Questor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Questor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (QCOR - Snapshot Report) is successfully growing its cash flow from operations, which the company is using to stimulate its share price with ongoing buyback efforts. Analyst are bullish on the company, with an 11% earnings growth projection in the next-year period.

Company Description

Questor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. develops pharmaceutical drugs in the United States. The company was founded in 1990 and has a market cap of $544 million.

Third-Quarter Results

QCOR shares recently touched a new 52-week high after the company reported strong third-quarter results on Oct 30. Sales totaled $24.2 million, up from $14.8 million last year. Net income came in at $9 million, besting last year's $8.4 million. This produced earnings of 13 cents per share, 3 cents ahead of analyst estimates.

Share Buy backs

During its quarterly report, Questor noted that during the first 9 months of the year it had generated $54 million in cash from operations, having returned $45.9 million to shareholders with buyback initiatives

$10.3 million was used to repurchase all of the company's outstanding preferred stock. $15.6 million was used to repurchase 3.5 million shares of common stock under the company's 7 million share buyback program. And finally, $20 million was used to repurchase 4 million shares in direct transactions.

Analyst Estimates

As Questor continues to produce strong results, the analyst community has been quick to upgrade their earnings projections. The current-year estimate is up 12 cents to 46 cents per share in the last 30 days.

The next-year estimate is bullish, pegged at 51 cents per share, an 11% earnings growth projection.

The Chart

Shares of QCOR have been advancing since early August, recently touching a new 52-week and all-time high just below $9. A nice up trend that continues to support prices has been in play since early October. Take a look at the chart below.