CONAGRA BRANDS REPORTS FY22 FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL-YEAR RESULTS

Provides fiscal 2023 guidance

CHICAGO, July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) reported results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2022, which ended on May 29, 2022. All comparisons are against the prior-year fiscal period, unless otherwise noted. Certain terms used in this release, including "Organic net sales," "EBITDA," "Two-year compounded annualized," and certain "adjusted" results, are defined under the section entitled "Definitions." See page 7 for more information.

Highlights

CEO Perspective
Sean Connolly, president and chief executive officer of Conagra Brands, commented, "Throughout fiscal 2022 our team took decisive actions to offset inflation and invest in our business. I'm pleased that our brands continued to resonate with consumers, and we continued to grow share." 

He continued, "I was also pleased to see margin improvement materialize in the fourth quarter in Grocery & Snacks and Foodservice. This represents an important inflection that we expect will extend to our Refrigerated & Frozen and International businesses as fiscal 2023 progresses."

Total Company Fourth Quarter Results

In the quarter, net sales increased 6.2% to $2.9 billion. The increase in net sales primarily reflects:

The 6.8% increase in organic net sales was driven by a 13.2% improvement in price/mix, which was partially offset by a 6.4% decrease in volume. Price/mix was driven by the Company's inflation-driven pricing actions that were reflected in the marketplace throughout the quarter and favorable brand mix. The volume decrease was primarily a result of the elasticity impact from inflation-driven pricing actions.

Gross profit decreased 1.1% to $713 million in the quarter and adjusted gross profit increased 0.3% to $723 million. Gross profit in the quarter benefited from higher organic net sales, supply chain realized productivity, lower COVID-19 pandemic-related expenses, and cost synergies associated with the Pinnacle Foods acquisition. These benefits, however, were not enough to offset the impacts of cost of goods sold inflation of 17.3% and the lost profit from the Sold Business. Gross margin decreased 183 basis points to 24.5% in the quarter and adjusted gross margin decreased 147 basis points to 24.9%.

Selling, general, and administrative expense (SG&A), which includes advertising and promotion expense (A&P), increased 14.7% to $499 million in the quarter primarily due to brand impairment charges. Adjusted SG&A, which excludes A&P, decreased 7.8% to $242 million driven by decreased incentive and deferred compensation.

A&P for the quarter decreased 38.7% to $46 million, driven primarily by lapping increased investment in the prior year period. 

Net interest expense was $96 million in the quarter, a decrease of 2.1% or $2 million compared to the prior-year period.

The average diluted share count was flat compared to the prior-year period at 482 million shares.

In the quarter, net income attributable to Conagra Brands decreased 48.6% to $159 million, or $0.33 per diluted share. Adjusted net income attributable to Conagra Brands increased 20.6% to $314 million, or $0.65 per diluted share in the quarter, driven primarily by an increase in operating profit and a strong performance from the Company's Ardent Mills joint venture. 

Adjusted EBITDA, which includes equity method investment earnings and pension and postretirement non-service income, increased 13.5% to $591 million in the quarter, primarily driven by an increase in adjusted operating profit and a strong performance from the Company's Ardent Mills joint venture. 

Total Company Fiscal 2022 Results
For the full fiscal year, net sales increased 3.1% to $11.5 billion. The growth in net sales primarily reflects:

For the full fiscal year, gross profit decreased 10.7% to $2.8 billion and adjusted gross profit decreased 10.5% to $2.9 billion. The benefits from supply chain realized productivity, higher organic net sales, lower COVID-19 pandemic-related expenses, and cost synergies associated with the Pinnacle Foods acquisition were not enough to offset the impacts from cost of goods sold inflation of 16.4%, the lost profit from the Sold Businesses, and elevated supply chain operating costs. Gross margin decreased 382 basis points to 24.6% and adjusted gross margin decreased 378 basis points to 24.8%.

For the full fiscal year, EPS decreased 30.8% to $1.84 and adjusted EPS decreased 10.6% to $2.36, driven by a decrease in adjusted operating profit.

For the full fiscal year, the Company generated $1.2 billion in net cash flows from operating activities and $713 million of free cash flow.

Grocery & Snacks Segment Fourth Quarter Results
Reported and organic net sales for the Grocery & Snacks segment increased 7.2% to $1.2 billion in the quarter.

In the quarter, price/mix increased 14.4% and volume decreased 7.2%. Price/mix was primarily driven by favorability in inflation-driven pricing coupled with favorable brand mix. The volume decline was primarily due to the elasticity impact from inflation-driven pricing actions. In the quarter, the Company gained share in staples categories such as syrup and refried beans, and snacking categories including microwave popcorn and meat snacks.

Operating profit for the segment decreased 19.9% to $163 million in the quarter. Adjusted operating profit increased 17.0% to $255 million, as the negative impact of cost of goods sold inflation was more than offset by higher organic net sales, supply chain realized productivity, lower COVID-19 pandemic related expenses, lower A&P investment, and cost synergies associated with the Pinnacle Foods acquisition. 

Refrigerated & Frozen Segment Fourth Quarter Results
Net sales for the Refrigerated & Frozen segment increased 3.4% to $1.2 billion in the quarter reflecting:

On an organic net sales basis, price/mix increased 12.4% and volume decreased 8.1%. Price/mix was primarily driven by favorability in inflation-driven pricing coupled with favorable brand mix. The volume decline was primarily due to the elasticity impact from inflation-driven pricing actions. In the quarter, the Company gained share in categories such as frozen single serve meals, frozen meat substitutes, and frozen desserts. 

Operating profit for the segment decreased 34.4% to $77 million in the quarter. Adjusted operating profit decreased 6.4% to $185 million as the benefits of higher organic net sales, supply chain realized productivity, lower A&P investment, decreased COVID-19 related expenses, and cost synergies associated with the Pinnacle Foods acquisition were more than offset by cost of goods sold inflation and lost profit from the segment's Sold Business.

Foodservice Segment Fourth Quarter Results
Net sales for the Foodservice segment increased 21.5% to $287 million in the quarter reflecting:

On an organic net sales basis, volume increased 4.5% as restaurant traffic continued to improve from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by the elasticity impact from inflation-driven pricing actions. Price/mix was favorable 17.1% in the quarter, primarily driven by inflation-driven pricing and favorable product mix.

Operating profit for the segment increased 13.2% to $22 million in the quarter. Adjusted operating profit increased 53.0% to $29 million as the benefits of higher organic net sales and supply chain realized productivity more than offset the impact of cost of goods sold inflation.

International Segment Fourth Quarter Results
Net sales for the International segment increased 0.9% to $231 million in the quarter reflecting:

On an organic net sales basis, price/mix increased 5.6% and volume decreased 3.2%. The price/mix increase was driven by inflation-justified pricing. Volume decreased primarily due to the elasticity impact from inflation-driven pricing actions.

Operating profit for the segment decreased 78.4% to $6 million in the quarter. Adjusted operating profit decreased 25.7% to $20 million as the benefits of higher organic net sales and supply chain realized productivity were more than offset by cost of goods sold inflation and the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange.

Other Fourth Quarter Items
Corporate expenses decreased 33.3% to $53 million in the quarter and adjusted corporate expense decreased 30.8% to $55 million in the quarter primarily as a result of lower incentive compensation expense.

Pension and post-retirement non-service income was $19 million in the quarter compared to $13 million of income in the prior-year period.

In the quarter, equity method investment earnings were $48 million. The 42.1% increase on a reported basis was primarily driven by favorable market conditions for the Ardent Mills joint venture, and the venture's effective management through recent volatility in the wheat markets. 

In the quarter, the effective tax rate was 14.4% compared to (32.0)% in the prior-year period. The adjusted effective tax rate was 22.3% compared to 21.3% in the prior-year period.

In the quarter, the Company paid a dividend of $0.3125 per share.

Outlook
The Company expects cost of goods sold inflation to continue into fiscal 2023 and has communicated additional pricing increases that will take effect in the second quarter of FY23. Guidance anticipates gross inflation (input cost inflation before the impacts of hedging and other sourcing benefits) in low-teen levels. Guidance also assumes volume elasticities increase from fiscal 2022 levels but remain below historical levels. The Company does not expect the elevated performance that its joint venture, Ardent Mills, delivered in the back half of fiscal 2022 to continue throughout fiscal 2023.

The Company is providing the following guidance for fiscal 2023:

The inability to predict the amount and timing of the impacts of foreign exchange, acquisitions, divestitures, and other items impacting comparability makes a detailed reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures impracticable. Please see the end of this release for more information.

Items Affecting Comparability of EPS
The following are included in the $0.33 EPS for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 (EPS amounts rounded and after tax).  Please see the reconciliation schedules at the end of this release for additional details.

The following are included in the $0.64 EPS for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 (EPS amounts rounded and after tax).  Please see the reconciliation schedules at the end of this release for additional details.

  Definitions

Organic net sales excludes, from reported net sales, the impacts of foreign exchange, divested businesses and acquisitions, as well as the impact of any 53rd week. All references to changes in volume and price/mix throughout this release are on an organic net sales basis.

References to adjusted items throughout this release refer to measures computed in accordance with GAAP less the impact of items impacting comparability. Items impacting comparability are income or expenses (and related tax impacts) that management believes have had, or are likely to have, a significant impact on the earnings of the applicable business segment or on the total corporation for the period in which the item is recognized, and are not indicative of the Company's core operating results. These items thus affect the comparability of underlying results from period to period.

References to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) refer to net income attributable to Conagra Brands before the impacts of discontinued operations, income tax expense (benefit), interest expense, depreciation, and amortization. References to adjusted EBITDA refer to EBITDA before the impacts of items impacting comparability.

References to two-year compounded annualized numbers are calculated as: ([(1 + current year period's growth rate) * (1 + prior year period's growth rate)] ^ 0.5) – 1.

Discussion of Results
Conagra Brands will host a webcast and conference call at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time today to discuss the results. The live audio webcast and presentation slides will be available on www.conagrabrands.com/investor-relations under Events & Presentations. The conference call may be accessed by dialing 1-877-883-0383 for participants in the U.S. and 1-412-902-6506 for all other participants and using passcode 7662840. Please dial in 10 to 15 minutes prior to the call start time. Following the Company's remarks, the conference call will include a question-and-answer session with the investment community. A replay of the webcast will be available on www.conagrabrands.com/investor-relations under Events & Presentations until July 14, 2023.

About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The Company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye®, Duncan Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender's®, Reddi-wip®, and Slim Jim®, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, Duke's®, Earth Balance®, Gardein®, and Frontera®, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.

Note on Forward-looking Statements
The information contained in this document includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expected future financial performance or position, results of operations, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations, and other statements that are not historical facts. You can identify forward-looking statements by their use of forward-looking words, such as "may", "will", "anticipate", "expect", "believe", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "should", "seek", or comparable terms. Readers of this document should understand that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance or results. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations and beliefs concerning future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and factors relating to our business and operations, all of which are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and factors include, among other things: the risk that the cost savings and any other synergies from the acquisition of Pinnacle Foods, Inc. (the "Pinnacle acquisition") may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the risk that the Pinnacle acquisition may not be accretive within the expected timeframe or to the extent anticipated;  the risks that the Pinnacle acquisition and related integration will create disruption to the Company and its management and impede the achievement of business plans; risks related to our ability to achieve the intended benefits of other recent acquisitions and divestitures; risks associated with general economic and industry conditions; risks associated with our ability to successfully execute our long-term value creation strategies; risks related to our ability to deleverage on currently anticipated timelines, and to continue to access capital on acceptable terms or at all; risks related to our ability to execute operating and restructuring plans and achieve targeted operating efficiencies from cost-saving initiatives, and to benefit from trade optimization programs; risks related to the effectiveness of our hedging activities and ability to respond to volatility in commodities;  risks related to the Company's competitive environment and related market conditions; risks related to our ability to respond to changing consumer preferences and the success of our innovation and marketing investments; risks related to the ultimate impact of any product recalls and litigation, including litigation related to the lead paint and pigment matters, as well as any securities litigation, including securities class action lawsuits; risk associated with actions of governments and regulatory bodies that affect our businesses, including the ultimate impact of new or revised regulations or interpretations; risks related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, suppliers, consumers, customers, and employees; risks related to our forecasts of consumer eat-at-home habits as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic abate; risks related to the availability and prices of supply chain resources, including raw materials, packaging, and transportation, including any negative effects caused by changes in inflation rates, weather conditions, health pandemics or outbreaks of disease, actual or threatened hostilities or war, or other geopolitical uncertainty; disruptions or inefficiencies in our supply chain and/or operations, including from the COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to disruptions in the global economy caused by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine; risks associated with actions by our customers, including changes in distribution and purchasing terms; risks and uncertainties associated with intangible assets, including any future goodwill or intangible assets impairment charges; risks related to a material failure in or breach of our or our vendors' information technology systems; the amount and timing of future dividends, which remain subject to Board approval and depend on market and other conditions; risks related to the Company's ability to execute on its strategies or achieve expectations related to environmental, social, and governance matters, including as a result of evolving legal, regulatory, and other standards processes, and assumptions, the pace of scientific and technological developments, increased costs, the availability of  requisite financing, and changes in carbon markets; and other risks described in our reports filed from time to time with the SEC. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included in this document, which speak only as of the date of this document. We undertake no responsibility to update these statements, except as required by law.

Note on Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This document includes certain non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted EPS, organic net sales, adjusted gross profit, adjusted operating profit, adjusted SG&A, adjusted corporate expenses, adjusted gross margin, adjusted operating margin, adjusted effective tax rate, adjusted net income attributable to Conagra Brands, free cash flow, net debt, net leverage ratio, and adjusted EBITDA. Management considers GAAP financial measures as well as such non-GAAP financial information in its evaluation of the Company's financial statements and believes these non-GAAP measures provide useful supplemental information to assess the Company's operating performance and financial position. These measures should be viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of, the Company's diluted earnings per share, operating performance and financial measures as calculated in accordance with GAAP.

Certain of these non-GAAP measures, such as organic net sales, adjusted operating margin, and adjusted EPS are forward-looking. Historically, the Company has excluded the impact of certain items impacting comparability, such as, but not limited to, restructuring expenses, the impact of the extinguishment of debt, the impact of foreign exchange, the impact of acquisitions and divestitures, hedging gains and losses, impairment charges, the impact of legacy legal contingencies, and the impact of unusual tax items, from the non-GAAP financial measures it presents. Reconciliations of these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are not provided because the Company is unable to provide such reconciliations without unreasonable effort, due to the uncertainty and inherent difficulty of predicting the occurrence and the financial impact of such items impacting comparability and the periods in which such items may be recognized. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information, which could be material to future results.

Hedge gains and losses are generally aggregated, and net amounts are reclassified from unallocated corporate expense to the operating segments when the underlying commodity or foreign currency being hedged is expensed in segment cost of goods sold. The Company identifies these amounts as items that impact comparability within the discussion of unallocated Corporate results.