Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) posted second-quarter results today that beat the consensus forecast on Wall Street — boosting its outlook for the year even as its medical device sales took a big hit from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The New Brunswick, N.J.–based medical device and pharmaceutical giant reported profits of $3.6 billion, or $1.36 per share, on sales of $18.3 billion for the three months ended June 30, 2020, for a bottom-line decline of –34.6% and a sales decline of –10.8% compared with Q4 2017.
Adjusted to exclude one-time items, earnings per share were $1.67, 19¢ ahead of The Street, where analysts were looking EPS of $1.48 on sales of $17.5 billion.
Most of J&J’s Q2 sales hit came from its medical device business, which saw a year-over-year sales decline of –33.9% as the COVID-19 pandemic caused a deferral in medical procedures. Consumer health was down –7.0%, while pharmaceuticals were up 2.1%.
During today’s earnings call, executives added that they hope to start a late-stage human trial for a potential coronavirus vaccine ahead of schedule — in late September, according to CNBC.