General Mills (GIS) Q1 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates

General Mills (GIS - Free Report) reported $4.85 billion in revenue for the quarter ended August 2024, representing a year-over-year decline of 1.2%. EPS of $1.07 for the same period compares to $1.09 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.78 billion, representing a surprise of +1.42%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +1.90%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.05.

While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how General Mills performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Net Sales- North America Foodservice: $536.20 million versus $547.87 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a 0% change.
• Net Sales- International: $717 million compared to the $699.25 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +0.2% year over year.
• Net Sales- Pet: $576.10 million versus $557.36 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -0.7% change.
• Net Sales- North America Retail: $3.02 billion versus $2.97 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -1.8% change.
• Operating Profit- North America Retail: $745.70 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $754.49 million.
• Operating Profit- International: $20.90 million versus $36.30 million estimated by four analysts on average.
• Operating Profit- Pet: $119.40 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $109.91 million.
• Operating Profit- North America Foodservice: $71.50 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $65.54 million.

Shares of General Mills have returned +6.5% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.6% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.