ConAgra T&M unit helps boost EPS expectations

Omaha-ConAgra Foods Inc. said May 23 that it expects to report higher-than-projected earnings per share for fiscal 2007. It now expects fiscal 2007 earnings per share to be above the high end of the $1.28-$1.33 range it had previously announced. This upward revision is due primarily to significantly stronger-than-expected fiscal fourth quarter results from the company’s Trading and Merchandising (T&M) segment, which includes ConAgra’s fertilizer business. Earnings-per-share projections exclude items impacting comparability but reflect the adverse impact on profits from the peanut butter recall, including one-time costs.