8-KOther Events

BECTON DICKINSON & CO 8-K Report (Sep 19, 2002)

Filed September 19, 2002For Securities:BDX

Summary

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) filed an 8-K on September 19, 2002, to disclose a revision to its fiscal year 2003 diluted earnings per share (EPS) guidance. The company is now projecting EPS of approximately $2.07, an increase from the previous guidance of approximately $2.05. This upward revision is primarily due to the decision to discontinue the planned divestiture of its Critical Care Monitoring product line, which has annual revenues of about $47 million, and other product lines with aggregate annual revenues of approximately $150 million. This strategic shift means that the dilution previously anticipated from these divestitures, estimated at 5 cents per share, will no longer impact earnings. Instead, the company plans to reinvest approximately 3 cents per share in these product lines and other initiatives, resulting in a net increase of approximately 2 cents per share to the previously issued guidance. Investors should note that this report also contains standard forward-looking statements and disclaimers regarding potential risks and uncertainties that could affect actual results.

Key Highlights

  • 1BDX revised its fiscal year 2003 diluted EPS guidance upward to approximately $2.07 per share from the previous guidance of approximately $2.05 per share.
  • 2The primary driver for the guidance increase is the decision to cease the planned divestiture of the Critical Care Monitoring product line (approx. $47 million in annual revenue).
  • 3The company will also retain other product lines that were part of the previous divestiture considerations, with aggregate annual revenues of approximately $150 million.
  • 4Previously, the company had factored in approximately 5 cents of dilution from these anticipated divestitures.
  • 5The revised guidance reflects a plan to reinvest approximately 3 cents per share back into these retained product lines and other company initiatives.
  • 6The net effect of these changes is an approximately 2 cents per share increase to the previously issued fiscal 2003 EPS guidance.
  • 7The filing includes standard forward-looking statements and a disclaimer about business risks and uncertainties that could impact actual results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Becton Dickinson updated its fiscal year 2003 diluted EPS guidance primarily because it decided to no longer pursue the divestiture of its Critical Care Monitoring product line and certain other product lines. This means the company will retain these revenue streams.

The company's revised guidance for fiscal year 2003 diluted earnings per share is approximately $2.07. This is an increase from the previous guidance of approximately $2.05 per share.

Retaining these product lines, which had annual revenues of approximately $47 million (Critical Care Monitoring) and an additional $150 million from other product lines, removes the previously anticipated dilution of about 5 cents per share from divestitures. The company plans to reinvest approximately 3 cents per share into these businesses and other initiatives, leading to a net positive impact of approximately 2 cents per share on the EPS guidance.

The filing warns of various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements. These include competitive factors, pricing and market share pressures, litigation uncertainties, the ability to meet sales and earnings forecasts, achieve cost savings objectives, potential impacts from economic conditions, energy costs, raw material availability, currency exchange rates, product introduction delays, and changes in government regulation.