Wednesday, 18 November 2015

Keurig shares surge 20% after per share earnings fall less than expected

Shares in Keurig Green Mountain Inc (O:GMCR) surged as much as 20% in after-hours trading in spite of sharp revenue declines, as the prominent coffeemaker's adjusted earnings decreased less than expected over its fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2015.Keurig has seen nearly two-thirds of its market cap disappear over the last 12 months, amid disappointing sales among its single-serve pod makers and accessories. The subdued growth was reflected in the fourth quarter, as Keurig's revenue excluding currency translation dipped by 11% to $1.04 billion. At the same time, sales in the company's single-serve pods slumped 9% to $861.2 million.As a result, Keurig reported fourth quarter earnings of $94.6 million or 0.61 per share, down considerably from net profits of $141.1 million or 0.86 per share last year during the same quarter. Excluding restructuring costs, the company finished with adjusted per share profits of 0.85, above projections between 0.70 and 0.75."Our results for the quarter and the year reflect the competitive and dynamic marketplace in which we operate as well as the steps we are taking to position our Company for longer-term growth and value creation," said Brian Kelley, Keurig's President and CEO. "I'm particularly pleased with the benefits realized from our cost reduction efforts as well as our strong cash generation, both of which exceeded expectations in the fourth quarter. While we expect marketplace conditions will remain challenging in the near term, we have a stronger product line-up and price positioning as we enter the new holiday season."Keurig hopes to receive a boost from Wednesday's launch of two cocktail mixers for its new cold delivery system. In addition, Keurig announced that its Board of Directors authorized an increase of its annual dividend to 1.30 per share, effective in February."Our priorities for 2016 are to reinvigorate our hot system and continue the disciplined rollout of our Kold system," Kelley added. "We remain confident that our investments in the business and our multi-year productivity program will deliver long-term value to shareholders. Today's announcement of the Board's authorization of a 13% increase in our dividend underscores our confidence in our future prospects and continues our track record of delivering strong cash returns to our shareholders."Shares in Keurig surged 7.07 or 17.46% to 47.57 in after-hours trading.

Wednesday, 19 August 2015

Forex - Yen slightly weaker in Asia after FOMC minutes, focus on China

August 20 2015 
Forex - Yen slightly weaker in Asia after FOMC minutes, focus on China
Category: Forex


The yen was slightly weaker in early Asia on Thursday as investors noted little data on the calendar but with markets still focusing on the yuan, the Shanghai Composite Index, and the remnants of last night's U.S. CPI and FOMC Minutes.USD/JPY changed hands at 123.92, up 0/09%, while AUD/USD traded at 0.7349, up 0.01%.The latest Federal Reserve meeting highlighted concern over the state of the global economy, driving markets to question the likelihood that the Fed will raise rates next month.The minutes showed policymakers continued to express broad concerns about lagging inflation and the weak world economy even as the U.S. job market improved further. Market expectations for a Fed hike in September fell from one in two to roughly one in three after the minutes were published."It looks like based on commodity prices, China, wages not really picking up, that [Fed officials] are not getting any closer to meeting their inflation target and seems like they're probably not going to be willing to go in September" with a rate hike, said Don Ellenberger, head of multi-sector strategies at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh.A delay in the start of the tightening cycle is seen as supportive of equities. However, concern about the strength of the global economy.The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, rose 0.03% to 96.45.Overnight, before the Fed minutes, the dollar edged lower against a basket of other currencies on Wednesday after data showing that U.S. inflation rose at a slower than expected rate last month, as investors awaited the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting.The Labor Department reported that the consumer price index ticked up just 0.1% in July, below forecasts for a 0.2% gain.Underlying inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, also rose 0.1%, compared to expectations for a 0.2% increase.