Dentsply reports record results for 2012

Dentsply has announced its financial results for the fourth and final quarter of 2012, during which it maintained its recent strong growth and rounded off a record-breaking year for the company.

Net sales for the three months ending on December 31st 2012 came to a landmark total of $753.3 million (492.99 million pounds), up by 2.1 percent on Q4 2011, while its full-year sales rose by 15.4 percent to a best-ever $2.9 billion.

Over the course of the year, the firm was able to improve its leverage ratios and expects to be able to explore new acquisitions in 2013, alongside further debt reduction efforts and return of cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

Dentsply has anticipated that it will continue to benefit from dental sector growth in 2013, which will bolster its annual earnings to between $2.38 to $2.48 per share.

Bret Wise, chairman and chief executive officer at Dentsply, said: "We are pleased to report another record quarter … Dentsply continues to innovate and grow above the rate of the global dental consumable market and deliver on its capital deployment plans."

The company sells its products in more than 120 countries worldwide and has become one of the largest professional dental products companies in the world since its foundation in 1899.