Shares of Molson Coors Beverage Co. TAP, +0.66% sank 3.1% in premarket trading Thursday, after the beer brewer reported a fourth-quarter adjusted profit and sales that missed expectations, weighed by weakness in Europe amid further on-premise restrictions in the U.K. amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. On a net basis, the company swung to a net loss of $1.37 billion, or $6.32 a share, from income of $163.7 million, or 75 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Excluding nonrecurring items, such as a $1.5 billion Europe goodwill impairment charge, adjusted earnings per share declined to 40 cents from $1.02, missing the FactSet consensus of 77 cents. Sales fell 7.7% to $2.29 billion, below the FactSet consensus of $2.41 billion, as North America sales slipped 0.8% while Europe sales tumbled 37.2%. For 2021, the company expects sales growth in the mid-single digit percentage range, when excluding current impacts. “While uncertainty and on-premise challenges remain, particularly in Europe, we anticipate 2021 to be a year of both top-line growth, as we begin to benefit from the early successes of our revitalization plan, and of investment, as we continue to drive toward long-term revenue and underlying EBITDA growth,” said Chief Financial Officer Tracey Joubert. The stock has run up 15.6% over the past three months through Wednesday, while the S&P 500 SPX, -0.03% has gained 9.4%.
View Article Origin Here
