ROCM Rochester Medical Corp. (MM)

STEWARTVILLE, Minn., Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  Rochester Medical Corporation (NASDAQ:ROCM) today announced operating results for its first quarter ended December 31, 2011.

The Company reported sales of $13,846,000 for the current quarter compared to $10,946,000 for the first quarter of last year. It also reported net loss of $75,000 or ($.01) per diluted share compared to net loss of $169,000 or ($.01) per diluted share for the same quarter of last year.

The 26% increase in sales resulted from a 45% increase in Rochester Medical Direct Sales partially offset by a 20% decrease in Private Label Sales.  The percentages were the same on a constant currency basis which assumes current exchange rates for all periods in order to exclude the impact of foreign exchange variations.

Net income adjusted for certain non-recurring unusual items and certain recurring non-cash expenses, or "Non-GAAP Net Income" for the current quarter was $285,000 or $.02 per diluted share compared to Non-GAAP Net Income of $377,000 or $.03 per diluted share for the first quarter of last year.  The decrease for the current quarter was due to increased gross profit being more than offset by increased expenses primarily related to our expanded sales and marketing efforts.

Commenting on the first quarter, Rochester Medical's CEO and President Anthony J. Conway said, "Our organic Direct Sales are growing nicely, especially where we have our own dedicated sales and marketing personnel. Overall U.S. Direct Sales rose 27% over last year's first quarter with U.S. Acute Care sales rising 31% and U.S. Home Care sales growing at a 27% pace.  These are strong numbers, and they reflect the increasing effectiveness of our U.S. Sales and Marketing team and the growing acceptance of our advanced catheter technology.  The United Kingdom also reported strong 18% Direct Sales growth.  The solid Direct Sales activities were offset by soft Private Label Sales which, as we have noted in the past, can fluctuate significantly in any given quarter due to the timing of orders.  We believe that Private Label Sales for the full fiscal year remain on track.  Direct Sales to International distributors were down somewhat compared to the same period last year.  This too was due to timing of orders to some of our larger distributors, and we expect sales to those distributors to show growth for the full fiscal year.  Overall I am pleased with our first quarter results, and we continue to expect strong Direct Sales growth and stable annualized Private Label Sales going forward."

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will hold a quarterly conference call today to discuss its earnings report.

The call will begin at 3:30 p.m. central time (4:30 p.m. eastern time).

This call is being webcast by Thomson Reuters and can be accessed at Rochester Medical's website at www.rocm.com.  To listen live to the conference call via telephone, call:

Replay will be available for seven days at www.rocm.com or via telephone at:

Individual investors can listen to the call at www.fulldisclosure.com, Thomson Reuters individual investor portal, powered by StreetEvents.  Institutional investors can access the call via Thomson's password-protected event management site, StreetEvents (www.streetevents.com).  

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" with the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the future financial and operating results of Rochester Medical.  Such statements are based on currently available information, operating plans and management's expectations about future events and trends.  Such statements inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in such forward-looking statements, including the uncertainty of estimated revenues and profits, the uncertainty of current domestic and international economic conditions that could adversely affect the level of demand for the Company's products and increased volatility in foreign exchange rates, the uncertainty of market acceptance of new product introductions, and our level of success in increasing  Rochester Medical Direct Sales revenue, the uncertainty of gaining new strategic relationships or locating and capitalizing on strategic opportunities, the uncertainty of timing of Private Label Sales revenues (particularly international customers), FDA and other regulatory review and response times, and other risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports and filings, including, without limitation, the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2011, and reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K.  Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.  The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Rochester Medical has provided Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) in addition to net income (loss) calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) because management believes Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) provides a more consistent basis for comparisons that are not influenced by certain charges and non-cash expenses and are therefore helpful in understanding Rochester Medical's underlying operating results.  Similarly, constant currency represents reported sales with the cost/benefit of currency movements removed.  Management uses the measure to understand the growth of the business on a constant dollar basis, as fluctuations in exchange rates can distort the underlying growth of the business both positively and negatively.  While we recognize that foreign exchange volatility is a reality for a global company, we routinely review our Company performance on a constant dollar basis, and we believe this also allows our shareholders to understand better our Company's growth trends.

Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) and constant currency are not measures of financial performance under GAAP, and should not be considered an alternative to net income or any other measure of performance or liquidity under GAAP. Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) and constant currency are not comparable to information provided by other companies. Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) and constant currency have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitution for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP.  Reconciliations of Net Loss and Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss), and reconciliations of sales under GAAP and sales on a constant currency basis, are presented at the end of this press release.

About Rochester Medical Corporation

Rochester Medical Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets disposable medical catheters and devices for urological and continence care applications.  The Company also sells certain ostomy and wound and scar care products and other brands of urological products into the European marketplace.

For further information, please contact Anthony J. Conway, President and Chief Executive Officer or David A. Jonas, Chief Financial Officer of Rochester Medical Corporation at (507) 533-9600 or Parice Halbert, CFA, at Westwicke Partners (443) 213-0500.  More information about Rochester Medical is available on its website at http://www.rocm.com.

SOURCE Rochester Medical Corporation