Immucor (BLUD), the blood-testing diagnostics maker, has proven it takes blood, sweat and tears to make a profit — well, it takes blood anyway. After Thursday’s closing bell, Immucor announced earnings for its fiscal Q1 that easily bested consensus estimates.
The company said revenue for the quarter came in at $83.1 million, up 14% from the $73.2 million it saw in the prior year quarter. Immucor’s gross margin was 71.9% in fiscal Q1, compared with 73.0% a year ago. Net income also was higher for the quarter compared to a year ago, coming in at $21.3 million versus last year’s $20.0 million.
But it was the all-important earnings per share number that really bloodied analyst expectations. The company reported diluted EPS of 30 cents per share, well above the anemic forecast for earnings of just 25 cents per share. Immucor’s earnings beat caused the shares to spike over 4% in after-hours trading.
In a statement accompanying Thursday’s earnings data, Immucor president and CEO Dr. Gioacchino De Chirico said, “Despite the economy, we continue to generate revenue, earnings and cash flow growth due to the needs-based aspect of our business and our focus on automation that improves blood bank operations.”
Improving blood bank operations has always been the key for Immucor, but now the question is how will the company be affected (if at all) by the specter of health care reform out of Washington?
I think it’s too early to tell what the political ramifications on Immucor will be, but if you are considering BLUD shares for the long term, it’s definitely something to keep in the back of your mind.
For now, as long as you aren’t too worried about a Washington-induced selloff, I think you could see a nice transfusion of profits by adding BLUD shares to your portfolio. I like Immucor here and think it will continue performing well, both on the earnings front and on the stock front.
Related Articles:
- Two Cheap Health Care Stocks to Buy Now
- 10 Expensive Stocks That Are Worth Every Penny
- SXC Health Solutions – Candidate for Acquisition?
There are incredible opportunities in China right now — if you know where to look. China expert Robert Hsu reveals the best industries and three top companies to invest in for big profits. Read his latest investing guide here.
