Today, I’m sitting in the press room at the company’s Medical Devices & Diagnostics and Consumer Business Review. The title of this event is a bit of a mouthful, but then again, what’s being served up today is a generous serving of the Johnson & Johnson pie.
In fact, the businesses being discussed comprise about 59% of the company’s sales in 2007 - or about $36.2 billion dollars.
Some highlights are touched on in a press release that was issued this AM (and you can also listen in on the webcast if you'd like), but for the rest of this morning - and on into this afternoon -- business leaders from the consumer, medical devices and diagnostics businesses will talk about the current state of their businesses and what’s on the burner for tomorrow.
As Chief Financial Officer Dominic Caruso outlined all of the company’s businesses to set the tone for today, I was struck once again by the breadth of Johnson & Johnson. Through it's operating companies, Johnson & Johnson is the largest medical technology business in the world, the sixth largest pharmaceutical company, the third largest biotech company, the world’s largest seller of over-the-counter medicines and sells some of the most well-known consumer brands in the world - including many that are more than 100 years old.
It is perhaps that breadth of business that has helped the company to consistently increase sales over the past 75 years, post earnings increases consistently over the past 24 years, and increase its dividend over the past 46 years -- all points that Dominic touched on this AM.