Frankfurt (Reuters) – Merck is receiving a strong tailwind from positive currency effects.
Adjusted operating profit (Ebitda) climbed by around 13 percent to 1.78 billion euros in the second quarter, despite higher raw material and logistics costs, as the Darmstadt-based pharmaceutical and life sciences group announced on Thursday. Analysts had expected an average of 1.7 billion. Sales increased by a good 14 percent to 5.6 billion euros. Merck benefited from positive exchange rate effects: organic sales growth was 6.6 percent. Merck was able to make significant gains in the life science area, which offers products for pharmaceutical research and drug manufacture, and in the business with electronic materials for the semiconductor industry.
Thanks to exchange rate effects, Merck raised its targets for the full year. The company now expects sales of between 21.9 and 23.0 (previously 21.6 to 22.8) billion euros and an adjusted operating profit of 6.75 to 7.25 (previously 6.6 to 7.1) billion euros . The group confirmed the forecast for organic growth.
(Report by Patricia Wei; edited by Sabine Wollrab. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at [email protected] (for politics and economics) or [email protected] (for companies and markets).)
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