Qiagen (NASDAQ: QGEN) reported Q4 EPS of $0.33, $0.01 better than the analyst estimate of $0.32. Revenue for the quarter came in at $349 million versus the consensus estimate of $351.67 million.

"QIAGEN made significant progress in 2015 on initiatives to accelerate innovation and growth, and we are confident these efforts will become more apparent in 2016 and the coming years. Our fourth-quarter performance was in line with our preliminary results announcement on January 10. As outlined, the shortfall was disappointing against our expectations for faster sales and earnings growth, and this weighed on results for 2015. We delivered solid growth in our Academia, Pharma and Applied Testing customer classes, but Molecular Diagnostics was dampened in the second half of the year, and this was mainly due to the timing of national tenders in the third quarter and volatility in the timing of milestones from companion diagnostic partnerships and weaker instrument sales in the fourth quarter," said Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN N.V.

"As we move into 2016, we are committed to accelerating growth by leveraging our portfolio of differentiated products and services designed to enable access to valuable molecular insights. Our growth drivers now account for about one-third of total sales and continue to expand at a double-digit CER pace, and we are making investments to enhance our mid- to long-term growth prospects. These include more commercialization power, in particular for products like QuantiFERON-TB, the modern standard in testing for latent tuberculosis infection that advanced at a 20% CER growth pace in 2015, and to support our opportunities in next-generation sequencing and the commercialization of the GeneReader NGS System, which has received very positive feedback since the recent launch in late 2015. We are also expanding into new emerging markets with dynamic growth potential, especially in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. At the same time, we are moving beyond the headwinds created by declining U.S. sales of the HPV test portfolio for cervical cancer screening, which represented about 3% of total sales in 2015. QIAGEN is on course to achieve the 2016 goals for higher adjusted net sales and earnings, and for accelerating growth in the coming years."

2016 outlook

QIAGEN reaffirms its full-year 2016 expectations (announced in January 2016) for adjusted net sales to rise approximately 6% CER from the current portfolio. This includes anticipated contributions of about one percentage point from the late 2015 acquisition of MO BIO, and also approximately one percentage point of headwind from reduced U.S. HPV test sales. Adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) at CER are expected to rise approximately in line with sales for the full-year 2016 to approximately $1.10-1.11 CER. Based on exchange rates as of February 1, 2016, QIAGEN expects currency movements against the U.S. dollar to have an adverse impact on results at actual rates of approximately three percentage points on full-year 2016 adjusted net sales, and about $0.03 per share on adjusted diluted EPS. These expectations do not take into account any further acquisitions that could be completed in 2016. For the first quarter of 2016, adjusted net sales are expected to rise approximately 2% CER, which includes approximately two percentage points of headwind from reduced U.S. HPV test sales, and for adjusted EPS of approximately $0.19-0.20 CER. Based on exchange rates as of February 1, 2016, QIAGEN expects currency movements to have an adverse impact on first quarter 2016 results at actual rates of approximately four percentage points on adjusted net sales and approximately $0.01 per share on adjusted diluted EPS.

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