Johnson & Johnson (JNJ +0.46%) today reported second-quarter results that had shareholders smiling. Top-line and bottom-line numbers reflected solid growth and beat analyst estimates. Shares were up around 1% in early trading.
By the numbers
Revenue for the second quarter came in at $17.9 billion. That reflects an 8.5% jump from the same quarter in 2012. The sales figure also beat analysts' expectations of $17.7 billion.
J&J reported net earnings for the quarter of $3.8 billion, or $1.33 per diluted share. Excluding special items, second quarter net earnings were $4.3 billion -- a 17.7% year-over-year increase. The company reported non-GAAP earnings per diluted share of $1.48. That amount represents a 13.8% increase compared to the second quarter of last year. Analysts were anticipating non-GAAP earnings of $1.39 per share.
Special items during the quarter included $308 million in litigation expenses, $87 million in costs related to integration of Synthes, and $61 million related to the DePuy ASR Hip program. The total for these special items of $456 million was considerably less than the $2.2 billion reported for the second quarter of 2012.
Behind the numbers
Overall, international markets contributed more to growth than did U.S. markets. J&J reported international sales growth of 9% compared to domestic sales growth of 8%.
Pharmaceuticals stood out as the fastest-growing division for Johnson & Johnson. Worldwide pharmaceutical sales jumped 11.7% year-over-year to $7 billion. The company's biggest-selling drug, Remicade, generated sales of nearly $1.7 billion, up 9.8% compared to the second quarter of 2012.
Several other drugs in J&J's portfolio are growing strongly. Immunology drugs Symponi and Stelara grew sales by 40% and 49.6% year-over-year, respectively. Incivo experienced a sales jump of 68.6%. Sales for cancer drug Zytiga soared by over 70% compared to the second quarter of 2012.
Medical devices and diagnostics also performed well. Sales for the division totaled $7.2 billion, a 9.6% increase over the same quarter last year. This growth stemmed in large part from the acquisition of Synthes.
Consumer products lagged behind with sales of $3.7 billion -- a 1.1% increase year-over-year. Over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol and Motrin were solid contributors to these results, as were baby care and women's health products.
Looking ahead
The future continues to look bright for J&J. The company increased its earnings guidance for full-year 2013 to $5.40-$5.47 per share excluding special items.
Prospects for sustained pharmaceuticals division growth, in particular, appear to be good. J&J claims quite a few drugs building sales momentum, including Zytiga, Xarelto, and Incivo.
There are several solid pipeline candidates also. The Food and Drug Administration granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to daratumumab in treating multiple myeloma. A New Drug Application, or NDA, was submitted earlier this year for ibrutinib as a treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma and as a second-line treatment for mantle cell lymphoma.
Add to all of this the fact that Johnson & Johnson pays a dividend yield of 2.9% and has increased its dividend for 50 years in a row. The latest financial results simply underscore that J&J has been and should continue to be a smart long-term investment.
