Danone: Strong half-year results; Delivering broad-based quality growth
Rhea-AI Summary
Danone reported strong H1 2024 results with net sales of €13,757 million, up 4.0% like-for-like (LFL) and volume/mix up 2.1%. Despite a reported sales decline of -2.9%, operating margin rose to 12.69%, up 45 bps. Recurring EPS increased 2.6% to €1.80, while free cash flow grew by 11% to €1.2 billion. Geographical performance varied: Europe saw modest LFL sales growth of 0.7%, North America reported 5.0% LFL growth, and China/North Asia/Oceania achieved 8.4% LFL growth. Danone confirmed its 2024 guidance for LFL sales growth between 3-5% and a moderate improvement in recurring operating margin. Key developments included a €700 million bond issuance, the acquisition of Functional Formularies, and a new collaboration with Microsoft on AI initiatives.
Positive
- Net sales of €13,757 million, up 4.0% like-for-like
- Recurring operating margin increased by 45 bps to 12.69%
- Free cash flow rose 11% to €1.2 billion
- Recurring EPS up 2.6% to €1.80
- Operating income increased by 7.9% to €1,814 million
- Reported EPS up 11.6% to €1.89
- Net debt decreased to €10.0 billion from €10.2 billion in December 2023
Negative
- Reported sales decreased by 2.9%
- Negative impacts from forex and scope changes
- Decreased recurring operating margins in Latin America and Specialized Nutrition
News Market Reaction 1 Alert
On the day this news was published, DANOY gained 0.39%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
2024 Half-Year Results
Press release – Paris, July 31, 2024
Strong half-year results
Delivering broad-based quality growth
|
| 2024 Half-Year Key Figures |
| in millions of euros except if stated otherwise | H1 2023 | H1 2024 | Reported Change | Like-for-like Change (LFL) |
| Sales | 14,167 | 13,757 | - | + |
| Recurring operating income | 1,734 | 1,746 | + | |
| Recurring operating margin | +45 bps | |||
| Non-recurring operating income and expenses | (53) | 69 | +122 | |
| Operating income | 1,681 | 1,814 | + | |
| Operating margin | +132 bps | |||
| Recurring net income – Group share | 1,133 | 1,162 | + | |
| Non-recurring net income – Group share | (40) | 57 | +97 | |
| Net income – Group share | 1,093 | 1,219 | + | |
| Recurring EPS (€) | 1.76 | 1.80 | + | |
| EPS (€) | 1.70 | 1.89 | + | |
| Free cash flow | 1,124 | 1,248 | + | |
| Cash flow from operating activities | 1,424 | 1,504 | + |
1
Antoine de Saint-Affrique: CEO statement
We have delivered a strong performance for the first half of the year, demonstrating consistency in delivering quality growth: net sales increased by +
We keep driving our category growth, further fueling our winning platforms High Protein, Medical Nutrition, Coffee Creations and Away-from-home. We also remain focused on driving our core portfolio, as reflected by the progressive strengthening of our competitiveness across categories.
We continue rebuilding our fundamentals, doubling down on Renew Danone, and have established solid foundations for the “next chapter” of our consumer centric and science-based strategy.
I. SECOND QUARTER AND HALF-YEAR RESULTS
Second quarter and half-year sales
In Q2 2024, consolidated sales stood at
(-
In H1 2024, consolidated sales stood at
Sales by operating segment
| € million except % | Q2 2023 | Q2 2024 | Reported change | LFL Sales Growth | Volume/Mix Growth | H1 2023 | H1 2024 | Reported change | LFL Sales Growth | Volume/Mix Growth | ||||||||||
| BY GEOGRAPHICAL ZONE | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Europe | 2,429 | 2,447 | + | + | + | 4,677 | 4,783 | + | + | + | ||||||||||
| North America | 1,704 | 1,595 | - | + | + | 3,418 | 3,331 | - | + | + | ||||||||||
| China, North Asia & Oceania | 954 | 1,001 | + | + | + | 1,778 | 1,841 | + | + | + | ||||||||||
| Latin America | 779 | 810 | + | + | + | 1,466 | 1,556 | + | + | - | ||||||||||
| Rest of the World | 1,369 | 1,084 | - | + | + | 2,828 | 2,246 | - | + | + | ||||||||||
| BY CATEGORY | ||||||||||||||||||||
| EDP | 3,731 | 3,298 | - | + | + | 7,503 | 6,785 | - | + | + | ||||||||||
| Specialized Nutrition | 2,142 | 2,213 | + | + | + | 4,250 | 4,414 | + | + | + | ||||||||||
| Waters | 1,362 | 1,426 | + | + | + | 2,413 | 2,557 | + | + | + | ||||||||||
| TOTAL | 7,235 | 6,938 | - | + | + | 14,167 | 13,757 | - | + | + | ||||||||||
In the second quarter, Europe sales were up +
Sales by geography by category
| Q2 2024 | Europe | North America | China/North Asia/Oceania | AMEA, CIS & Latin America | Total | |||||
| Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | |
| EDP | 1,086 | + | 1,420 | + | 97 | + | 696 | + | 3,298 | + |
| Specialized Nutrition | 780 | + | 87 | - | 641 | + | 704 | + | 2,213 | + |
| Waters | 581 | - | 87 | + | 263 | + | 495 | + | 1,426 | + |
| Total Company | 2,447 | + | 1,595 | + | 1,001 | + | 1,895 | + | 6,938 | + |
| H1 2024 | Europe | North America | China/North Asia/Oceania | AMEA, CIS & Latin America | Total | |||||
| Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | Net sales (€m) | LFL sales growth (%) | |
| EDP | 2,175 | + | 3,010 | + | 183 | + | 1,417 | + | 6,785 | + |
| Specialized Nutrition | 1,565 | + | 167 | - | 1,238 | + | 1,444 | + | 4,414 | + |
| Waters | 1,043 | + | 154 | + | 420 | + | 940 | + | 2,557 | + |
| Total Company | 4,783 | + | 3,331 | + | 1,841 | + | 3,802 | + | 13,757 | + |
Recurring Operating Margin
| Recurring operating profit (€m) and margin (%) | H1 2023 | H1 2024 | Reported change | ||||||
| €m | Margin (%) | €m | Margin (%) | ||||||
BY GEOGRAPHICAL ZONE | |||||||||
| Europe | 497 | 550 | +87 bps | ||||||
| North America | 353 | 355 | +33 bps | ||||||
| China, North Asia & Oceania | 549 | 563 | -29 bps | ||||||
| Latin America | 42 | 35 | -62 bps | ||||||
| Rest of the World | 294 | 243 | +44 bps | ||||||
BY CATEGORY | |||||||||
| EDP | 605 | 512 | -53 bps | ||||||
| Specialized Nutrition | 885 | 901 | -40 bps | ||||||
| Waters | 244 | 333 | +290 bps | ||||||
| Total | 1,734 | 1,746 | +45 bps | ||||||
Danone’s recurring operating income reached
Net income and Earnings per share
| H1 2023 | H1 2024 | ||||||||
| in millions of euros except if stated otherwise | Recurring | Non-recurring | Total | Recurring | Non-recurring | Total | |||
| Recurring operating income | 1,734 | - | 1,734 | 1,746 | - | 1,746 | |||
| Other operating income and expense | - | (53) | (53) | - | 69 | 69 | |||
| Operating income | 1,734 | (53) | 1,681 | 1,746 | 69 | 1,814 | |||
| Cost of net debt | (74) | - | (74) | (96) | - | (96) | |||
| Other financial income and expense | (67) | (15) | (83) | (55) | (9) | (64) | |||
| Income before taxes | 1,593 | (68) | 1,525 | 1,595 | 59 | 1,654 | |||
| Income tax | (435) | 6 | (429) | (429) | 25 | (404) | |||
| Effective tax rate | - | - | |||||||
| Net income from fully consolidated companies | 1,158 | (62) | 1,095 | 1,166 | 85 | 1,250 | |||
| Share of profit (loss) of equity-accounted companies | 14 | 19 | 33 | 40 | (32) | 8 | |||
| Net income | 1,172 | (44) | 1,129 | 1,206 | 52 | 1,259 | |||
| • Group share | 1,133 | (40) | 1,093 | 1,162 | 57 | 1,219 | |||
| • Non-controlling interests | 39 | (3) | 36 | 44 | (5) | 39 | |||
| EPS (€) | 1.76 | - | 1.70 | 1.80 | - | 1.89 | |||
Other operating income and expense reached
Share of profit of equity-accounted companies stood at
Non-controlling interests stood at
As a result, Reported EPS increased by +
Cash flow and Debt
Free cash flow amounted to
As of June 30, 2024, Danone’s net debt stood at
II. 2024 GUIDANCE
2024 guidance confirmed: Like-for-like sales growth between +
III. MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS OVER THE PERIOD
- April 25, 2024: At Danone’s 2024 Annual General Meeting, shareholders approved all resolutions submitted to its approval by the Board of Directors, including the distribution of a dividend of
€2.10 per share in cash, up +5.0% compared to last year, and the proposed renewals of terms of office of Gilbert Ghostine and Lise Kingo as Directors. - April 26, 2024: Danone successfully issued a
€700 million bond with a 6-year maturity and a3.481% coupon. The settlement took place on May 3, 2024 and the bonds are listed on Euronext Paris. - May 1, 2024: Danone announced it had successfully completed the acquisition of Functional Formularies, a leading whole foods tube feeding business in the US, from Swander Pace Capital. As part of the Renew Danone strategy, this acquisition strengthens Danone’s Medical Nutrition portfolio in the US by further expanding its enteral tube feeding ranges.
- May 17, 2024: Following the press release on March 22, 2024, where Danone announced that the Russian regulatory approvals required for the disposal of its EDP business in Russia to Vamin R LLC were obtained, Danone announced it had completed this transaction.
- June 12, 2024: Danone, Michelin, the American start-up DMC Biotechnologies and Crédit Agricole Centre France, a key investor in the region, agreed to create the Biotech Open Platform to bolster the development of advanced fermentation processes, particularly precision fermentation, on a larger scale.
- June 20, 2024: Danone hosted a Capital Market Event where the company shared its mid-term strategy and value creation journey for the 2025-2028 period. Danone’s next chapter will build on the fundamentals the company reestablished over the last 2 years: science and innovation, operational and executional discipline, and proactive portfolio management. Committed to a long-term value compounding model, Danone aims to consistently deliver attractive returns, and expects, for the 2025-2028 period, like-for-like net sales growth between +
3% and +5% , and recurring operating income to grow faster than net sales. This financial guidance should allow Danone to deliver a structurally double-digit ROIC and progress towards its long-term ambition of delivering€3b n free-cash-flow. - July 24, 2024: Danone announced it is exploring a multi-year collaboration with Microsoft to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) throughout Danone’s operations. Through the collaboration, the companies intend to launch a Danone Microsoft AI Academy, dedicated to upskilling all Danone employees to ensure that all employees are equipped with the AI and digital tools they need to thrive in the new AI-driven economy. It builds on Danone’s recently launched ‘DanSkills’ programme, which aims to upskill and reskill around 100,000 Danone employees to the jobs of the future and attract new talent.
IV. ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES NOT DEFINED BY IFRS
IAS 29: impact on reported data
Danone has applied IAS 29 in hyperinflation countries as defined in IFRS. Adoption of IAS 29 in hyperinflationary countries requires their non-monetary assets and liabilities and their income statement to be restated to reflect the changes in the general purchasing power of its functional currency, leading to a gain or loss on the net monetary position included in the net income. Moreover, its financial statements are converted into euros using the closing exchange rate of the relevant period.
| IAS 29: impact on reported data € million except % | Q2 2024 | H1 2024 | ||
| Sales | 7 | 50 | ||
| Sales growth (%) | + | + | ||
| Recurring Operating Income | (40) | |||
| Recurring Net Income – Group share | (72) |
Breakdown by quarter of H1 2024 sales after application of IAS 29
H1 2024 sales correspond to the addition of:
- Q2 2024 reported sales;
- Q1 2024 sales resulting from the application of IAS 29 until June 30, 2024, to sales of entities in hyperinflation countries (application of the inflation rate until June 30, 2024, and translation into euros using the June 30, 2024, closing rate) and provided in the table below for information (unaudited data)
| € million | Q1 20241 | Q2 2024 | H1 2024 |
| Europe | 2,336 | 2,447 | 4,783 |
| North America | 1,737 | 1,595 | 3,331 |
| China, North Asia & Oceania | 840 | 1,001 | 1,841 |
| Latin America | 745 | 810 | 1,556 |
| Rest of the World | 1,161 | 1,084 | 2,246 |
| Total | 6,819 | 6,938 | 13,757 |
1Results from the application of IAS 29 until June 30, 2024, to Q1 sales of entities of hyperinflation countries.
Definitions of geographical zones
Europe refers to European countries and Ukraine.
North America includes United States and Canada.
China, North Asia & Oceania includes China, Japan, Australia and New-Zealand.
Latin America includes Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
Rest of the World includes Asia, Middle East including Turkey, Africa and CIS.
Financial indicators not defined in IFRS
Due to rounding, the sum of values presented may differ from totals as reported. Such differences are not material.
Like-for-like changes in sales reflect Danone's organic performance and essentially exclude the impact of:
- changes in consolidation scope, with indicators related to a given fiscal year calculated on the basis of the previous year's scope;
- changes in applicable accounting principles;
- changes in exchange rates, with both previous-year and current-year indicators calculated using the same exchange rates (the exchange rate used is a projected annual rate determined by Danone for the current year and applied to both previous and current years).
Since January 1st, 2023, all countries with hyperinflationary economies are taken into account in like-for-like changes as follows: net sales growth in excess of around
Bridge from reported data to like-for-like data
| (€ million except %) | 2023 sales | Like-for-like change | Impact of changes in scope of consolidation | Impact of changes in exchange rates & others incl. IAS 29 | Contribution of hyperinflation | Reported change | 2024 sales |
| Q2 | 7,235 | + | - | - | + | - | 6,938 |
| H1 | 14,167 | + | - | - | + | - | 13,757 |
Margin from operations is defined as the Gross margin over Net sales ratio, where Gross margin corresponds to the difference between Net sales and Industrial costs excluding reengineering initiatives and Logistics / Transportation costs.
Recurring operating income is defined as Danone’s operating income excluding Other operating income and expenses. Other operating income and expenses comprise items that, because of their significant or unusual nature, cannot be viewed as inherent to Danone’s recurring activity and have limited predictive value, thus distorting the assessment of its recurring operating performance and its evolution. These mainly include:
- capital gains and losses on disposals of businesses and fully consolidated companies;
- impairment charges on intangible assets with indefinite useful lives;
- costs related to strategic restructuring operations or transformation plans;
- costs related to major external growth transactions;
- costs related to crises and major disputes;
- in connection with IFRS 3 and IFRS 10, (i) acquisition costs related to acquisitions of companies resulting in control, (ii) revaluation gains or losses accounted for following a loss of control, and (iii) changes in earn-outs subsequent to acquisitions resulting in control.
Recurring operating margin is defined as the Recurring operating income over Sales ratio.
Other non-recurring financial income and expense corresponds to financial income and expense items that, in view of their significant or unusual nature, cannot be considered as inherent to Danone’s recurring financial management. These mainly include changes in the value of non-consolidated interests.
Non-recurring income tax corresponds to income tax on non-recurring items as well as tax income and expense items that, in view of their significant or unusual nature, cannot be considered as inherent to Danone’s recurring performance.
Recurring effective tax rate measures the effective tax rate of Danone’s recurring performance and is computed as the ratio of income tax related to recurring items over recurring net income before tax.
Non-recurring share of profit (loss) of equity-accounted companies includes items that, because of their significant or unusual nature, cannot be viewed as inherent to the companies' recurring activity and thereby distort the assessment of their recurring performance and trends in that performance. These items mainly relate to (i) capital gains and losses on disposals of investments in equity-accounted companies, (ii) impairment of goodwill, and (iii) non-recurring items, as defined by Danone, included in the share of profit (loss) of equity-accounted companies.
Recurring net income (or Recurring net income – Group Share) corresponds to the Group share of the consolidated Recurring net income. The Recurring net income excludes items that, because of their significant or unusual nature, cannot be viewed as inherent to Danone’s recurring activity and have limited predictive value, thus distorting the assessment of its recurring performance and its evolution. Such non-recurring income and expenses correspond to Other operating income and expenses, Other non-recurring financial income and expenses, Non-recurring income tax, and Non-recurring share of profit of equity-accounted companies. Such income and expenses, excluded from Net income, represent Non-recurring net income.
Recurring EPS (or Recurring net income – Group Share, per share after dilution) is defined as the ratio of Recurring net income adjusted for hybrid financing over Diluted number of shares. In compliance with IFRS, income used to calculate EPS is adjusted for the coupon related to the hybrid financing accrued for the period and presented net of tax.
| H1 2023 | H1 2024 | ||||||||
| Recurring | Total | Recurring | Total | ||||||
| Net income-Group share (€ million) | 1,133 | 1,093 | 1,162 | 1,219 | |||||
| Coupon related to hybrid financing net of tax (€ million) | (6) | (6) | (2) | (2) | |||||
| Number of shares | |||||||||
| • Before dilution | 640,196,786 | 640,196,786 | 642,417,472 | 642,417,472 | |||||
| • After dilution | 640,804,805 | 640,804,805 | 643,422,265 | 643,422,265 | |||||
| EPS (€) | |||||||||
| • Before dilution | 1.76 | 1.70 | 1.81 | 1.90 | |||||
| • After dilution | 1.76 | 1.70 | 1.80 | 1.89 | |||||
Free cash flow represents cash flows from operating activities less capital expenditure net of disposals and, in connection with IFRS 3, relating to acquisitions of companies resulting in control, excluding (i) acquisition costs related to acquisitions of companies resulting in control, and (ii) earn-outs related to acquisitions of companies resulting in control and paid subsequently to acquisition date.
| (€ million) | H1 2023 | H1 2024 |
| Cash flow from operating activities | 1,424 | 1,504 |
| Capital expenditure | (310) | (319) |
| Disposal of property, plant and equipment and acquisition costs related to acquisitions of companies resulting in control1 | 10 | 63 |
| Free cash-flow | 1,124 | 1,248 |
1 Represents acquisition costs related to acquisitions of companies resulting in control that were paid during the period
Net financial debt represents the net debt portion bearing interest. It corresponds to current and non-current financial debt (i) excluding Liabilities related to put options granted to non-controlling interests and earn-outs on acquisitions resulting in control and (ii) net of Cash and cash equivalents, Short term investments and Derivatives – assets managing net debt.
| (€ million) | December 31, 2023 | June 30, 2024 |
| Non-current financial debt | 10,739 | 10,352 |
| Current financial debt | 4,270 | 4,571 |
| Short-term investments | (3,638) | (4,207) |
| Cash | (2,363) | (2,058) |
| Bank Overdraft | 1,264 | 1,396 |
| Derivatives — non-current assets1 | (34) | (1) |
| Derivatives — current-assets1 | (16) | (23) |
| Net debt | 10,221 | 10,031 |
| - | - |
| (356) | (345) |
| Net financial debt | 9,865 | 9,686 |
1 Managing net debt only
o o O o o
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Danone. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by forward-looking words, such as “estimate”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “project”, “plan”, “intend”, “objective”, “believe”, “forecast”, “guidance”, “foresee”, “likely”, “may”, “should”, “goal”, “target”, “might”, “will”, “could”, “predict”, “continue”, “convinced” and “confident,” the negative or plural of these words and other comparable terminology. Forward looking statements in this document include, but are not limited to, predictions of future activities, operations, direction, performance and results of Danone.
Although Danone believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. For a detailed description of these risks and uncertainties, please refer to the “Risk Factor” section of Danone’s Universal Registration Document (the current version of which is available at www.danone.com).
Subject to regulatory requirements, Danone does not undertake to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements. This document does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy Danone securities.
The presentation to analysts and investors will be broadcast live today from 8:00 a.m. (Paris time)
on Danone’s website (www.danone.com).
Related slides will also be available on the website in the Investors section.
APPENDIX – Sales by geographical zone and by category (in € million)
| First quarter | Second quarter | Half year | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||||||
BY GEOGRAPHICAL ZONE | ||||||||||||||
| Europe | 2,248 | 2,336 | 2,429 | 2,447 | 4,677 | 4,783 | ||||||||
| North America | 1,714 | 1,737 | 1,704 | 1,595 | 3,418 | 3,331 | ||||||||
| China, North Asia & Oceania | 824 | 840 | 954 | 1,001 | 1,778 | 1,841 | ||||||||
| Latin America | 689 | 727 | 779 | 810 | 1,466 | 1,556 | ||||||||
| Rest of the World | 1,486 | 1,150 | 1,369 | 1,084 | 2,828 | 2,246 | ||||||||
BY CATEGORY | ||||||||||||||
| EDP | 3,768 | 3,474 | 3,731 | 3,298 | 7,503 | 6,785 | ||||||||
| Specialized Nutrition | 2,143 | 2,183 | 2,142 | 2,213 | 4,250 | 4,414 | ||||||||
| Waters | 1,051 | 1,132 | 1,362 | 1,426 | 2,413 | 2,557 | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 6,962 | 6,789 | 7,235 | 6,938 | 14,167 | 13,757 | ||||||||
| First quarter 2024 | Second quarter 2024 | Half year 2024 | ||||||||||
| Reported change | LFL change | Reported change | LFL change | Reported change | LFL change | |||||||
BY GEOGRAPHICAL ZONE | ||||||||||||
| Europe | + | + | + | + | + | + | ||||||
| North America | + | + | - | + | - | + | ||||||
| China, North Asia & Oceania | + | + | + | + | + | + | ||||||
| Latin America | + | + | + | + | + | + | ||||||
| Rest of the World | - | + | - | + | - | + | ||||||
BY CATEGORY | ||||||||||||
| EDP | - | + | - | + | - | + | ||||||
| Specialized Nutrition | + | + | + | + | + | + | ||||||
| Waters | + | + | + | + | + | + | ||||||
| TOTAL | - | + | - | + | - | + | ||||||
All references in this document to Like-for-like (LFL) changes, Recurring operating income and margin, Margin from operations, Recurring net income, Recurring income tax rate, Recurring EPS, Free cash-flow and net financial debt, correspond to alternative performance measures not defined by IFRS. Their definitions, as well as their reconciliation with financial statements, are listed on pages 5 to 8.
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