Campbell's profit beats estimates on cost cuts, shares rise

[August 30, 2019]  (Reuters) - U.S. food company Campbell Soup Co <CPB.N> reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit, benefiting from cost cuts, sending shares up 5% before the bell.

The logo and ticker for Campbell Soup Co. are displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 18, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

To better focus on its mainstream soup and snack businesses, Campbell has been streamlining its operations by disposing its international and fresh businesses, including Bolthouse Farms and Garden Fresh Gourmet salsa.

Last month Campbell said it would sell Kelsen Group, a unit known for Royal Dansk cookies, to a Ferrero affiliated company for $300 million. It is also selling its Arnott's biscuits and some of its international operations.

The company has introduced new soup recipes with added chicken and tomatoes and eliminated preservatives to also draw in health-conscious customers.

For the quarter ended July 28, Campbell earned 42 cents, excluding items, beating Wall Street estimates by 1 cent, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Net sales from continuing operations rose 2% to $1.78 billion compared to year-ago quarter.

However, the company recorded a net loss attributable to its shareholders of $8 million, or 3 cents per share, compared with a profit of $94 million, or 31 cents per share.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.