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EX-99.1 - EXHIBIT 99.1 - HEINZ H J COa50172096ex99_1.htm

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): February 17, 2012

H.J. HEINZ COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Pennsylvania

1-3385

25-0542520

(State of Incorporation) (Commission File Number)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

One PPG Place,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

 

15222

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

412-456-5700
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))



GENERAL

ITEM 2.02. RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION

Attached is H. J. Heinz Company’s press release dated February 17, 2012, furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1.

This press release presents the Company’s results in Fiscal 2012 excluding charges for productivity initiatives.  Such charges include costs associated with targeted workforce reductions, asset write-offs associated with factory closures, and other implementation costs taken in Fiscal 2012 to accelerate growth.  Management believes that this measure provides useful information to investors because it is the profitability measure we use to evaluate earnings performance on a comparable year-over-year basis. The adjustments are charges for non-recurring productivity initiatives that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the year-over-year assessment of operating results.  In addition, these results are used in reporting to our executive management and as a component of the Board of Director’s measurement of our performance for incentive compensation purposes. These non-GAAP measures should be viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of, the comparable GAAP measures.

This press release also presents the business measure of organic sales growth, which is defined as either volume plus price or total sales growth excluding the impact of foreign exchange and acquisitions and divestitures. This measure is utilized by senior management to provide investors with a more complete understanding of underlying sales trends by providing sales growth on a consistent basis.  The limitation of this measure is its exclusion of the impact of foreign exchange and acquisitions and divestitures.

This press release also presents the business measure of operating free cash flow, which is defined as cash flow from operations less capital expenditures net of proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment.  This measure is utilized by senior management and the board of directors to gauge our business operating performance, including the progress of management to profitably monetize low return assets.

The limitation of operating free cash flow is that it adjusts for cash used for capital expenditures and cash received from disposals of property, plant and equipment, the net of which is no longer available to the Company for other purposes. Management compensates for this limitation by using the GAAP operating cash flow number as well. Operating free cash flow does not represent residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures and does not provide insight to the entire scope of the historical cash inflows or outflows of our operations that are captured in the other cash flow measures reported in the statement of cash flows.

This press release also presents certain financial measures and certain outlook on a constant currency basis. Constant currency is defined as the reported amount adjusted for translation (the effect of changes in average foreign exchange rates between the current period and the corresponding prior year), and the impact of current year foreign currency translation hedges.  Management refers to growth rates at constant currency so that results can be viewed without the impact of changing foreign currency exchange rates, thereby facilitating period-to-period comparisons of financial results. Management provides outlook on a constant currency basis because of the volatility of foreign exchange rates and because it believes that such presentation facilitates a period-to-period comparison.   However, a limitation of the use of the constant currency results as a performance measure is that it does not reflect the impact of exchange rates on financial results when comparing to the prior period. These results should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, results reported in accordance with GAAP.   

Disclosed on Exhibit 99.1 is supplemental information regarding reconciliation and calculation of the non-GAAP measures discussed above in connection with the financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended January 25, 2012 and January 26, 2011, respectively.


ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

(d)       Exhibits

Exhibit Number

(Referenced to

Item 601 of

Regulation S-K

Description of Exhibit

99.1

H. J. Heinz Company Press Release dated February 17, 2012


SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

H.J. HEINZ COMPANY

 
 

 

 

By:

/s/ Arthur B. Winkleblack

Arthur B. Winkleblack

Executive Vice President and

Chief Financial Officer

 
 
 
 

Dated:

February 17, 2012


EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.

Description

99.1

H. J. Heinz Company Press Release dated February 17, 2012