PARIS (Reuters) – French food group Danone beat third-quarter sales expectations on Thursday, boosted by higher sales volumes as price hikes slowed further, and reflecting strong demand in North America for high-protein products, coffee creamers and waters.
The maker of Activia yoghurt, Evian water and Aptamil infant milk posted a 4.2% rise in third quarter like-for-like sales to 6.826 billion euros ($7.36 billion), above analysts’ expectations for a 3.9% rise in a company-compiled consensus.
The world’s largest yoghurt maker kept its forecast for 2024 like-for-like sales growth of between 3% and 5%, with a moderate improvement in recurring operating margin.
($1 = 0.9275 euros)
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)
