Smith & Nephew (SN.) turned in solid fourth-quarter operating results that were generally in line with our expectations of a steady recovery in underlying demand. We're maintaining our fair value estimate. We also find interesting the timing of S&N's announcement of the retirement of its CEO David Illingworth. With the company surrounded by takeover rumours already, the unexpected departure of Illingworth could provide more fodder for the acquisition chatter. The firms rumoured to be involved are Johnson & Johnson JNJ and privately-held Biomet.
Sales were flat overall, but grew 5% once adjusted for extra selling days. Adjusted for this impact, orthopedics grew 5%, endoscopy at 6%, and advanced wound management at 7%. The firm knocked the ball out of park in knees, with 10% year-over-year growth, well above its peers. The company is grabbing market share in knees following the FDA's approval of its 30-year wear claim for its Verilast technology as well as the success of its direct-to-consumer marketing campaign. Hips, on the other hand, only posted 1% growth, with the overall volume affected by slow Birmingham Hip Resurfacing system sales. Strong results in wound management and endoscopy are in line with our expectations and are a continuation of a trend we've seen during the last few quarters.
On the bottom line, Smith & Nephew also performed admirably, growing its operating margin by 120 basis points to 23.9% (adjusted for a nonrecurring gain) despite some pricing pressure on its product lines. The company continues to benefit from its push into emerging markets, both on the volume and the cost side. S&N's outlook for 2011 generally fell in line with our expectations.
Alex Morozov, CFA is an equity analyst with Morningstar.