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Net earnings per diluted share from continuing operations rise 14 percent to $0.73; revenues rise 6 percent to $586 million; net orders rise 13 percent to $593 million; Varian Medical Systems raises guidance for fiscal year

Varian Medical Systems is reporting net earnings from continuing operations of $0.73 per diluted share in the second quarter of fiscal year 2010, up 14 percent from $0.64 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter.  Revenues for the quarter were $586 million, up 6 percent from the prior-year period and up 3 percent on a constant currency basis.

Varian Medical Systems' second quarter net orders totaled $593 million, up 13 percent from the year-ago period and up 10 percent on a constant currency basis.  The quarter-ending backlog was $2 billion, up 6 percent versus the year-ago quarter.

"Strength in our international regions drove revenue and order growth for the total company and more than offset declines in North America during the quarter," said Tim Guertin, president and CEO of Varian Medical Systems.  "Higher revenues from our Oncology and X-Ray Products businesses, ongoing cost controls, improved company operating margins, and a lower tax rate contributed to the improvement in our quarterly net earnings versus the year-ago period."

The company ended the quarter with a record $655 million in cash and cash equivalents and $30 million of debt.  During the second quarter, the company spent $72 million to repurchase 1.5 million shares of common stock. Compared to the same period last year, accounts receivable days sales outstanding was 76, an improvement of 11 days.

Oncology Systems

Oncology Systems' second quarter revenues from sales of products and services for radiotherapy, radiosurgery, and brachytherapy totaled $465 million, up 4 percent from the same period last fiscal year.  Second quarter net orders totaled $476 million, up 10 percent versus the year-ago period.  Net orders rose 34 percent in international markets, more than offsetting a 12 percent decline in North America.

"Oncology Systems revenues grew strongly in all international regions and gross margins for this business improved with the help of a favorable mix of service and software products," Guertin said. 

"Oncology's solid net orders growth was also driven by our service business as well as demand for our newer accelerators," he added.  "We saw increased demand for UNIQUE, our new accelerator for fast, affordable image-guided RapidArc treatments in international clinics and encouraging early interest in our new TrueBeam platform for advanced image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery."

X-Ray Products

x-ray Products second quarter revenues from sales of x-ray tubes and digital detectors for filmless imaging were $102 million, up 19 percent from the year-ago quarter.  Compared to the same period in fiscal year 2009, x-ray Products' second quarter net orders rose 52 percent to a record $105 million. 

"Total orders for both x-ray tubes and flat panel detectors recovered nicely from depressed year-ago levels," Guertin said.  "We saw signs of a recovery in the global imaging industry with renewed orders from existing customers as well as accelerated orders growth from new customers for our flat panel detectors." 

Other

The company's Other category, which is comprised of the Security and Inspection Products (SIP) business, the Varian Particle Therapy business, and the Ginzton Technology Center, recorded second quarter revenues of $19 million, down 19 percent from the year-ago period.  Net orders in the Other category were $12 million, down 42 percent from the year-ago period. 

Outlook

"We now believe that revenues for fiscal year 2010 can grow by about 6 to 7 percent over fiscal 2009 and that net earnings per diluted share for the fiscal year could be in the range of $2.82 to $2.88," said Guertin. "We believe that for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 revenues could increase by about 13 percent over the prior year period.  Third quarter operating earnings should increase by about 16 to 17 percent, but including a higher quarterly tax rate, net earnings per diluted share are expected to be in the range of $0.60 to $0.63."

Investor Conference Call

Varian Medical Systems is scheduled to conduct its second quarter fiscal year 2010 conference call at 2 p.m. PT today.  To hear a live webcast or replay of the call, visit the investor relations page on the company's web site at www.varian.com/investor where it will be archived for a year.  To access the call via telephone, dial 1-800-706-7748 from inside the U.S. or 1-617-614-3473 from outside the U.S. and enter confirmation code 44942626.  The replay can be accessed by dialing 1-888-286-8010 from inside the U.S or 1-617-801-6888 from outside the U.S. and entering confirmation code 99270459.  The telephone replay will be available through 5 p.m. PT, Friday, April 30, 2010.

For automatic "e-mail alerts" regarding Varian news, events, and new investor materials on the website, investors can subscribe on the company website: http://varian.investorroom.com/index.php?s=58  For additional information, contact investor relations at 1 650 424-5834.

Source: Varian Medical Systems