Dividends – TheNewsHub https://thenewshub.in Fri, 18 Oct 2024 16:12:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 Procter & Gamble earnings beat estimates, but weak demand in China hurts sales https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/18/procter-gamble-earnings-beat-estimates-but-weak-demand-in-china-hurts-sales/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/18/procter-gamble-earnings-beat-estimates-but-weak-demand-in-china-hurts-sales/?noamp=mobile#respond Fri, 18 Oct 2024 16:12:57 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/18/procter-gamble-earnings-beat-estimates-but-weak-demand-in-china-hurts-sales/

Procter & Gamble on Friday reported weaker-than-expected revenue as lower demand in China again weighed on its sales.

The company’s organic sales in Greater China, its second-largest market, fell 15% in the fiscal first quarter. As home prices drop and jobless rates rise in the country, shoppers have pulled back their spending, hurting P&G’s sales for shampoo, diapers and other consumer staples.

While executives maintained their confidence in China long term, demand isn’t expected to recover for at least several more quarters.

“The market continues to be weak and will be weak, we believe, for a number of quarters to come,” CFO Andre Schulten said on a call with the press.

P&G’s outlook for China didn’t take into account the Chinese government’s recently announced plans to boost the country’s economy.

Shares of the company fell roughly 1% in morning trading.

Here’s what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: $1.93 adjusted vs. $1.90 expected
  • Revenue: $21.74 billion vs. $21.91 billion expected

P&G’s net sales dropped 1% to $21.74 billion. Organic revenue, which strips out foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestitures, rose 2%, helped by higher prices.

The company reported flat volume for the quarter. The metric excludes pricing, which makes it a more accurate reflection of demand than sales. Like many consumer companies, P&G has seen demand for its products fall after several years of price hikes. Last quarter was the first time in more than two years that its volume increased.

In the U.S., P&G’s volume grew in eight of its 10 categories, and the company isn’t seeing any trade down to private-label products, Schulten said.

But it’s a different story in Greater China, which saw its organic sales worsen compared with the prior quarter. The company called out volume declines in China for both its hair care and oral care segments. Still, Greater China accounts for less than 10% of P&G’s revenue.

“The issues around Asia and execution are pretty minimal compared to some of the other rough spots that the company’s gone through in the past,” said Charles Rinehart, chief investment officer of Johnson Investment Counsel, a longtime shareholder in Procter & Gamble.

P&G’s beauty business, which includes brands like Pantene and Olay, saw volume fall 2% in the quarter. In particular, its skin care segment struggled, with organic sales tumbling more than 20%. P&G blamed the steep decline on lower volume and decreased sales of its pricey SK-II brand, which has struggled ever since pandemic lockdowns. Anti-Japanese sentiment in China has been the latest challenge for the brand; last year, SK-II sales took a hit as Chinese consumers boycotted the brand, fearing that Japan’s release of treated radioactive waste would contaminate the products.

Both P&G’s health care and baby, feminine and family care divisions reported 1% declines in volume for the quarter. But its baby care segment, which includes Pampers diapers, had an even worse quarter, with its organic sales falling by mid-single digits. As the global birth rate continues to drop, P&G has turned to pushing consumers to buy more expensive baby care items, like its Pampers Premium diapers, to grow sales. But that strategy can’t always make up for declining volume.

P&G’s grooming division, which includes Gillette and Venus, reported 4% volume growth. The company credited innovation for its strong performance.

The company’s fabric and home care business saw volume rise 1% in the quarter. The division includes Swiffer, Febreze and Tide products.

P&G reported fiscal first-quarter net income attributable to the company of $3.96 billion, or $1.61 per share, down from $4.52 billion, or $1.83 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding restructuring charges and other items, the company earned $1.93 per share.

P&G reiterated its fiscal 2025 forecast. It anticipates core net earnings per share in a range of $6.91 to $7.05 and revenue growth of 2% to 4%.

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Walgreens says it will close 1,200 stores by 2027, as earnings top estimates https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/15/walgreens-says-it-will-close-1200-stores-by-2027-as-earnings-top-estimates/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/15/walgreens-says-it-will-close-1200-stores-by-2027-as-earnings-top-estimates/?noamp=mobile#respond Tue, 15 Oct 2024 20:10:50 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/15/walgreens-says-it-will-close-1200-stores-by-2027-as-earnings-top-estimates/

A sign sits in front of a Walgreens store on November 10, 2023 in Wheeling, Illinois. 

Scott Olson | Getty Images

Walgreens on Tuesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter sales and adjusted profit that beat Wall Street’s expectations, as the company slashes costs in an attempt to steer itself out of a rough spot.

The retail drugstore chain also said it plans to close roughly 1,200 stores over the next three years, which includes 500 in fiscal 2025 alone. The company said those closures will be “immediately accretive” to its adjusted earnings and free cash flow.

Walgreens has around 8,700 locations in the U.S., a quarter of which it says are unprofitable. 

Those closures will give Walgreens a “healthier store base” and “will enable us to respond to shifts in consumer behavior and buying preferences,” the company’s CEO Tim Wentworth said during an earnings call on Tuesday. He added that Walgreens aims to employ the majority of the workforce affected by the closures, though it is unclear how many employees stand to lose their jobs.

The company’s shares closed more than 15% higher on Tuesday.

The results cap a rocky fiscal 2024 for Walgreens, which is grappling with pharmacy reimbursement pressure, softer consumer spending and challenges related to its push into primary care, among other issues. The company on Tuesday said it surpassed its target of cutting $1 billion in costs during fiscal 2024, which included shuttering underperforming stores, laying off employees and using artificial intelligence to make its supply chain more efficient, among other efforts. 

Most of the benefits of the cost cuts came in the company’s U.S. retail pharmacy segment, Walgreens CFO Manmohan Mahajan said during the call.

In June, Walgreens said it intends to close a “significant” number of its underperforming stores by 2027. Tuesday’s announcement appears to be the company’s first exact estimate of how many locations it will shutter.

Here’s what Walgreens reported for the three-month period ended Aug. 31 compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: 39 cents adjusted vs. 36 cents expected
  • Revenue: $37.55 billion vs. $35.76 billion expected

Walgreens booked sales of $37.55 billion for the quarter, up 6% from the same period a year ago. 

The company reported a net loss of $3 billion, or $3.48 per share, for the fiscal fourth quarter. That reflects a so-called valuation allowance meant to reduce the company’s deferred tax assets mainly related to opioid settlements. 

It compares with a net loss of $180 million, or 21 cents per share, for the year-earlier period.

More CNBC health coverage

Excluding certain items, adjusted earnings were 39 cents per share for the quarter. 

The fourth-quarter and full fiscal-year results “reflected our disciplined execution on cost management, working capital initiatives and capex reduction,” Wentworth, who stepped into the role nearly a year ago, said in a release.

The company’s guidance for fiscal 2025 was in line with analysts’ expectations. Walgreens expects growth in its U.S. health-care and international segments, which will be offset by a decline in its retail pharmacy segment. 

The company is engaged in a “multi-year process of reframing our relationship” with pharmacy benefit managers, which negotiate drug rebates on behalf of health plans and reimburse pharmacies for prescription drugs, Wentworth said during the call. Walgreens hopes that will help improve margins in its pharmacy business. 

Walgreens anticipates adjusted earnings per share of $1.40 to $1.80 in the coming fiscal year. Analysts project an adjusted profit of $1.75 per share, according to LSEG. 

The company also sees revenue for the year at $147 billion to $151 billion. Wall Street analysts estimate sales of $147.3 billion. 

Growth across all three business units

Walgreens reported growth across its three business divisions in the fiscal fourth quarter. 

Sales from the company’s U.S. health-care unit jumped to $2.11 billion, up 7.1% compared with the same period a year ago. 

Analysts had expected sales of $2.10 billion, according to estimates compiled by StreetAccount.

That partly reflects growth in primary-care provider VillageMD and specialty pharmacy company Shields Health Solutions. Shields sales jumped 27.8% during the period, which the company attributed to growth within existing partnerships.

Specialty pharmacies are designed to deliver medications with unique handling, storage and distribution requirements, often for patients with complex conditions such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.

Notably, Walgreens posted a steep net loss in the fiscal second quarter as it recorded a hefty nearly $6 billion charge related to the decline in value of its investment in VillageMD. In August, the company said in a securities filing it is considering a sale of the provider.

A sign advertises Covid vaccine shots at a Walgreens Pharmacy in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Aug. 14, 2023.

Brian Snyder | Reuters

Walgreens’ U.S. retail pharmacy segment generated $29.47 billion in sales in the fiscal fourth quarter, an increase of 6.5% from the same period last year. Analysts had expected sales of $28.09 billion, according to estimates compiled by StreetAccount.

That segment operates the company’s drugstores, which sell prescription and nonprescription drugs as well as health and wellness, beauty, personal care, and food products.  

Walgreens said pharmacy sales for the quarter rose 9.6% and comparable pharmacy sales increased 11.7% compared with the year-earlier period due to price inflation in brand medications, among other factors. 

Total prescriptions filled in the quarter including vaccines came to 302 million, a 1.7% increase from the same period a year ago. Notably, falling reimbursement rates for prescription drugs cut into pharmacy margins, the company said. 

Retail sales fell 3.5% from the prior-year quarter, and comparable retail sales declined 1.7%. The company cited a “challenging” retail environment, among other factors. 

Walgreens’ international unit, which operates more than 3,000 retail stores abroad, posted $5.97 billion in sales in the fiscal fourth quarter. That’s an increase of 3.2% from the year-ago period.

Analysts expected revenue of $5.81 billion for the period, according to StreetAccount. 

The company said sales from its U.K.-based drugstore chain, Boots, increased 2.3%. 

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