Kellogg Cuts Long-Term Outlook as Cereal and Snack Sales Struggle

13 Feb 2015 --- Kellogg Company has reported that fourth quarter comparable net sales decreased by 2.2 percent. Full-year 2014 reported net sales decreased by 1.4 percent to $14.6 billion. Full-year comparable net sales decreased by 2.0 percent. Comparable net sales results exclude the effects of foreign currency translation, acquisitions, dispositions, costs associated with the efficiency-and-effectiveness program (Project K), differences in the number of shipping days, and integration costs.

The reported quarterly operating loss was $422 million; this included a significant non-cash mark-to-market adjustment of $822 million, which was primarily driven by the impact that changes in interest rates had on pension plans; comparable operating profit decreased by 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter. Comparable results for operating profit exclude the effects of foreign currency translation, acquisitions, dispositions, Project K costs, mark-to-market accounting, differences in the number of shipping days, integration costs, and other factors that affect comparability. Full-year reported operating profit decreased by 63.9 percent; this included significant impacts from the effect of mark-to-market adjustments and costs associated with Project K. Full-year comparable operating profit decreased by 3.9 percent.

The reported fourth quarter 2014 net earnings loss was $293 million, or a loss of $0.82 per diluted share; comparable earnings were $0.84 per share; this represented a decrease of 1.2 percent from the fourth quarter of 2013's comparable earnings per share. Reported full-year 2014 net earnings were $632 million, or $1.75 per diluted share; comparable full-year earnings were $3.81 per share, a decrease of 1.0 percent from 2013's comparable earnings per share.

Kellogg North America's reported net sales increased by 2.3 percent in the fourth quarter and decreased by 2.2 percent for the full year. Comparable net sales declined by 3.9 percent for the fourth quarter and by 3.4 percent for the full year. The U.S. Morning Foods segment posted a decrease in comparable net sales of 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter and a decrease of 5.7 percent for the full year. U.S. Snacks posted a decline in comparable net sales of 3.1 percent in the fourth quarter and a decline of 2.4 percent for the full year. The U.S. Specialty Channels business posted a decline in comparable net sales of 1.0 percent in the fourth quarter and a decline of 1.4 percent for the full year. The North America Other business posted comparable net sales growth of 1.3 percent in the fourth quarter and a decline in comparable net sales of 1.8 percent for the full year.

Comparable net sales growth in the Latin American business was 7.2 percent in the fourth quarter; comparable growth for the full year was 3.9 percent. Comparable net sales in our European business decreased by 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter and by 0.7 percent for the full year. The Asia Pacific business posted a decline in comparable net sales of 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter and an increase of 0.7 percent for the full year.

The company issued guidance for comparable net sales in 2015, which are expected to remain approximately unchanged year-over-year. Kellogg expects full-year 2015 comparable operating profit to decrease at a rate between two and four percent; this includes a negative impact of between three and four percentage points from the rebasing of incentive compensation for 2015. Full-year 2015 currency-neutral comparable earnings per share are anticipated to be in a range between two percent lower and approximately unchanged; this estimate also includes a negative impact of between three and four percentage points from the rebasing of incentive compensation for 2015. Guidance for both operating profit and earnings per share excludes the impact of mark-to-market adjustments, 2014's 53rd week, integration costs, costs related to Project K, acquisitions, dispositions, foreign-currency translation, and other items that could affect comparability. Cash flow is expected to be approximately $1.0 billion, which includes the cash required by Project K.

The company also announced that it is making a change to its long-term financial targets. It now expects low-single-digit (one to three percent) comparable annual revenue growth, lower than the previous target of between three and four percent growth. The company's targets for mid-single-digit (four to six percent) annual comparable operating profit growth and high-single-digit (seven to nine percent) annual, currency-neutral comparable earnings per share growth remain unchanged.