Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) posted lower net income in the fourth quarter compared with a year-earlier period. Net income for the medical instruments and supplies company fell to $107 million (7 cents per share) vs. $236 million (15 cents per share) a year earlier. This is a decline of 54.7% from the year earlier quarter. Revenue fell 7.7% to $1.85 billion from the year earlier quarter. Boston Scientific Corporation reported adjusted net income of 13 cents per share. By that measure, the company beat the mean estimate of 8 cents per share. It fell short of the average revenue estimate of $1.91 billion.

“Although we recognize the ongoing challenges of today’s environment, we continue to make progress with new product introductions, cost-saving initiatives and a strengthened presence in emerging markets,” stated Hank Kucheman, Chief Executive Officer of Boston Scientific Corporation.

Competitors to Watch: Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT), St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI), C.R. Bard, Inc. (NYSE:BCR), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK), Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX), AngioDynamics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANGO), and The Spectranetics Corp. (NASDAQ:SPNC).

Cardinal Health Inc. (NYSE:CAH) reported net income above Wall Street’s expectations for the second quarter. Net income for the drug wholesaler rose to $262 million (75 cents per share) vs. $215.4 million (61 cents per share) in the same quarter a year earlier. This marks a rise of 21.6% from the year earlier quarter. Revenue rose 6.8% to $27.1 billion from the year earlier quarter. Cardinal Health Inc. reported adjusted net income of 81 cents per share. By that measure, the company beat the mean estimate of 76 cents per share. Analysts were expecting revenue of $26.89 billion.

“We’re pleased at the strong results of our second quarter and the first half of our fiscal 2012″ said George Barrett, chairman and chief executive officer of Cardinal Health. “Both the Pharmaceutical and Medical segments delivered strong revenue growth in the second quarter, and key areas of strategic focus performed very well. Robust 30 percent profit growth in the Pharmaceutical segment versus the prior year more than offset the anticipated impact of residual commodity cost pressures on Medical segment profit.”

Competitors to Watch: AmerisourceBergen Corp. (NYSE:ABC), McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK), Integra LifeSciences Hldgs. Corp. (NASDAQ:IART), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO), Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX), Covidien plc (NYSE:COV), General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE:CVS), Walgreen Company (NYSE:WAG), and Owens & Minor, Inc. (NYSE:OMI).

To contact the reporter on this story: Derek Hoffman at staff.writers@wallstcheatsheet.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Damien Hoffman at editors@wallstcheatsheet.com

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