WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG)
- Cash provided by operating activities was $2.2 billion in the quarter
- The Company is maintaining its full year 2008 earnings guidance
(In millions, except per share data and percentages)
Quarter Ended Nine Months Ended
9/30/08 9/30/07 % Change 9/30/08 9/30/07 % Change
Volumes (metric
tons) 35.2 37.7 (7)% 102.5 102.9 - %
Net sales $14,797 $9,729 52 % $41,631 $25,370 64 %
Total segment
EBIT (1,2) $247 $532 (54)% $1,767 $834 112 %
Agribusiness $170 $381 (55)% $1,035 $526 97 %
Fertilizer $84 $112 (25)% $610 $219 179 %
Edible Oil
Products $(29) $17 (271)% $36 $41 (12)%
Milling products $22 $22 - % $86 $48 79 %
Net income (2) $234 $351 (33)% $1,274 $533 139 %
Earnings per
Common share
-diluted (2,3) $1.70 $2.70 (37)% $9.26 $4.12 125 %
(1) Total segment earnings before interest and tax ('EBIT') is a
non-GAAP financial measure. The information required by
Regulation G under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including
a reconciliation to net income, is included in the tables attached
to this press release.
(2) Bunge's results included certain gains and charges that may be of
interest to investors. See the Additional Financial Information
section included in the tables attached to this press release for
more information.
(3) See Note 2 to the consolidated statements of income attached to this
press release for information on the calculation of diluted earnings
per share.
Alberto Weisser, Bunge's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer stated, 'The third quarter was a volatile time in the global agribusiness and food markets, but the Bunge team managed through the period with skill. We head toward the end of 2008 with a comfortable liquidity position and continued expectations for record full-year results.
'Current conditions in the global agribusiness market are clearly different than the extraordinary ones experienced in the first half of the year. Comparatively, recent results have been pressured by softer demand for feed inputs and slower farmer selling in certain regions, as well as by reduced sales of fertilizer in Brazil.
'We see the current market environment as relatively short-lived. The basic fundamentals of our industry remain intact and should generate compelling growth for companies with global asset networks and broad product offerings. World population and living standards in developing economies continue to rise, and non-food uses for agricultural commodities are expected to increase. We expect that these factors will contribute to a rebound in overall demand. At the same time, ending stocks of agricultural commodities remain below historic norms, which will encourage the markets to maintain commodity prices at levels that provide incentives to farmers to plant larger areas and buy the nutrients necessary to generate higher crop yields.
'We continue working to capitalize on our industry's growth trends by building upon Bunge's strong global network of assets. For example, we recently purchased a 50% stake in the port of Phu My Port in Vietnam. Since 2004, Bunge has had exclusive rights to ship agricultural commodities through the port. As an owner, we will be able to expand the port's capacity and accelerate the growth of our business in this attractive market.
'One of our global strategies is to invest in complementary value chains--such as sugar and corn wet milling--in which we can leverage our existing risk management, logistics and industrial expertise to succeed. In September we purchased a majority stake in a second sugarcane mill in Brazil, which we plan to expand. We also entered into joint ventures with Itochu to develop sugar and sugarcane-based ethanol opportunities in the country. Together, Bunge and Itochu will complete the expansion of the Santa Juliana mill and develop a new, greenfield mill. The three projects are expected to reach full annual capacity of over 12 million metric tons of sugarcane in the aggregate, within four years.
'Since the announcement of the merger, Corn Products and Bunge have been engaged in preparations for the integration of our two companies. Bunge and Corn Products currently anticipate that the special shareholders' meetings of both companies will be held in mid to late December, rather than in November as previously anticipated. We are disappointed in the performance of the stock prices of the two companies, but Bunge's belief in the strategic rationale for the merger is unchanged.'
Agribusiness
Oilseed processing results were slightly lower in the quarter, as higher margins were more than offset by lower volumes. Softseed processing results in Europe and Canada were strong in the quarter, whereas demand for soybean products weakened. Slow farmer selling in the U.S. and Brazil due in part to volatility of commodity and currency prices, as well as harvest delays in the U.S., contributed to lower results in grain origination. Lower distribution results reflected margins that returned to more normal levels from the higher margins experienced in the third quarter of last year. Risk management strategies continued to work well during a volatile period. Foreign exchange losses of $192 million, primarily in our Brazilian subsidiary, from U.S. dollar-denominated financing of working capital were offset by the positive impact of foreign exchange on valuations of commodity inventories included in gross profit. In the third quarter, the Brazilian real devalued 17% against the U.S. dollar.
Third quarter EBIT included a $60 million credit resulting from a favorable ruling related to certain transactional taxes in Brazil that were accrued and paid in past years.
Fertilizer
Volumes were down in the quarter primarily due to soybean and corn farmers accelerating purchases in the first half of the year and a tight credit environment for farmers. Higher margins were more than offset by $215 million of foreign exchange losses resulting from the devaluation of the Brazilian real on U.S. dollar-denominated financing of working capital. Unlike in agribusiness where inventories are marked to market, the offsetting gain on fertilizer inventories is expected to occur in future quarters when the inventories are sold. Minority interest increased in the quarter due to higher results at Fosfertil.
Edible Oil Products
Volumes increased in the quarter. Results declined primarily due to high raw material costs in Europe as a result of crude oil inventories purchased prior to the recent price declines.
Milling Products
Higher margins in wheat milling were offset by lower volumes in corn milling.
Financial Costs
Interest expense decreased in the quarter due to lower average debt levels, mostly resulting from the drop in prices of agricultural commodity inventories which led to lower average working capital needs.
Income Taxes
The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 was 24% compared to 26% for the same period in 2007. The decrease in the effective tax rate was primarily due to a higher percentage of earnings in lower tax jurisdictions.
Cash Flow
Cash provided by operating activities in the third quarter of 2008 was $2,210 million compared to cash provided by operating activities of $134 million in the same period last year. For the nine months ended September 30, 2008, cash provided by operating activities was $1,727 million compared to cash used for operating activities in the same period last year of $642 million. The $2.4 billion year-over-year improvement reflects the drop in commodity prices during the quarter, as well as higher earnings and actions taken to increase the efficiency of working capital management.
Jacqualyn Fouse, Chief Financial Officer, stated, 'We expect a solid finish to the year. Agribusiness should benefit from large harvests in the northern hemisphere. Fertilizer margins should remain strong, though volumes will likely be moderated due to the level of forward purchasing which occurred in the first half of the year and current tight farmer credit conditions. Foods results should improve due to lower raw material costs. 2008 will be a record year for earnings and cash flow, and reinforces the importance of viewing our business on a full-year basis.
'In consideration of this outlook, we are maintaining our 2008 full-year earnings guidance of $11.60 to $11.90 per share. This guidance assumes an effective tax rate range of 24% to 28%. This fully diluted per share guidance is based on an estimated weighted average of 138 million shares outstanding, which includes assumed dilution relating to our convertible preference shares.'
Conference Call and Webcast Details
Bunge Limited's management will host a conference call at 10:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, October 23, 2008, to discuss the company's results.
Additionally, a slide presentation to accompany the discussion of the third quarter financial results can be found in the 'Investor Information' section of our Web site, www.Bunge.com, under 'Investor Presentations'.
To listen to the conference call, please dial (877) 719-9791. If you are located outside of the United States or Canada, dial (719) 325-4762. Please dial in five to 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. When prompted, enter confirmation code 3968460. The conference call will also be available live on the company's Web site at www.Bunge.com.
To access the webcast, click the 'News and Information' link on the Bunge homepage then select 'Webcasts and Upcoming Events'. Click on the link for the 'Q3 2008 Bunge Limited Conference Call,' and follow the prompts to join the call. Please go to the Web site at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register and to download and install any necessary audio software.
For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay of the call will be available following the call and continuing through November 22, 2008. To listen to the replay, please dial (888) 203-1112, or, if located outside of the United States or Canada, dial (719) 457-0820. When prompted, enter confirmation code 3968460. A rebroadcast of the conference call will also be available on the company's Web site. To locate the rebroadcast on the Web site, click on the 'News and Information' link on the Bunge homepage then select 'Audio Archives' from the left-hand menu. Select the link for the 'Q3 2008 Bunge Limited Conference Call'. Follow the prompts to access the replay.
About Bunge Limited
Bunge Limited (www.Bunge.com, NYSE: BG) is a leading global agribusiness and food company founded in 1818 and headquartered in White Plains, New York. Bunge's over 25,000 employees in over 30 countries enhance lives by improving the global agribusiness and food production chain. The company supplies fertilizer to farmers in South America, originates, transports and processes oilseeds, grains and other agricultural commodities worldwide, produces food products for commercial customers and consumers and supplies raw materials and services to the biofuels industry.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains both historical and forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather reflect our current expectations and projections about our future results, performance, prospects and opportunities.
