NEW YORK, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At a conference with security analysts today, DuPont Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey L. Keefer reviewed the company’s accelerated growth plan, designed to nearly double DuPont’s earnings growth rate over the next three years.
“As a market-driven science company, DuPont’s competitive advantage is new product innovation,” Keefer said. “Our rising return from innovation and rapid growth in emerging markets are key growth drivers for us. We will continue to execute our growth strategies while maintaining financial discipline and increasing productivity gains across the company.”
The actions DuPont is taking are expected to increase the company’s revenue growth rate from 5 percent to about 7-9 percent per year, including 1- 2 percent from bolt-on acquisitions, Keefer said.
Based on current plans, DuPont projects it can achieve earnings per share growth of 10 percent or more, on average, between 2008 and 2010, despite anticipated declines in pharmaceutical royalties after patents expire in 2010. Keefer said the company’s goal is to achieve 2010 earnings per share within a range of $4.05 to $4.30. In 2007, the company earned $3.28 per share, excluding net significant item charges of $.06 per share.
The company intends to capitalize on rising global demand for its science- based products in agriculture and safety and protection; further penetrate key markets in the world’s rapidly growing geographies; and extend its productivity improvement programs. DuPont expects to generate $1.7 billion in productivity gains over the next three years by continuing efforts already under way to streamline and simplify its supply chains and business support operations.
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements based on management’s current expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the company’s strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures and financial results are forward-looking statements. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by words like “expects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “intends,” “projects,” “indicates,” and similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors, including those discussed more fully elsewhere in this release and in DuPont’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly its latest annual report on Form 10-K, as well as others, could cause results to differ materially from those stated. These factors include, but are not limited to changes in the laws, regulations, policies and economic conditions of countries in which the company does business; competitive pressures; successful integration of structural changes, including acquisitions, divestitures and alliances; research and development of new products, including regulatory approval and market acceptance, and seasonality of sales of agricultural products.
CONTACT: Anthony Farina, DuPont, +1-302-774-4005,
anthony.r.farina@usa.dupont.com
Web site: http://www.dupont.com/
