General Mills Q1 Profit Falls 16%, But Meets Analysts’ Estimates (GIS)

Before the opening bell on Wednesday, packaged foods manufacturer General Mills, Inc. (GIS) reported that its first quarter profit declined 16% year-over-year, despite an 8% rise in quarterly sales. However, earnings were able to meet Wall Street analysts’ expectations, while sales topped views.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company posted a first quarter net income of $459.3 million, or 70 cents per share, down from the $548.9 million, or 82 cents per share, earned in the same period a year ago. According to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, the company was expected to earn 70 cents per share in the most recent quarter.

General Mills’ first quarter revenues rose to $4.37 billion, up 8% from the $4.05 billion in sales posted in the first quarter last year. On average, analysts were expecting the company to see $4.29 billion in revenues in the quarter.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ken Powell said this performance represented a solid start to the new fiscal year. “In particular, our net sales growth in the quarter reflects a healthy mix of gains from established brands, strong introductory shipments for new products, and contributions from new businesses added to our portfolio. These first-quarter results have us on track to achieve the key financial targets we’ve set for fiscal 2014.”

The company said that sales from new businesses and products contributed 5 percentage points to General Mills’ 8% total sales growth.

Looking forward, the company reaffirmed its fiscal 2014 guidance. General Mills expects revenues to grow in the low single-digits for the year, operating profits to grow in the mid single-digits, and adjusted earnings per share to come in between $2.87 and $2.90. Wall Street analysts expect the company to earn $2.92 per share in fiscal 2014.

General Mills shares were up 32 cents, or 0.64%, during pre-market trading on Wednesday. The stock is up 23.16% year-to-date.