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Novo Nordisk (NVO) Increases Sales & Operating Profit Guidance

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Novo Nordisk (NVO - Free Report) announced sales and operating profit for the first quarter of 2023 and increased annual guidance for the same. Shares of the company have gained slightly following the announcement.

In the past year, shares of Novo Nordisk have rallied 41.8% compared with the industry’s short rise of 7.5%.

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Sales increased by 25% in the first quarter at constant exchange rates (CER), while operating profit increased by 28%. Wholesaler inventory movements in the United States positively impacted sales growth.

For 2023, the company now expects sales to grow by 24-30% (earlier estimate – 13-19%), while operating profit is now expected to register a 28-34% growth as compared with the earlier forecast of 13-19%.

The increase in guidance primarily reflected Wegovy prescription trends in the first quarter and higher full-year expectations for sales of Wegovy in the United States. Additionally, a second contract manufacturer of Novo Nordisk is now ready to begin production, which is anticipated to increase Wegovy’s supply capacity.

Wegovy has earlier faced supply challenges. However, all Wegovy dose strengths were again made available in the United States in December 2022.

The company’s updated sales outlook also suggests full-year expectations for Ozempic sales, mainly in the United States, following accelerated volume growth of the GLP-1 class.

In the last quarter, Novo Nordisk beat earnings estimates while missing its revenue expectation. Revenues failed to beat estimates on account of poor performance of the Rare Disease segment which was down 2% at CER year over year, in the fourth quarter of 2022.

We would like to remind the investors that in June 2021, the FDA approved semaglutide as a weekly 2.4 mg injection for weight management in people living with obesity under the brand name Wegovy.

Zacks Rank and Other Stocks to Consider

Novo Nordisk currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

A few other stocks from the overall healthcare sector worth mentioning are Innoviva (INVA - Free Report) , Avita Medical (RCEL - Free Report) and EQRx , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.  

In the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Innoviva’s 2023 earnings per share has increased from $1.04 to $1.37. In the past year, shares of Innoviva have fallen by 35.9%.

INVA beat estimates in one of the trailing four quarters, missing thrice, delivering an average negative earnings surprise of 50.78%.

In the last 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Avita Medical’s 2023 earnings per share has narrowed from a loss of $1.26 to 99 cents. In the past year, shares of Avita Medical have shot up by 108.2%.

RCEL beat estimates in three of the last four reported quarters, missing once, delivering an average earnings surprise of 22.16%.

In the last 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EQRx’s 2023 earnings per share has narrowed from a loss of 66 cents to 58 cents. In the past year, shares of EQRx have plunged 56.9%.

EQRX beat estimates in all the previous four reported quarters, delivering an average earnings surprise of 34.99%.


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