PepsiCo beats on international strength, North America beverage rebound

[October 02, 2018]   (Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc <PEP.O> posted stronger-than-expected profit on Tuesday, boosted by beverage sales in North America that rose after a year of declines and as investments in marketing and developing new products for emerging markets paid off.

Shares of the company were up nearly 1 percent in early trading.

The sales rebound in North America came as PepsiCo expanded its portfolio with more non-carbonated drinks and sparkling water, launching brands such as Lifewtr and Bubly, while adding healthier options to its sports drink line Gatorade.

The company also boosted advertising behind its trademark colas - Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Zero - to claw back market share from larger rival Coca-Cola Co Inc <KO.N>.

North America beverage sales rose 2.3 percent in the third-quarter ended Sept. 8, but were short of analysts' average estimate of a 5 percent increase, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Frito-Lay, the company's snack division, also saw sales rise 2.6 percent in North America, but that fell short of estimates due to slowing demand for salty snacks.

Faced with lagging demand for sugary sodas and salty snacks in its home market, PepsiCo has over the years shifted to building scale in emerging markets, where organic sales rose 10 percent in the quarter, helped by marketing and new product launches in Mexico, India and China.

"We continued to see very strong operating performance from our international divisions, propelled by developing and emerging markets," Indra Nooyi said in a statement.

Bottles of Pepsi are pictured at a grocery store in Pasadena, California, U.S., July 11, 2017. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Nooyi will step down as Pepsi's chief executive officer on Wednesday, handing the reins to company President Ramon Laguarta. She will stay on as chairman until early 2019.

PepsiCo said it now expects its full-year organic revenue, which excludes acquisitions and forex impact, to grow at least 3 percent, up from a prior forecast of 2.3 percent rise.

The company, however, expects a stronger dollar to hit full-year core earnings per share by one percentage point.

Net income attributable to the company rose to $2.50 billion, or $1.75 per share, in the third quarter, from $2.14 billion, or $1.49 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, the company earned $1.59 per share, beating analysts' estimates of $1.57.

Net revenue rose 1.5 percent to $16.49 billion.

Analysts on average had expected revenue of $16.36 billion.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

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