Barry Callebaut full-year profit and volume growth beat poll
07/11/2013 06:00
ZURICH, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Barry Callebaut BARN.S beat forecasts with sales volumes growth of 11.4 percent in the full year to August, helped by new outsourcing deals coming on tap and volumes contributed by the cocoa business it acquired from Petra Foods PEFO.S . Net profit at the world's largest maker of chocolate and cocoa products fell 5.4 percent in local currencies to 229 million Swiss francs ($251.36 million), squeezed by the cost of the acquisition of Petra Foods' PEFO.SI loss-making cocoa business. This was, however, ahead of a 213 million forecast in a Reuters poll. ID:nL5N0IQ228 "I am confident that we will be able to maintain our fast growth pace. We will continue to focus on further improving our margins and profitability," chief executive Juergen Steinemann said in a statement on Thursday, confirming the group's midterm guidance. The group said it would propose a dividend of 14.50 Swiss francs per share, lower than the 15.70 francs expected by analysts in the poll. ($1 = 0.9111 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz) ((silke.koltrowitz@thomsonreuters.com)(+41 58 306 7454)(Reuters Messaging: silke.koltrowitz.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: BARRY CALLEBAUT RESULTS