Strong performance reflects consistent and rigorous execution of our strategy
- Reported net sales (£6.5 billion) and operating profit (£2.2 billion) were up 1.7% and 6.1%, respectively, as organic growth was partially offset by adverse exchange
- All regions contributed to broad based organic net sales growth, up 4.2%, and organic volume grew 1.8%
- Organic operating profit grew 6.7%, ahead of top line growth, as higher marketing investment was more than offset by efficiencies from our productivity programme
- Cash flow continued to be strong and in line with last year, with net cash from operating activities at £1.2 billion and free cash flow at £1 billion
- Basic eps of 82.2 pence was up 36.3%. Pre-exceptional eps was 67.8 pence, up 9.4%, driven by higher organic operating profit and lower finance charges
- The interim dividend increased 5% to 24.9 pence per share
Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive, commenting on the results said:
“These results demonstrate continued positive momentum from the consistent and rigorous execution of our strategy. We have delivered broad based improvement in both organic volume and net sales growth. We have increased investment behind our brands and expanded organic operating margin through our sustained focus on driving efficiency and effectiveness across the business.
By consistently delivering on our six strategic priorities, Diageo continues to get stronger: we have better consumer insight through superior analytics, improved execution on brand and commercial plans and have embedded everyday efficiency across the business through our productivity initiatives. This has enabled continued growth, improved agility, and consistent cash flow generation.
Our financial performance expectations for this year remain unchanged. We are confident in our ability to deliver consistent mid-single digit top line growth and 175bps of organic operating margin improvement in the three years ending 30 June 2019.”