On Nov. 2, pharmaceutical company Cephalon (NASDAQ:CEPH) released third-quarter earnings for the period ended Sept. 30.

  • Revenues and EPS were up sharply over the prior-year period.
  • Sales were driven largely by strong sales of ACTIQ and the PROVIGIL tablet.
  • The company launched FENTORA, which bodes well for its continued growth in coming years.
  • Cephalon has a highly leveraged balance sheet with $1.6 billion in debt. This is not a huge concern, as the company can easily cover the interest expense and generates substantial free cash flow.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Avg. Est.

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Sales

$435

$482.3

$309.5

55.8%

Net Profit

--

$95.7

$29.3

226.3%

EPS

$1.16

$1.43

$0.50

186.0%

Diluted Shares

--

67.1

59.4

12.9%



Get back to basics with a look at the income statement.

Margin Checkup

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

87.07%

87.84%

(0.77)

Operating Margin

31.44%

15.79%

15.65

Net Margin

19.85%

9.48%

10.37

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$630.4

$815.6

(22.7%)

Accounts Rec.

$234.7

$160.4

46.3%

Inventory

$164.7

$119.3

38.1%



Liabilities

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Accounts Payable

$63.5

$56.8

11.8%

Long-Term Debt

$1695.9

$1,696.1

0.1%



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

YTD 2006

YTD 2005

Change

Cash From Ops.

$251.2

$68.4

267.2%

Capital Expenditures

$97.1

$64.0

51.9%

Free Cash Flow

$154.1

$4.5

3324.4%



Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related companies:

  • Serono (NYSE:SRA)
  • Shire Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SHPGY)
  • Salix Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SLXP)
  • Axcan Pharma (NASDAQ:AXCA)

Related Foolishness:

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