Pfizer Inc. reported it second quarter (Q2 2015) financial results this morning and the stock is already soaring on the strength of the results. As at 11:48AM EDT, the share price of Pfizer has climbed up 1.78% to a trading price of $34.95 per share. The shares of Pfizer have gained 15.55% in the last one year. Most of the gained happened in the year-to-date period when the stock gained 11.97%.
The reason behind today’s uptrend can be traced to Pfizer’s outperformance of both the top and bottom line estimates. Highlights of the firm’s second quarter results are presented below.
Earnings: Pfizer reported earnings of $0.56 per share (excluding items) to beat the consensus estimate of $0.42 per share in earnings. Earnings dropped by 3% from the year-ago quarter.
Revenue: The firm’s revenue came in at $11.85B to beat the consensus estimate of $11.42B. Revenue dropped by 7% to account for currency headwinds amounting to $1B.
Segmental Results: Pfizer’s Global Vaccine segment grew revenue by 44% to $1.6B. The firm’s pneumonia vaccine, Prevnar 13 was mainly behind the growth in this segment. Revenue in its Global Oncology segment increased by 25% to $713M. Growth was driven by Xalkori and Inlyta. Its breast cancer drug, Ibrance contributed to revenue with $140M in sales compared to $38M in sales recorded in the first quarter.
Guidance: Pfizer raised its 2015 guidance range for revenue by $500M and for earnings by $0.04. The firm expects to record 2015 earnings between $2.01 to $2.07 per share on revenue of $45.0B to $46.0B. The previous guidance was for earnings between $1.95 – $2.05 per share on revenue between $44B and $46B.
Key Takings from the Earnings
Pfizer has beaten estimates in 19 out of the last 20 quarters and the firm surprised positively on earnings with an average of 2.31% in the last four quarters. The fact that Pfizer raised its full year guidance suggests that the firm is positive about its prospects in the coming months.
The contribution of Ibrance to Pfizer’s revenue is another important point to note. Ibrance was launched earlier this year after FDA approval and it generated sales of $38M in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the sales of Ibrance more than tripled to $140M.
Now, Pfizer wants to file for the approval to start selling Ibrance in Europe in the current quarter. Pfizer will definitely deliver impressive results in the third and fourth quarters if it maintains the momentum in the sales of Ibrance in the U.S. and the its sales in approved in the EU.
