Diageo stock tanks amid weak results and gloomy outlook

Investing.com -- Shares of Diageo (LON:DGE) slumped on Tuesday following the release of its fiscal 2024 results. The company's full-year results have fallen short of already subdued expectations, as per RBC Capital Markets. RBC has rated the stock as "underperform" with a price target of GBp 2,500.

Reported net sales declined by 1.4% to $20.3 billion, primarily attributed to unfavorable foreign exchange rates and a decrease in organic net sales. The latter was impacted by a 3.5% volume decline, with the Latin America and Caribbean region experiencing a particularly sharp downturn of 21.1%.

The primary area of concern is the deteriorating performance in North America, the company's most significant market, the analysts said. Organic sales in the region declined by 4.5% in the second half of the year, following a 1.5% drop in the first half. 

“We expected these results to be grim, and so they were,” the analysts added. 

Despite the revenue challenges, reported operating profit increased by 8.2%, driven primarily by exceptional operating items. However, organic operating profit declined by 4.8% due to weaker performance in the LAC region and increased investments in strategic initiatives.

Free cash flow grew by $374 million to $2.6 billion, reflecting strong working capital management. The company also returned $1 billion to shareholders through share buybacks.

Analysts flag the pressure on operating margins, which is expected to persist into the next fiscal year. The company's guidance implies a similar margin deterioration in 2025 as experienced in the second half of 2024.

While Diageo has reiterated its medium-term guidance for organic sales and operating profit growth of 5-7%, RBC says this target is now less credible given the current challenging environment