Weber shows Shire doubters what's what

In what appeared to be a surprise for both analysts and the company itself, Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502) cleared 100 billion yen ($934 million) in operating profit last fiscal year, notwithstanding the impact of its outsized  acquisition activity.

Takeda had forecast a profit of 10 billion yen, while most analysts had expected a modest loss. Full-year revenues were at 3,291 billion yen, an increase of 57% from the prior fiscal year, which in Japan runs up to March 31.

Takeda, which has been heavily burdened by borrowing from its $62 billion purchase of British rare disease firm Shire, said it was “on track” to pay down debt, putting to bed  fears from some insiders that the company had bitten off more than it could chew.