Inogen (INGN) Beats Earnings And Revenue Estimates In Q3

Inogen Inc. (NASDAQ:INGN) reported third-quarter 2017 earnings of 33 cents per share which comfortably beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 29 cents and improved from the year-ago figure of 16 cents.

The upside was driven by roughly 26.8% growth in revenues, which totaled $69 million and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $64.0 million.

Q3 Details

Sales revenues surged 33.8% to $63.1 million, while rental revenues declined 18.7% to $5.9 million.

Total gross margin was 48.1%, up from 46.2% in the comparative period of 2016. Sales gross margin was 50.3% compared with 48.6% in the prior-year quarter. The improvement was primarily attributable to increased mix toward direct-to-consumer sales and lower cost of goods sold per unit. This was partially offset by declining business-to-business average selling prices. Rental gross margin was 24.3% versus 30.7% in the year-ago quarter. The downside resulted from reimbursement rate reductions. This was partially offset by reduced cost of rental revenues primarily associated with lower depreciation.

Inogen, Inc Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Inogen, Inc Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Inogen, Inc Quote

General and administrative expenses were $10.4 million, up from $8.7 million in the comparative quarter of 2016. This was primarily due to $0.6 million of patent litigation settlement expenses, increased personnel-related expenses and higher patent defense legal costs.

Guidance

Considering the solid performance in the third quarter, Inogen raised its guidance for 2017 revenues to the range of $244-$248 million, compared with the previous $239-$243 million. This represents year-over-year growth of 20.3% to 22.3%.

Our Take

Inogen reported stellar third-quarter 2017 results, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate for both the counts. The company witnessed solid growth in revenues and adjusted earnings on a year-over-year basis. In our view, solid domestic and international business-to-business sales have led to the impressive quarterly performance. In the upcoming quarters, the company expects direct-to-consumer sales to be its fastest growing channel followed by domestic business-to-business sales. In this context, the company recently signed a lease for its expansion site in Ohio to accelerate growth in domestic direct-to-consumer sales channel.

On the flip side, declining rental might mar the company's prospects. Since the company generates a significant portion of its revenues from the international market, volatile foreign exchange rate will always pose a concern.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Inogen currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

A few better-ranked stocks in the broader medical sector are PetMed Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:PETS) , Luminex Corporation (NASDAQ:LMNX) and Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) . PetMed and Luminex sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Intuitive Surgical carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

PetMed reported earnings per share of 43 cents in the second quarter of fiscal 2018, up 79.2% from the year-ago quarter’s 24 cents. Also, gross margin expanded 548 basis points year over year to 35.2% in the reported quarter.

Luminex reported adjusted earnings per share of 19 cents in the third quarter of 2017, up 216.7% year over year. Revenues increased almost 4.1% year over year to $74.1 million.

Intuitive Surgical posted adjusted earnings of $2.77 per share in the third quarter of 2017, up 34.5% year over year. Also, revenues rose 18% year over year to $806.1 million.

Wall Street’s Next Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius.

Click for details >>