• Q1 revenue of $138.1 million ($140.0 million in constant currency), up 6.6% as reported, up 8.0% on a comparable, constant currency basis
• Q1 non-GAAP EPS was $0.19; GAAP EPS was $0.10
• Q1 2016 non-GAAP gross margin was 45.9%, compared to 44.9% in Q1 2015; Q1 2016 GAAP gross margin was 43.5%, compared to 42.7% for Q1 2015

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah, April 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI), a leading manufacturer and marketer of proprietary disposable devices used primarily in cardiology, radiology and endoscopy, today announced sales of $138.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, an increase of 6.6% over sales of $129.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2015.  On a constant currency basis, sales for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 would have been up 8% over sales for the comparable quarter of 2015.

Merit’s non-GAAP net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 was $8.3 million, or $0.19 per share, up 5.4% compared to $7.9 million, or $0.18 per share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2015.  Merit’s GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2016 was $4.4 million, or $0.10 per share, compared to $5.2 million, or $0.12 per share, for the first quarter of 2015.   

Revenues from Merit's core and endoscopy business grew 6.2% and 15.0%, respectively, for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, compared to the corresponding period of 2015.

Merit’s sales by category for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2015, were as follows:

* The year-over-year sales decrease in inflation devices can be attributed primarily to reduced sales to a large OEM customer and two large distributors.

“The first three months of 2016 were very eventful and we believe will have a positive impact on Merit for many years to come,” said Fred P. Lampropoulos, Merit’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  “We closed a transaction in early February with CryoLife, Inc. to acquire the HeRO®Graft product line.  We are operating ahead of our plan, with HeRO sales ahead of our 9% forecast and manufacturing commencing two months ahead of schedule at our South Jordan facility.  We plan to introduce the Super HeRO™ in the next few months.”

“Our new facility in Mexico reached the point of break-even operations in March,” Lampropoulos said.  “A few new product lines were transferred there in early April, which we believe will continue to support our plan of gross margin improvement.”

“Our new direct sales operation in Australia is performing ahead of schedule, and our new direct operation in Canada commenced April 1,” Lampropoulos continued.  “With the recent approval of the Corvocet™ Biopsy System, product line extensions in our One-Step™ Centesis line and Elation® Balloon Dilators, and several other planned introductions, we look forward to reporting our progress in the future.”

“Finally, on a subject difficult to discuss, a major disruption of a competitor has created substantial opportunity for us,” Lampropoulos added.  “We do not intend to comment further on this situation until our second quarter report.  It is our hope, however, that this worthy competitor is able to regain its footing as soon as possible.” 

CONFERENCE CALL
Merit will hold its investor conference call (conference ID 78059341) today, Thursday, April 28, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern (4:00 p.m. Central, 3:00 p.m. Mountain, and 2:00 p.m. Pacific).  The telephone numbers to call are (domestic) 877-313-5341 and (international) 253-336-8671.  A live webcast will also be available for the conference call at merit.com.

Although Merit’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles which are generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), Merit’s management believes that certain non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with useful information regarding the underlying business trends and performance of Merit’s ongoing operations and can be useful for period-over-period comparisons of such operations.  The following table sets forth supplemental financial data and corresponding reconciliations to GAAP financial statements for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2016 and 2015. Readers should consider these non-GAAP measures in addition to, not as a substitute for, financial reporting measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures exclude some, but not all, items that may affect Merit's net income. Additionally, these calculations may not be comparable with similarly titled measures of other companies.  The constant currency revenue adjustment of $1.9 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 was calculated using the average foreign exchange rates for the first quarter of 2015. The non-GAAP income adjustments referenced in the following table do not reflect stock-based compensation expense of approximately $624,000 and approximately $520,000 for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

(a) Reflects the tax effect of the non-GAAP adjustments.
(b) Represents abandoned patents.
(c) Represents non-recurring costs related to acquisitions.
(d) Represents changes in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities and contingent receivables as a result of acquisitions.

ABOUT MERIT
Founded in 1987, Merit Medical Systems, Inc. is engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional and diagnostic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology and endoscopy.  Merit serves hospitals, acute care facilities and clinics worldwide, with a domestic and international sales force totaling approximately 200 individuals.  Merit employs approximately 3,900 people worldwide with facilities in South Jordan, Utah; Pearland, Texas; Richmond, Virginia; Malvern, Pennsylvania; Rockland, Massachusetts; Maastricht and Venlo, The Netherlands; Paris, France; Galway, Ireland; Beijing and Hong Kong, China; Tijuana, Mexico; Joinville, Brazil; Markham, Ontario, Canada, and Melbourne, Australia.

Statements contained in this release which are not purely historical, including, without limitation, statements regarding Merit's forecasted revenues, net income, financial results or anticipated acquisitions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to Merit's potential inability to successfully manage growth through acquisitions, including the inability to commercialize assets acquired through completed, proposed or future transactions; product recalls and product liability claims; expenditures relating to research, development, testing and regulatory approval or clearance of Merit's products and risks that such products may not be developed successfully or approved for commercial use; greater governmental scrutiny and regulation of the medical device industry; reforms to the 510(k) process administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; compliance with governmental regulations and administrative procedures; potential restrictions on Merit's liquidity or its ability to operate its business in compliance with its current debt agreements; possible infringement of Merit's technology or the assertion that Merit's technology infringes the rights of other parties; the potential of fines, penalties or other adverse consequences if Merit's employees or agents violate the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other laws and regulations; laws targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry; potential for significant adverse changes in, or failure to comply with, governing regulations; the effect of changes in tax laws and regulations in the United States or other countries; increases in the prices of commodity components; negative changes in economic and industry conditions in the United States and other countries; termination or interruption of relationships with Merit's suppliers, or failure of such suppliers to perform; fluctuations in Euro and GBP exchange rates; Merit's need to generate sufficient cash flow to fund its debt obligations, capital expenditures, and ongoing operations; concentration of Merit's revenues among a few products and procedures; development of new products and technology that could render Merit's existing products obsolete; market acceptance of new products; volatility in the market price of Merit's common stock; modification or limitation of governmental or private insurance reimbursement policies; changes in health care markets related to health care reform initiatives; failure to comply with applicable environmental laws; changes in key personnel; work stoppage or transportation risks; uncertainties associated with potential healthcare policy changes which may have a material adverse effect on Merit; introduction of products in a timely fashion; price and product competition; availability of labor and materials; cost increases; fluctuations in and obsolescence of inventory; and other factors referred to in Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and other materials filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to Merit or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Actual results will likely differ, and may differ materially, from anticipated results. Financial estimates are subject to change and are not intended to be relied upon as predictions of future operating results, and Merit assumes no obligation to update or disclose revisions to those estimates.

Contact: Anne-Marie Wright, Vice President, Corporate Communications
Phone: (801) 208-4167  e-mail: awright@merit.com  Fax: (801) 253-1688

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