Third-quarter highlights
- Sales amounted to EUR 5.0 billion, with 10% comparable sales growth
- Comparable order intake increased 3% excluding the partial termination of the ventilator contract with HHS*); reported comparable order intake declined 18%
- Income from continuing operations increased to EUR 341 million, compared to EUR 211 million in Q3 2019
- Adjusted EBITA margin increased to 15.4% of sales, compared to 12.4% of sales in Q3 2019
- Income from operations improved to EUR 476 million, compared to EUR 320 million in Q3 2019
- EPS from continuing operations (diluted) amounted to EUR 0.37; Adjusted EPS increased to EUR 0.60, compared to EUR 0.46 in Q3 2019
- Operating cash flow improved to EUR 770 million, compared to EUR 356 million in Q3 2019
Frans van Houten, CEO:
“It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and our teams remain fully focused on delivering against our triple duty of care: meeting critical customer needs, safeguarding the health and safety of our employees, and ensuring business continuity.
I am pleased that, under challenging circumstances, we have been able to execute our plans and return to growth and improved profitability for the Group in the third quarter. Driven by the successful conversion of the Connected Care order book for patient monitors and ventilators, and a robust rebound of demand for our Personal Health portfolio, Philips recorded a strong 10% comparable sales growth and delivered an Adjusted EBITA margin improvement of 300 basis points to 15.4%.
The Connected Care businesses delivered a very strong 42% comparable sales growth, and our Personal Health businesses delivered a healthy 6% comparable sales growth. I am encouraged by the performance improvement of our Diagnosis & Treatment businesses to a low-single-digit comparable sales decline from a high-single-digit decline in the previous quarter.
In August, we provided the update that Philips’ April 2020 hospital ventilator contract with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had been unexpectedly partially terminated. As a result, we recorded a comparable order intake decline for the Group of 18%. Excluding this partial termination, comparable order intake grew 3%, further building on the solid growth in the previous quarters.
The work we are doing to support healthcare providers and medical staff with the provision of both COVID-19 and regular care remains a top priority for all of us at Philips. In close collaboration with our suppliers and partners, we have steeply ramped up the production volumes of products and solutions to help diagnose, treat, monitor and manage COVID-19 patients. We introduced a new Rapid Equipment Deployment Kit for ICU ramp-ups, allowing hospital staff to quickly deploy patient monitoring capabilities when additional critical care capacity is needed. To enhance patient care and improve care provider productivity, Philips entered into 11 long-term strategic partnerships with hospitals in the US, Europe and Asia. We announced a new multi-year partnership with Tampa General Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the US, to replace all of its patient monitors and upgrade key imaging technologies in the catheterization laboratories and interventional radiology rooms. We will also provide this hospital with unique workflow solutions and operational performance management services.
Looking ahead, we continue to see uncertainty and volatility related to the impact of COVID-19 across the world, but our order book remains solid. For the full year 2020, we continue to expect to deliver modest comparable sales growth, with an Adjusted EBITA margin of around the level of last year.”