Abbott Reports Third-Quarter 2023 Results and Raises Midpoint of Full-Year EPS Guidance Range

• Sales of $10.1 billion driven by strong underlying base business performance
• Reported sales decreased 2.6 percent due to anticipated decline in COVID-19 testing-related sales versus prior year
• Organic sales growth for underlying base business of 13.8 percent, reflects double-digit growth in each of the four major businesses

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Oct. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2023.

• Third-quarter GAAP diluted EPS of $0.82 and adjusted diluted EPS of $1.14, which excludes specified items.
• Abbott narrowed its full-year 2023 EPS guidance range. Abbott projects full-year diluted EPS on a GAAP basis of $3.14 to $3.18 and projects adjusted diluted EPS of $4.42 to $4.46, which represents an increase at the midpoint of the guidance range.
• Abbott continues to project full-year 2023 organic sales growth, excluding COVID-19 testing-related sales¹, to be in the low double-digits².
• In July, Abbott obtained CE Mark for its AVEIR^™ single-chamber leadless pacemaker for treating patients with slow heart rhythms. Unlike traditional pacemakers, leadless pacemakers do not require an incision in the chest to implant or leads (wires) to deliver therapy.
• In September, Abbott acquired Bigfoot Biomedical, a leader in developing insulin management systems, furthering Abbott's efforts to develop connected solutions for making diabetes management even more personal and precise.
• In September, Abbott expanded its existing collaboration with global biotech leader mAbxience Holdings S.L. to commercialize several biosimilar molecules, with the goal of broadening access to these therapies for people in emerging markets.
• In September, Abbott published an analysis showing a complementary relationship between the company's FreeStyle Libre^® continuous glucose monitoring system and GLP-1 medications. The analysis also showed that a growing number of people are using these tools together to support behavior change to optimize the treatment of diabetes and improve overall health.

"The investments we made during the pandemic continue to drive broad-based growth across our underlying base business," said Robert B. Ford, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "We're on track to deliver on the financial commitments we set at the beginning of the year, and the momentum we're building across the portfolio positions us well as we head into 2024."

THIRD-QUARTER BUSINESS OVERVIEW
Management believes that measuring sales growth rates on an organic basis, which excludes the impact of foreign exchange, the impact of exiting the pediatric nutrition business in China, and the impact of the acquisition of Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI), is an appropriate way for investors to best understand the core underlying performance of the business. Management further believes that measuring sales growth rates on an organic basis excluding COVID-19 tests is an appropriate way for investors to best understand underlying base business performance as the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted to an endemic state, resulting in significantly lower demand for COVID-19 tests.

Note: In order to compute results excluding the impact of exchange rates, current year U.S. dollar sales are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the current year average foreign exchange rates and then those amounts are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the prior year average foreign exchange rates. 

Refer to table titled "Non-GAAP Revenue Reconciliation" for a reconciliation of adjusted historical revenue to reported revenue.

Worldwide Nutrition sales increased 15.5 percent on a reported basis and 18.1 percent on an organic basis in the third quarter. Refer to table titled "Non-GAAP Revenue Reconciliation" for a reconciliation of adjusted historical revenue to reported revenue.

In Pediatric Nutrition, global sales increased 20.9 percent on a reported basis and 24.9 percent on an organic basis. In the U.S., sales growth of 41.8 percent was primarily driven by continued market share recovery in the infant formula business following a voluntary recall of certain products last year.

In Adult Nutrition, global sales increased 10.8 percent on a reported basis and 12.4 percent on an organic basis, which was led by strong global growth of Ensure^®, Abbott's market-leading complete and balanced nutrition brand. 

As expected, Diagnostics sales growth in the third quarter was negatively impacted by year-over-year declines in COVID-19 testing-related sales³. Worldwide COVID-19 testing sales were $305 million in the third quarter of 2023 compared to $1.671 billion in the third quarter of the prior year.

Excluding COVID-19 testing-related sales, global Diagnostics sales increased 8.8 percent on a reported basis and 10.1 percent on an organic basis. 

Established Pharmaceuticals sales increased 3.2 percent on a reported basis and 11.1 percent on an organic basis in the third quarter.

Key Emerging Markets include several emerging countries that represent the most attractive long-term growth opportunities for Abbott's branded generics product portfolio. Sales in these geographies decreased 1.4 percent on a reported basis and increased 8.8 percent on an organic basis, led by growth in several geographies and therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic, women's health, and central nervous system/pain management.

Worldwide Medical Devices sales increased 16.6 percent on a reported basis and 14.7 percent on an organic basis in the third quarter. Sales growth was led by double-digit organic growth in Diabetes Care, Electrophysiology, Structural Heart, and Neuromodulation. Several recently launched products and new indications contributed to the strong performance, including Amplatzer^® Amulet^®, Navitor^®, TriClip^®, and AVEIR.

In Electrophysiology, internationally, sales grew more than 20 percent on a reported and organic basis, which includes mid-teens growth in Europe.

In Diabetes Care, FreeStyle Libre sales were $1.4 billion, which represents sales growth of 30.5 percent on a reported basis and 28.5 percent on an organic basis. 

ABBOTT'S EARNINGS-PER-SHARE GUIDANCE
Abbott projects full-year 2023 diluted earnings per share under GAAP of $3.14 to $3.18. Abbott forecasts specified items for the full-year 2023 of $1.28 per share primarily related to intangible amortization, costs associated with acquisitions, restructuring and cost reduction initiatives and other net expenses. Excluding specified items, projected adjusted diluted earnings per share would be $4.42 to $4.46 for the full-year 2023.

ABBOTT DECLARES 399^TH CONSECUTIVE QUARTERLY DIVIDEND
On Sept. 21, 2023, the board of directors of Abbott declared the company's quarterly dividend of $0.51 per share. Abbott's cash dividend is payable Nov. 15, 2023, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Oct. 13, 2023.

Abbott has increased its dividend payout for 51 consecutive years and is a member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index, which tracks companies that have annually increased their dividend for at least 25 consecutive years.

About Abbott:
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 115,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews.

Abbott will live-webcast its third-quarter earnings conference call through its Investor Relations website at www.abbottinvestor.com at 8 a.m. Central time today. An archived edition of the webcast will be available later in the day.

— Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 —
A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Abbott cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Abbott's operations are discussed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and are incorporated herein by reference. Abbott undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

Specified items reflect intangible amortization expense of $496 million and other net expenses of $158 million associated with restructuring actions, costs associated with acquisitions and other net expenses. See table titled "Details of Specified Items" for additional details regarding specified items.

Specified items reflect intangible amortization expense of $498 million and other net expenses of $231 million associated with the impairment of R&D intangible assets, costs associated with acquisitions and other expenses. See table titled "Details of Specified Items" for additional details regarding specified items.

Specified items reflect intangible amortization expense of $1.485 billion and other net expenses of $283 million associated with restructuring actions, costs associated with acquisitions and other expenses. See table titled "Details of Specified Items" for additional details regarding specified items.

Specified items reflect intangible amortization expense of $1.517 billion and other net expenses of $556 million that includes charges for the impairment of R&D intangible assets, costs associated with a product recall, acquisition-related costs, and other net expenses. See table titled "Details of Specified Items" for additional details regarding specified items.

A reconciliation of the third-quarter tax rates for 2023 and 2022 is shown below:

A reconciliation of the year-to-date tax rates for 2023 and 2022 is shown below:

SOURCE Abbott