Neogen Corporation
NEOG
reported second-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings per share (EPS) of 10 cents compared with the year-ago quarter’s 15 cents. It missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 41.2%.
Revenues for the fiscal second quarter increased 13.5% on a year-over-year basis to $130.5 million. It surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.2%. Per the company, the second quarter was the 118th of the past 124 quarters of revenue increases compared to the same period in the previous year.
Segments in Detail
For the quarter, the company registered
Food Safety
revenues of $67.1 million, reflecting 16.7% (up 11% organically) year-over-year growth. The December 2020 acquisition of Megazyme contributed to the segment’s total revenues. The Soleris product line continued to gain market share during the quarter, as it registered a 22% rise on robust equipment sales growth. Meanwhile, sales of the novel AccuPoint Advanced NG handheld sanitation monitoring system drove a 19% increase in reader sales. The company’s Listeria Right Now 60-minute test system also saw a 35% increase versus the previous year.
The upside in the Food Safety business was also driven by strong growth across the company’s diagnostics portfolio, which includes increases of 11%, 10%, 6% and 8% in culture media, natural toxins, allergens and general sanitation product lines, respectively.
Neogen Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Neogen Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart
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Neogen Corporation Quote
Animal Safety
revenues in the fiscal second quarter were $63.4 million, up 10.3% (10% organically) year over year. The upside can be attributed to strong growth in the veterinary instruments line (up 30%), which primarily includes needles and syringes; and the animal care line (up 18%), driven by the relaunch of ThyroKare supplement in February 2021 and strength in equine and companion animal markets, that returned to pre-pandemic demand levels. During the quarter, the company also started integrating the September 2021 buyout of CAPInnoVet into the business. Further, a 46% increase in insect control products was driven by the continued market share gain of the StandGuard product line. This growth was offset by a 14% decline in rodent control products and a 2% drop in cleaners and disinfectants year over year.
Revenues from Neogen’s worldwide animal genomics business increased 8% in the fiscal second quarter on a year-over-year basis. The upside was primarily driven by continued strength in beef and dairy cattle, sheep and poultry markets. However, this growth was partially offset by lower sales of services into the companion animal market.
Revenues from Neogen’s international operations increased 20% in the second quarter of fiscal 2022. The company’s U.K. business gained 11% in pounds on strong sales of the company’s One Broth, One Plate culture media solution to commercial labs in the country as well as enhanced sales growth of cleaners and disinfectants to Asia.
Neogen’s revenues from China in the second quarter of fiscal 2022 increased 28%, driven by new sales of Megazyme products and continued solid growth in genomic services. Neogen’s Australasia revenues surged 27% in local currency on growth in beef and sheep animal genomic services, and surge in diagnostic products sales. Meanwhile, Neogen Latinoamerica business and its Brazilian operations were up 10% and down 6%, respectively, in local currency in the fiscal second quarter.
Margin Details
Neogen’s fiscal second-quarter gross profit increased 13.9% year over year to $60.6 million. Gross margin expanded 15 basis points (bps) to 46.4%.
Sales and marketing expenses rose 19.5% to $21.2 million, whereas administrative expenses increased 85.5% from the prior-year quarter to $22.6 million. Research & development expenses were $4.3 million, up 6.8% from the year-ago quarter. Operating costs totaled $48.1 million, up 41.7% year over year.
In the reported quarter, operating income was $12.5 million, down 35.2% from the year-ago quarter’s level. Subsequently, operating margin contracted 718 bps to 9.6%.
Cash Position
The company exited the fiscal second quarter with cash and investments of $389.2 million, down from $400.9 million at the end of the fiscal first quarter. The company had no debt on the balance sheet at quarter-end.
Our Take
Neogen exited the fiscal second quarter on a mixed note with better-than-expected revenues and an earnings miss. Top-line growth was driven by strength in the company’s Food Safety and Animal Safety segments. The Soleris product line and Megazyme acquisition contributed to growth in the Food Safety business. Meanwhile, the ThyroKare supplement and StandGuard product line led to growth in the Animal Safety business. The integration of the CAPInnoVet into the company’s business looks encouraging. The ongoing rebound in the company’s business from COVID-led impacts also instills optimism. Neogen’s recent agreement to combine 3M’s Food Safety business with its existing operations raises investor confidence. Expansion of gross margin is an added advantage.
Escalating operating costs led to a contraction in operating margin, thereby building pressure on Neogen’s bottom line. Further, favorable product mix toward Food Safety goods was offset by increasing raw material and freight costs from continued supply-chain challenges.
Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks
Neogen currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
A few other top-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are
Apollo Endosurgery, Inc.
APEN
,
Cerner Corporation
CERN
and
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.
WST
, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can see
the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Apollo Endosurgery has a long-term earnings growth rate of 7%. The company surpassed earnings estimates in the trailing four quarters, delivering a surprise of 25.6%, on average.
Apollo Endosurgery has outperformed its industry over the past year. APEN has gained 127.2% versus the 10.2% industry growth.
Cerner has a long-term earnings growth rate of 13.3%. The company surpassed earnings estimates in the trailing three quarters and met estimates in one, delivering a surprise of 3.2%, on average.
Cerner has outperformed its industry over the past year. CERN has gained 19.3% versus the 39.5% industry decline.
West Pharmaceutical has a long-term earnings growth rate of 27.6%. The company surpassed earnings estimates in the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 29.4%.
West Pharmaceutical has outperformed its industry over the past year. WST has rallied 66.1% versus the industry’s 17.4% rise.
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