Investors toast Diageo news
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Shares in drinks giant Diageo (LON:DGE) climbed by 4.13% to 2,886.50p (as of 12:00 GMT) following the announcement that reported net sales for the six months ended 31st December increased by 5.8%. Operating profits for the period were also up by 11% and management said that the improvements in performance were broad-based and primarily driven by organic growth.
Chief executive Ivan Menzies commented: “Diageo delivered broad-based volume and organic net sales growth across regions and categories. We continue to expand organic operating margins while increasing investment in our brands ahead of organic net sales growth.
“These results are further evidence of the changes we have made in Diageo to put the consumer at the heart of our business, to embed productivity and to act with agility to enable us to win sustainably.
“At £1.3 billion, we delivered another period of strong free cash flow. As a result the board approved an incremental share buyback of £660 million, bringing the total programme up to £3.0 billion for the year ending 30 June 2019.
“This half has benefitted from some one-time and phasing gains in both organic net sales and operating profit, and therefore we continue to expect to deliver mid-single digit organic net sales growth for the year and to expand operating margins in line with our previous guidance of 175 bps for the three years ending 30 June 2019.
“As we deploy our strategy, we remain focused on building the long-term health of our brands and ensuring we grow our business in a consistent and sustainable way.”
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