Dr Reddy’s Laboratories should record a quick recovery on the back of new product launches in the U.S., after the Indian pharmaceuticals company posted weak results for its first quarter, analysts said.
Shares of the Hyderabad-based company continued to fall Wednesday after plunging 10.5% Tuesday, following its release of first-quarter earnings that missed consensus estimates. The drugmaker’s earnings were mainly hit by weaker-than-estimated sales in its North American markets.
Earlier this month, the company received a subpoena from the U.S. SEC related to an anonymous complaint about unfair practices in Ukraine. “Our initial take is that while this could be material if the SEC investigation throws up a negative finding, it shouldn’t affect our thesis on the company,” Jefferies analyst Abhishek Sharma writes.
SEC probes are common in the pharma sector and are usually settled without a significant impact on company operations, Sharma wrote, adding that whether the U.S. investigation will throw up anything adverse on Dr. Reddy’s is uncertain.
Here is what analysts are saying about the company’s quarterly earnings performance:
Jefferies (Buy, price target Rs 5,761)
Q1 earnings were impacted by a fluctuation in company’s Pharmaceuticals Services and Active Ingredients business and an increase in selling, general and administrative expenses
The company has, however, guided to better days ahead and sees the weakness as transient
The silver lining is that North America revenues remained flat q/q despite an all-round price erosion which has impacted other U.S. exporters’ Q1 results, the note says
Management sounded confident that margins will recoup from 2Q onwards, led by improvement in PSAI revenues and U.S. launches improving profitability from next quarter
Morgan Stanley (Overweight, price target Rs 5,859)
Dr Reddy’s remains confident about returning to 25% Ebitda margins after reporting 20.7% in Q1, driven by new launches, cost improvement and operating leverage; the company’s strong balance sheet provides opportunity for M&A, especially in India
The company doesn’t see API issues affecting its generic drug Vascepa, which helps lower fats in the blood
It has four products in its biosimilar pipeline, which, unlike its past launches, it will be the first to market
Dr. Reddy’s has also launched a multi-service mobile app platform that integrates doctors, diagnostics, pharmacies and insurance for out-patients; the company has first-mover advantage in this space