FORM 10-Q
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
ý QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2005
OR
o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File No. 1-2217
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)
| Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
58-0628465 (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
|
One Coca-Cola Plaza |
||
| Atlanta, Georgia (Address of principal executive offices) |
30313 (Zip Code) |
Registrant's telephone number, including area code (404) 676-2121
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes ý No o
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes ý No o
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the Registrant's classes of Common Stock as of the latest practicable date.
| Class of Common Stock |
Outstanding at April 25, 2005 |
|
|---|---|---|
| $0.25 Par Value | 2,407,773,975 Shares |
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
Part I. Financial Information
| Page Number | ||||
| Item 1. | Financial Statements (Unaudited) | |||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income Three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 |
3 |
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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004 |
4 |
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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 |
6 |
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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements |
7 |
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Item 2. |
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
15 |
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Item 3. |
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk |
26 |
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Item 4. |
Controls and Procedures |
26 |
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Part II. Other Information |
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Item 1. |
Legal Proceedings |
27 |
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Item 2. |
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds |
28 |
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Item 6. |
Exhibits |
29 |
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2
Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(UNAUDITED)
(In millions except per share data)
| Three Months Ended March 31, | 2005 | 2004 | |||||
| NET OPERATING REVENUES | $ | 5,266 | $ | 5,078 | |||
| Cost of goods sold | 1,809 | 1,753 | |||||
| GROSS PROFIT | 3,457 | 3,325 | |||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 2,098 | 1,874 | |||||
| OPERATING INCOME | 1,359 | 1,451 | |||||
| Interest income | 60 | 35 | |||||
| Interest expense | 68 | 44 | |||||
| Equity income net | 91 | 95 | |||||
| Other income (loss) net | (17 | ) | (25 | ) | |||
| Gains on issuances of stock by equity investees | 23 | | |||||
| INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES | 1,448 | 1,512 | |||||
| Income taxes | 446 | 385 | |||||
| NET INCOME | $ | 1,002 | $ | 1,127 | |||
| BASIC NET INCOME PER SHARE | $ | 0.42 | $ | 0.46 | |||
| DILUTED NET INCOME PER SHARE | $ | 0.42 | $ | 0.46 | |||
| DIVIDENDS PER SHARE | $ | 0.28 | $ | 0.25 | |||
| AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING | 2,409 | 2,440 | |||||
| Effect of dilutive securities | 1 | 4 | |||||
| AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING ASSUMING DILUTION | 2,410 | 2,444 | |||||
Refer to Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. |
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3
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(UNAUDITED)
(In millions)
ASSETS
| March 31, 2005 |
December 31, 2004 |
||||
| CURRENT | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ 6,965 | $ 6,707 | |||
| Marketable securities | 61 | 61 | |||
| 7,026 | 6,768 | ||||
| Trade accounts receivable, less allowances of $71 at March 31 and $69 at December 31 |
2,115 | 2,171 | |||
| Inventories | 1,511 | 1,420 | |||
| Prepaid expenses and other assets | 1,634 | 1,735 | |||
| TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS | 12,286 | 12,094 | |||
| INVESTMENTS AND OTHER ASSETS | |||||
| Equity method investments: | |||||
| Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. | 1,662 | 1,569 | |||
| Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. | 1,078 | 1,067 | |||
| Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A. de C.V. | 828 | 792 | |||
| Coca-Cola Amatil Limited | 754 | 736 | |||
| Other, principally bottling companies | 1,767 | 1,733 | |||
| Cost method investments, principally bottling companies | 355 | 355 | |||
| Other assets | 2,979 | 3,054 | |||
| 9,423 | 9,306 | ||||
| PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT | |||||
| Land | 480 | 479 | |||
| Buildings and improvements | 2,874 | 2,853 | |||
| Machinery and equipment | 6,419 | 6,337 | |||
| Containers | 494 | 480 | |||
| 10,267 | 10,149 | ||||
| Less allowances for depreciation | 4,204 | 4,058 | |||
| 6,063 | 6,091 | ||||
| TRADEMARKS WITH INDEFINITE LIVES | 2,043 | 2,037 | |||
| GOODWILL | 1,098 | 1,097 | |||
| OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS | 701 | 702 | |||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ 31,614 | $ 31,327 | |||
Refer to Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. |
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4
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(UNAUDITED)
(In millions except share data)
LIABILITIES AND SHAREOWNERS' EQUITY
| March 31, 2005 |
December 31, 2004 |
|||||
| CURRENT | ||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ 4,026 | $ 4,283 | ||||
| Loans and notes payable | 4,379 | 4,531 | ||||
| Current maturities of long-term debt | 1,483 | 1,490 | ||||
| Accrued income taxes | 748 | 667 | ||||
| TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES | 10,636 | 10,971 | ||||
| LONG-TERM DEBT | 1,141 | 1,157 | ||||
| OTHER LIABILITIES | 2,841 | 2,814 | ||||
| DEFERRED INCOME TAXES | 485 | 450 | ||||
| SHAREOWNERS' EQUITY | ||||||
| Common stock, $0.25 par value | ||||||
| Authorized: 5,600,000,000 shares; issued: 3,500,729,866 shares at March 31 and 3,500,489,544 shares at December 31 |
875 | 875 | ||||
| Capital surplus | 5,063 | 4,928 | ||||
| Reinvested earnings | 29,432 | 29,105 | ||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | (1,209 | ) | (1,348 | ) | ||
| 34,161 | 33,560 | |||||
| Less treasury stock, at cost | ||||||
| (1,091,757,264 shares at March 31; 1,091,150,977 shares at December 31) |
(17,650 | ) | (17,625 | ) | ||
| 16,511 | 15,935 | |||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREOWNERS' EQUITY | $ 31,614 | $ 31,327 | ||||
Refer to Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. |
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5
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(UNAUDITED)
(In millions)
| Three Months Ended March 31, | 2005 | 2004 | ||||||
| OPERATING ACTIVITIES | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 1,002 | $ | 1,127 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 226 | 213 | ||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 135 | 101 | ||||||
| Deferred income taxes | (5 | ) | (47 | ) | ||||
| Equity income or loss, net of dividends | (35 | ) | (53 | ) | ||||
| Foreign currency adjustments | 73 | 2 | ||||||
| Gains on issuances of stock by equity investees | (23 | ) | | |||||
| Gains on sale of assets, including bottling interests | (2 | ) | (5 | ) | ||||
| Other items | 67 | 83 | ||||||
| Net change in operating assets and liabilities | (66 | ) | (261 | ) | ||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 1,372 | 1,160 | ||||||
| INVESTING ACTIVITIES | ||||||||
| Acquisitions and investments, principally trademarks and bottling companies | (7 | ) | (126 | ) | ||||
| Purchases of investments and other assets | (2 | ) | (14 | ) | ||||
| Proceeds from disposals of investments and other assets | 15 | 102 | ||||||
| Purchases of property, plant and equipment | (165 | ) | (170 | ) | ||||
| Proceeds from disposals of property, plant and equipment | 14 | 22 | ||||||
| Other investing activities | (14 | ) | 45 | |||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (159 | ) | (141 | ) | ||||
| FINANCING ACTIVITIES | ||||||||
| Issuances of debt | 20 | 1,466 | ||||||
| Payments of debt | (202 | ) | (485 | ) | ||||
| Issuances of stock | 9 | 61 | ||||||
| Purchases of stock for treasury | (96 | ) | (503 | ) | ||||
| Dividends | (660 | ) | (602 | ) | ||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (929 | ) | (63 | ) | ||||
| EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS | (26 | ) | 58 | |||||
| CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS | ||||||||
| Net increase during the period | 258 | 1,014 | ||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | 6,707 | 3,362 | ||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 6,965 | $ | 4,376 | ||||
Refer to Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. |
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6
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(UNAUDITED)
Note A Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. They do not include all information and notes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. However, except as disclosed herein, there has been no material change in the information disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of The Coca-Cola Company for the year ended December 31, 2004. When used in these notes, the terms "Company," "we," "us" or "our" mean The Coca-Cola Company and all entities included in our consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three month period ended March 31, 2005 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2005.
Certain amounts in our prior period consolidated financial statements and notes have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.
Refer to Note B for a discussion of variable interest entities.
Note B Accounting Pronouncements
Variable Interest Entities
In December 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 (revised December 2003), "Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities" ("Interpretation 46" or "FIN 46"). Application of this interpretation was required in consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2003 for interests in variable interest entities that were considered to be special-purpose entities. Our Company determined that we did not have any arrangements or relationships with special-purpose entities. Application of Interpretation 46 for all other types of variable interest entities was required for our Company effective March 31, 2004.
Interpretation 46 addresses the consolidation of business enterprises to which the usual condition (ownership of a majority voting interest) of consolidation does not apply. This interpretation focuses on controlling financial interests that may be achieved through arrangements that do not involve voting interests. It concludes that in the absence of clear control through voting interests, a company's exposure (variable interest) to the economic risks and potential rewards from the variable interest entity's assets and activities are the best evidence of control. If an enterprise holds a majority of the variable interests of an entity, it would be considered the primary beneficiary. Upon consolidation, the primary beneficiary is generally required to include assets, liabilities and noncontrolling interests at fair value and subsequently account for the variable interest as if it were consolidated based on majority voting interest.
In our financial statements as of December 31, 2003 and prior to December 31, 2003, we consolidated all entities that we controlled by ownership of a majority of voting interests. As a result of Interpretation 46, effective as of March 31, 2004, our consolidated balance sheet includes the assets and liabilities of:
7
Our Company holds interests in certain entities, primarily bottlers, previously accounted for under the equity method of accounting that are considered variable interest entities. These variable interests relate to profit guarantees or subordinated financial support for these entities. Upon adoption of Interpretation 46 as of March 31, 2004, we consolidated assets of approximately $383 million and liabilities of approximately $383 million that were previously not recorded on our consolidated balance sheet. We did not record a cumulative effect of an accounting change, and prior periods were not restated. The results of operations of these variable interest entities were included in our consolidated results beginning April 1, 2004 and did not have a material impact for the year ended December 31, 2004. Our Company's investment, plus any loans and guarantees, related to these variable interest entities totaled approximately $318 million at March 31, 2005, representing our maximum exposure to loss. Any creditors of the variable interest entities do not have recourse against the general credit of the Company as a result of including these variable interest entities in our consolidated financial statements.
Jobs Creation Act
In October 2004, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (the "Jobs Creation Act") was signed into law. The Jobs Creation Act includes a temporary incentive for U.S. multinationals to repatriate foreign earnings at an approximate effective 5.25 percent federal tax rate. Such repatriations must occur in either an enterprise's last tax year that began before the enactment date, or the first tax year that begins during the one-year period beginning on the date of enactment.
FASB Staff Position 109-2, "Accounting and Disclosure Guidance for the Foreign Earnings Repatriation Provision within the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004" ("FSP 109-2"), indicates that the lack of clarification of certain provisions within the Jobs Creation Act and the timing of the enactment necessitate a practical exception to the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") No. 109, "Accounting for Income Taxes," ("SFAS No. 109") requirement to reflect in the period of enactment the effect of a new tax law. Accordingly, an enterprise is allowed time beyond the financial reporting period of enactment to evaluate the effect of the Jobs Creation Act on its plan for reinvestment or repatriation of foreign earnings. FSP 109-2 requires that the provisions of SFAS No. 109 be applied as an enterprise decides on its plan for reinvestment or repatriation of its unremitted foreign earnings.
In the first quarter of 2005, the Company decided to repatriate approximately $2.5 billion in previously unremitted foreign earnings. Refer to Note H.
Inventory Costs
In November 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 151, "Inventory Costs, an amendment of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 43, Chapter 4" ("SFAS No. 151"). SFAS No. 151 requires that abnormal amounts of idle facility expense, freight, handling costs and wasted materials (spoilage) be recorded as current period charges and that the allocation of fixed production overheads to inventory be based on the normal capacity of the production facilities. SFAS No. 151 becomes effective for our Company on January 1, 2006. The Company does not believe that the adoption of SFAS No. 151 will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Share-Based Payment
In December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004), "Share-Based Payment" ("SFAS No. 123(R)"). SFAS No. 123(R) supercedes
APB Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees," and amends SFAS No. 95,
"Statement of Cash Flows." Generally, the approach in SFAS No. 123(R) is similar to the approach
8
described in SFAS No. 123 "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation," which our Company adopted effective January 1, 2002. Currently, our Company uses the Black-Scholes-Merton formula to estimate the value of stock options granted to employees and is evaluating option valuation models, including the Black-Scholes-Merton formula, to determine which model the Company will utilize upon adoption of SFAS No. 123(R). Our Company plans to adopt SFAS No. 123(R) using the modified-prospective method. Any impact from the initial adoption of SFAS No. 123(R) will be recorded as a cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle. We do not expect the initial adoption of SFAS No. 123(R) to have a material impact on our Company. We also do not expect the adoption of SFAS No. 123(R) to have a material impact on our Company's future stock-based compensation expense. However, our equity investees are also required to adopt SFAS No. 123(R). Our proportionate share of the stock-based compensation expense resulting from the adoption of SFAS No. 123(R) by our equity investees will be recognized as a reduction to equity income. SFAS No. 123(R) was originally required to be adopted by the Company and our equity investees beginning no later than the third quarter of 2005. However, in April 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") announced the adoption of a new rule that amends the compliance dates for SFAS No. 123(R). Accordingly, the Company will adopt SFAS No. 123(R) beginning January 1, 2006. Our equity investees will adopt SFAS No. 123(R) no later than January 1, 2006.
Exchanges of Nonmonetary Assets
In December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 153, "Exchanges of Nonmonetary Assets, an amendment of APB Opinion No. 29" ("SFAS No. 153"). SFAS No. 153 is based on the principle that exchanges of nonmonetary assets should be measured based on the fair value of the assets exchanged. APB Opinion No. 29, "Accounting for Nonmonetary Transactions," provided an exception to its basic measurement principle (fair value) for exchanges of similar productive assets. Under APB Opinion No. 29, an exchange of a productive asset for a similar productive asset was based on the recorded amount of the asset relinquished. SFAS No. 153 eliminates this exception and replaces it with an exception of exchanges of nonmonetary assets that do not have commercial substance. SFAS No. 153 is effective for our Company as of July 1, 2005. The Company will apply the requirements of SFAS No. 153 prospectively.
Note C Seasonality
Sales of nonalcoholic beverages are somewhat seasonal, with the second and third calendar quarters accounting for the highest sales volumes in the Northern Hemisphere. The volume of sales in the beverages business may be affected by weather conditions.
Note D Issuances of Stock by Equity Investees
In the first quarter of 2005, our Company recorded approximately $23 million of noncash pretax gains on the issuances of stock by equity investees. These gains primarily related to the issuances by Coca-Cola Amatil Limited ("Coca-Cola Amatil") of common stock valued at an amount greater than the book value per share of our investment in Coca-Cola Amatil. Coca-Cola Amatil issued this common stock in connection with an acquisition. We provided deferred taxes of approximately $8 million on these gains. These issuances of common stock reduced our ownership interest in the total outstanding shares of Coca-Cola Amatil from approximately 34.0 percent to approximately 32.4 percent. No gains or losses on issuances of stock by equity investees were recorded during the first quarter of 2004.
9
Note E Comprehensive Income
The following table summarizes total comprehensive income for the applicable periods (in millions):
| For the three months ended March 31, | 2005 | 2004 | |||
| Net income | $ 1,002 | $ 1,127 | |||
| Net foreign currency translation gain | 121 | 400 | |||
| Net gain on derivatives | 23 | 2 | |||
| Net change in unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities | 1 | 13 | |||
| Net change in minimum pension liability | (6 | ) | (39 | ) | |
| Total comprehensive income | $ 1,141 | $ 1,503 | |||
Note F Commitments and Contingencies
On March 31, 2005, we were contingently liable for guarantees of indebtedness owed by third parties in the amount of $274 million. These guarantees are related to third-party customers, bottlers and vendors and have arisen through the normal course of business. These guarantees have various terms, and none of these guarantees is individually significant. The amount represents the maximum potential future payments that we could be required to make under the guarantees; however, we do not consider it probable that we will be required to satisfy these guarantees.
Additionally, in December 2003, we granted a $250 million standby line of credit to Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A. de C.V. with normal market terms. As of March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, no amounts had been drawn against this line of credit. This standby letter of credit expires in December 2006.
We believe our exposure to concentrations of credit risk is limited due to the diverse geographic areas covered by our operations.
The Company is also involved in various legal proceedings. We establish reserves for specific legal proceedings when we determine that the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome is probable. Management has also identified certain other legal matters where we believe an unfavorable outcome is reasonably possible for which no estimate of possible losses can be made. Management believes that any liability to the Company that may arise as a result of currently pending legal proceedings, including those discussed below, will not have a material adverse effect on the financial condition of the Company taken as a whole.
In 2003, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") initiated an investigation into whether the Company or certain persons associated with the Company violated federal securities laws in connection with the conduct alleged by a former employee of the Company. Additionally, in 2003 the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia commenced a criminal investigation of the allegations raised by the same former employee. On April 18, 2005, the Company announced that it had reached a settlement ending the SEC's investigation. Pursuant to the settlement, the Company agreed to maintain certain measures implemented prior to or during the preceding two years and to undertake additional remedial measures in the areas of corporate compliance and disclosure. The settlement did not require the payment of a fine or other monetary sanction. On April 18, 2005, the Company also announced that it had received notification that the United States Attorney's Office was terminating its investigation without taking further action.
During the period from 1970 to 1981, our Company owned Aqua-Chem, Inc. ("Aqua-Chem"). A division of Aqua-Chem manufactured certain boilers that contained gaskets that Aqua-Chem purchased from outside suppliers. Several years after our Company sold this entity, Aqua-Chem received its first
10
lawsuit relating to asbestos, a component of some of the gaskets. In September 2002, Aqua-Chem notified our Company that it believes we are obligated to them for certain costs and expenses associated with the litigation. Aqua-Chem demanded that our Company reimburse it for approximately $10 million for out-of-pocket litigation-related expenses incurred over the last 18 years. Aqua-Chem has also demanded that the Company acknowledge a continuing obligation to Aqua-Chem for any future liabilities and expenses that are excluded from coverage under the applicable insurance or for which there is no insurance. Our Company disputes Aqua-Chem's claims, and we believe we have no obligation to Aqua-Chem for any of its past, present or future liabilities, costs or expenses. Furthermore, we believe we have substantial legal and factual defenses to Aqua-Chem's claims. The parties entered into litigation to resolve this dispute, which was stayed by agreement of the parties pending the outcome of litigation filed in Wisconsin by certain insurers of Aqua-Chem. In that case, five plaintiff insurance companies filed a declaratory judgment action against Aqua-Chem, the Company and 16 defendant insurance companies seeking a determination of the parties' rights and liabilities under policies issued by the insurers. That litigation remains pending, and the Company believes it has substantial legal and factual defenses to the insurers' claims. Aqua-Chem and the Company have reached a settlement agreement with five of the insurers in the Wisconsin insurance coverage litigation, and those insurers will pay funds into an escrow account for payment of costs arising from the asbestos claims against Aqua-Chem. Aqua-Chem and the Company will continue to litigate their claims for coverage against the 16 other insurers that are parties to the Wisconsin insurance coverage case. The Company also believes Aqua-Chem has substantial insurance coverage to pay Aqua-Chem's asbestos claimants. An estimate of possible losses, if any, cannot be made at this time.
Since 1999, the Competition Directorate of the European Commission (the "Commission") has been conducting an investigation of various commercial and market practices of the Company and its bottlers in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Great Britain. On October 19, 2004, our Company and certain of our bottlers submitted a formal Undertaking to the Commission, and the Commission accepted the Undertaking. The Undertaking will potentially apply in 27 countries and in all channels of distribution where our carbonated soft drinks account for over 40 percent of national sales and twice the nearest competitor's share. It will take more than 12 months to fully implement the Undertaking and for the market to react to any resulting changes. The commitments we made in the Undertaking relate broadly to exclusivity, percentage-based purchasing commitments, transparency, target rebates, tying, assortment or range commitments, and agreements concerning products of other suppliers. The Undertaking will also apply to shelf space commitments in agreements with take-home customers and to financing and availability agreements in the on-premise channel. In addition, the Undertaking includes commitments that will be applicable to commercial arrangements concerning the installation and use of technical equipment (such as coolers, fountain equipment and vending machines). The commitments set forth in the Undertaking have been published for third-party comments. Following the comment period, the Commission presented to the Company certain comments it had received from third parties, as well as certain additional comments from the Commission's legal staff. The Company is in the process of addressing these comments with the Commission. The Company anticipates that the formal Undertaking will form the basis of a Commission decision pursuant to Article 9, paragraph 1 of Council Regulation 1/2003 to be issued in the second quarter of 2005, bringing an end to the investigation. The submission of the Undertaking does not imply any recognition on the Company's or the bottlers' part of any infringement of Commission competition rules. We believe that the Undertaking, while imposing restrictions, clarifies the application of competition rules to our practices in Europe and will allow our system to be able to compete vigorously while adhering to the Undertaking's provisions.
The Company is also discussing with the Commission issues relating to parallel trade within the European Union arising out of comments received by the Commission from third parties. The Company is fully cooperating with the Commission and is providing information on these issues and the
11
measures taken and to be taken to address any issues raised. The Company is unable to predict at this time with any reasonable degree of certainty what action, if any, the Commission will take with respect to these issues.
The Spanish competition service made unannounced visits to our offices and those of certain bottlers in Spain in 2000. In December 2003, the Spanish competition service suspended its investigation until the Commission notifies the service of how the Commission will proceed in its commercial and market practices investigation.
The French Competition Directorate has also initiated an inquiry into commercial practices related to the soft drink sector in France. This inquiry has been conducted through visits to the offices of the Company; however, no conclusions have been communicated to the Company by the Directorate.
At the time we acquire or divest our interest in an entity, we sometimes agree to indemnify the seller or buyer for specific contingent liabilities. Management believes that any liability to the Company that may arise as a result of any such indemnification agreements will not have a material adverse effect on the financial condition of the Company taken as a whole.
The Company is involved in various tax matters. We establish reserves at the time that we determine that it is probable that we will be liable to pay additional taxes related to certain matters. We adjust these reserves, including any impact on the related interest and penalties, in light of changing facts and circumstances, such as the progress of a tax audit. A number of years may elapse before a particular matter, for which we may have established a reserve, is audited and finally resolved or when a tax assessment is raised. The number of years with open tax audits varies depending on the tax jurisdiction. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or the timing of resolution of any particular tax matter, we record a reserve when we determine the likelihood of loss is probable and the amount of loss is reasonably estimable. Such liabilities are recorded in the line item accrued income taxes in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. Favorable resolution of tax matters that had been previously reserved would be recognized as a reduction to our income tax expense, when known.
The Company is also involved in various tax matters where we have determined that the probability of an unfavorable outcome is reasonably possible. Management believes that any liability to the Company that may arise as a result of currently pending tax matters will not have a material adverse effect on the financial condition of the Company taken as a whole.
The Company is a party to various legal proceedings in which we are seeking to be reimbursed for costs that we have incurred in the past. Although none of these reimbursements has been realized at this time, the Company expects final resolution of certain matters during 2005. Management believes that any gains to the Company that may arise as a result of the final resolutions of these matters will not have a material effect on the financial condition of the Company taken as a whole.
Note G Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans
Net periodic benefit cost for our pension and other postretirement benefit plans for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 consists of the following (in millions):
| Pension Benefits |
Other Benefits |
|||||||
| 2005 | 2004 | 2005 | 2004 | |||||
| Service cost | $ 25 | $ 21 | $ 7 | $ 8 | ||||
| Interest cost | 41 | 37 | 11 | 12 | ||||
| Expected return on plan assets | (44 | ) | (38 | ) | | | ||
| Amortization of prior service cost | 2 | 2 | | | ||||
| Recognized net actuarial loss | 8 | 8 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Net periodic benefit cost | $ 32 | $ 30 | $ 19 | $ 22 | ||||
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We contributed $13 million to our pension plans during the three months ended March 31, 2005, and we anticipate contributing up to an additional $86 million to these plans during the remainder of 2005. We expect to contribute up to $9 million to the U.S. postretirement benefit plan during 2005.
Note H Income Taxes
As discussed in Note B, the Jobs Creation Act was enacted in October 2004. The Jobs Creation Act includes a temporary incentive to U.S. multinationals to repatriate foreign earnings at an approximate effective 5.25 percent federal tax rate. As of March 31, 2005, the Company decided to repatriate approximately $2.5 billion in previously unremitted foreign earnings. Therefore, the Company has recorded a provision for taxes on such previously unremitted foreign earnings of approximately $152 million in the first quarter of 2005. The Company also continues to evaluate further reinvestment and repatriation opportunities. Based on our analysis to date, it is reasonably possible that during the remainder of 2005 we may repatriate some additional amount between $0 and $3.6 billion, with the respective tax liability ranging from $0 to $248 million. Therefore, the total previously unremitted earnings that may be repatriated during the full year of 2005 will be a range of $2.5 billion to $6.1 billion with a respective tax liability ranging from $152 million to $400 million. We expect to be in a position to finalize our assessment by December 31, 2005.
Our effective tax rate reflects the tax benefits from having significant operations outside the United States that are taxed at rates lower than the U.S. statutory rate of 35 percent. In the first quarter of 2005, our effective rate also reflects a $56 million tax benefit associated with the favorable resolution of tax matters as well as the $152 million tax expense related to the repatriation discussed above.
Note I Operating Segments
Our Company's operating structure includes the following operating segments: North America; Africa; Asia; Europe, Eurasia and Middle East; Latin America; and Corporate. North America includes the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Information about our Company's operations as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, by operating segment, is as follows (in millions):
| North America |
Africa | Asia | Europe Eurasia and Middle East |
Latin America |
Corporate | Consolidated | ||||||||
| 2005 | ||||||||||||||
| Net operating revenues | $ 1,589 | $ 292 | $ 1,105 | $ 1,664 | $ 574 | $ 42 | $ 5,266 | |||||||
| Operating income1 | 313 | 88 | 404 | 526 | 280 | (252 | ) | 1,359 | ||||||
| Income before income taxes1,2 |
315 | 92 | 440 | 527 | 316 | (242 | ) | 1,448 | ||||||
| Identifiable operating assets |
4,745 | 793 | 1,756 | 5,194 | 1,392 | 11,290 | 25,170 | |||||||
| Investments | 115 | 165 | 1,430 | 1,337 | 1,646 | 1,751 | 6,444 | |||||||
| 2004 | ||||||||||||||
| Net operating revenues | $ 1,594 | $ 229 | $ 1,022 | $ 1,672 | $ 513 | $ 48 | $ 5,078 | |||||||
| Operating income | 353 | 82 | 413 | 564 | 262 | (223 | ) | 1,451 | ||||||
| Income before income taxes |
354 | 82 | 433 | 557 | 293 | (207 | ) | 1,512 | ||||||
| Identifiable operating assets |
5,021 | 712 | 2,118 | 5,602 | 1,377 | 8,662 | 23,492 | |||||||
| Investments | 107 | 133 | 1,348 | 1,269 | 1,404 | 1,414 | 5,675 | |||||||
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Intercompany transfers between operating segments are not material.
Certain prior-year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current-year presentation. During 2004, certain departments were reorganized from the Corporate segment to the North America segment.
1 Operating income and income before income taxes for 2005 were reduced by $12 million for North America, $3 million for Africa, $5 million for Asia, $4 million for Europe, Eurasia and Middle East, $4 million for Latin America, and $22 million for Corporate as a result of accelerated amortization of stock-based compensation expense due to a change in our estimated service period for retirement eligible participants.
2 Income before income taxes for the first quarter of 2005 for Asia increased by approximately $23 million due to the issuances of stock by Coca-Cola Amatil. Refer to Note D.
On March 23, 2005, the Company announced that, effective May 1, 2005, it was making certain changes to its operating structure impacting the Europe, Eurasia and Middle East operating segment and the Asia operating segment. The Company is replacing these operating segments with three new operating segments, the European Union segment, the North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East segment, and the East, South Asia and Pacific Rim segment. The European Union segment will include the Company's operations in all of the current member states of the European Union as well as the European Free Trade Association countries. The North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East segment will include China, Japan, the Eurasia and Middle East Division, the markets of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus and other European countries not in the European Union segment. The East, South Asia and Pacific Rim segment will include India, the Philippines, the Company's Southeast and West Asia Division, and the Company's South Pacific and Korea Division. This new operating structure will be reflected in the second quarter 2005 Form 10-Q. Prior period amounts will be reclassified to conform to the new presentation.
Note J Subsequent Events
In March 2005, our Company and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. ("Coca-Cola HBC") announced an agreement to jointly acquire Multon, a Russian juice company, for a total purchase price of approximately $501 million. The transaction closed on April 20, 2005. The total purchase price has been split equally between the Company and Coca-Cola HBC.
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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
APPLICATION OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Recoverability of Noncurrent Assets
Unit case volume in the Philippines and India continued to decline in the first quarter of 2005. Therefore, the Company completed an impairment review of our noncurrent assets and investments in bottling operations in the Philippines and in India. The Company concluded that no impairment existed as of March 31, 2005. The Company will continue to monitor the recoverability of noncurrent assets and investments in bottling operations in the Philippines and India in the future. The Company's total investments in noncurrent assets and in bottling operations in these countries was $842 million at March 31, 2005.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
As a result of our Company's normal quarterly closing calendar, a shift in the number of shipping days is occurring between the first quarter and the fourth quarter of 2005 when compared to the same periods in the prior year. The two fewer shipping days in the first quarter of 2005, compared to the first quarter of 2004 had the effect of decreasing our first quarter 2005 net operating revenues and expenses compared to the first quarter of 2004, and resulted in a slight decrease to first quarter 2005 earnings per share. Correspondingly, our fourth quarter of 2005 will have one more shipping day compared to the fourth quarter of 2004.
Net Operating Revenues
Net operating revenues were $5,266 million in the first quarter of 2005, compared to $5,078 million in the first quarter of 2004, an increase of $188 million or approximately 4 percent.
The following table indicates, on a percentage basis, the estimated impact of key factors resulting in significant increases (decreases) in net operating revenues:
| Percent Change | |||
| Three months ended March 31, | 2005 vs. 2004 | ||
| Gallon sales, including acquisitions | 0 | % | |
| Structural changes | 1 | ||
| Price and product/geographic mix | (1 | ) | |
| Impact of currency fluctuations versus the U.S. dollar | 4 | ||
| Total percentage increase | 4 | % | |
Our gallon sales for the first quarter were even in 2005 when compared to the first quarter of 2004 primarily due to a 4 percent decrease in Europe, Eurasia and Middle East as growth in Russia, Turkey and central Europe was offset by declines in Germany and in northwest Europe. North America gallon sales decreased by 2 percent as a result of two fewer shipping days in the first quarter of 2005 compared to the first quarter of 2004. The decreases in gallon sales in Europe, Eurasia and Middle East and North America were offset by a 1 percent increase in Asia, a 5 percent increase in Africa and a 6 percent increase in Latin America.
The decrease in Germany gallon sales was primarily due to the continuing impact of the mandatory deposit legislation on non-refillable beverage packages and the corresponding limited availability of our products in the discount retail channel. The discount retail channel has been growing since the implementation of the mandatory deposit "island solution." Our Company is evaluating our
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strategies for the German operations, including addressing significant structural issues that limit the system's ability to respond effectively to the evolving retail and consumer landscape, assessing market changes and determining our expectations related to the political environment. Although the German legislature passed an amendment to the mandatory deposit legislation which eliminates the "island solution," the amendment allows for the transition period to last until mid-2006. Therefore, we expect the German market environment to remain difficult throughout 2005. We will continue to focus on improving our short-term performance and strengthening our system's long-term capabilities in Germany.
For the first quarter 2005, Company-wide gallon sales and reported unit case volume (see "Beverage Volume" below for a discussion of "reported" and "average daily sales" unit case volume) were both even when compared to the first quarter of 2004. This was primarily because North America gallon sales decreased in line with reported unit case volume due to two fewer shipping days. In Europe, Eurasia and Middle East, the timing of gallon shipments throughout most of the operating segment resulted in gallon sales declines being greater than reported unit case volume declines. In Africa, gallon sales grew less than reported unit case volume due to timing of gallon shipments in South Africa. These declines were partially offset by favorable timing of gallon shipments in Latin America along with increased gallon sales caused by a supply point change for two Mexican bottlers. Gallon sales and reported unit case volume are not necessarily equal during any given period. Items such as seasonality, bottlers' inventory practices, supply point changes, timing of price increases and new product introductions can create differences between gallon sales and reported unit case volume. For a more detailed discussion on unit case volume, refer to the heading "Beverage Volume."
The structural changes line item primarily relates to consolidation of bottlers under Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Interpretation No. 46 (revised December 2003), "Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities" ("Interpretation 46" or "FIN 46"). Under FIN 46, the results of operations of variable interest entities in which the Company was determined to be the primary beneficiary were included in our consolidated results beginning April 1, 2004. The consolidation of these variable interest entities increased our first quarter 2005 revenues by approximately 1 percent when compared to the first quarter of 2004. For a more detailed discussion on FIN 46, refer to Note B.
The decline in price and product/geographic mix was primarily due to the decline in revenues at Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetraenke ("CCEAG"), the Company's consolidated bottler in Germany, partially offset by concentrate and syrup price increases in other locations which were realized during the first quarter of 2005. Generally, bottling and finished product operations produce higher net revenues compared to concentrate and syrup operations.
The impact of currency fluctuations resulted from the strength of most key currencies versus the U.S. dollar, especially a stronger euro that favorably impacted the Europe, Eurasia and Middle East operating segment and a stronger Japanese yen that favorably impacted the Asia operating segment.
The contribution to net operating revenues from Company operations is as follows (in millions):
| Three months ended March 31, | 2005 | 2004 | ||
| Company operations, excluding bottling operations | $ 4,543 | $ 4,393 | ||
| Company-owned bottling operations | 723 | 685 | ||
| C | ||||