Drug manufacturer Merck & Co. (MRK) provided adjusted earnings outlook for 2012, mid-point of which comes below street analysts' estimates. The net result is the market reacted unfavorably though not aggressively. The company's adjusted earnings and revenues for the fourth quarter came ahead of Street consensus.
The company also indicated that it is positioning itself for better performance through advancement and growing its innovative pipeline that would allow them to meet customers' needs besides achieving operating efficiency.
Merck expressed its optimism about its present momentum and underlying business. At the same time, the company indicated that patent for its asthma drug Singulair would lapse in August this year and that it would drag down its top line after the expiry.
Q4 Results
The Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based Merck reported net income of $1.51 billion or 49 cents a share compared to a net loss of $531 million or 17 cents loss a share in the year earlier quarter. On an adjusted basis, net income would have been $2.978 billion, up 8 percent from $2.756 billion and earnings increased 10.2 percent to 97 cents a share from 88 cents a share in the year-ago quarter.
Total sales rose 2 percent to $12.29 billion from $12.09 billion in the previous year quarter. Of this, pharmaceutical division sales grew 3 percent to $10.76 billion from $10.44 billion in the year earlier quarter.
Wall Street analysts predicted the company to deliver earnings of 95 cents a share on revenues of $12.53 billion.
Emerging markets contributed 17 percent of pharmaceutical sales during the fourth quarter. Significantly, the asthma drug represented 13.57 percent of total pharmaceutical drugs versus 12.92 percent in the year-ago quarter.
The company's gross margin improved to 66.0 percent from 63.3 percent in the previous year quarter and 63.8 percent in the third quarter. The fourth quarter gross margin was the best quarter in 2011.
Outlook
Moving ahead, Merck sees adjusted earnings in the range of $3.75 - $3.85 a share for the year 2012. On a GAAP basis, the company is projecting earnings between $2.04 and $2.30 a share.
On the top line side, the company sees full year revenues to be near to 2011 levels based on constant currency. Merck expects that if the present exchange rates exist, its sales would negatively impact by 2 – 3 percent.
Street analysts are predicting the company to earn $3.83 a share on revenues of $47.62 billion.
The company indicated that it intends to file five major products for FDA approval in 2012 and 2013.
Peer Performance
Pfizer recently said that it earned net income of $1.44 billion, down 50 percent from $2.89 billion and earnings dropped 49 percent to 19 cents a share from 36 cents a share in the year-ago quarter. However, on an adjusted basis, net income rose 3 percent to $3.86 billion from $3.74 billion and earnings grew 6 percent to 50 cents a share from 47 cents a share in the year earlier quarter.
Total revenues slipped 3.5 percent to $16.75 billion from $17.35 billion in the previous year quarter. Of this, biopharmaceutical revenues accounted for $14.14 billion, down 6.1 percent from $15.05 billion.
Our Take
The company's cautious outlook is understandable in view of asthma drug patent expiring in August. But the company should have planned to limit or offset the unfavorable impact. It appears that Merck don't have any alternative drug in the pipeline to fill the vacuum to be created by the asthma drug. It is also going to be in the same league as that of Pfizer, who is bearing the brunt of Lipitor drug going generic.