Weak consumer sales and flat medical device and diagnostics sales didn't
stop Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) from trouncing analyst estimates Tuesday--or from raising its guidance
for the year. A lineup of hot new meds powered the drug giant's first-quarter
performance, helping pharma sales climb nearly 11% to $7.5 billion.
Overall, those pharma sales pushed J&J's revenue haul up 3.5% to $18.1
billion; that, in turn, took earnings up to $1.54 per share excluding special
items, topping the $1.48 per share that analysts forecast, according to Thomson
Reuters.