St. Jude Medical Posts Profit In Q4 - Quick Facts

St. Jude Medical Inc. (STJ) reported net profit for the fourth quarter of 2009 of $190 million, or $0.57 per share, versus net loss of $201 million, or $0.58 per share in the year-ago quarter.

Excluding charges and the after-tax benefit, adjusted net earnings for the fourth quarter of 2009 were $214 million, or $0.64 per share.

Net sales for the quarter rose 6% to $1.203 billion over the $1.133 billion in the same period last year.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of $0.62 per share, on revenues of $1.20 billion. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

Looking ahead, the company said it expects its consolidated earnings per diluted share for the first quarter of 2010 to be in the range of $0.66 to $0.68 and for full-year 2010 in the range of $2.71 to $2.76.

Analysts estimate the company to report earnings per share of $0.65 for the first quarter and $2.71 for 2010.

by RTTNews Staff Writer

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