Thermo Fisher Scientific Reports Second Quarter 2019 Results

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, today reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 29, 2019.

Second Quarter 2019 Highlights

• Second quarter revenue increased 4% to $6.32 billion.

• Second quarter GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) increased 50% to $2.77.

• Second quarter adjusted EPS increased 11% to $3.04.

• Strengthened our mass spectrometry leadership with new instruments, workflows and software, highlighted by two new-generation Thermo Scientific Orbitrap systems – the Exploris 480 and Eclipse Tribrid – and a new workflow to advance biotherapeutics, called the HR Multi-Attribute Method. In genetic analysis, we launched the Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 6 and 7 Pro Real-Time PCR systems to automate qPCR workflows.

• Continued to expand our bioproduction capabilities to meet customer demand for biologics, committing $50 million to add manufacturing capacity for single-use technologies at our facilities in the U.S. and Europe, and establishing a Bioprocessing Collaboration Center at our Pharma Services site in St. Louis, Missouri.

• Opened Customer Experience Center in Seoul, South Korea, to showcase our depth of capabilities for life sciences applications and create a hub for customers to work with our experts and facilitate strategic partnerships within Korea’s scientific community.

• Significantly expanded our CDMO capabilities for pharma and biotech customers, completing the acquisition of Brammer Bio, a leader in viral vector manufacturing for gene and cell therapy, for $1.7 billion and announcing our intent to acquire a GlaxoSmithKline site in Cork, Ireland, for the production of complex Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).

• Completed our previously announced divestiture of the Anatomical Pathology business for $1.14 billion.

Adjusted EPS, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures that exclude certain items detailed later in this press release under the heading “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

“We’re pleased to deliver very strong second-quarter results,” said Marc N. Casper, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Our team executed well in the quarter and we made great progress with our growth strategy to set our company up for an even stronger future.

“It was an outstanding quarter for technology innovation, and we are especially excited about the launch of two new Orbitrap systems – the Exploris 480 and Eclipse Tribrid – that extend our legacy of breakthrough mass spectrometry. In Asia-Pacific and emerging markets, we continued to capitalize on our leading position, highlighted by strong performance in China.

“We also further strengthened our value proposition for pharma and biotech customers, completing our acquisition of Brammer Bio and announcing our intent to acquire a site from GSK to expand our capacity for complex API manufacturing.”

Casper added, “We’ve made excellent progress through the halfway point in the year, which positions us to achieve an outstanding 2019.”

Second Quarter 2019

Revenue for the quarter grew 4% to $6.32 billion in 2019, versus $6.08 billion in 2018. Organic revenue growth was 5%; acquisitions increased revenue by 1% and currency translation decreased revenue by 2%.

As previously disclosed, in the final week of the quarter, the company experienced an outage in one of its data centers that caused delays in the processing of certain orders and shipments. This resulted in some second quarter activity shifting to the third quarter. Thermo Fisherestimates that the outage had a negative impact on total company organic revenue growth of approximately 1% in the second quarter, primarily affecting the Analytical Instruments Segment.

GAAP Earnings Results

GAAP diluted EPS in the second quarter of 2019 increased 50% to $2.77, versus $1.85 in the same quarter last year. GAAP operating income for the second quarter of 2019 grew to $1.50 billion, compared with $0.94 billion in the year-ago quarter. GAAP operating margin increased to 23.7%, compared with 15.4% in the second quarter of 2018. GAAP results for the second quarter of 2019 reflect the gain on the sale of the company’s Anatomical Pathology business during the quarter.

Non-GAAP Earnings Results

Adjusted EPS in the second quarter of 2019 increased 11% to $3.04, versus $2.75 in the second quarter of 2018. Adjusted operating income for the second quarter of 2019 grew 6% compared with the year-ago quarter. Adjusted operating margin was 23.5%, compared with 23.1% in the second quarter of 2018.

2019 Guidance Update

Thermo Fisher is raising its 2019 revenue and earnings guidance primarily to reflect stronger operational performance. The company is raising its revenue guidance to a new range of $25.30 to $25.50 billion versus its previous guidance of $25.17 to $25.47 billion. This would result in 4 to 5% revenue growth over 2018. The company is raising its adjusted EPS guidance to a new range of $12.16 to $12.26, versus its previous guidance of $12.08 to $12.22, for 9 to 10% growth year over year.

Segment Results

Management uses adjusted operating results to monitor and evaluate performance of the company’s four business segments, as highlighted below. Since these results are used for this purpose, they are also considered to be prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Life Sciences Solutions Segment

In the second quarter of 2019, Life Sciences Solutions Segment revenue grew 9% to $1.71 billion, compared with revenue of $1.57 billion in the second quarter of 2018. Segment adjusted operating margin increased to 35.6%, versus 33.3% in the 2018 quarter.

Analytical Instruments Segment

Analytical Instruments Segment revenue grew 1% to $1.32 billion in the second quarter of 2019, compared with revenue of $1.31 billion in the second quarter of 2018. Segment adjusted operating margin was 21.6%, versus 22.2% in the 2018 quarter.

Specialty Diagnostics Segment

Specialty Diagnostics Segment revenue increased 1% to $0.94 billion in the second quarter of 2019, compared with revenue of $0.93 billion in the second quarter of 2018. Segment adjusted operating margin was 25.7%, versus 27.2% in the 2018 quarter.

Laboratory Products and Services Segment

In the second quarter of 2019, Laboratory Products and Services Segment revenue grew 3% to $2.63 billion, compared with revenue of $2.55 billion in the second quarter of 2018. Segment adjusted operating margin was 13.1%, versus 13.2% in the 2018 quarter.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to the financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), we use certain non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted EPS, adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin, which exclude certain acquisition-related costs, including charges for the sale of inventories revalued at the date of acquisition and significant transaction costs; restructuring and other costs/income; and amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. Adjusted EPS also excludes certain other gains and losses that are either isolated or cannot be expected to occur again with any predictability, tax provisions/benefits related to the previous items, the impact of significant tax audits or events and the results of discontinued operations. We exclude the above items because they are outside of our normal operations and/or, in certain cases, are difficult to forecast accurately for future periods. We also use a non-GAAP measure, free cash flow, which is operating cash flow, excluding net capital expenditures, and also excludes operating cash flows from discontinued operations to provide a view of the continuing operations’ ability to generate cash for use in acquisitions and other investing and financing activities. We believe that the use of non-GAAP measures helps investors to gain a better understanding of our core operating results and future prospects, consistent with how management measures and forecasts the company’s performance, especially when comparing such results to previous periods or forecasts.

For example:

We exclude costs and tax effects associated with restructuring activities, such as reducing overhead and consolidating facilities. We believe that the costs related to these restructuring activities are not indicative of our normal operating costs.

We exclude certain acquisition-related costs, including charges for the sale of inventories revalued at the date of acquisition and significant transaction costs. We exclude these costs because we do not believe they are indicative of our normal operating costs.

We exclude the expense and tax effects associated with the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets because a significant portion of the purchase price for acquisitions may be allocated to intangible assets that have lives of 3 to 20 years. Based on acquisitions closed through the end of the second quarter of 2019, adjusted EPS will exclude approximately $3.30of expense for the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. Exclusion of the amortization expense allows comparisons of operating results that are consistent over time for both our newly acquired and long-held businesses and with both acquisitive and non-acquisitive peer companies.

We also exclude certain gains/losses and related tax effects, the impact of significant tax audits or events (such as changes in deferred taxes from enacted tax rate changes or the estimated initial impacts of U.S. tax reform legislation), which are either isolated or cannot be expected to occur again with any predictability and that we believe are not indicative of our normal operating gains and losses. For example, we exclude gains/losses from items such as the sale of a business or real estate, gains or losses on significant litigation-related matters, gains on curtailments of pension plans, the early retirement of debt and discontinued operations.

We also report free cash flow, which is operating cash flow, excluding net capital expenditures, and also excludes operating cash flows from discontinued operations to provide a view of the continuing operations’ ability to generate cash for use in acquisitions and other investing and financing activities.

Thermo Fisher’s management uses these non-GAAP measures, in addition to GAAP financial measures, as the basis for measuring the company’s core operating performance and comparing such performance to that of prior periods and to the performance of our competitors. Such measures are also used by management in their financial and operating decision-making and for compensation purposes.

The non-GAAP financial measures of Thermo Fisher’s results of operations and cash flows included in this press release are not meant to be considered superior to or a substitute for Thermo Fisher’s results of operations prepared in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliations of such non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are set forth in the accompanying tables. Thermo Fisher does not provide GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis because we are unable to predict with reasonable certainty and without unreasonable effort items such as the timing and amount of future restructuring actions and acquisition-related charges as well as gains or losses from sales of real estate and businesses, the early retirement of debt and the outcome of legal proceedings. The timing and amount of these items are uncertain and could be material to Thermo Fisher’s results computed in accordance with GAAP.

Conference Call

Thermo Fisher Scientific will hold its earnings conference call today, July 24, 2019, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. To listen, dial (877) 273-7122 within the U.S. or (647) 689-5496 outside the U.S. You may also listen to the call live on our website, www.thermofisher.com, by clicking on “Investors.” You will find this press release, including the accompanying reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures and related information, in that section of our website under “Financial Results.” An audio archive of the call will be available under “Webcasts and Presentations” through Friday, August 9, 2019. – Bio Space