SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SCLN)

[mlkrborn]

Spiked on stronger revenues and profit margin; Shorties getting pounded!
SciClone Q4 beats estimates, sees strong 2012




Tue Mar 13, 2012 6:06pm EDT

(Reuters) - SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc (SCLN.O) posted better-than-expected quarterly results, helped by a widened product portfolio boosted by its NovaMed acquisition, and growth in sales of its key drug Zadaxin.

For 2012, the company forecast adjusted earnings per share of 72 cents to 78 cents, on revenue of $165 million to $170 million.

Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings of 43 cents a share on revenue of $168 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Fourth-quarter net income was $12.4 million, or 21 cents a share, compared with $3.8 million, or 8 cents a share, a year ago.

Excluding items, the company earned 20 cents a share.

Total revenue rose 75 percent to $41.4 million.

Analysts, on average, had expected earnings of 12 cents a share, on revenue of $40.4 million.

Foster City, California-based SciClone's shares were up 9 percent at $5.71 in aftermarket trade. They had closed at $5.24 on Tuesday on the Nasdaq.

(Reporting by Kavyanjali Kaushik in Bangalore; Editing by Supriya Kurane)