

I have heard nothing about them but then I am not exactly on the inside loop with the company.

I do know that they are one of the bidders for the HUMVEE replacement so there are possibilities out there.

[Investorman]

UPDATE 1-Oshkosh not sure where Pentagon protest headed
Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:24am EDT

* Oshkosh says 2010 outlook improved by Pentagon contracts

* Admits not sure where BAE, Navistar protest will go

* Predicts difficult markets will persist outside defense

CHICAGO, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Executives from U.S. specialty truck maker Oshkosh Corp (OSK.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Thursday the company's 2010 outlook had been improved by the string of recent Pentagon contract awards.

But they acknowledged they were not sure how a protest by two losing bidders on the defense contracts, Britain's BAE Systems PLC (BAES.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Navistar International Corp (NAV.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), would ultimately play out.

Speaking at the Longbow Industrial Conference in New York, company executives also warned they expected difficult market conditions would continue in most of the company's non-defense markets next year.

In addition to heavy and medium tactical vehicles, Oshkosh makes firetrucks and other emergency vehicles, cement mixers and garbage trucks, and telehandlers and other aerial access equipment used by builders. (Reporting by James B. Kelleher, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

[Investorman]

Oshkosh Defense Awarded Additional 352 M-ATVs worth $189 Million
September 14, 2009 8:00 AM ET

Oshkosh Corporation OSK announced today it has received an additional $189 million award from the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC) to deliver an additional 352 MRAP All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV) to the U.S. Armed Forces by March 2010. The award also includes aftermarket parts packages.

This is the third award under the delivery order first awarded in June 2009. To date, TACOM LCMC has ordered a total of 4,296 M-ATVs from Oshkosh. The aggregate amount of the three awards is valued at $2.3 billion.

“Oshkosh is committed to meeting our customer’s urgent need for this highly mobile vehicle and helping our Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan to better operate on the country’s challenging terrain,” said Robert G. Bohn, Oshkosh Corporation chairman and chief executive officer. “We have delivered more than 100 M-ATVs through August, meeting our planned delivery requirements, and we continue to increase vehicle output at our manufacturing facilities to remain on schedule and meet our customer’s requirements.”

Oshkosh expects to meet the government’s accelerated delivery schedule without impacting other programs, with production ramping up to 1,000 vehicles a month in December, and continuing at that level through the end of March 2010. The company is leveraging its pre-contract M-ATV production and engineering efforts, robust manufacturing capabilities, a highly skilled workforce, and decades of experience in producing more than 67,000 military-class vehicles.

The Oshkosh® M-ATV’s superior mobility, which includes a 70 percent off-road profile capability, is achieved through the incorporation of the Oshkosh TAK-4® independent suspension system. The system is featured on more than 10,000 Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements (MTVR) used by the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy Seabees, and is being retrofitted on more than 2,000 legacy MRAPs for improved mobility in Afghanistan. The TAK-4 system, which has undergone more than 400,000 miles of government testing, also is used on the Army’s next-generation Palletized Load System (PLS) and the Marine Corps’ Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR).

Oshkosh Defense teamed with Plasan North America to provide an advanced armor solution for the M-ATV. Plasan also developed the armor system used on more than 5,000 legacy MRAPs and thousands of Oshkosh Armored Cab MTVRs already in theater.

[Investorman]

Analyst Note: Oshkosh shares upgraded
September 16, 2009 2:51 PM ET

NEW YORK (AP) - An analyst upgraded shares of Oshkosh Corp. stock Wednesday, saying it trades at a discount and the company is set to cut its debt and continue getting big military contracts.

Longbow analyst Paul Bodnar upgraded the shares to "Buy" from "Neutral" and increased his fiscal 2010 earnings per share estimate to $3.20 from $2.76.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect, on average, $2.82.

"We view the shares of Oshkosh as undervalued for a firm with stable earnings over the next five years due to the defense business, ability to reduce leverage over the next few years and repay almost $1.3 billion in debt by the end of fiscal year 2011," he wrote in a client note.

Part of Bodnar's optimism about revenue comes from his expectation that the Oshkosh, Wis.-based company will profit from a U.S. troop buildup in Afghanistan.

He cited as an example Monday's Pentagon announcement that Oshkosh received a $189.1 million Army contract for additional mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles and related items.