Bunge profit tops estimates on grain, oilseed volumes; 2024 outlook intact

By Karl Plume, Mrinalika Roy

(Reuters) -Bunge exceeded Wall Street expectations for third-quarter profit on Wednesday as large global harvests provided the grain trader and processor enough volumes of soy, corn and other crops to blunt a hit from lower margins.

The global grains merchant had expected a profit lift from a spike in crop sales by U.S. farmers, who are harvesting a record soybean crop and their second-largest corn crop ever.

Bunge firmed its 2024 adjusted earnings-per-share outlook to "at least $9.25" from "approximately $9.25" previously as results from its Agribusiness and its Refined and Specialty Oils were better than expected, though down from the same quarter last year.

Shares were down 0.7% at mid-morning at $87.20.

Bunge and agribusiness rivals including Archer-Daniels-Midland Co and Cargill Inc have seen profits decline and margins erode as prices for staple crops like corn and soybeans have slid to near four-year lows.

Quarterly adjusted earnings in Agribusiness, Bunge's largest segment, fell 22% from a year earlier despite a 5.5% rise in sales as weak oilseed processing margins in North America and Asia more than offset better results in South America.

Refined and Specialty Oils adjusted profit dropped 21% amid a 2.4% bump in volumes.

Chief Executive Greg Heckman said the results exceeded expectations.

"We saw shifting margin environments across the globe, with improved margins in some regions offsetting more muted conditions in others," he said.

The results come as Bunge is waiting to close a $34 billion acquisition of Glencore-backed Viterra. Shareholders have approved the deal and Bunge has received conditional clearance from EU regulators, but the company is still waiting on approvals from Canadian and Chinese regulators.

Bunge expects to close the deal by early 2025, Heckman said.

Bunge reported an adjusted profit of $2.29 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with analysts' estimate of $2.15 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.

The company's full-year adjusted profit outlook of "at least $9.25" per share fell short of the $9.43 expected by analysts.

(Reporting by Karl Plume in Chicago and Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai, David Evans and Franklin Paul)

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