Perrigo (PRGO) Rises On Stellar Q419 Preliminary Results

Shares of Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO) were up 12.6% on Tuesday after the company announced robust preliminary results for the fourth quarter of 2019 as well as the full year.

As a matter of fact, the stock has rallied 27.8% in the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 15.2%.

Perrigo now reports its results under the following segments, namely Consumer Self Care Americas (CSCA), Consumer Self Care International (CSCI) and Prescription Pharmaceuticals (RX). In the first quarter of 2019, the company had initiated a process to transform itself into a consumer self-care company from a healthcare entity.

Fourth-Quarter 2019 Preliminary Results

The CSCA segment reported year-over year preliminary net sales growth of more than 15% during the quarter with 11% increase in adjusted organic net sales, led by strong performances in both over-the-counter (OTC) and infant nutrition businesses. The CSCI segment also witnessed an 8% rise in reported net sales with adjusted organic net sales growth of 4%. Further, during the fourth quarter, net sales in the RX segment grew 3% compared with last year.

2019 Preliminary Results

Following solid performance in the fourth quarter, Perrigo reported preliminary net sales of $4.8 billion for the full year, slightly higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.77 billion.

The sales number indicated an increase of 2% from the year-earlier reported figure. Excluding the impact of currency, adjusted net sales also increased 6% in preliminary result while adjusted organic net sales were up 3%.

CSCA segment generated net sales of approximately $2.5 billion in its preliminary release, suggesting almost 3% growth from the prior-year reported number. Excluding the impact of currency, adjusted net sales too rose 7% while adjusted organic net sales improved more than 2%.

Net sales in the CSCI segment came in at $1.4 billion, implying a 1% dip from the prior-year reported figure. However, excluding the impact of currency, adjusted net sales were up 5%. Adjusted organic net sales inched up 2% as well.

For 2019, the RX segment generated net sales of approximately $970 million, hinting at an increase of 5% from the year-ago reported number.

We remind investors that in July 2019, Perrigo completed the acquisition of Ranir Global Holdings LLC, the global leader in private label oral self-care market, as part of its transformation into a self-care company.

Notably, during the same month, Perrigo had completed the divestment of its Animal Health business for an all-cash deal value of $185 million to pet medication and wellness company, PetIQ, Inc. (NASDAQ:PETQ) .

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Perrigo currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

A few better-ranked stocks in the biotech sector are Exact Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ:EXAS) and Denali Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:DNLI) , both stocking a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Exact Sciences’ loss per share estimates have narrowed 6.7% for 2020 over the past 60 days. The stock has jumped 24% in the past year.

Denali’s loss per share estimates have narrowed 0.4% for 2020 over the past 60 days. The stock has gained 7.4% in the past year.

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