Cardinal Health today reported fiscal year 2013 first-quarter revenue of $25.9 billion and an 11 percent increase in non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations to $0.81.
In addition, the company reaffirmed its fiscal 2013 outlook for non-GAAP diluted EPS from continuing operations of $3.35 to $3.50.
"We were pleased to report a solid beginning to our fiscal 2013. As we had expected, revenue was down, as a result of the pharmaceutical industry's wave of brand-to-generic conversions. Our margin expansion continued to be strong, led by our Pharmaceutical segment and fueled by excellent contribution from our generic programs," said George Barrett, chairman and chief executive officer of Cardinal Health. "Our Medical segment started the year more slowly than we planned, largely due to lighter than expected procedure volumes and some continued operational cleanup of our major systems and process transformation. We continue to target double digit segment profit growth for our Medical segment for fiscal year 2013.
"The just-announced decision to increase the dividend by another 16 percent underscores our commitment to a differentiated dividend. This adds to the 10.5 percent increase realized in July, bringing our anticipated annualized payout ratio to over 30 percent of our fiscal 2013 outlook for non-GAAP EPS. Combined with the $200 million in share repurchases completed year-to-date in fiscal 2013, these actions reinforce our commitment to returning capital to shareholders while driving the underlying growth in the business," he continued.
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