BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC quarterly report, Q1 FY2013

Baxter International Inc. — Q1 2013 Form 10-Q

Reporting period: Three months ended March 31, 2013; comparisons are with Q1 2012 unless otherwise stated. Financial statements are unaudited. PwC performed an interim review and reported no material modifications needed for GAAP conformity.

Financial performance

MetricQ1 2013Q1 2012Change
Net sales$3.448B$3.388B+2%
Gross margin$1.756B; 50.9%$1.714B; 50.6%+0.3 percentage points
Income before taxes$693M$732M-5%
Net income$552M$588M-6%
Diluted EPS$1.00$1.04-4%
Cash from operations$386M$446M-$60M
Capital expenditures$292M$239M+$53M

Operating cash flow less capital expenditures was $94M, compared with $207M in Q1 2012. Cash and equivalents were $2.689B at quarter-end, down from $3.270B at December 31, 2012. Current assets were $8.814B and current liabilities $4.778B (derived current ratio: approximately 1.84).

Debt and lease obligations totaled approximately $5.867B at March 31, including $333M short-term debt, $377M current maturities and $5.157B long-term debt and leases. The comparable December 31 total was approximately $5.930B. Net debt, calculated as debt and lease obligations less cash, was approximately $3.178B at quarter-end.

The effective tax rate was 20.3%, versus 19.7%. The company declared a $0.45 per-share dividend, compared with $0.335 a year earlier, and repurchased 7.8M shares for $534M.

Business results and changes

  • BioScience sales rose 5% to $1.530B; segment pretax income increased to $590M from $503M. Growth came across franchises, led by Vaccines (+25%) and BioSurgery (+12%), alongside Hemophilia (+3%) and BioTherapeutics (+2%).
  • Medical Products sales were essentially flat at $1.918B; segment pretax income fell to $322M from $405M. BioPharma Solutions sales declined 10%, partly due to delayed shipments from the Bloomington facility; Baxter said the constraints had been resolved and expected shipments to recover during the rest of the year. Renal sales were flat, while Fluid Systems grew 3%.
  • Consolidated net income declined despite higher sales and gross margin. Contributing factors included higher marketing and administrative expense (23.1% of sales versus 22.2%), higher net interest expense ($25M versus $18M), and lower other income ($3M versus $57M). Q1 2012 included a $53M gain on a Prism acquisition contingent liability; Q1 2013 included Gambro-related currency charges and a Venezuelan devaluation charge.
  • R&D expense was $246M, down from $269M, largely because Q1 2012 included a $33M Momenta collaboration charge. Excluding that prior-year item, R&D spending increased.

Outlook, transactions and key risks

  • Management expected the effective tax rate for full-year 2013 to be approximately 22%, excluding audit developments and other special items.
  • Baxter expected to close its planned Gambro acquisition at the end of Q2 2013, subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions. Consideration was approximately $4B, excluding net debt and working-capital adjustments. The company planned to use offshore cash and issue at least $3B of term debt; it said it did not anticipate using its $3.1B bridge facility. The acquisition will materially increase debt.
  • In March, Baxter acquired the OBI-1 investigational hemophilia business for $51M upfront, with contingent regulatory and sales-related payments. The recorded fair value of contingent payment liabilities was $325M, and acquired in-process R&D was valued at $343M. Approval and commercial success are uncertain.
  • Risks include product quality and patient safety, regulatory approvals and restrictions, pricing and reimbursement pressure, competition, foreign-exchange and interest-rate volatility, and customer credit and collection risk. Public-sector receivables in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy totaled $405M, including $69M in Greece.
  • In April 2013, FDA issued a Warning Letter concerning the 510(k) clearance status of modifications to the SIGMA Spectrum Infusion Pump. Baxter said it was working with FDA to resolve the matter. A separate 2010 FDA Warning Letter concerning Renal complaint-handling and reporting processes remained unresolved.
  • Legal matters include approximately 400 pending heparin-related lawsuits, patent litigation, securities and derivative suits, and plasma-therapy antitrust claims. Baxter also reported cooperating with DOJ and SEC inquiries into activities in several countries and a U.S. Attorney investigation of quality and manufacturing practices at its North Cove facility.
  • COLLEAGUE and SYNDEO infusion-pump reserves were $120M at March 31; business-optimization reserves were $202M. Management considered the reserves adequate but noted future adjustments or additional charges could occur.

Important facts for investors to verify

  • Whether Gambro closed on the expected timetable and the final purchase price, funding mix and resulting leverage.
  • Whether BioPharma Solutions shipments recovered as management anticipated and how Medical Products profitability developed.
  • Cash conversion, inventory growth and turns: inventory rose to $2.963B from $2.803B, while total annualized inventory turns declined to 2.18 from 2.33.
  • Progress in resolving the SIGMA Spectrum and Renal FDA matters, and any related costs or operating restrictions.
  • Changes in OBI-1 regulatory prospects and the fair value of its contingent payment obligations.
  • Developments in material litigation, government inquiries, infusion-pump remediation and restructuring reserves.