Colgate-Palmolive tops estimates in latest quarter

Ciara Linnane - finance.yahoo.com Posted 5 years ago

Colgate-Palmolive Co. said Friday it had net income of $560 million, or 65 cents a share, in the first quarter, down from $634 million, or 72 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Adjusted per-share earnings came to 67 cents, ahead of the 66 cents FactSet consensus. Sales fell 3% to $3.884 billion, a whisker ahead of the $3.862 billion FactSet consensus. Gross profit margins fell to 58.9% from 60.2%. Global unit volume rose 1%, as pricing increased 2%. The company's share of the global toothpaste market stood at 41.7% year-to-date. "As we look ahead, based on current spot rates, we continue to expect 2019 net sales to be flat to up low-single-digits, with organic sales growth of 2% to 4% as we continue to plan for increased investment behind our brands, higher pricing and strong innovation, led by the relaunches of Colgate Total and Hill's Science Diet and our continued focus on naturals," Chief Executive Noel Wallace said in a statement. The company is expecting full-year EPS to be down in the low-single-digits and for adjusted EPS, excluding charges from a restructuring program, to be down in the mid-single-digits. Shares rose 1.1% premarket and are up 3.2% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 9.7%.

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