VSB 1005 – Business Dynamics

By Andrew Bieler, Kathryn Cassavell, Marcelo Mazzocato and Michelle Phillips

Research Findings on General Mills, Inc.

and Kraft Foods, Inc.

General Mills, Inc. (GIS)

Company Description• US Retail of packaged food (76%), International sales and

food service: total revenue of nearly $16bi• Second largest food company in the cereal sector; owner of

the Cheerios brand• First factory: Gold Medal Flour in Minneapolis, in the 1860s• Incorporated in 1928• 66 production facilities, 40 in the US• Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN• 33,000 employees• www.generalmills.com

Company Description (cont.)• Several leading and well-known brands• Green Giant, Cheerios, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker,

Haagen Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait

General Mills In the News

General Mills Mum onReports of Yoplait Purchase

•U.S. foods group General Mills declined to comment on Sunday on a British newspaper report that it was mulling a bid for French yogurt maker Yoplait following a contract dispute.

•The Sunday Times said in an unsourced report that the maker of Cheerios cereal could pay 1 billion pounds ($1.56 billion) for unlisted Yoplait, whose products it distributes in the United States.

General Mills Invests in New Production Facility

The Minneapolis based General Mills announced their new $100 million investment into expansion of its Murfreesboro production facility.

“I’m very pleased to have one of the world’s most respected food companies growing and thriving in Tennessee,” said Governor Bredesen. “This expansion is not just an endorsement of Tennessee’s business climate, but in the quality and productivity of the workforce in Murfreesboro.”

GM Managing Director TakesNew Role

•The managing director of General Mills' operations in the UK, Ireland and the Nordic region, has been elected president of UK industry body the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

•Jim Moseley has held his role with General Mills since 1999 and for the past four years has served as vice and deputy president of the FDF and chair of its Food Safety and Scientific Steering Group 

Financial Analysis• 1. Profitability: recovery in margins. Efficiency

gains forced by input prices. Increase in net margin, ROA and ROE in the past five years.

• 2. Asset Management: high asset turnover ratios associated with high efficiency. Drop in average collection period. Short but constant inventory period. Periods are expected of the packaged food industry.

Financial Analysis (Cont.)• 3. Debt: high debt ratios but showing drops in

the past years. Analysts say D/E is expected to fall significantly in the next five years. This trend shows the company’s high levels of debt are manageable.

• 4. Liquidity: ratios show an upward trend but still lower than industry average.

Kraft Foods, Inc. (KFT)

Company Description• #1 US Food Company, #2 worldwide (Hoover’s)

• Food industry

• 1903- James L. Kraft opened cheese business – Chicago, IL

• Sectors: snacks, beverages, cheese, convenience meals, packaged grocery products

• Headquarters: Northfield, IL• Incorporated in 2000• 97,000 Employees • Sell products – 160 countries• Operations in 70 countries

Company Description (cont.)

Kraft in the NewsKraft’s Cookie, Cracker Sales Crumble in U.S.July 26, 2010

• Rosenfeld predicted a 9% to 11% increase in EPS after Cadbury

• Cookie sales down 4.6%• Cracker sales down 3.8%• Lost 1% of Market Share

Kraft Gets Boost From CadburyAugust 5, 2010

• Profits up 13%• Revenues up 25%• Gross margin up 2.4%• Earnings up 11%.

• Cadbury strong in foreign markets– Asia & Latin America

Kraft Pushes Cadbury in ChinaAugust 13, 2010

“Ms. Rosenfeld said in an interview this week that Kraft is placing ‘disproportionate focus’ on Asia-Pacific, mainly because of the strength of the Indian and Chinese consumer markets, in which the company expects to see ‘explosive growth’ in the future.”

Financial Analysis

1. PROFITABILITY

• Downward trend for past 5 years, increase in 2009• Improvement

2. ASSET MANAGEMENT

• Turnover ratios: decreasing trend over past 5 years, slight increase in 2008

• Collection and inventory periods: increasing trend over the past 5 years, decrease in 2008

• Corresponding trends for 2008

3. Debt Usage

• Total Debt Ratio: increased over past 5 years, decrease in 2009 used more leverage trend

• Debt-Equity Ratio: decreased over past 5 years, increase in 2009 (2009 risky)

4. Liquidity

• Current and Quick Ratios: decreasing trend, increasing trend for past 2 years

• Positive sign

Financial Analysis(cont.)

Stock Price AnalysisKraft vs. S&P 500

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

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-40

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10

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ROR S&P (in %)

ROR Kraft (in %)

2 Conclusions

1. Kraft had lower returns than the overall market

Avg. RORKraft= 1.22%

S&P 500= 2.14%

2. Kraft is less risky than the overall market

Standard DeviationKraft= 16.52%

S&P 500= 22.44%

Stock Price AnalysisGM vs. S&P 500

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

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-40

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ROR GM (in %)

ROR S&P (in %)

2 Conclusions

1. GM had higher returns than the overall market

Avg. RORGM= 6.33%

S&P 500= 2.14%

2. GM is less risky than the overall market

Standard DeviationGMKraft= 10.17%S&P 500= 22.44%

GM Stock vs. Kraft Stock

Kraft’s stock has been more volatile compared to the General Mills Stock. Just two years ago, Kraft

experienced a substantial negative return of -14.60% while General Mills experienced a positive return of

9.49%.

Stock Price AnalysisKraft vs. GM (ROR)

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

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ROR GM (in %)

ROR Kraft (in %)

COMPARISON• GM is fairly valued but has a consistent ROR

history. Good long-term investment.• Kraft has great prospects in the short term, as

efficiency and market reach improve due to the acquisition of Cadbury. Company undervalued in the NYSE. Good investment, especially in the short run.