Skip navigation
MOST POPULAR RELATED TAGS
  • TOPICS
  • SECTORS
  • COMPANIES

MAD MONEY FEATURES

Podcasts PODCASTS
Watch the Lightning Round whenever and wherever you want.




Widget OFFICIAL MAD MONEY WIDGET
Grab this all-in-one application and get recaps of the show sent right to your desktop or blog.




Soundboard CRAMERS SOUNDBOARD
Admit it: You've always wanted to hit the "They
know nothing!" button. Here’s your chance.




Mad Money PhotosCHECK OUT OUR PHOTOS
Check out Cramer on set, back to school, behind the scenes and more.




ShopSHOP FOR MAD MERCHANDISE
Buy Cramer books, bobbleheads and other Mad Money merchandise.




Ringtones RING TONES
Pick up the phone! It's Cramer! New Mad Money sounds for your cell phone.




Mobile AlertTEXT MESSAGE ALERT
Mad Money's mobile. Get show highlights sent to your phone.







Text Size
Sep.17
6:44 PM ET
Wednesday, 17 Sep 2008
Growth in This Market?

“We had a good day today.”

How many CEOs can say that when the Dow drops 449 points in a single session? Well, General Mills[GIS  Loading...      ()   ] Ken Powell can, and he did during an interview with Cramer Wednesday.

General Mills reported a great quarter today, and the stock closed up $1.19, or almost 2%. Powell, who also serves as chairman, attributed his company’s success to a focus on productivity. That helped to offset high food costs and allowed the GIS to innovate and build out its brands. Powell said that focus boosted top-line growth, generating high-quality operating profit and earnings-per-share growth. And the results showed across the board, from Cheerios to Progresso Soup.

Powell also emphasized that regardless of what may be a larger trend among consumers to trade down to generics, his brands were gaining in market share. And as more and more families choose eating at home over dining out, more trips to the grocery story just further increase business for General Mills.

But the company is doing well overseas, too, and there’s plenty of room still left for growth there. About eight years ago, General Mills received only 5% of its sales from outside the U.S. Now it’s 25%.

“We got a lot of runway here,” Powell said. “That’s going to be a very exciting part of the General Mills growth story going forward.”

And unlike a lot of the companies in danger of going under these days, General Mills balance sheet is “very solid.” The company held three debt offerings in the past year, and all three were over subscribed. And GIS has outperformed the market indicies for 10, 30, 50 years – “any period you want to choose,” the CEO said.

“That’s the reason why we should be a core part of anybody who’s looking for good long-term holdings,” Powell said.

Cramer’s bullish on General Mills.



Jim’s charitable trust owns General Mills.

Questions for Cramer?

Questions, comments, suggestions for the Mad Money website?

© 2009 CNBC, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Tools:
PrintEmailAdd This share icon
Next Post
  • digg share
ADD COMMENTS
Remaining characters


Current DateTime: 03:37:26 11 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29778428

Current DateTime: 01:07:54 11 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779196

Current DateTime: 06:57:57 11 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779199

Current DateTime: 01:01:49 11 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779198
  Data is a real-time snapshot  *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis

© 2009 CNBC, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
A Division of NBC Universal
Thomson ReutersThomson Reuters