Zimmer Biomet Announces Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZBH) today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2020.  The Company reported third quarter net sales of $1.929 billion, an increase of 2.0% over the prior year period, and an increase of 1.1% on a constant currency basis.  Net earnings for the third quarter were $242.5 million.  Net earnings on an adjusted basis were $376.8 million.

Diluted earnings per share were $1.16 for the third quarter, a decrease of 44.2% from the prior year period.  Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $1.81 for the third quarter, an increase of 2.3% over the prior year period.

“While the stronger than expected recovery of elective procedures in the third quarter was encouraging, we also remain focused on ZB’s strong operational execution, which continues to drive confidence in our underlying business,” said Bryan Hanson, President and CEO of Zimmer Biomet.  “It is important to note that the challenges and fluidity around COVID-19 persist as we move into the end of the year. Still, we will continue to transform our business, invest for greater value and prioritize innovation to better position the Company for accelerated growth over the long term.  I am so proud of our global team for the support we provide healthcare professionals and patients every day and our ongoing commitment to the ZB mission to better the lives of people around the world.”

While the recovery from COVID-19 continued in the third quarter, the pace of procedure volume and patient returns slowed toward the end of the period, with overall performance still negatively impacted by the pandemic. Stronger recovery was seen in the Americas and Asia Pacific in the quarter, with a slower return in regions within Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Please see the attached schedules accompanying this press release for additional details on performance in the quarter, including sales by Zimmer Biomet’s three geographies and five product categories.

Recent Highlights

Aligned with Zimmer Biomet’s active portfolio management strategy and the ongoing transformation of the business, the Company has invested in priority and right-to-win areas to drive long-term growth, including two recently completed acquisitions.  Collectively, these deals total approximately $80 million in initial spend and up to $98 million in deferred and milestone payments and add new or soon-to-be launched product offerings to the Zimmer Biomet portfolio:

• Incisive LLC, a privately-held operating room (OR) solutions company in the expanding $1.2 billion global integrated OR market; Incisive’s technology drives efficiency in the surgical setting through a comprehensive offering of “smart OR” infrastructure, including surgical booms and lights with a smaller footprint as well as proprietary data analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities; this approach reduces acquisition and construction costs and is especially attractive to ambulatory surgery center (ASC) customers; revenues will be recorded in the Company’s S.E.T. segment
• Relign Corp., a privately-held company in the attractive and growing $1.6 billion arthroscopy market and overall $5 billion sports medicine market; Relign’s offerings include the consolidation of three differentiated arthroscopy tower components into a single system, a first in the industry, and address a key portfolio gap for Zimmer Biomet in the sports medicine and broader ASC markets; revenues will be recorded in the Company’s S.E.T. segment
  

Geographic and Product Category Sales

The following sales tables provide results by geography and product category for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2020, as well as the percentage change compared to the prior year periods, on both a reported basis and a constant currency basis.

 

Cash Flow and Balance Sheet

Cash provided by operating activities for the third quarter was $381.3 million and free cash flow was $287.2 million.  At September 30, 2020, the Company had $967.3 million in cash and cash equivalents on the balance sheet.  In the third quarter, the Company paid $49.6 million in dividends and declared a dividend of $0.24 per share.  As previously announced, Zimmer Biomet refinanced $1.5 billion in debt that came due April 1, 2020, renegotiated the terms of its $1.5 billion revolver and secured an additional $1.0 billion credit facility.  No borrowings are outstanding under these credit facilities.

Financial Guidance

While Zimmer Biomet saw encouraging recovery in elective procedures during the third quarter, there continues to be uncertainty around the scope and duration of COVID-19 and its ongoing impact. Therefore, the Company is currently unable to quantify the expected impact on its results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, which could be material, for 2020 and is not providing fourth quarter financial guidance at this time.

Conference Call

The Company will conduct its third quarter 2020 investor conference call today, November 6, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. ET.  The audio webcast can be accessed via Zimmer Biomet’s Investor Relations website at https://investor.zimmerbiomet.com.  It will be archived for replay following the conference call.