Procter & Gamble quarterly sales below estimates, shares fall

[July 31, 2018]   (Reuters) - Procter & Gamble Co's <PG.N> quarterly sales fell below Wall Street estimates on Tuesday, as the consumer products company had a disappointing performance at its grooming unit that makes Gillette razors and shaving products.

Shares of Procter & Gamble fell 2 percent before the bell.

The company cut prices on products in the grooming business by 3 percent to claw back market share lost to upstarts such as Dollar Shave Club. Sales in the unit fell 1 percent to $1.65 billion, while volumes dropped 1 percent.

A shrinking market in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America region hurt revenue at its Baby, Feminine & Family Care business, leading to a 2 percent drop in sales at the unit - its second biggest contributor to revenue.

For fiscal 2019, P&G said it sees organic sales rising 2-3 percent and core earnings per share growth of 3-8 percent.

At the midpoint of the range, fiscal 2019 core earnings per share is $4.45, above the average analyst estimate of $4.39, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Net income attributable to the company fell to $1.89 billion, or 72 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended June 30, compared with $2.22 billion, or 82 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, P&G earned 94 cents per share, ahead of analysts' estimates of 90 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Net sales rose 2.6 percent to $16.50 billion. Analysts had forecast sales of $16.54 billion.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)

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