Johnson's net profit rises 37% Johnson & 4thq

NEW YORK-Johnson Johnson & announced that had a net profit of $ 3.52 billion in the fourth quarter of last year, an increase of 37% compared to $ 2.57 billion in the same period in 2012. In the same comparison, earnings per share rose to $ 1.23, to $ 0.91. Revenue reached US $ 18.36 billion, an increase of 4.5%.
Analysts quoted by Thomson Reuters predicted for the fourth quarter of 2013 profit of $ 1.20 per share and revenue of $ 17.95 billion.
"The Johnson Johnson & presented strong results in 2013, led by outstanding performance in our pharmaceutical business," said President and Chief Executive of the company, Alex Gorsky.
The low growth of products and business made the Group focus on the pharmaceutical segment, which has been driven by new prescription drugs in recent quarters. Last week, the J&J sold the unit of blood tests to the Carlyle Group for $ 4.15 billion.
At 12:02 (Eastern), shares of Johnson Johnson climbed $ & 95,20 in pre-market on New York. The company's papers are part of the Dow Jones industrial average. Source: Dow Jones Newswires.