Slower sales weigh on General Mills

Article Excerpt

GENERAL MILLS INC. $44 (New York symbol GIS; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 596.8 million; Market cap: $26.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.6; Dividend yield: 4.6%; www.generalmills.com) is one of the world’s largest food makers. Its top brands include Big G (cereal), Green Giant (canned and frozen vegetables), Pillsbury (baking dough), Old El Paso (tacos), Progresso (soups and salads) and Yoplait (yogurt). In May 2018, the company paid $7.8 billion for Blue Buffalo Pet Products. That firm makes pet foods using organic and natural ingredients. The purchase should help offset sluggish demand for yogurt and cereals in the U.S. For General Mills’ fiscal 2019 second quarter, ended November 25, 2018, sales increased 5.1%, to $4.4 billion from $4.2 billion a year earlier. Blue Buffalo contributed $335.2 million to sales in the latest quarter. Earnings before unusual items rose 3.7%, to $0.85 a share from $0.82. The stock has dropped 27% in the past year. General Mills’ shares now trade at 14.3 times the projected…