QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) announced results of operations for the fourth quarter and full-year 2019.

“QIAGEN’s performance for the fourth quarter and full-year 2019 delivered on the updated outlook we had set for sales growth, and exceeded the targets set for adjusted earnings,” said Thierry Bernard, Interim CEO and Senior Vice President, Head of Molecular Diagnostics Business Area of QIAGEN.

“We continue to focus on attractive growth opportunities from the Life Sciences to Molecular Diagnostics and are determined to make QIAGEN a stronger and more differentiated leader. We have set balanced targets for 2020 that capitalize on growth opportunities in our Sample to Insight portfolio while acknowledging challenges, in particular the weakness in our China business that began in mid-2019 and expectations for a continued reduction in revenues from companion diagnostic co-development projects due to the 2019 changes in our next-generation sequencing strategy. While we are currently seeing an increase in global demand for instruments and consumables that can be used for infectious disease testing for the coronavirus, we remain cautious and have not included it in our outlook for 2020 given the uncertainties and disruptions to macro business trends in China at this time,” Bernard said.

“We have reallocated resources to support business expansion, while also enabling us to set an outlook for adjusted earnings per share to grow at a significantly faster rate than sales growth. This is supported in particular by the decision to discontinue development of our own NGS instruments but also by the efficiency measures and resulting gains that were announced in 2019,” said Roland Sackers, Chief Financial Officer of QIAGEN. “We are reaffirming our commitment to improving operating efficiencies and to maintaining disciplined capital allocation to support growth and increase returns.”

Please find the full press release including financial tables here