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Should Bioventus Stock Be in Your Portfolio Pre-Q3 Earnings?

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Bioventus (BVS - Free Report) is expected to report third-quarter 2024 earnings next month. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales and earnings is pegged at $132.6 million and 6 cents per share, respectively.

Estimates for Bioventus’ 2024 and 2025 earnings per share (EPS) have remained consistent in the past 60 days at 40 and 45 cents, respectively. The company delivered an earnings surprise of 171.43% in the last reported quarter.

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BVS’ Earnings Surprise History

The company’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed the same on one occasion, delivering an average surprise of 102.86%.

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Stay up-to-date with all quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.

What Our Model Predicts for BVS

Our proven model does not predict an earnings beat for the stock this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That is not thecase here, as you will see below. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Bioventus has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Factors Shaping BVS’s Upcoming Results

Bioventus is a healthcare company specializing in minimally invasive treatments focused on marketing products that support the body's natural healing process. The company’s business is divided into three segments — Pain Treatments, Restorative Therapies and Surgical Solutions.

BVS is seeing double-digit revenue growth in both the Pain Treatments and Surgical Solutions segments, driven by the strong commercial execution of its sales force. Organic sales rose nearly 14% year over year in the second quarter of 2024, continuing a positive trend of double-digit growth. We expect this trend to have continued in the to-be-reported quarter.

Apart from accelerating top-line growth, Bioventus is also improving its profitability by focusing on core businesses that yield higher margins. In this regard, management sold its Wound business last year to LifeNet Health for $85 million. Earlier this month, management also announced its decision to divest the company’s Advanced Rehabilitation business to private equity firm Accelmed Partners for a total cash consideration of $45 million. The deal is expected to be closed by the end of this year.

These divestitures help BVS expand its margins and increase cash flow, which can be used to expand its existing business or reduce its existing leverage. During the second quarter of 2024, adjusted EBITDA increased 22% year over year while adjusted gross margin expanded 180 basis points to 75.8%.

The proceeds from these divestiture deals are also helping BVS in improving its liquidity position. Management has already brought downthe net leverage ratio to less than four — a feat it had originally expected to achieve by this year’s end. Bioventus expects to pay down debt in the quarters ahead and reduce the leverage ratio to less than three times before 2025-end.

Investors would likely seek updates from management on the company’s progress with its liquidity and financial efficiency targets.

A single quarter’s results are not so important for long-term investors. Let us delve deeper to understand whether it would be a prudent move to buy, sell, or hold the stock at present.

BVS Stock Price Performance & Valuation

Year to date, the stock has surged 147.8% against the industry’s 5.9% decline. The stock has also outperformed the sector and the S&P 500. Shares of the company are also currently trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

BVS Stock Outperforms Industry, Sector & S&P 500

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The company is trading at a discount to the industry. Going by the price/sales ratio, the stock currently trades at 1.56, trailing 12-month sales value, lower than 2.06 for the industry.

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Our Investment Thesis on BVS Stock

Management’s focus on three major areas — accelerating top-line growth, boosting profitability and improving liquidity position — seems to be working well for the stock. This three-fold focus has helped BVS expand its presence in the medical products market, which has a large number of players, including J&J (JNJ - Free Report) and Medtronic (MDT - Free Report) .

BVS raised its financial guidance for 2024 twice this year, driven by the strong commercial execution of its sales force. Its net sales are expected to be between $557 million and $567 million in 2024 (compared with the original guidance of $520-$535 million). EPS is expected to be in the range of 36-42 cents compared with the original guidance of 12-20 cents.

Stay Invested in BVS Stock

Bioventus stock is worth adding to one’s portfolio, considering the company’s encouraging execution of its strategic priorities. As the stock currently trades at a discount to the industry, we recommend investors to add this #2 Ranked stock to their portfolio. Any major decline in the company’s share price could be an ideal investment opportunity for long-term investors.


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