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☆ Everyday investors are feeling good about the market again
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Retail investors are optimistic about the stock market again despite a backdrop of geopolitical and economic uncertainty. CNN’s Fear & Greed Index, which measures seven barometers of market sentiment, closed at an “extreme greed” reading on Thursday. Unsurprisingly, investors are largely bullish on artificial intelligence-related stocks over the next three months, according to the Schwab survey. The job market has also stayed remarkably strong even as interest rates hover around a 23-year high, helping keep recession worries at bay. About 48% of traders believe the US will likely avoid a recession this year, up from 23% last quarter, according to the Schwab survey.

Persons: Charles Schwab, Schwab, ”, James Kostulias, stoking, Anna Bahney, —, Lawrence Yun, Read, Henri Nestlé, Wegovy, Hanna Ziady, Mark Schneider, ” Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Retail, “, Dow Jones, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal, National Association of Realtors, NAR Locations: New York, United Kingdom, Japan, Washington, Swiss

☆ How Nestlé is changing in an older and Ozempic-obsessed world
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —In 1867, pharmacist Henri Nestlé combined dried cow’s milk with cereals and sugar to create a safe, easily digestible breast-milk substitute. Less infant formulaThe company also plans to use its expertise in nutrition to develop products that serve the growing numbers of older consumers. Nutrition for older consumers“Clearly, across the world in most major markets, the elderly and older population is growing. On current trends, that number is expected to increase to more than 4 billion by 2035, according to the World Obesity Federation. In September, Nestlé announced plans to increase sales of more nutritious products by 20-25 billion francs ($22.8-$28.5 billion) by 2030.

Persons: Henri Nestlé, Wegovy, Mark Schneider, ” Schneider, Schneider, Nestlé, we’re Organizations: London CNN —, United Nations, Schneider, Nutrition, Omega, World Obesity Locations: Swiss, Ireland, Wegovy

☆ Food price inflation set to fall but volatility will remain, Nestle CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFood price inflation set to fall but volatility will remain, Nestle CEO saysNestle CEO Mark Schneider says food price inflation is falling but "choppiness" will continue as certain commodity prices remain at record highs. He adds that "aspirational brands" are still popular among consumers, even as demand for supermarket-owned labels grows.

Persons: Mark Schneider Organizations: Nestle

A 0.25 mg injection pen of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy is shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON/NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The growth in demand for appetite suppressing anti-obesity drugs like Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) Wegovy presents opportunities for food manufacturers and the market's initially downbeat reaction may be overdone, investors say. Still, the stock market impact left some food manufacturers "trembling," said John Plassard, senior investment specialist at Nestle investor Mirabaud Group. The uptake in appetite suppressing drugs seems to be a U.S.-led dynamic, said My Nguyen, research analyst at Legal & General Investment Management America. "Elsewhere, trends such as wealthier, more mobile middle classes in emerging countries can support shifts towards snacking and convenience foods."

Persons: Victoria Klesty, Richard Saldanha, Wegovy, Kiran Aziz, Mark Schneider, John Plassard, Brian Frank, Frank, Nguyen, Richa Naidu, Matt Scuffham, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Walmart, Nestle, Aviva, Novo Nordisk, EY, Industry, Health Sciences, Wellness, Mirabaud, Tyson Foods, Arcos Dorados, Legal, General Investment Management America, Germany's, Investments, Unilever, Coca Cola, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, Victoria, United States, Denmark, Germany, Arda, Ural, U.S

☆ These stocks are trying to solve a major shortcoming of weight loss drugs: Shrinking muscle mass
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

One of the downsides of taking new anti-obesity medications is that patients tend to lose lean muscle mass along with body fat. "This is a major shortcoming in terms of not just quality of life for the patients who have to lose lean muscle mass, but there's actually room to improve on the weight loss and there [are] other metabolic benefits to improving your lean muscle mass ... [including] you might have better durability of weight loss." The drug is being tested in a phase 2b study alongside semaglutide to protect against loss of muscle mass. Until then, patients will need to watch what they eat and focus on exercise just as they would on any other weight loss regimen. When that occurs, muscle loss will be an even bigger issue than it is now.

Persons: Piper Sandler, Allison Bratzel, there's, Bratzel, Versanis, Eli Lilly, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, they're, Lydia Alexander, Alexander, Sandler's Bratzel, incretins, Biohaven, Nestle, Ulf Mark Schneider, Jeff Jonas, Jonas, Stephens, Jim Salera, Atkins, Morgan Stanley, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Wall, Nordisk's Ozempic, Obesity Medicine Association, Bristol Myers Squibb, Nestle, Gabelli, Quest, Foods Locations: Swiss

Real internal growth (RIG) - or a measure of sales volumes - fell 0.6%, meeting expectations. "The ultimate catalyst for the stock's multiple to improve is going to be seeing that volume number going positive." Analysts had on average expected organic sales growth of 8.1%. Nestle confirmed its full-year outlook of organic sales growth between 7% and 8% and underlying trading operating profit margin between 17.0% and 17.5%. The drug's popularity has prompted concerns in the consumer and retail industry over whether food sales will be impacted.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Nestle, Mark Schneider, Schneider, Richard Saldanha, Maggi, Novo, Richa Naidu, Christopher Cushing, Jason Neely Organizations: Nestle, REUTERS, Gillette, Aviva, Novo Nordisk's, Walmart, Thomson Locations: Romont, Switzerland, Ukraine

Kit Kat chocolate-covered wafer bars manufactured by Nestle are seen in London, Britain, July 25, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) on Thursday said it has started work on products to "companion" weight loss drugs like Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) game-changing Wegovy, hoping to cash in on their growing popularity. "We're working already on a wide range of products that could serve as companion products," Schneider said during an earnings briefing, noting that some supplements can help with the "loss of lean muscle mass" and "rapid regain of weight". "The largest parts of our portfolio will not be affected" by this new breed of weight loss drugs, he said. Wegovy has been shown to help patients reduce body weight by around 15% when used along with exercise and lifestyle changes.

Persons: Kat, Hannah McKay, Mark Schneider, Nestle, Schneider, Wegovy, Richa Naidu, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Nestle, REUTERS, Walmart, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Swiss, United States, Norway, Denmark, Germany

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) said it has "temporarily shut down" of one of its production plants in Israel as a "precaution", becoming the first consumer products giant to announce a response to the conflict there. Several global companies have temporarily shut some operations in Israel and asked their employees to work from home after the country came under a surprise attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas earlier this month. I have no comment on the development of the business," Nestle Chief Executive Mark Schneider said on an earnings call with journalists. Other multinational packaged goods companies have so far remained silent on the conflict, even as retail, healthcare and oil companies have rushed to voice their positions. The silence follows criticism of the packaged goods industry for choosing to keep one foot in Russia while continuing to sell "essential" products such as diapers and infant formula there.

Persons: Mark Schneider, Richa Naidu, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Nestle, Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Russia

☆ Nestlé is closing an infant formula factory as China’s birth rate plunges
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Nestlé plans to close a plant in Ireland that makes baby formula, citing a sharp drop in China’s birth rate, in a fresh example of the far-reaching implications of China’s demographic crisis. The world’s largest food company said Wednesday that it would shut its Wyeth Nutrition infant formula factory in Askeaton, a town in Ireland, by the first quarter of 2026 unless a buyer could be found. The plant makes infant formula products exclusively for export to markets in Asia. “[Sales] growth was driven by pricing as we continued to navigate historic inflation levels,” CEO Mark Schneider said in a statement. Separately, Nestlé said it had temporarily shut a factory in Israel as a “precaution” but that the plant was now operating again.

Persons: London CNN —, ” Nestlé, Nestlé, Mark Schneider Organizations: London CNN Locations: Ireland, Askeaton, Asia, China, Switzerland, Israel

☆ This highly profitable industry is booming as the population ages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Enteral nutrition is administered through a feeding tube or it can be taken orally. Fresenius owns 32% of Fresenius Medical Center, which saw shares drop on recent news that Ozempic's kidney disease treatment trial showed signs of success. Clinical nutrition is about 20% of group profits and an important subset of its larger specialized nutrition unit, Ackerman said. "Many investors only focus only on their infant formula unit and don't know how big or how profitable clinical nutrition is," he said. "Clinical nutrition is the jewel in Danone's crown and probably the most attractive part of Danone's portfolio, yet is hidden from investors."

Persons: Stefano Natella, — hasn't, Hassan Al, Wakeel, Warren Ackerman, Ackerman, Lindsay Clarke, Enteral, Danone's Nutrison, —, Baxter, Abbott, Sara Hennicken, Fresenius, Nestlé, Mark Schneider, Nestle, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Guggenheim, World Health Organization, WHO, Barclays, Danone, Fresenius, Al, Alliance for Aging Research, Aging, CNBC, Nestle, Companies, — Nestle, Nutrition, Fresenius Medical Locations: German, Paris, China, Swiss, United States, parenteral, Latin America

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) improved its full-year organic sales outlook and reported better-than-expected first-half organic sales, as the world's biggest packaged food company again raised prices to cope with higher input costs. Nestle said it is narrowing its full-year organic sales growth guidance - which does not include the impact of currency movements and acquisitions - to a range of 7%-8% from a range of 6-8%. Real internal growth - or sales volumes - fell 0.8% versus expectations of a 0.6% decline. "We're still repairing our gross margin," he added. Reckitt reported sales volumes for the second quarter were down 4.3%, Unilever's quarterly volumes were down 0.3% and Danone's second-quarter volume/mix declined 2.3%.

Persons: Nestle, Mark Schneider, Schneider, Jean, Philippe Bertschy, Reckitt, Richa Naidu, Kim Coghill, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Nestle, Unilever, Thomson Locations: Swiss, Ukraine

☆ Consumers are wising up to 'greedflation' as food companies keep prices high
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Most consumers think food brands are using inflation "as an excuse to hike prices," a survey says. PepsiCo, Nestlé, Conagra, and other food companies say they are trying to cover their costs. While costs of raw materials, labor, and shipping have continued to be high, many food companies have reported leaps in profit at the same time. Many have noticed that food companies' profits have been increasing, too, a sign to them that some of the higher prices are about something other than covering production costs. Recent earnings from food companies suggest that many have raised prices higher than inflation.

Cost inflation rose during the COVID-19 pandemic and was exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which sent energy prices to record highs last year. Energy costs have since dropped, however, while global prices for some commodities are rising more slowly. Companies like Nestle (NESN.S), Reckitt Benckiser (RKT.L) and Danone (DANO.PA) continued to raise prices sharply in the first quarter even though input costs are easing. First quarter price/mix, a basket of variables the company uses to help determine what prices to charge, rose 12.4% while sales volumes declined 4.5%. Similarly, Nestle increased its prices by 9.8% during the quarter and sales volumes - which the company calls real internal growth - fell only 0.5%.

☆ Nestle to examine banking relationships following Credit Suisse downfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, March 28 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) will examine its banking relationships following the planned takeover of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) by UBS (UBSG.S), the food group's Chief Executive Mark Schneider said on Tuesday. The world's largest food group was a client of Credit Suisse, Schneider told broadcaster TeleZueri in an interview to be shown on Tuesday evening, and had been following the collapse of Switzerland's second-biggest bank. "We have worked closely with Credit Suisse for many decades in a spirit of trust," Schneider told the broadcaster. "You can see from such an example that Switzerland as a business location and a financial centre are very closely linked. We now have to see how to reorganise our banking relationships, both with Swiss and international providers."

☆ Soaring energy costs triggered by war in Ukraine could push 141 million into extreme poverty, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine could push 141 million people worldwide into extreme poverty, according to a new report published Thursday in the journal Nature Energy. In low-income countries, the report said poorer households already facing severe food shortages were at greater risk of poverty due to higher energy costs. Households in higher income countries also felt the impact of rising energy prices but were more likely to be able to absorb them into household budgets, the report said. Energy price hikes caused by the crisis in Ukraine have also resulted in the increased cost of necessities like food. According to the report, many governments worldwide have already taken steps to lessen the impact of soaring energy prices on households, from reducing energy taxes and providing energy bill discounts to one-off energy subsidies and price caps.

☆ Nestlé, the world's biggest consumer food company, says it will keep hiking prices in 2023, and that its rivals will have to do the same
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Food and drinks conglomerate Nestlé says it will continue putting up prices in 2023. The Swiss conglomerate said at its fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday that the price increases would be targeted rather than across the board. Pet care, prepared dishes, cooking aids, milk products, and ice cream had the largest price increases globally. "In 2022, pricing became the largest contributor to growth," CFO François Roger said, meaning that price increases led to more growth in revenues as sales growth declined. Nestlé's upcoming rises will be justified by data "otherwise retail partners and consumers will simply not accept price increases," Schneider said.

☆ Nestle full year profit misses forecasts despite price increases
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The maker of the KitKat chocolate bar and Nescafe instant coffee said its net profit attributable to shareholders fell to 9.3 billion Swiss francs ($10.08 billion), missing forecasts for 11.6 billion francs in a company gathered consensus of analysts. Sales increased to 94.4 billion francs, missing forecasts for 95.02 billion francs, despite price increases introduced during the year. Nestle had targeted organic growth of 8% for the year. Pricing was by far the biggest component of the organic growth, increasing by 8.2%. "Organic growth was solid, margins continued to be resilient, and our underlying earnings per share development was strong."

☆ Nestlé says food prices will rise further this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Food, including ice cream, will see significant price increases in 2023, CEO Alan Jope said on the same call. Unilever said price increases caused sales volumes to decline by 2.1% in 2022. Heineken, meanwhile, said it expected to sell less beer in Europe this year because of “steep” price increases related to energy costs. At the time, Tesco (TSCDF) described the company’s price increases as “unjustifiable.” Once the products were restored, prices were unchanged on Heinz’s most popular lines. Gabby Jones/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesTesco has also “fallen out with other suppliers” over price increases, its chairman John Allen recently told the BBC.

☆ Nestle plans price hikes after inflation eats into profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

He declined to comment on the planned level of price increases, which he said were necessary to offset the damage caused by commodity price rises. That is after all the pricing we have done in 2022," Schneider told reporters. Europe was the company's main drag on margins last year, with Nestle taking a roughly 190 basis point margin hit. Schneider told CNBC: "It had a lot to do with inflation hitting North America earlier, in 2021, and for different reasons. Europe saw a spike in inflation, in energy costs, especially after the invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Morning Bid: Growth trumps rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

While there were some questions about seasonal adjustments in the data, economists were impressed that sales growth was pretty broad based and have scrambled to re-crunch first quarter U.S. output forecasts as a result. There may be a more mixed picture from Thursday's data slate on producer prices, housing starts and weekly jobless claims. Even though rates futures and Treasury yields ticked back a bit today, pricing now has Fed policy rates moving as high as 5.25% and staying above 5% all year. And while full-year earnings growth estimates for S&P500 companies have sunk to zero, consensus forecasts are now pencilling in a rebound of almost 12% next year. Uncertainty about the pace of growth and annual tax receipts in April makes it difficult for government officials to predict the exact "X-date", it said.

The U.S. food index, including meals eaten at home and in cafes and restaurants, increased 10.4% for the year ended in December. RETAILER PUSHBACKConsumer goods manufacturers - will continue to raise prices until they recover their profitability, said Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne. In December, the CEO of Walmart (WMT.N), the world's biggest retailer, warned that some "packaged goods suppliers are still pointing us towards more inflation next year on top of the mid-double digits this year". Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said last month he was hopeful inflation would peak by mid-2023 and then start to ebb. Barclays analyst Warren Ackerman said although food commodity prices on average were down 20% from March peaks, it will take time for this to reflect in companies' costs.

☆ Nestle to hike food prices further in 2023, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) will have to raise prices of its food products further this year to offset higher production costs that it has yet to fully pass on to consumers, Chief Executive Mark Schneider told a German newspaper. The increases will not be as steep as they were in 2022, but "we have some catching up to do over the full year," Schneider was quoted as telling Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview due for publication on Sunday. In the first nine months of 2022, the world's biggest food group, which makes KitKat chocolate bars and Nescafe reported organic sales growth of 8.5%, of which price rises accounted for 7.5 percentage points. Inflation in many developed economies has been running at multi-decade highs, driven in large part by increases in prices of food and energy. Reporting by John Stonestreet; Editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

TORONTO, Dec 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Like dogs seeking forever homes, stray pet businesses will find new owners in 2023. After a surge in Covid-19 lockdown adoptions, some seven out of 10 U.S. households owned one, according to a recent survey by The American Pet Products Association. Nestlé (NESN.S) boss Mark Schneider, for one, said he is open to opportunities in pet food, while Colgate-Palmolive (CL.N) recently bought additional manufacturing facilities to beef up its Hill’s Pet Nutrition division. Privately held Mars, which acquired Canada-based Champion Petfoods and Nom Nom, also could be on the hunt. Separately, Mars also agreed to acquire pet food brand Nom Nom for an undisclosed price, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 14.

☆ Zelenskyy's TIME Person of the Year Award is proof that resilience is the most important trait any leader can have
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

He embodies valor and resilience, traits business leaders should exhibit in tough times. The Ukrainian leader's speaking style is characterized by short sentences, vivid imagery, and empathy, all of which make him effective. A 2021 research paper published in the Academy of Management Journal found business leaders who led by example boosted productivity in their businesses. Some of the most convincing business leaders of our time have leaned into emotion when making key arguments. "President Zelenskyy remains focused on his core assignment.

☆ Nestlé U-turn is refreshing example of M&A candour
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It’s less common for them to admit as much and reverse tack after just two years. Nestlé originally touted potential annual sales of $1 billion for the drug, which had received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Nestlé Chief Executive Mark Schneider can arguably afford to be honest, rather than trying to bury the M&A flop within his $330 billion behemoth. That’s because his overall acquisition strategy seems to be working. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

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