Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO, commented:
"We saw strong progress in 2019, with key operating and financial metrics improving significantly for the second consecutive year. Organic growth accelerated, fueled by strong momentum in the United States and Purina PetCare globally. Profitability improved again and reached our guided range one year ahead of plan. Cash flow was strong, while underlying earnings per share and returns to shareholders reached record levels. In 2020, we expect continued organic sales growth improvement as we take further steps to decisively address underperforming businesses.
In 2019, we made significant progress in our portfolio transformation. We did what we said we would do and more. We are not done yet. We will respond to rapid changes in the industry and fast-evolving consumer preferences to position our portfolio for higher growth.
Nestlé will continue to focus on fast innovation. The launch of our premium Starbucks products, for example, has been a great success. We are very pleased with the speed of the product rollout and the positive response by consumers. The company is fully embracing the need for speed, as the rapid expansion of our new plant-based food and beverage offerings has shown. We are getting to market faster with must-have products.
Our shareholders are seeing reliable, sustainable and increasing cash returns even in turbulent times. A key driver is our sustainable dividend practice. We are proud to propose the 25th consecutive annual dividend increase to our shareholders this year.
We have also reaffirmed our sustainability leadership at a time when society is increasingly looking to business for solutions to the major environmental problems we are facing. In addition, we have made significant progress in making our workplace even more diverse and inclusive. New initiatives, such as our enhanced parental leave policy, reaffirm Nestlé’s status as an employer of choice around the world."
Nestlé reports full-year results for 2019 - Persbericht
Corporate Governance Report 2019