ConAgra Foods
Q3 FY05 Question & Answer
March 24, 2005
Note: The company considers the amounts in today's press release preliminary for
reasons described on page one of the release.
1. What were some examples of major brands in the Retail Products segment
posting sales growth for the quarter?
ACT II
Banquet
Blue Bonnet
Chef Boyardee
Cook's
Eckrich
Egg Beaters
Hunt's
Kid Cuisine
Manwich
Marie Callender's
Orville Redenbacher's
PAM
Parkay
Snack Pack
Van Camp's
2. What were some examples of major brands in the Retail Products segment
posting sales declines for the quarter?
Armour
Butterball
DAVID
Healthy Choice
Hebrew National
LaChoy
Peter Pan
Reddi-wip
Slim Jim
Swiss Miss
Wesson
3. What were unit volume changes for the quarter in the Retail Products and
Foodservice Products segments?
Retail Products volume declined 3%, largely reflecting lower order fill
rates during manufacturing changes. Foodservice Products volume
increased 4%.
4. Were the operations containing the Retail Products packaged meats brands
profitable this quarter?
Yes, they were slightly profitable. The operating profits for those
operations were more than $45 million below those of the comparable
period a year ago.
5. Does the company expect the performance of the packaged meats business to
improve substantially in the fourth quarter?
The company expects the packaged meats operations to show some
improvement in the fourth quarter due to pricing actions and other
margin-enhancing initiatives under way, but does not expect fourth
quarter results for the packaged meats operations to show
year-over-year profit gains.
6. Does the company expect the manufacturing challenges discussed in today's
release to negatively impact the fourth quarter?
The issues improved significantly as the third quarter progressed, and
are not expected to impact the fourth quarter to the extent they did in
the third quarter. However, the company does expect some small impact
from the manufacturing issues in the fourth quarter.
7. The company's EPS performance, adjusted for items impacting comparability,
appeared slightly better than expected. What was the main reason for this?
The performance of the Food Ingredients segment was stronger than
expected.
8. How much was total Depreciation and Amortization (all types) for the
quarter?
$91 million (vs. $88 million in Q3 2004)
9. How much were Capital Expenditures for the quarter?
$97 million (vs. $89 million in Q3 2004), reflecting increased
investment to update strategic information systems for the future.
10. What was the Net Interest Expense for the quarter?
$68 million
11. What was Corporate Expense for the quarter?
$136 million (vs. $79 million in Q3 2004)
Current quarter amounts include a $22 million charge for retiring $600
million of senior debt, as well as a $22 million addition to legal
reserves in connection with previously disclosed SEC matters.
12. How much did the company pay in dividends during the quarter?
$140 million
13. What was the weighted average number of diluted shares outstanding for the
quarter?
520 million shares
14. What was the preliminary effective tax rate for the third quarter
(rounded)?
49%. This reflects the fact that most of the asset impairment charges
reported within the Equity Method Investment Loss, as well as most of
the increase to legal reserves in connection with previously reported
SEC matters, are not deductible for taxes purposes.
15. What were the gross margins and operating margins this quarter ($ amounts
in millions, rounded)?
Gross Margin = Gross Profit* divided by Net Sales
Gross Margin = $766/$3,570 = 21.5%
Operating Margin = Segment Operating Profit** divided by Net Sales
Operating Margin = $396/$3,570 = 11.1%
* Gross Profit = Net Sales minus Costs of Goods Sold
($3,570 -$2,804 = $766)
**See third-quarter segment operating results for a reconciliation of
operating profit to income from continuing operations. Income from
continuing operations before income taxes and cumulative effect of
changes in accounting divided by Net Sales = $314/$3,570 = 8.8%.
16. What are projected Capital Expenditures for fiscal 2005?
Approximately $450-$475 million, reflecting increased investment to
update strategic information systems for the future.
17. What is the expected Net Interest Expense for fiscal 2005?
Approximately $300 million
18. What major items impacting comparability are included in the preliminary
diluted EPS of $0.31 for the third quarter?
$0.22 per share of income from a gain on sale of securities
$0.13 per share of expense related to a revised estimate of values for
joint venture assets
$0.04 per share of litigation expense
$0.04 per share of expense related to impairment charges and fire
damage and classified in Foodservice Products segment
$0.03 per share of expense related to early retirement of debt
$0.02 per share of benefit related to favorable legal settlements
$0.02 per share of expense related to impairment charges and classified
in Food Ingredients segment
$0.01 per share of expense related to impairment charges and classified
in Retail Products segment
19. When will restated historical financial results, comparative financial
information, fiscal 2005 year-to-date earnings, the fiscal 2005
third-quarter balance sheet, and the fiscal 2005 third-quarter cash flow
statement be available?
The restated financial statements will be filed as soon as possible.
20. In which quarter of fiscal 2004 did the company have a 14-week quarter?
The fourth quarter of fiscal 2004 was a 14-week quarter.
Note on Forward-Looking Statements:
This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on
management's current views and assumptions of future events and financial
performance and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Readers
of this release should understand that these statements are not guarantees of
performance or results. Many factors could affect the company's actual financial
results and cause them to vary materially from the expectations contained in the
forward-looking statements. These factors include, among other things, future
economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial
results, availability and prices of raw materials, product pricing, competitive
environment and related market conditions, operating efficiencies, access to
capital, actions of governments and regulatory factors affecting the company's
businesses and other risks described in the company's reports filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The company cautions readers not to place
undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included in this document,
which speak only as of the date made.