Most healthcare companies report higher Y/Y EPS in strong earnings week

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Healthcare companies delivered strong earnings this week, with 18 out of 20 companies beating EPS estimates and 15 topping revenue expectations, as resilient demand across pharmaceuticals, healthcare services, medical devices, and life sciences helped offset pockets of margin and reimbursement pressure.

Compared to the prior year, 16 companies posted higher EPS, while 4 saw declines. Revenue increased year over year for 17 companies, while 3 reported declines.

HERE’S A BREAKDOWN OF THE RESULTS:

* Pfizer (PFE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/PFE]): beat by $0.03; EPS down $0.17 Y/Y
* Gilead Sciences (GILD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/GILD]): beat by $0.12; EPS up $0.22 Y/Y
* Viatris (VTRS [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/VTRS]): beat by $0.09; EPS up $0.09 Y/Y
* CVS Health (CVS [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CVS]): beat by $0.36; EPS up $0.32 Y/Y
* Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/VRTX]): beat by $0.16; EPS up $0.41 Y/Y
* Zoetis (ZTS [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ZTS]): missed by $0.09; EPS up $0.05 Y/Y
* McKesson (MCK [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MCK]): beat by $0.12; EPS up $1.57 Y/Y
* Becton Dickinson (BDX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BDX]): beat by $0.13; EPS down $0.45 Y/Y
* IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/IDXX]): beat by $0.06; EPS up $0.56 Y/Y
* Cencora (COR [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/COR]): beat by $0.02; EPS up $0.33 Y/Y
* DaVita (DVA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/DVA]): beat by $0.54; EPS up $0.87 Y/Y
* IQVIA (IQV [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/IQV]): beat by $0.08; EPS up $0.20 Y/Y
* Insulet (PODD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/PODD]): beat by $0.23; EPS up $0.40 Y/Y
* Waters (WAT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/WAT]): beat by $0.39; EPS up $0.45 Y/Y
* Revvity (RVTY [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/RVTY]): beat by $0.05; EPS up $0.05 Y/Y
* Charles River Laboratories (CRL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CRL]): beat by $0.11; EPS down $0.28 Y/Y
* HCA Healthcare (HCA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/HCA]): beat by $0.10; EPS up $0.17 Y/Y
* Bio-Techne (TECH [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TECH]): in-line; EPS down $0.03 Y/Y
* Mettler-Toledo (MTD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MTD]): beat by $0.20; EPS up $0.72 Y/Y
* Solventum (SOLV [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SOLV]): beat by $0.13; EPS up $0.14 Y/Y

PFIZER (PFE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/PFE]) topped Wall Street estimates with its first quarter results and reaffirmed its full-year outlook. The New York-based pharma giant generated adjusted EPS of $0.75 (-18% Y/Y) on revenue of $14.5B, a 5% rise compared to the prior-year quarter, reflecting an operational increase of $304M, or 2%.

GILEAD SCIENCES (GILD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/GILD]) reported Q1 results that beat on both lines. The biotech giant generated an adjusted EPS of $2.03 on revenue of $6.96B (+4.3% Y/Y). However, shares slipped as the firm updated 2026 non-GAAP EPS to ($1.05)-($1.65) compared to $8.45-$8.85 previously expected. The company said the drastic change in EPS is due to IPR&D charges of $11.5B and financing costs related to Arcellx, Ouro Medicines, and Tubulis GmbH deals.

VIATRIS (VTRS [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/VTRS]) recorded $3.5B in revenue for the first quarter, exceeding the consensus by $150M with ~8% Y/Y growth, marking its third consecutive quarterly growth following a history of contractions. The company’s adjusted gross margin held steady at 56%, while its adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share jumped 14% YoY and ~18% YoY to $1.0B and $0.59, respectively.

CVS HEALTH (CVS [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CVS]) raised its full-year outlook following better-than-expected first quarter earnings, largely driven by its Health Care Benefits segment, which houses its health insurer Aetna. CVS recorded $100.4B in revenue with ~6% Y/Y growth as its Health Care Benefits segment added $36.0B to the topline with ~3% Y/Y growth thanks mainly to its Government business. Adjusted EPS reached $2.57, beating the consensus by $0.36 with ~14% YoY growth.

ZOETIS (ZTS [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ZTS]) fell on Thursday after the veterinary product maker lowered its full-year outlook, citing a challenging first quarter marked by a decline in its U.S. revenue. The company recorded $2.3B in revenue for the quarter with a ~3% Y/Y, while adjusted earnings per diluted share were $1.53, indicating a ~9% Y/Y growth, still missing the consensus by $0.09.

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