UCB 2014 Profit Rises

Belgian company UCB SA UCBJY reported a 30% gain in its net profit for 2014. UCB's net profit for the year climbed to 209 million euros ($234.39 million), while revenue gained 7% to EUR3.34 billion. Core earnings per share surged to € 1.69 per share from € 1.24 per share. Recurring core profit climbed 14% to 609 million euros in 2014. UCB's sales of Cimzia climbed 34% to 797 million euros, while sales of Vimpat surged 15% to 471 million euros. Sales of Neupro gained 10% to 200 million euros, while sales of Keppra slipped 7% to € 665 million. For 2015, UCB projects revenue in the range of EUR3.55 billion to EUR3.65 billion and core earnings of 1.90 to 2.05 euros per share. The company's board proposed a dividend of € 1.06 per share. "UCB continues its growth path with Cimzia®, Vimpat® and Neupro®, now accounting for 50% of our net sales. We continue to advance and prepare the launches of our next wave of potential new patient solutions: brivaracetam, epratuzumab and romosozumab. At the same time, we are very excited about the progress in our early pipeline," said Jean-Christophe Tellier, CEO UCB. UCB shares gained 1.57% to close at $38.78 yesterday.