Henry Schein achieves record-breaking first quarter of 2014

Henry Schein has announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2014, which marked a new record for the company.

Its net sales for the three months grew by six percent year on year to $2.4 billion (1.42 million pounds), while its earnings per share (EPS) rose 11.3 percent in the same time frame to $1.18.

The majority of its revenue total was made up by its dental sales, which came to $1.3 billion for the quarter, thanks to strong equipment sales and service revenue in North America and rising international demand for its consumable merchandise.

For the year as a whole, the firm expects diluted EPS to fall within the range of $5.29 to $5.39, up by seven to nine percent compared to 2013.

Stanley Bergman, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Henry Schein, said: "While we believe our US sales in each of our business groups were adversely impacted by weather, we are pleased with our first quarter EPS performance and to be affirming our 2014 financial guidance."

Earlier this year, Henry Schein was named in Fortune Magazine's ranking of the world's most admired companies, marking the 13th consecutive year in which it has achieved this.