A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Align Technology (ALGN). Shares have lost about 21.2% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Align Technology due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.
Align Technology delivered fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.44, up 0.8% from the year-ago level. The reported figure topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.4%.
GAAP EPS for the quarter was $1.39, reflecting a decline of 15.2% from $1.64 in the comparable period of 2023.
Full-year adjusted EPS was $9.33, reflecting an 8.4% increase from the 2023 level. The figure surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.1%.
The top line increased 4% year over year to $995.2 million but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.2%. Revenues were favorably impacted by foreign exchange of approximately $0.9 million.
Full-year revenues totaled $4.00 billion, up 3.5% from the 2023 level. The figure was in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
The company has two reportable segments — Clear Aligner, and Imaging Systems and CAD/CAM Services (Systems and Services).
Revenues in the Clear Aligner segment rose 1.6% year over year to $794.3 million.
Clear Aligner revenues had a 0.1% unfavorable foreign exchange impact.
Revenues from Imaging Systems & CAD/CAM Services rose 14.9% to $200.9 million in the reported quarter. The segment, too, witnessed an unfavorable currency impact of 0.1% year over year.
Gross profit in the quarter was $696.9 million, up 4.1% year over year. The gross margin expanded 5 basis points (bps) year over year to 70% despite an increase of 3.9% in the cost of net revenues.
SG&A expenses increased 5.6% to $425 million, while R&D expenses rose 15.5% to $94.9 million.
Operating income totaled $177.1 million, down 4.2% year over year. The operating margin contracted 153 bps to 17.8%.
The company exited the fourth quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $1.04 billion, compared with $937.4 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023.
The cumulative net cash provided by operating activities at the end of 2024 was $738.2 million compared with $785.8 million at the end of 2023.
Currently, $225 million is available for repurchases under ALGN’s $1.0 billion Stock Repurchase Program, authorized in January 2023.
Align Technology provided its financial outlook for full-year 2025. It also provided a guidance for the first quarter of 2025.
For the full year, ALGN expects revenue growth to be in the low single digits, which suggests approximately 2% of unfavorable foreign exchange impact at current spot rates. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues is pegged at $4.19 billion, suggesting 4.8% growth year over year.
The 2025 GAAP operating margin for the full year is anticipated to be approximately 2 basis points above the 2024 level. The 2025 non-GAAP operating margin is expected to be approximately 22.5%.
To support continued expansion, the company expects to invest in the range of $100-$150 million in capital expenditures, primarily related to building construction and improvements and manufacturing capacity.
It turns out, fresh estimates have trended downward during the past month.
The consensus estimate has shifted -15.68% due to these changes.
Currently, Align Technology has an average Growth Score of C, a grade with the same score on the momentum front. Following the exact same course, the stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. Notably, Align Technology has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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