Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Cardinal Health (CAH) Beats on Q2 Earnings, Ups FY19 View

Read MoreHide Full Article

Cardinal Health Inc. (CAH - Free Report) delivered second-quarter fiscal 2019 adjusted earnings of $1.29 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.09. However, the reported figure decreased 15% year over year.

Revenues increased 7.3% on a year-over-year basis to $37.74 billion and exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $36.25 billion.

The stock has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Segmental Analysis

Pharmaceutical Segment

In the fiscal second quarter, pharmaceutical revenues increased 8% to $33.74 billion on a year-over-year basis. The segment witnessed strong growth in the Specialty business and gained a large number of Pharmaceutical Distribution customers.

However, strong growth in the segment was partially offset by the divestiture of the company's China distribution business.

Pharmaceutical witnessed a 14% decline in profits to $443 million due to a negative impact from the company's generics program performance.

Medical Segment

In the quarter under review, revenues at this segment decreased 1% to $4.01 billion.The downside can be attributed to the divestitures of the China distribution and naviHealth businesses.

Medical segment profits decreased 14% to $188 million.

Cardinal Health, Inc. Price and Consensus

 

Margin Analysis

Gross profit plunged 7% year over year to $1.73 billion.

As a percentage of revenues, gross margin in the quarter was 4.6%, down 70 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis.

Distribution, selling, general and administrative expenses totaled $1.06 billion, down 6% year over year. Adjusted operating margin for Cardinal Health in the quarter under review was 1.8% of net revenues, down 30 bps.

Guidance Raised

The company raised its guidance for fiscal 2019 adjusted earnings per share.

Adjusted earnings from continuing operations are expected in the range of $4.97-$5.17, up from $4.90-$5.15 projected earlier. The midpoint of the latest guidance range of $5.07 beats the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.

In Conclusion

Cardinal Health exited the fiscal second quarter on a solid note, wherein adjusted earnings and revenues outpaced the consensus mark. The Pharmaceutical segment registered solid growth in the Specialty business and gained a number of Pharmaceutical Distribution customers. An upbeat guidance is indicative of brighter prospects.

Nevertheless, sluggishness in the Medical segment is a concern. Despite growth in business, profits in the Pharmaceutical segment were hurt by generic pharmaceutical pricing. Also, huge investments in Pharmaceutical IT platform and lackluster generics performance are likely to mar Cardinal Health’s operational efficiencies in the upcoming quarters. Intense competition and customer concentration are other bottlenecks. Recently, the company closed the divestiture of Cardinal Health China distribution.

Earnings of MedTech Majors at a Glance

Some better-ranked MedTech stocks that delivered solid performance in their respective quarters are Varian Medical Systems , AngioDynamics (ANGO - Free Report) and CONMED Corporation (CNMD - Free Report) .

Varian reported fiscal first-quarter adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.06, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenues totaled $741 million, which outpaced the consensus mark of $717.9 million. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

AngioDynamics’ fiscal second-quarter adjusted EPS of 22 cents exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Revenues amounted to $91.5 million, which surpassed the consensus estimate by 2.9%. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

CONMED delivered fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of 73 cents, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenues of $242.4 million outshined the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $229.2 million. The stock carries a Zacks Rank of 2.

Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019

In addition to the stocks discussed above, wouldn't you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year?

From more than 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank, these 10 were picked by a process that consistently beats the market. Even during 2018 while the market dropped -5.2%, our Top 10s were up well into double-digits. And during bullish 2012 – 2017, they soared far above the market's +126.3%, reaching +181.9%.

This year, the portfolio features a player that thrives on volatility, an AI comer, and a dynamic tech company that helps doctors deliver better patient outcomes at lower costs.

See Stocks Today >>


Unique Zacks Analysis of Your Chosen Ticker


Pick one free report - opportunity may be withdrawn at any time


AngioDynamics, Inc. (ANGO) - $25 value - yours FREE >>

CONMED Corporation (CNMD) - $25 value - yours FREE >>

Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) - $25 value - yours FREE >>

Published in