Colgate-Palmolive (CL) Tops Q4 EPS by 1c

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL) reported Q4 EPS of $0.76, $0.01 better than the analyst estimate of $0.75. Revenue for the quarter came in at $4.22 billion versus the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion.

Ian Cook, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented on the fourth quarter results and outlook for 2015, excluding the 2014 and 2013 items noted above, “We are very pleased to have finished the year with strong, broad-based organic sales growth and higher profitability. Operating profit and net income as a percent to sales both increased versus the year ago period.

“All operating divisions contributed to the 6.0% organic sales growth, driven by positive unit volume growth and, in most divisions, higher pricing. Organic sales grew 9.5% in emerging markets, despite economic challenges in certain countries.

“Colgate’s leading global market shares in toothpaste and manual toothbrushes remain strong at 44.5% and 33.4%, respectively, on a year-to-date basis. We continue to make great progress in mouthwash, with our global market share in that category at 16.9% year-to-date, up 10 basis points versus the year ago period.”

In closing, Mr. Cook commented, “As we enter 2015, macroeconomic conditions and foreign exchange volatility remain challenging. Despite that, we anticipate another year of solid organic sales growth driven by a full new product pipeline across all categories and geographies. While our long term goal of double-digit annual earnings per share growth remains unchanged, we continue to see significant deterioration in foreign exchange rates. As a result, we are planning for a year of gross margin expansion and low-single-digit earnings per share growth on a dollar basis, based on current spot rates and excluding charges related to the 2012 Restructuring Program. This earnings per share growth would reflect a double-digit increase on a currency neutral basis.”

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Colgate-Palmolive (CL) click here.

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