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Were the rest of the food retailer’s results any easier to digest?
ConAgra Foods (NYSE:CAG), one of North America’s leading food companies, has admitted to “weak results” whilst announcing financial details for the fiscal 2014 first quarter ended Aug. 25, 2013.
Diluted EPS from continuing operations was $0.33 as reported for the fiscal first quarter, down 46% from $0.61 in the year-ago period.
Excluding $0.04 per diluted share of net expense in the current quarter, and $0.17 of net benefit in the year-ago period, from items impacting comparability, current-quarter diluted EPS from continuing operations of $0.37 was 16% below the comparable $0.44 earned in the year-ago period. Items impacting comparability are summarized toward the end of this release and reconciled for Regulation G purposes on page 10.
Gary Rodkin, ConAgra Foods’ chief executive officer, said that the company’s “first-quarter Consumer Foods volumes were lower than planned due to category and customer challenges. We are revising our merchandising and promotion plans to improve our volume, and we have already begun additional SG&A cost management initiatives that should improve EPS performance as the fiscal year progresses”.
ConAgra’s Consumer Foods segment posted sales of approximately $2 billion and operating profit of $186 million, as reported. Sales declined 2% as reported, which includes 2% contribution from acquisitions, a 3% organic volume decline, and a 1% decline in price/mix.
In a statement the company said that “The sales performance largely reflects difficult conditions for some of the company’s customers, as well as weak results for some categories (including frozen foods) negatively impacted by competitor promotional activity. Significant slotting and promotion related to new product launches weighed on price/mix; that level of concentrated, up-front investment will not be repeated this fiscal year”.
“We still expect to post good EPS growth this fiscal year, and we are confident in our long-term EPS growth and cash flow outlook as the sizeable synergies from Ralcorp are achieved over the next few years” commented Mr Rodkin.
