AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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But given our commitment to that dividend, we’re going to continue growing it. We’ll likely see it step up from here, but not at the same rate as earnings growth because that payout ratio right now will be sitting in. So that’s the way we think about it. Over the long term, we want to deliver a healthy, sustainable, growing dividend. And so we have a long view on this, and we are committed to delivering that growth to investors. And so that’s the way we’re thinking about it. We’re going through a period of a couple of years here where earnings aren’t growing. And then we see us return a robust growth, we’ll step up that dividend again, but it’s — that’s a dynamic that we’re balancing here.

Operator: Our last question comes from [Jon Hung] with UBS.

Unidentified Analyst: I’ve got two. Just one confirmation on the trough and then one on aesthetics. So — on the trough in ’24, you mentioned that costs you will have the same margin in ’24 is ’23. So is it going to be a trough year on sales rather than the trough being driven by costs? And then second, again, just lots of noise on GLP-1s impacting aesthetics. You’ve commented before on fillers and Ozempic face in the past, but there’s potential impact on body scope in — is this actually anything that you’re seeing coming through yet in the sales? And overall, is this trend a net positive or a net negative for you?

Rob Michael : This is Rob. So clearly, we’ve communicated a floor for earnings. And Scott previously mentioned that I expect a similar level of operating margin year-over-year. And so you can model the sales accordingly. It should be fairly clear.

Rick Gonzalez : Operating margin profile.

Rob Michael : Operating margin profile, yes. So we said the 46% to 47% is the way to think about operating margin profile in ’23 and ’24. We’ve given you the $11 EPS ex IPR&D as a floor for next year. So I was just using those parameters to model revenue. .

Rick Gonzalez : Carrie?

Carrie Strom : And this is Carrie. For your question around the weight loss products and the impact on the aesthetics business, I mean as we look at the long-term view of this market, we continue to think that anything that gets a subset of patients engaged in their appearance, which these weight loss products can do, that is a positive tailwind for our business. And we hear that from our customers and many of our customers are bringing these GLP-1s into their practice, and they see it as a natural opportunity to cross-sell. Now that said, in the short term, especially in an environment where discretionary spending is pressured and there could be trade-offs for higher-priced products such as fillers or body contouring. Now we’re not necessarily seeing that as a driver.

Right now, what we’re seeing is the broader macroeconomic dynamics. But in the short term, that could be a trade-off in terms of share of wallet. But absolutely long term, this is something that is going to help patients get engaged in aesthetics and be an opportunity for cross-selling.

Liz Shea : And that concludes today’s conference call. If you’d like to listen to a replay of the call, please visit our website at investors.abbvie.com. Thanks again for joining us. .

Operator: Thank you, and that concludes today’s conference. You may all disconnect at this time.

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