J&J has a strong finish for 2020 despite pandemic disruption

Johnson & Johnson is reporting a strong finish to the year, overcoming the disruption of the global pandemic in some parts of its business such as medical device sales.

Net income reached USD 1.74 billion, or 65 cents per share in the fourth quarter.

Removing one time charges and costs, the New Brunswick, New Jersey, company's per-share earnings were $1.86, easily surpassing the USD 1.81 Wall Street was looking for, according to a survey of industry analysts by Zacks Investment Research.

The world's biggest maker of health care products posted revenue of USD 22.48 billion also topping analyst projections for USD 21.62 billion.

Johnson & Johnson expects full-year earnings in the range of USD 9.40 to USD 9.60 per share, with revenue in the range of USD 90.5 billion to USD 91.7 billion.

Shares are up about 1.5 per cent before the opening bell Tuesday.