Dr Pepper Snapple Group Reports Third Quarter 2012 Results

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Reports Third Quarter 2012 Results

Net sales were flat for the quarter.

Reported EPS were $0.84. Core EPS were $0.79.

Year-to-date, the company repurchased $262 million of its common stock and expects to repurchase approximately $400 million for the year.

Company reaffirms full year 2012 Core EPS in the $2.90 to $2.98 range.

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (NYS: DPS) reported third quarter 2012 EPS of $0.84 compared to $0.71 in the prior year period. Excluding $18 million of unrealized commodity mark-to-market gains in the current year and $11 million of unrealized commodity mark-to-market losses in the prior year period, Core EPS were $0.79 compared to $0.74 in the prior year. Year-to-date, the company reported earnings of $2.15 per diluted share compared to $1.97 per diluted share in the prior year period. Excluding certain items affecting comparability and an unrealized commodity mark-to-market gain in the current year and a $16 million unrealized commodity mark-to-market loss in the prior year period, Core EPS were $2.10 compared to $2.02 in the prior year period.

For the quarter, reported net sales were flat. Shipment volumes were down 3%. Product and package price/mix was up 4%, while volume mix shift across the segments lowered net sales by 1%. Reported segment operating profit (SOP) increased 3%, or $10 million, as the contributions from favorable price/mix were partially offset by lower volumes and a $9 million increase in marketing investments. Foreign currency reduced net sales by less than 1% in the quarter and lowered SOP by 1 percentage point. Reported income from operations for the quarter was $308 million, including $18 million of unrealized commodity mark-to-market gains. Reported income from operations was $261 million in the prior year period, including $11 million of unrealized commodity mark-to-market losses.

Year-to-date, reported net sales increased 2%. Reported income from operations was $800 million, including $18 million of unrealized commodity mark-to-market gains compared to $753 million in the prior year period, including $16 million of unrealized commodity mark-to-market losses. Reported net income was $459 million compared to $440 million in the prior year period.

DPS President and CEO Larry Young said, "We continue to operate in an uncertain economic and cautious consumer environment. I am proud of the team's commitment to execute our focused strategy of driving profitable volume through disciplined pricing and continued investment in our brands to drive relevance and awareness with our consumers. Rapid continuous improvement (RCI) is gaining momentum across the organization and is delivering improvements in operating profitability and cash flow, resulting in returns for our shareholders."

Net sales and SOP in the tables and commentary below are presented on a currency neutral basis.For a reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP measures see pages A-5 through A-9 accompanying this release.

BCS Volume

For the quarter, BCS volume declined 3% with carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) declining 2% and non-carbonated beverages (NCBs) declining 5%.

In CSDs, Dr Pepper volume decreased 1% driven primarily by declines in the base business, partially offset by growth of Dr Pepper TEN and continued fountain availabilities. Our Core 5 brands declined 6% on higher retail pricing and lower promotional activity. 7UP and Sunkist soda both experienced a high-single digit decline, while A&W experienced a mid-single digit decline and Sun Drop experienced a double-digit decline. These declines were partially offset by a mid-single digit increase in Canada Dry, which was cycling a double-digit increase in the prior year period. Fountain foodservice volume grew 2%, cycling 4% volume growth in the prior year.

In NCBs, Hawaiian Punch volume declined 14% on retail price increases and Mott's volume declined 10% due to lower promotional activity. These declines were partially offset by a 4% increase in Snapple.

By geography, U.S. and Canada volume declined 3% and Mexico and the Caribbean volume increased 1%.

Sales volume

For the quarter, sales volume decreased 3%. Branded volume declined 3%, while contract manufacturing volume decreased by 6%.

Beverage Concentrates

Net sales for the quarter increased 4% as concentrate price increases taken earlier in the year, lower discounts and favorable mix were partially offset by a 2% volume decline. SOP increased 1% as the benefits of net sales growth were partially offset by increased marketing investments of $7 million and higher ingredient costs.

Packaged Beverages

Net sales for the quarter decreased 1% as a 6% volume decline was partially offset by favorable mix, price increases and lower discounts. SOP increased 4% as the benefits of price increases, favorable mix and ongoing RCI productivity improvements were partially offset by lower sales volumes, certain increases in labor and benefits costs, a higher LIFO charge of $4 million primarily associated with the increased cost of apples and increased marketing expense of $3 million.

Latin America Beverages

Net sales for the quarter increased 7% reflecting favorable product mix, higher pricing and a 1% increase in sales volumes. SOP increased 133% reflecting net sales growth and favorable operating leverage from ongoing RCI productivity improvements.

Corporate and other items

For the quarter, corporate costs totaled $47 million, including $18 million of unrealized commodity mark-to-market gains. Corporate costs in the prior year period were $82 million, including an $11 million unrealized commodity mark-to-market loss.

Net interest expense increased $2 million compared to the prior year, as the company refinanced low floating rate debt in November 2011.

For the quarter, the effective tax rate was 36.3% compared to 34.7% in the prior year period, which included a $5 million benefit related to the PepsiCo, Inc. (PepsiCo) and The Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) transactions.

Cash flow

Year-to-date, the company generated $264 million of cash from operating activities, including tax payments of $531 million related to the PepsiCo and Coca-Cola licensing agreements. Capital spending totaled $143 million compared to $148 million in the prior year period. The company returned $475 million to shareholders in the form of stock repurchases ($262 million) and dividends ($213 million).

2012 full year guidance

The company now expects full year reported net sales growth to be approximately 2% and Core EPS to be in the $2.90 to $2.98 range.

Packaging and ingredient costs are expected to increase COGS by 2% on a constant volume/mix basis, including the increased cost of apples.

The company expects its reported tax rate to be approximately 37% and now expects capital spending to be approximately 3.5% to 3.75% of net sales.

The company now expects to repurchase approximately $400 million of its common stock.

Definitions

Bottler case sales (BCS) volume: Sales of finished beverages, in equivalent 288 fluid ounce cases, sold by the company and its bottling partners to retailers and independent distributors and excludes contract manufacturing volume. Volume for products sold by the company and its bottling partners is reported on a monthly basis, with the third quarter comprising July, August and September.

Sales volume: Sales of concentrates and finished beverages, in equivalent 288 fluid ounce cases, shipped by the company to its bottlers, retailers and independent distributors and includes contract manufacturing volume.

Pricing refers to the impact of list price changes.

Unrealized mark-to-market: We recognize the change in the fair value of open commodity derivative positions between periods in corporate unallocated expenses, as these instruments do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment. As the underlying commodity is delivered, the realized gains and losses are subsequently reflected in the segment results.

EPS represents diluted earnings per share.

Core EPS is defined as EPS adjusted for the unrealized mark-to-market impact of commodity derivatives and certain items that are excluded for comparison to prior year periods.

Forward-looking statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, in particular, statements about future events, future financial performance including earnings estimates, plans, strategies, expectations, prospects, competitive environment, regulation, and cost and availability of raw materials. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "plan," "intend" or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements have been based on our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Our actual financial performance could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of estimates, forecasts and projections, and our financial performance may be better or worse than anticipated. Given these uncertainties, you should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date that they were made. We do not undertake any duty to update the forward-looking statements, and the estimates and assumptions associated with them, after the date of this release, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.

Conference Call

At 10 a.m. (CDT) today, the company will host a conference call with investors to discuss third quarter results and the outlook for 2012. The conference call and slide presentation will be accessible live through DPS's website at http://www.drpeppersnapple.com and will be archived for replay for a period of 14 days.

In discussing financial results and guidance, the company may refer to certain non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations of any such non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable financial measures in accordance with GAAP can be found on pages A-5 through A-9 accompanying this release and under "Financial Press Releases" on the company's website at http://www.drpeppersnapple.com in the "Investors" section.

About Dr Pepper Snapple Group

Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYS: DPS) is a leading producer of flavored beverages in North America and the Caribbean. Our success is fueled by more than 50 brands that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor. We have 6 of the top 10 non-cola soft drinks, and 11 of our 14 leading brands are No. 1 in their flavor categories. In addition to our flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands, our portfolio includes 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Clamato, Crush, Hawaiian Punch, Mott's, Mr & Mrs T mixers, Peñafiel, Rose's, Schweppes, Squirt and Sunkist soda. To learn more about our iconic brands and Plano, Texas-based company, please visit DrPepperSnapple.com. For our latest news and updates, follow us at Facebook.com/DrPepperSnapple or Twitter.com/DrPepperSnapple.