Companies and Brands

PepsiCo Tops Estimates, Guides 2013 In-Line

Pepsi Corporate Headquarters, Purchase, NY
Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP) reported fourth-quarter and full-year 20122 results before markets opened this morning.

For the quarter, the food and beverage company posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.09 on revenues of $19.95 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $1.15 on revenues of $20.16 billion. This morning’s results also compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $1.05 and $19.7 billion in revenues.

On a GAAP basis, EPS for the quarter totaled $1.06, which excludes a tax benefit of $0.14 a share and an equal amount of pension and other charges.

For the full year, PepsiCo reported EPS of $4.10, slightly ahead of estimates for EPS of $4.07. Full-year revenues totaled $65.49 billion, again slightly ahead of the consensus estimate of $65.31 billion.

The company guided 2013 EPS to 7% above the $4.10 the firm earned this year. That calculates to about $4.39 a share, which is just under the consensus estimate of $4.40. PepsiCo expects low single-digit inflation in commodity prices.

The company’s CEO said:

We also took a number of significant steps in 2012 that will even better position our business for sustainable, long-term growth; we increased our brand investment, stepped up our innovation, improved our marketplace execution and embarked on an aggressive productivity program that will contribute to our profitability and act as a funding source of future investment.

PepsiCo raised its current annual dividend of $2.15 to $2.27 and expects to return $6.4 billion to shareholders during 2013 in the form of dividends and share buybacks. The company also announced a new three-year $10 billion share repurchase plan that will become effective in July.

PepsiCo’s shares are up nearly 2% in premarket trading, having closed last night at $71.50 in a 52-week range is $62.15 to $73.66. Thomson Reuters had a consensus analyst price target of around $76.40 before today’s report.

Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor

Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.