October 17 Earnings: Johnson&Johnson- Generic Competition GaloreJohnson & Johnson has been on an impressive intra-quarterly run with solid performance across major segments.
Strengths in the company's performance are to be driven by:
-Imbruvica and Darzalex should continue to perform well. Meaningful improvement from Stelara and Xarelto.
-New product launches like Tremfy (approved in the US late 2017 for plaque psoriasis)
-Revenue contribution from Swiss biotech Actelion, which J&J bought in June.
-Medical devices segment is expected to continue its strong growth trajectory with new product launches.
Weaknesses for the quarter are expected to be:
-Key arthritis drug Remicade to remain under pressure from generic competition.
-Invokana hurting from higher managed care discounting.
-Sluggish FDA review requiring more information before approving new drug treatments.
-Lawsuit from Pfizer to be clarified during the conference call.
Overall, I believe high expenses and generic competition will overcome the positives for the quarter.
I'm starting Johnson&Johnson with a $130 PT for the post earnings move with a tight but flexible 2.5% stop.