Covance Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter Revenue of $532M, GAAP EPS of $0.35, Pro Forma EPS of $0.73, and Adjusted Net Orders of $759M

PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Covance Inc. (NYSE: CVD) today reported GAAP earnings for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011 of $0.35 per diluted share. Included in fourth quarter results is approximately $0.41 per diluted share in charges, approximately $0.10 of which relates to the completion of the previously-announced restructuring actions, approximately $0.11 of which relates to the termination of a research products inventory supply agreement and inventory write down, and approximately $0.20 for the impairment of a related equity investment, partially offset by a gain of approximately $0.03 from favorable income tax developments in the quarter. Excluding these items, diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011 was $0.73. For the full year, diluted earnings per share were $2.16 inclusive of $0.58 per share in charges, partially offset by a gain of approximately $0.04 from favorable income tax developments during the year. Excluding these items, diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2011 was $2.70.

"During 2011, Covance increased revenue by 8.8% to $2.1 billion, improved pro forma operating margin by 70 basis points (when excluding charges in both periods), and drove pro forma EPS growth of 26% to $2.70 per diluted share. In addition, adjusted net orders for the year were a record $2.53 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13.5%, resulting in a strong adjusted net book-to-bill of 1.21 to 1 for the year," said Joe Herring, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "For the fourth quarter, consolidated revenues grew 8.3% and pro forma operating margin expanded by 130 basis points year-on-year and 50 basis points sequentially to 10.9%.

"In Early Development, fourth quarter net revenues grew 6.3% year-on-year, but declined $5.7 million sequentially due to lower demand in research products and European toxicology services, as well as a $2.3 million foreign exchange headwind. Early Development pro forma operating margin (when excluding charges in all periods), increased 190 basis points year-on-year to 13.9%, but did not expand sequentially as we had forecasted due primarily to operating losses incurred in research products this quarter. This lower demand for our research products caused us to reassess inventory levels and the fair value of an equity investment in a supplier. In Late-Stage Development, net revenues grew 10.0% year-on-year driven by the continued strong performance in our clinical development services. Pro forma operating margin of 20.0% exceeded our expectations due to increased profitability in our central laboratory, which grew revenues sequentially on a constant currency basis for the second consecutive quarter.

"On the commercial front, adjusted net orders in the fourth quarter were a record $759 million, representing an adjusted book-to-bill of 1.42 to 1. We were particularly pleased to see continued strong orders in clinical development and a further increase in orders in our central laboratory for the second consecutive quarter. The ongoing strength of our service portfolio, as evidenced by our strong 2011 orders, gives us confidence to continue our investments to drive future growth.

"Looking ahead, we are making strategic investments in our information technology infrastructure and applications to increase the productivity of our drug development services, drive operating efficiencies, and arrest the long-term rate of growth of our information technology spending. In addition to the implementation of our central laboratory system, which we previously disclosed as a $10 million incremental spend, we are funding three additional strategic projects to help us achieve these objectives. In total, these four projects will increase our IT capital expenditures to approximately $90 million in 2012 (versus approximately $60 million in 2011), and will lead to a significant increase in operating expense over the next two years. We are also planning to continue expanding our commercial footprint in order to capture an increasing share of the opportunities available in the CRO industry and position us for longer-term growth. In aggregate, we are projecting spending in these areas to be above the growth rate in revenue by approximately $25 million, or $0.32 per diluted share in 2012.

"In the first quarter of 2012, we expect a modest increase in net revenues from the fourth quarter level as we forecast a further sequential decline in Early Development net revenue, to be offset by an increase in Late-Stage net revenues. A drop in Early Development earnings due to the expected lower level of revenue, when combined with the increased information technology spending and foreign exchange headwind, is expected to result in diluted earnings per share in the low $0.60 range.

"For the full year, we are forecasting mid-single digit year-on-year revenue growth (inclusive of an approximate 200 basis point headwind from the stronger USD) and diluted earnings per share in the range of $2.50 to $2.80. This diluted earnings per share range reflects increased investment in IT and commercial, the estimated impact of anticipated share repurchases that may be made under our Board-approved share repurchase programs ($0.15 to $0.20 per share), excludes potential new strategic alliances with clients, and assumes foreign exchange rates remain at year-end 2011 levels."