Martek Announces Third Quarter 2009 Financi...( ...),Health

COLUMBIA, Md., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martek Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK) today announced its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2009. Revenues for the third quarter were $77.8 million, down 12% from $88.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2008. Net income was $8.9 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, for the third quarter of fiscal 2009, a 4% decrease compared with $9.3 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, in last year's third quarter.

Commenting on the quarter, Chief Executive Officer Steve Dubin said, "Martek's third quarter 2009 financial results benefited from a 41% quarter over quarter increase in non-infant formula product sales, a 220 basis point gross margin improvement from last year, and our cost control efforts, but, as anticipated and disclosed at the time of our second quarter earnings press release, we were negatively impacted by de-stocking of inventory by certain of our infant formula customers. Despite some continuing effects of this customer de-stocking, I expect a strong fourth quarter for both revenues and earnings. Looking forward to 2010, the de-stocking issue should be behind us and our growing non-infant formula business coupled with an expected resumption in growth in our infant formula business should lay a solid foundation for 2010."

Revenue Summary

Product sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 decreased to $75.0 million from $83.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2008. The revenue decline in the current year's third quarter was caused by the previously announced de-stocking of inventory by certain infant formula customers. The effect of the de-stocking was partially offset by record non-infan
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