Danone’s First Half Financials Are Encouraging

Yogurt producer Danone posted first half financials that beat analyst expectations, despite a slowdown in sales in the second quarter. Operating profit in the first half was $2 billion, up 7.3 percent over the same period a year ago. Sales in the half year totaled $14.3 billion, an increase of 0.4 percent. The company sees growth speeding up in the next half-year for all segments. Improvements are expected in its water business in China, where growth was 0.8 percent in the first half, compared to single-digit growth elsewhere, and double-digit growth for Evian in the U.S.