Teva Pharmaceuticals shares jumped on Thursday after the company reported better-than-expected sales and raised its full-year guidance.
For the second quarter, Teva earned an adjusted 58 cents per share, down nearly 15% from a year ago, as revenue slipped 6% to $4.26 billion. Analysts had expected earnings of 60 cents per share on sales of $4.24 billion.
The top line was boosted by Teva’s multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone, which generated U.S. sales of $271 million, beating estimates of $224 million and offsetting a 1% drop in sales of generic products in the U.S.
“During the third quarter, we continued to make significant progress in achieving our 2019 goals,” CEO Kare Schultz said in a news release. “Free cash flow was especially strong in the quarter, totaling $550 million.”
For the year, Teva raised the low end of its sales outlook from $17.2 billion to $17.4 billion. It also expects to earn from $2.30 to $2.50 a share, up five cents at the midpoint from its prior forecast.
In trading Thursday, the pharma giant’s shares rose 4.8% to $8.48. “Despite the [earnings] miss, management appears to be executing as planned to close out the year,” SVB Leerink analyst Ami Fadia wrote in a client note.
As Barron’s reports, shares of Teva are down 46.5% so far this year “as the company struggles under the weight of the litigation seeking to hold corporations responsible for the opioid crisis.” Four U.S. states have agreed on a proposed settlement under which Teva would provide $23 billion worth of generic Suboxone and pay $250 million in cash over 10 years.
The settlement had raised concerns about Teva’s ability to pay down its huge debt burden. But Schultz told Reuters that, with the payout being spread over 10 years, Teva would be able to “bring a significant benefit to society while still serving our debt and staying in business.”
Teva also announced Thursday that Eli Kalif, most recently senior vice president of finance at electronic manufacturer Flex, will replace Michael McLellan as its CFO, effective Dec. 22.