Companies and Brands

Snack Food Sales Boost Pepsi Earnings

handtocan
courtesy of PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP) reported first-quarter 2014 results before markets opened Thursday. The food and beverage company posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.83 on revenues of $12.62 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $0.77 on revenues of $12.58 billion. First-quarter results also compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $0.75 and $12.4 billion in revenues.

On a constant currency basis, EPS rose 10% on revenue growth of 4%. On a GAAP basis, revenues were flat and EPS was up 15%.

The better-than-expected results are due largely to cost-cutting and higher snack-food sales. Soft drink sales were down 1% in North America and the same amount in Latin America.

ALSO READ: Diet Pepsi Sales Plunge

At the end of the 2013, Pepsi raised its annual dividend from $2.27 a share to $2.62, effective in June. The company reaffirmed its plans to repurchase approximately $5 billion in stock during 2014. The company also reiterated its earlier statement that the combined effect of these programs will return about $8.7 billion to stockholders in 2014.

In its outlook, Pepsi continues to expect to grow adjusted EPS by 7% in 2014 compared with 2013. That translates to EPS of around $4.68. Currency translation effects are expected to have a negative impact of around 3% on 2014 EPS growth.

The company also expects to organic revenue growth in the mid-single digits and productivity savings of $1 billion. Pepsi expects commodity price inflation in the low single-digit range for 2014.

The company’s CEO said:

PepsiCo delivered mid-single-digit organic revenue growth and double-digit core constant currency earnings per share growth, despite ongoing macroeconomic volatility, political instability and other challenging marketplace conditions in a number of our key market. … We remain confident in achieving our financial goals for the full year and believe that we have the right strategies in place to create long-term value for our shareholders.

No word on whether Pepsi is the rumored potential buyer of a stake in SodaStream, but maybe that will be addressed during the conference call.

PepsiCo shares were down about 0.6% in premarket trading, at $81.00 in a 52-week range of $71.50 to $87.06. Thomson Reuters had a consensus analyst price target of around $91.00 before this report.

Want to Retire Early? Start Here (Sponsor)

Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?

Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.

Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.