NestlÊ LâOrÊal sale would add sugar to sour fix
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.
By Aimee Donnellan
LONDON, Sept 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) -The new boss of NestlÊ NESN.S may have to embark on a painful turnaround. Last month, the $279 billion food giant replaced its CEO with insider Laurent Freixe, who will probably have to sacrifice profitability to win back market share. But Freixe could offer shareholders a sweetener by selling down part of Nestle's 20% holding in LâOrÊal OREP.PA to fund share buybacks.
NestlÊâs stake in the French makeup group dates to 1974. Back then, LâOrÊalâs founding Bettencourt family thought that bringing in outside ownership in the form of NestlÊ would offer a shield against hostile takeovers. Itâs also proved to be a lucrative investment for the Swiss KitKat maker. Since NestlÊ first bought shares, LâOrÊal has delivered a total shareholder return thatâs over five times what NestlÊ managed over the same period.
Selling some of the stake could help NestlÊâs new CEO. The board elevated Freixe amid growing frustration with underperformance under long-term boss Mark Schneider, Reuters reported citing sources. The numbers speak for themselves. Revenue growth, excluding the effects of M&A and currency fluctuations, declined from 9.3% at the beginning of 2023 to less than 3% in the second quarter of 2024. The company has lost market share in categories like bottled water.
To boost demand and reignite sales growth, Freixe will probably have to ramp up advertising and marketing. Doing so will dent the companyâs operating margin, which stood at a relatively healthy 17% last year. Lower profitability, however, may rile investors who have already pushed down the companyâs forward price-earnings multiple to 18, compared with a 10-year average of nearly 22.
LâOrÊal offers a solution. NestlÊâs 20.1% stake is worth $47 billion but doesnât serve an obvious purpose for the Swiss group. Selling a few billion would allow Freixe to fund the extra investments while keeping investors happy. Buying back shares might make financial sense, given the depressed valuation multiple relative to the companyâs history.
Selling a large chunk might tank LâOrÊalâs stock. One way around the problem would be to sell in small amounts. Another would be to negotiate a directed buyback, where the French company buys some of NestlÊâs shares. That would have the added benefit of entrenching the controlling familyâs influence.
Freixe might have other ideas, like finding more cost cuts elsewhere in the business to offset any marketing investments. That effort itself will take time, however. Frustrated shareholders may prefer a quick, sweet treat.
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CONTEXT NEWS
NestlÊ ousted its CEO Mark Schneider because of the group's underperformance, Reuters reported on Aug. 23 citing three sources familiar with the matter.
NestlÊ announced Schneider's departure on Aug. 22 following a board meeting. The consumer-goods group appointed company veteran Laurent Freixe as its new CEO, effective from Sept. 1.
LâOrÊal outperforms NestlÊ since Swiss firmâs 1974 buy-in https://reut.rs/3Xr3Whf
Editing by Liam Proud and Streisand Neto
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