Nestlé hit by Societe Generale's 'Buy' to 'Sell' downgrade and 150 bottles of US water.
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June 27 (Bloomberg)... Nestle SA declined 1.8 percent to 458 francs. Societe Generale SA cut its recommendation on shares of the world's largest foodmaker to ``sell'' from ``buy,'' saying the market has not priced in ``weak'' earnings-per-share growth.
/... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aY_ZJ_GfD004
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NESTLE RECALLS PURE LIFE PURIFIED DRINKING WATER, FDA SAYS
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=NESN:VX&sid=aODO4Ux.HMUE
(The following is a reformatted version of a press release issued by Nestlé Pure Life and obtained via http://www.fda.gov.)
Recall of Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- (GREENWICH, Connecticut, June 24, 2008) - This announces a product recall for the one-gallon Nestlé Pure Life Purified Drinking Water sold ONLY in Shop-Rite stores in the five Northeast states of Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. This affects ONLY the one-gallon size.
Fewer than 150 one-gallon bottles of Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water are implicated, produced in a short timeframe on May 5, 2008 between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM. The product date code is printed on the shoulder of one-gallon bottles. The code is:
First line????050508126WF024 Second line??... Starts with the numbers "08" For example: 0801BB05/2010
The product in question may contain a diluted form of a common food grade cleaning compound that results in a bitter or sour taste. This could pose a potential health concern if ingested in large quantities over an extended period of time and should not be consumed or used in preparing infant formulas or other foods or beverages. No illnesses have been reported.
To further assure consumers, Shop-Rite, as of Monday, June 23rd, has removed any remaining affected product from their stores and warehouses.
Consumers who possess this product or have questions should contact the company at a toll free number 866-599-8980 available 24 hours a day. This same toll-free number is also printed on the front of all product labels for the one-gallon size.
Contact: Nestlé Pure Life 866-599-8980
(bjh) NY
#<664204.660640.1.0.82.31279.76>#
Last Updated: June 25, 2008 09:18 EDT-----------------
NESTLÉ ANUNCIA A EXPANSÃO DOS NEGÓCIOS NA BAHIA
Empresa investe R$ 50 milhÕes para triplicar a capacidade produtiva da unidade de Feira de Santana
Salvador, 20 de junho de 2008 - A Nestlé Brasil vai investir R$ 50 milhÕes para triplicar a capacidade produtiva de sua unidade fabril de Feira de Santana, município localizado a 110 quilômetros de Salvador. Inaugurada em 2007, a capacidade de produção passará das atuais 40 mil toneladas/ano para 120 mil toneladas/ano. Cinco novas linhas de fabricação vão integrar o projeto, incluindo os produtos cereais matinais, lácteos (duas linhas), bebidas achocolatadas e iogurtes. A fábrica já processa massas instantâneas, cereais e café solúvel.
Cerca de 1.000 novos postos de trabalho diretos e indiretos serão gerados nesta nova etapa e o empreendimento ocupará 80 mil m2 de área construída no total, das quais 14 mil m2 devem-se à expansão.
"A ampliação dos negócios em nossa unidade de Feira de Santana ocorre apenas um ano e quatro meses depois da inauguração da fábrica. O compromisso que assumimos na ocasião foi antecipado em função da velocidade da expansão do nosso projeto de regionalização", afirma Ivan F. Zurita, presidente da Nestlé Brasil.
A cidade de Feira de Santana situa-se em um importante pólo industrial da região e está estrategicamente localizada, o que contribui para reduzir custos - sobretudo logísticos - e fazer com que os produtos Nestlé tenham preços mais competitivos e acessíveis à população da região.
A fábrica de Feira de Santana atende ao aumento da demanda do mercado nordestino por produtos da Nestlé. Esse crescimento é reflexo do investimento que a empresa vem realizando com o objetivo de ampliar sua presença no Nordeste desde 2004.
REGIONALIZAÇÃO DA NESTLÉ
O Projeto de Regionalização da Nestlé no Norte/Nordeste começou em 2003, após a realização de detalhadas pesquisas de mercado na região para entender melhor os hábitos de consumo e a cultura dos 50 milhÕes de consumidores localizados nesta região.
Em 2004, a Nestlé criou a diretoria regional Norte/Nordeste com o desafio de criar um modelo de negócios e de comunicação que atendesse às necessidades desses consumidores. Nos últimos três anos, a empresa investiu R$ 30 milhÕes em marketing somente nas regiÕes Norte e Nordeste. A nova estrutura permitiu à Nestlé desenvolver produtos e açÕes de marketing voltadas para o público local. A Nestlé tem por objetivo atender às demandas específicas de cada grupo de consumidores espalhados pelo Brasil. "A empresa não acredita em 'consumidores globais'; cada região tem características muito peculiares e para isso disponibilizamos produtos próprios para os diferentes grupos", afirma Zurita.
Essa visão é a base do modelo de regionalização que inclui o lançamento de produtos específicos para essas regiÕes. Para atender ao paladar dos mercados do Nordeste, por exemplo, a Nestlé oferece um café solúvel mais suave (NESCAFÉ Dolca) e biscoitos Bono e Negresco em embalagens menores, além do Ideal, produto lácteo enriquecido com Ferro, Cálcio e Vitaminas A, C e D.
NUTRIR NA BAHIA
Como forma de contribuir para a melhoria da qualidade de vida das pessoas, a Nestlé busca disseminar seus conceitos de Nutrição, Saúde e Bem-Estar para a população. Pensando nisso, há um ano a Fundação Nestlé Brasil, em parceria com o Instituto Camargo Corrêa, deu início ao Programa Construir para Nutrir, em Feira de Santana (BA). A intenção do trabalho é estimular a alimentação saudável de crianças e adolescentes, por meio de açÕes sócio-educativas, com envolvimento da escola e da família.
Ao longo deste período, cerca de 30 organizaçÕes sociais da cidade de Feira de Santana foram capacitadas para o desenvolvimento de projetos voltados para a educação alimentar de crianças e adolescentes, promovendo o desenvolvimento comunitário. Dentre as sugestÕes apresentadas, a "Escola na Horta" foi aprovada e está desenvolvendo açÕes sócio-educativas com a implantação de horta escolar e doméstica. O projeto também promove a melhoria dos índices nutricionais, as mudanças de hábitos alimentares e ainda incentiva a inclusão social. A "Escola na Horta" visa ainda proporcionar aos alunos uma oportunidade de aplicar, de forma prática, as liçÕes estudadas em sala de aula, oferecer condiçÕes de uma alimentação saudável e fruto do seu trabalho, e despertar o desejo para mudanças de hábitos alimentares possíveis de serem implementados na família.
Somente em 2008, cinqüenta escolas públicas participaram do Curso de Formação em Educação Alimentar, realizado pelo Programa Nutrir em parceria com a Secretaria Municipal de Educação e com a Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana. Ainda neste ano, a meta do programa Construir para Nutrir é capacitar 80% das famílias atendidas; reduzir em 10% o custo da alimentação familiar, com a inclusão dos alimentos produzidos na horta, e a construção de duas sementeiras e dois viveiros.
LIDERANÇA E COMPETÍNCIA
A Nestlé é a maior Empresa mundial de nutrição, saúde e bem-estar e opera em 86 países com marcas mundialmente consagradas. No Brasil, instalou a primeira fábrica em 1921, na cidade paulista de Araras, para a produção do leite condensado Milkmaid, que mais tarde seria conhecido como Leite Moça por milhÕes de consumidores.
A atuação da Nestlé Brasil abrange inúmeros segmentos de mercado, entre os quais alimentos infantis, achocolatados, biscoitos, cafés, cereais, cereais matinais, águas, chocolates, culinários, lácteos, refrigerados, sorvetes, produtos de nutrição clínica e de performance, produtos e serviços para empresas e profissionais da área de alimentação fora do lar (FoodServices) e alimentos para animais de estimação.
Atualmente, a rede de distribuição dos produtos cobre mais de 1.600 municípios dos mais diversos tamanhos. A Nestlé Brasil e suas empresas coligadas estão presentes em 98% dos lares brasileiros. São 28 unidades industriais localizadas nos Estados de São Paulo (SP), Minas Gerais (MG), Bahia (BA), Goiás (GO), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Rio Grande do Sul (RS) e Espírito Santo (ES). Emprega 16,7 mil colaboradores diretos e gera outros 220 mil empregos indiretos, que colaboram na fabricação, comercialização e distribuição dos 1.300 itens de 200 marcas que vende no País.
Em todo o Grupo Nestlé, as vendas da Nestlé Brasil ocupam o segundo lugar em volume e o quarto em valor, tendo triplicado nos últimos cinco anos, superando os índices de inflação e do PIB durante esse período.
RelaçÕes com a Imprensa Nestlé Brasil
Anahi Guedes / Claudia Galli / Fábio Chaves
(11) 5508-9395 / (11) 5508-9396 / (11) 5508-9737
anahi.guedes@br.nestle.com / claudia.galli@br.nestle.com / fabio.chaves@br.nestle.com
CDN Comunicação Corporativa
Adriana Perobelli / Lucianne Gellerman
(11) 3643-2745 / (11) 3643-2841
adriana.perobelli@cdn.com.br / luciane@cdn.com.br
(sgp)NY
-END-
#<257583.14078.1.0.82.31279.76>
Last Updated: June 20, 2008 13:38 EDT-----------------
Unilever, Nestle, Ask EU to Reconsider Biofuel Policy (Update1)
June 20, 2008 13:13 EDT -- Food and drink companies including Unilever and Nestle SA asked the European Commission to review a policy that encourages biofuel production, saying it will help drive agricultural commodity prices to further records.
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Nestle Maintains Sales-Growth Goal for Coming Decade (Update2)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aK79KKo5mmYk&refer=europe
By Thomas Mulier
June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Nestle SA, the world's largest food company, maintained its goal of raising sales by between 5 percent and 6 percent a year over the coming decade as consumers buy more Nescafe instant coffee and other products.
The forecast excludes currency movements, acquisitions and asset sales. Vevey, Switzerland-based Nestle also expects to improve operating profit as a percentage of sales, or the profit margin, each year, according to slides of a presentation posted today on its Web site.
Sales will gain 7 percent to 7.5 percent in 2008 on the basis of the 10-year forecast, beating long-range goals for a fourth year, Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe said in April. Nestle's nutrition unit also reiterated its goals today of raising sales by 10 percent a year excluding acquisitions and reporting an operating-profit margin of at least 20 percent.
Raw-materials prices should show ``stability'' in 2009 compared with this year, Nestle said in a separate presentation. Dairy and cereal prices probably will be lower then than in 2008, though they won't return to last year's levels, the company said.
Coffee prices are ``unlikely'' to increase further, and the ``large'' 2008 crop may reduce prices, though not ``immediately,'' Nestle also said. Cocoa prices ``remain firm'' as there is little sign supply is growing, while demand remains ``strong'' for oils and fats and sugar prices will stay ``firm,'' Nestle said.
Packaging Expenses
``Sustained high oil prices'' may affect energy, transportation and packaging costs in 2009, the company added.
Nestle, the maker of Haagen-Dazs ice cream, has built up the nutrition division with the $600 million purchase of weight- loss company Jenny Craig in 2006 and last year's acquisitions of drugmaker Novartis AG's Gerber baby-food unit and its medical- nutrition division, which together cost $12 billion.
Jenny Craig now boasts a ``mid-double-digit'' operating- profit margin, wider than the prior ``high-single-digit'' level, Nestle said, adding that 2008 had a ``very strong start.''
The company forecast sales this year of 2 billion Swiss francs ($1.9 billion) from health-care nutrition such as products for cancer patients. Revenue from infant nutrition will come to 8 billion francs, up from 4.8 billion francs in 2006.
Nestle posted the slides as investors are briefed on strategy at a two-day conference at company headquarters.
To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Mulier in Geneva at tmulier@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: June 16, 2008 11:25 EDT---------------------
Nestle shares undervalued, says Barron's
<NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nestle SA (NESN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) shares look undervalued and could rise 20 percent over the next 12 months, weekly financial Barron's said on Sunday.
"Arguably, they're the strongest food company in the world," Eric Scher, a Sanford C. Bernstein analyst told Barron's. "Nobody else is growing at everything straight across the board like Nestle."
Scher argues Nestle shares should be trading about 20 percent higher in a year.
The report said that, at its recent price of about 490 Swiss francs, the stock was trading about 10 percent below its 52-week high and at a discount to most of its peers on several valuation measures.
With names such as Butterfinger candy bars, Gerber baby foods, Stouffer's and LeanCuisine frozen meals, JuicyJuice beverages, Nestle has a global stable of blockbuster brands -- 29 of which have annual sales exceeding one billion Swiss francs each, the report said.
/.. http://uk.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUKN0434507220080504---------------------
Nestle Expects Sales to Beat Goal on Price Increases (Update8)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&refer=Europe&sid=au80yGANATN4
By Thomas Mulier
March 13 (Bloomberg) -- Nestle SA, the world's largest food company, raised its sales forecast for this year because of price increases and higher shipments of Easter chocolate.
The shares jumped the most since August. Revenue growth excluding acquisitions, divestments and currency fluctuations should be ``close'' to last year's rate of 7.4 percent, the Vevey, Switzerland-based maker of Nescafe soluble coffee said in an unscheduled announcement today. That would make 2008 the fourth straight year that Nestle beats its long-term growth forecast of 5 percent to 6 percent.
Nestle's outgoing Chief Executive Officer Peter Brabeck- Letmathe said today Nestle's operating margin will widen this year, and raw material costs will ``abate somewhat'' in the second half. Price rises averaging 3 percent on 10,000 products from chocolate to Purina pet food last year helped blunt the impact of soaring commodity prices and flagging consumer spending. Cocoa has risen 34 percent in 12 months and robusta coffee is up 77 percent.
``It's the first time we've seen Nestle make an announcement like that,'' said Claudia Lenz, an analyst at Bank Vontobel with a ``buy'' rating on the stock. ``They want to make a sign that they're becoming more open to financial markets. Brabeck likes to be the star there, and he'll leave the company in the best shape ever.''
Brabeck will cede the post of CEO to Paul Bulcke, former head of Nestle's business in the Americas, next month.
Stock Buyback
Nestle rose 29.5 francs, or 6.2 percent, to 507 in Zurich trading. That was the third-biggest increase in the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index of the largest European companies, which slid the most in two weeks today. It's the largest increase in Nestle shares since the company announced a 25 billion-franc share buyback on Aug. 15.
The Swiss foodmaker's buyback program and last year's decision to scrap its AAA credit rating are signs that Nestle is becoming more receptive to shareholders' concerns, Lenz said. Nestle last month proposed easing limitations on voting rights at its annual general meeting April 10.
``The group's organic growth is off to a very strong start in 2008,'' Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, who will step down as chief executive officer next month, said in the statement.
The new target for 2008 eases investors' concerns that consumers may pare spending due to Nestle's price increases, Marco Gulpers, an analyst at ING Wholesale Banking said. The consensus among analysts was for sales excluding acquisitions, divestments and currencies to increase 5.5 percent this year, Lenz said.
Biofuel Demand
Agricultural commodity prices have gained on ``strong'' global demand for food, increased use of crops for biofuels, and the ``decisive presence'' of investors speculating on the markets, Nestle said.
The maker of KitKat chocolate bars reiterated it expects operating profit as a percentage of sales to gain this year, excluding currency fluctuations. Nestle said Feb. 21 that the margin may widen about 0.3 percentage point this year.
Nestle is a ``good example'' of a stock that may perform well even if the U.S. economy enters a recession, said Philippe Gijsels, senior equity strategist at Fortis Global Markets, which oversees about $62 billion in Brussels.
Nestle said it had an ``outstanding organic growth rate'' in January and February, helped by new price increases and a ``successful'' Easter season.
Revenue excluding price increases accelerated in the first two months, and an additional sales day in February during this leap year also helped, the company said. Price increases will ``trend lower'' in the second half, Nestle also said.
Swiss Franc
``Nestle remains an attractively valued, defensive stock,'' wrote Patrick Hasenboehler, an analyst at Bank Sarasin who has a ``buy'' recommendation on the shares. He said today's announcement was the only unscheduled statement about results he could ever recall the company making.
The strength of the Swiss franc against other currencies, mainly the dollar, will ``weigh'' on revenue, while the acquisitions of the Gerber baby food brand and Novartis AG's medical nutrition business will boost sales, Nestle said. Those two factors are ``evolving as expected,'' the company added.
``If you have strong brands that supermarkets need to bring in the punters, then you have pricing power,'' said Jon Cox, an analyst at Landsbanki Kepler. He rates Nestle ``buy.''
Separately, Nestle said its nutrition unit, which sells baby food, PowerBars for sport enthusiasts and food for cancer patients, will have sales of about 11 billion francs this year.
Share Options
Brabeck was paid 17.4 million francs in salary, bonuses, and stock options last year, according to the company's annual report, released today on Nestle's Web site.
Before today, shares of Nestle had gained 1.5 percent in the past 12 months, while Kraft Foods Inc. stock is little changed over that period. Groupe Danone SA, the French yogurt maker and bottler of Evian water, has dropped 8.2 percent.
Nestle's target for this year beats those of Kraft and Unilever NV, though not Danone, which aims for annual sales growth excluding acquisitions and currencies of 8 percent to 10 percent. Kraft has said it aims for ``organic'' sales growth of at least 4 percent this year. Unilever has said it expects underlying sales growth at the upper end of a range of 3 percent to 5 percent.
To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Mulier in Geneva at tmulier@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: March 13, 2008 12:33 EDT
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