Roche: further raises 2019 growth target
(CercleFinance.com) - Swiss drugmaker Roche raised its full-year growth target for 2019 on Thursday, after reporting "very strong performance" for the first half of 2019.
The Basel-based group posted a 13% rise in first-half core earnings per share to 11.12 Swiss francs, against 9.84 Swiss francs in the same period a year ago.
Roche's core operating margin rose to 40.6%, versus a consensus of 39.3%.
Group sales increased 9% at constant exchange rates and are up 8% in Swiss francs, with pharmaceuticals sales rising 10%.
Key growth drivers were the multiple sclerosis medicine Ocrevus, the new haemophilia medicine Hemlibra and the cancer medicines Tecentriq, Perjeta and Avastin, the group said.
Roche has raised its 2019 target to mid- to high-single digit sales growth, at constant exchange rates, from a previous estimate of mid-single digit growth.
The company already raised its full-year sales growth target in April.
At 9:15 Roche shares were up 0.9%, compared to a broadly flat STOXX Europe 600 Health Care sector index.
Copyright (c) 2019 CercleFinance.com. All rights reserved.
The Basel-based group posted a 13% rise in first-half core earnings per share to 11.12 Swiss francs, against 9.84 Swiss francs in the same period a year ago.
Roche's core operating margin rose to 40.6%, versus a consensus of 39.3%.
Group sales increased 9% at constant exchange rates and are up 8% in Swiss francs, with pharmaceuticals sales rising 10%.
Key growth drivers were the multiple sclerosis medicine Ocrevus, the new haemophilia medicine Hemlibra and the cancer medicines Tecentriq, Perjeta and Avastin, the group said.
Roche has raised its 2019 target to mid- to high-single digit sales growth, at constant exchange rates, from a previous estimate of mid-single digit growth.
The company already raised its full-year sales growth target in April.
At 9:15 Roche shares were up 0.9%, compared to a broadly flat STOXX Europe 600 Health Care sector index.
Copyright (c) 2019 CercleFinance.com. All rights reserved.