Novo Nordisk's GLP-1 Medicine Impresses, Guidance Upgraded -- Earnings Review
09 August 2019 - 8:44PM
Dow Jones News
By Carlo Martuscelli
Novo Nordisk AS (NOVO-B.KO) reported its second-quarter results
on Friday. Here's what you need to know:
SALES: The Danish pharmaceutical company said that sales in the
quarter rose 9.6% to 30.04 billion Danish kroner ($4.51 billion),
ahead of the DKK29.50 analyst consensus forecast compiled by
FactSet.
NET PROFIT: Net profit was DKK 9.6 billion in the second
quarter, compared with DKK10.34 billion in the year-earlier period,
and slightly below the FactSet-compiled consensus estimate of
DKK9.62 billion.
WHAT WE WATCHED:
-GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-1: Novo Nordisk's diabetes medicine,
Ozempic, helped drive up the top-line in an strong quarterly
performance, in what Jefferies called an impressive beat to
expectations. The glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, drug now holds
35% of the new-to-brand market share in the U.S.
-MARGINS: Gross margins in the half year contracted to 83.9%
from 84.3%, in line with Sydbank's models. The company attributed
the margin move to lower U.S. prices, as well as sales growth in
its lower-margin insulin products, partially offset by positive
currency effects.
-GUIDANCE: The drugmaker will have impressed investors with a
guidance upgrade. After a solid half-year performance, Novo Nordisk
said it now sees full-year sales growth in 2019 at between 4%-6% on
a constant currency basis. This is up from its previous range of
2%-5%. It also narrowed its operating profit outlook to the upper
end of its range, to between 4%-6%, from a previous range of 2%-6%.
It attributed the upgrade to an expected strong performance from
Ozempic, as well as another GLP-1 diabetes product, Victoza,
together with obesity medicine Saxenda.
Write to Carlo Martuscelli at carlo.martuscelli@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 09, 2019 06:29 ET (10:29 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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