The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Christopher Growe : And that comment then, Tucker was more than just coffee. Overall for the company, you have pricing in place to offset inflation. Is that correct?

Mark Smucker : Correct.

Christopher Growe : Okay. And then just one follow-up question, if I could, and I think about the gross margin. And you talked about in a couple of areas of your business where you have higher manufacturing costs, I think you mentioned it in coffee and consumer. Is that sort of ongoing supply chain challenges that every company has seen perhaps lower volume as well? I’m guessing — what I’d like to get to, if I could, would be to what degree you’re seeing a gross margin drag today from these supply chain challenges? Like how much can the gross margin improve from here if you had a more normalized supply chain environment?

Tucker Marshall : Chris, as we think about our full year outlook for the gross profit margin at 33.5%, really, what that reflects is, again, the year-over-year cost input inflation. It reflects the impact of the Jif peanut butter recall. It does have a component of supply chain environment. And it also acknowledges that the volume mix profile of the business has evolved, particularly as you sell more pet food. And so as a result of that, that’s all comprised within the gross profit margin guidance. But as we move forward and when we begin to experience cost moderation or even deflation, when we see stability in supply chains and as we continue to advance the strategy of the company, particularly on the growth front, but also as we bring along continuous improvement programs such as our transformation office, those will all continue to support the margin profile of the company over time.

Operator: Next question is coming from Steve Powers from Deutsche Bank.

Steve Powers : And you may have sort of just addressed this, but I just wanted to clarify because you cited volume mix is coming in better, just related to your higher top line and dollar-based profit outlook on the year, but you also have cited that same volume mix is the primary reason for full year gross margin moving to the lower end of the prior range, just given the inflation in pricing seem largely unchanged on the year. So could you just unpack that a bit more? Is that the mix shift to pet food that you just mentioned? Just so we understand the move lower to 33.5% gross margin on the year, alongside the better top line.

Tucker Marshall : Yes. I think the 33.5% reflects our best outlook for the back half of the fiscal year and therefore the full fiscal year, acknowledging that as we took up our top line, we took into account the portfolio and the growth across pet and consumer, and that’s all embedded in our $0.27 uplift due to volume mix. And again, that’s being partially offset by some business investments through SD&A.

Operator: Next question is coming from Jason English from Goldman Sachs.

Jason English : A couple of quick questions. You mentioned your confidence in your ability to hold coffee prices until you see the deflation. Assuming that’s a couple of quarters from now, are you happy with where price gaps are today? Or for you to be able to hold for that long, do you need to see competitors continue to raise prices and close the gaps from where they are?