ConAgra Foods, Inc., one of North America’s leading food companies, reported results for the fiscal 2014 second quarter ended Nov. 24, 2013.
Diluted EPS from continuing operations was $0.54 as reported for the fiscal second quarter, up 4% from $0.52 in the year-ago period. Excluding $0.08 per diluted share of net expense in the current quarter, and $0.05 of net expense in the year-ago period, from items impacting comparability, current-quarter diluted EPS from continuing operations of $0.62 was 9% above the comparable $0.57 earned in the year-ago period.
The company continues to expect fiscal 2014 diluted EPS, adjusted for items impacting comparability, to be in the range of $2.34-$2.38. This takes into account the stronger-than-planned fiscal second quarter EPS contribution, as well as caution about the overall business environment, the impact of the quality issues in this year's potato crop at Lamb Weston, and the gradual nature of the executional improvements underway in the Private Brands segment.
The company's long-term EPS growth rates, and multi-year synergy goals related to the Ralcorp acquisition, are unchanged from prior estimates. The company expects at least 10% annual comparable EPS growth in the fiscal 2015-2017 period, and expects the Ralcorp transaction to generate $300 million of annual pretax cost-related synergies by the end of fiscal 2017.
