Investment Thesis
- Benefits from an Australian tax incentive are possible. The patent box tax regime for medical technology and biotechnology, if legislation is successfully passed, should encourage the development of advancement in Australia by taxing corporate income derived from patents at a concessional effective corporate tax rate of 17 percent, with the concession applicable from income years beginning on or after 1 July 2022.
- Attractive market dynamics – growing population requiring hearing aids, improved health in EM allowing for greater access to devices such as hearing aids, and a relatively emerging real estate market. There is still a significant, unmet, and configurable clinical need for cochlear and acoustic implants, which is expected to underpin COH’s longterm sustainable growth.
- Positions of global market leadership.
- Direct-to-consumer marketing is anticipated to accelerate market growth.
- Best-in-class R&D programme (significant monetary investment), resulting in the continuous development of new products and upgrades to the existing suite of products.
- New product launches are fueling ongoing demand across all segments.
- Attractive exposure to Chinese, Indian, and, more recently, Japanese growth.
- A strong balance sheet position.
Key Risks
- Recall of a product
- In China, a persistent coronavirus outbreak is delaying the resumption of hospital operations.
- The R&D programme fails to produce innovative products.
- Intensification of competitive pressures.
- Modifications to the government’s reimbursement policy.
- The AUD/USD has experienced negative movement.
- The emerging market does not recover – this has a significant negative impact on earnings.
Key Results FY21 Highlights
- Sales revenue of $1,493 million was up 10%, or 19% in constant currency (CC), driven by market share gains, market growth, and rescheduled surgeries following Covid lockdowns. Sales revenue increased by 6% (CC) over the previous fiscal year, which was unaffected by the pandemic.
- Implant units increased by 15% to 36,456 (up 20% in developed markets and 10% in emerging markets). Implant units increased by 7% over the previous fiscal year.
- The underlying net profit increased by 54% to $237 million, falling within the $225-$245 million range.
- The underlying net profit margin of 16 percent was higher than the 11 percent margin achieved in FY20, but it fell short of COH’s longerterm target of 18 percent.
- Statutory NPAT of $327 million (includes $59 million in patent litigationrelated tax and other benefits and $31 million in aftertax innovation fund gains).
- The Board declared a final dividend of $1.40 per share, bringing full-year dividends to $2.55 per share, an increase of +59 percent, and a payout ratio of 71 percent of underlying net profit, in line with COH’s target payout of 70 percent.
- COH’s balance sheet position persists, with net cash of $564.6 million at year end, up from $457 million in FY20.
Company Profile
Cochlear Ltd (COH) researches, develops and markets cochlear implant systems for hearing impaired people. COH’s hearing implant systems include Nucleus and Baha and are sold globally. COH has direct operations in 20 countries and 2,800 employees.
General Advice Warning
Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.