(Recasts, adds unit sales in paragraph 3, CEO quote paragraph 4, savings details in paragraph 6, sales in paragraph 7)
Nov 5 (Reuters) - World's largest dialysis specialist Fresenius Medical Care on Tuesday specified its full-year operating profit forecast after it reported third-quarter earnings above market expectations, helped by positive U.S. dialysis treatment volumes and savings from its transformation programme.
The German company, which makes about 70% of its sales in the United States, expects its full-year operating income to grow by 16% to 18% compared to the prior year. Previously, it had forecast mid- to high-teens percentage growth.
It said sales in its care delivery unit grew 1% on outlook base, which excludes currency exchange effects, special items and divestitures closed in 2023, supported by the value-based care business and an overall increase in treatment volumes, higher reimbursement rates and a favourable payer mix shift.
"In Care Delivery, a very important and reassuring milestone was underlying U.S. same market treatment growth turning positive. Care Enablement recorded solid volume growth and continued positive pricing momentum outside China," CEO Helen Giza said in a statement.
The German company said its adjusted operating income grew 42.7% to 463 million euros ($504 million) in the July-September period, versus analysts' median estimate of 434 million euros in a company-provided consensus.
Fresenius Medical Care said its FME25 transformation programme delivered 64 million euros of additional savings in the quarter, while related one-time costs amounted to 39 million euros.
The group's quarterly sales were 4.76 billion euros, below the consensus figure of 4.84 billion euros. ($1 = 0.9192 euros)
(Reporting by Bartosz Dabrowski in Gdansk; editing by Milla Nissi)
((bartosz.dabrowski@thomsonreuters.com; +48 58 7696560;))
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