Investing

Kraft Foods Earnings Boosted by One-Time Gains

Kraft_foods_logo
Wikimedia Commons
Kraft Foods Group Inc. (NASDAQ: KRFT) reported first-quarter 2014 results after the markets closed Thursday. The packaged food and beverage company posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.78 on revenues of $4.4 billion. In the first quarter of 2013, Kraft reported EPS of $0.76 on revenues of $4.55 billion. The Thomson Reuters estimates for the first quarter called for EPS of $0.76 and $4.45 billion in revenue.

On a GAAP basis, EPS totaled $0.85, which includes $0.07 in one-time benefits.

Operating income rose nearly 12% to $900 million, including one-time benefits of $96 million. The company said that operating would have been flat except for these benefits.

Kraft faces rising commodity prices and increased pricing pressure from private-label brands at many of the grocery stores that have been its mainstays for years. The competition, while nothing especially new, is tougher because consumers looking to save money often choose the private label brand. Higher input prices for everything from cheese to coffee to peanuts puts a lot of pressure on margins.

Kraft did not provide guidance in its news release, but consensus estimates for the second quarter call for EPS of $0.87 on revenues of $4.88 billion and for the full year EPS is estimated at $3.17 on revenues of $18.58 billion.

The company’s CEO said:

We continued to make steady progress during the first quarter of this year. … [W]e’re confident that our focus on brand renovation, marketing excellence and total cost management will drive the profitable growth that both we and our shareholders expect.

Shares closed at $56.69 and ticked down a penny in after-hours trading to $56.68, in a 52-week range of $50.04 to $58.76. Thomson Reuters had a consensus analyst price target of around $58.70 before this report.

ALSO READ: Nine Stocks That Could Double in 2014

Are You Ahead, or Behind on Retirement? (sponsor)

If you’re one of the over 4 Million Americans  set to retire this year, you may want to pay attention.

Finding a financial advisor who puts your interest first can be the difference between a rich retirement and barely getting by, and today it’s easier than ever. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three fiduciary financial advisors that serve your area in minutes. Each advisor has been carefully vetted, and must act in your best interests. Start your search now.

Don’t waste another minute; get started right here and help your retirement dreams become a retirement reality.

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

AI Portfolio

Discover Our Top AI Stocks

Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.

You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.