Campbell Soup (CPB) Misses Q3 EPS by 5c, Updates FY Guidance

(Updated - May 19, 2017 7:18 AM EDT)

Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB) reported Q3 EPS of $0.59, $0.05 worse than the analyst estimate of $0.64. Revenue for the quarter came in at $1.85 billion versus the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion.

GUIDANCE:

Campbell Soup sees FY2017 EPS of $3.04-$3.09, versus the consensus of $3.06.

• Campbell now expects sales to change by -1 to 0 percent (previously 0 to 1 percent)

CEO Comments

Denise Morrison, Campbell’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “While organic sales declined 1 percent in the quarter, the team performed well in a difficult environment, gaining market share in many of our categories and continuing to execute our cost savings program.

“This was a challenging quarter across the food industry as top-line growth remained scarce, especially in center store categories. The industry, including Campbell, experienced significant consumption declines early in the calendar year. These industry trends coincided with weak consumer spending, which was at its lowest growth rate since 2009. While we rebounded with sales growth in March and April, we were unable to offset the earlier declines.

“In this context, Campbell delivered competitive performance. A bright spot in the quarter was our Global Biscuits and Snacks division, which delivered top-line and double-digit bottom-line growth. Looking ahead as we finish the fiscal year, we expect Global Biscuits and Snacks to maintain its positive momentum, and we will also be cycling the C-Fresh protein drink recall from last year.

“We are adjusting our fiscal 2017 guidance, reflecting our performance in the quarter, the difficult operating environment and our outlook for the remainder of the year. We lowered our sales outlook by one percentage point to a range of -1 to 0 percent. We raised our expectations for adjusted EBIT and adjusted EPS, increasing the low end of both ranges to 2 to 4 percent and 3 to 5 percent, respectively. Despite the challenges on the top line, we expect that we will be able to offset the impact of lower sales with our ongoing cost-savings efforts, which are ahead of our expectations for the fiscal year.”

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Campbell Soup (CPB) click here.

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