09:00 AM EST, 01/22/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Johnson & Johnson's ( JNJ ) fourth-quarter results topped market expectations while the healthcare products conglomerate anticipates results in 2025 to be higher than the previous year.

The company sees adjusted earnings in a range of $10.50 to $10.70 a share for the 2025 full year, it said Wednesday. Sales, excluding the COVID-19 vaccine, are pegged at $89.2 billion to $90 billion. The consensus on Capital IQ is for normalized EPS of $10.59 and revenue of $90.98 billion. In 2024, the group recorded a 0.6% rise in adjusted EPS to $9.98 while sales moved up 4.3% to $88.82 billion.

The guidance comes after results for the just-ended quarter topped the Street's expectations, although were mixed annually. For the December quarter, adjusted EPS fell to $2.04 from $2.29 the year before, but ahead of the Capital IQ-polled consensus of $2.01. Sales grew 5.3% to $22.52 billion, ahead of the Street's view for $22.44 billion.

Medtech revenue advanced 6.7% to $8.19 billion. The segment's operational sales inclined 7.6%, boosted by electrophysiology products and Abiomed, a cardiovascular medical technology provider acquired in 2022, the firm said.

Innovative medicine sales improved 4.4% to $14.33 billion. Operational revenue, excluding the company's COVID-19 vaccine, climbed 6.5%, driven by products including blood cancer therapy Darzalex and prostate cancer medication Erleada, among others, the presentation showed.

Revenue in the US rose to $13.2 billion from $12.01 billion in the prior-year quarter, while international sales dipped 0.7% to $9.32 billion. Selling, marketing and administrative expenses widened to $6.45 billion from $5.81 billion year-over-year.

"2024 was a transformative year for Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ), marked by strong growth, an accelerating pipeline and industry-leading investments in innovation," Chief Executive Joaquin Duato said in a statement. "With our strong financial foundation, differentiated portfolio and robust pipeline, we are well positioned to sustain the high pace of growth and innovation that is the hallmark of Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ )."