Merck KGaA 1Q Earnings, Sales Rise

   By Cecilia Butini 
 

Merck KGaA said Wednesday that earnings and revenue rose in the first quarter, driven by all its business division but especially life science.

After-tax profit at the German pharmaceuticals-and-chemicals company came in at 748 million euros ($908.9 million) for the quarter, up from EUR458 million in the same quarter a year prior.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization before one-time items, or Ebitda pre, stood at EUR1.51 billion, compared with EUR1.18 billion in the first quarter of 2020, as the company had communicated in a preliminary statement on May 4.

Net sales came in at EUR4.63 billion, up from EUR4.37 billion, which had also already been communicated in a preliminary statement.

For the full year, sales are expected to come in between EUR18.5 billion and EUR19.5 billion, a guidance increase that had been previously communicated in a preliminary statement. Ebitda pre is seen coming in between EUR5.4 billion and EUR5.8 billion, the company said. That compares with a previous guidance of strong organic growth.

Write to Cecilia Butini at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 12, 2021 01:41 ET (05:41 GMT)

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