WuXi AppTec doubles first-half profit, declares inaugural interim dividend

WuXi AppTec (2359) nearly doubled its net profit to 8.3 billion yuan (HK$9.1 billion) in the first half of this year and declared its first interim dividend of 35 fen.

The Chinese pharmaceutical firm’s revenue for the period also rose by 20.6 percent to 20.8 billion yuan. US-based customers contributed 14 billion yuan of revenue from continuing operations during the period, up by 38.4 percent year-on-year. 

With continuous capacity expansion to better meet customer demand, the backlog for continuing operations reached 56.69 billion yuan as of June 30, up 37.2 percent from 12 months ago, the company said in a filing on Monday. 
The pharmaceutical company has lifted its full-year revenue guideline to 42.5 to 43.5 billion yuan, representing a growth of 13-17 percent from the prior 10–15 percent.