Are Teva’s Earnings Good Enough?

Fourth-quarter operating income of $1.5 billion was up 10% from the previous year, and the operating income margin was 28.9%, compared to 25.0% last year. Cash flow from operations was $1.8 billion in the fourth quarter, up 115%, year-over-year.

A total of $500 million in share repurchases was made in the fourth quarter and a 10% increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.34 per share, at the rate of exchange as of Feb 3, 2015. Commencing in April 2015, the dividends will be declared and paid in U.S. dollars.

In terms of its segments, Teva reported an 8% decline in revenues to $2.47 billion for Generic Medicine revenue. The Specialty Medicine segment reported an increase of 1% to $2.24 billion in revenues.

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CEO Erez Vigodman said:

Looking forward, we will create the most competitive operational network in terms of efficiency, scale and capability and are prioritizing the commercial activities in our markets to ensure leadership and profitability. There is great promise in our specialty and generic pipelines with significant output expected already this year. We will take bold steps forward, both organic and inorganic, to position Teva for sustainable, profitable growth, create value for all of our stakeholders and deliver long-term shareholder return.

Referring to the generic pipeline, the CEO means to say that the company recently won an FDA approval for the first generic version of Nexium, the Purple Pill. Nexium is one of the most, if not the most, advertised drugs on the planet and has been incredibly profitable over the year. A generic version could stand to take a big bite out of AstraZeneca PLC’s (NYSE: AZN) market share in the coming years.

Shares of Teva were up 2% at $57.63 Thursday morning. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $63.16 and a 52-week trading range of $43.22 to $61.90.

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