HERCULES, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 3, 2017) - Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (
Second-quarter 2017 net sales were $504.7 million, a decrease of 2.3 percent compared to $516.8 million reported for the second quarter of 2016. On a currency-neutral basis, quarterly net sales decreased 1.6 percent compared to the same period last year. The sales decline in the second quarter of 2017 was largely due to a slowdown in productivity related to the recent go-live of our global ERP system in Western Europe as well as the absence of sales that were pulled forward into the first quarter in anticipation of our ERP deployment.
The Life Science segment net sales in the second quarter of 2017 were $179.4 million, a decrease of 0.3 percent compared to the same period last year. On a currency-neutral basis, Life Science segment sales increased 0.3 percent compared to the second quarter of 2016. Currency neutral sales growth was primarily driven by sales of Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) instruments and reagents, offset by a decline in process chromatography media sales, as well as some of the ERP-related disruption mentioned above. Also, during the quarter the Life Science segment posted increases from the acquisition of RainDance Technologies. The currency neutral sales increase was reflected in North America, China, and Asia Pacific, offset by slowness in Europe, Latin America and Japan.
Net sales for the Clinical Diagnostics segment in the second quarter of 2017 were $322.1 million, a decrease of 3.5 percent compared to the second quarter of 2016. On a currency-neutral basis, sales decreased 2.7 percent compared to the same period last year. Results from the second quarter reflected a substantial slowdown of European sales, especially in infectious disease and immunohematology products, directly related to the disruptions post go-live of the new ERP system. The currency neutral sales results also reflected slowness in the Americas, partially offset by growth in Asia.
Net income for the second quarter of 2017 was $5.0 million, or $0.17 per share on a fully diluted basis, compared to $18.0 million, or $0.61 per share during the same period last year. Net income for the second quarter of 2017 versus the second quarter of 2016 was negatively impacted by the lower sales and corresponding lower gross profit as well as increased acquisition-related expenditures for new products and technology and higher expense for the implementation of new systems and operations in Europe.
“The second quarter of 2017 has been one of our most challenging with sales growth being significantly tempered by the slowing of productivity resulting from our major ERP deployment in Western Europe as well as from lower than expected sales in our process media business and in the Americas,” said Norman Schwartz, Bio-Rad President and Chief Executive Officer. “These sales results, along with substantial spending related to implementing new systems and operations in Europe, as well as increased expenditures for newly acquired products and technology, combined to produce a disappointing operating result for the quarter. However, we remain confident that these investments will lead to increased sales and margin expansion over the coming years,” added Mr. Schwartz.
