Isotope technology firm Eckert & Ziegler in Q3 continued to whittle away at a sales shortfall from a particularly weak first quarter.
The shortfall was driven by weak results in its Radiation Therapy division, owing to the elimination of some low-margin product sales in France, the firm said.
Total sales rose by a modest 3% in the third quarter (end-September 1) to 30.8 million euros ($41.1 million U.S.), compared with 29.9 million euros ($39.9 million U.S.) for the same period in 2012.
Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) rose to 4.5 million euros ($6 million U.S.) in Q3, compared with 4 million euros ($5.3 million U.S.) for the same period last year. However, EBIT fell 19% during the first three quarters of 2013, compared with the same nine-month period last year.
Profit after taxes was 6.2 million euros ($8.3 million U.S.) during the first nine months of 2013, down 12% from the same period in 2012. Profit fell less than EBIT due to lower interest payments, the company said.
Still, the positive trend from this past summer continued with the third-quarter sales increase of 7%, putting the company back on a growth track, Eckert & Ziegler said.
