2018 FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR RESULTS

Mexico City, February 26, 2019, Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: KOFL, NYSE: KOF) ("Coca-Cola FEMSA," "KOF"or the"Company"), the largestCoca-Cola franchise bottler in the world by sales volume, announces results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2018.

Operational and Financial Highlights for the Fourth Quarter

  • Volumes increased in Brazil, Central America, and Colombia; transactions outperformed volumes in these operations.

  • Revenues increased 2.0%, while comparable revenues grew 7.8%. Pricing ahead of inflation in most of our operations, combined with volume growth in Brazil, Central America and Colombia, were partially offset by unfavorable currency translation effects from the Brazilian Real and the Colombian Peso, hyperinflationary accounting in Argentina and the deconsolidation of Venezuela.

  • Operating income grew 0.3%, while comparable operating income increased 4.3%, driven mainly by lower sweetener costs, a favorable currency hedging position in South America, and operating expense efficiencies, partially offset by higher PET prices.

  • Operating cash flow declined 2.0%, while comparable operating cash flow grew 4.1%.

  • Earnings per share was Ps. 2.64, while earnings per share from continuing operations was Ps. 1.38.

    Operational and Financial Highlights for the Year

  • Revenues were flat, while comparable revenues grew 5.9%. Pricing in line or ahead of inflation in most of our countries, combined with volume growth in Mexico, Brazil, Central America, and Colombia; were partially offset by unfavorable currency translation effects from South America operations, and the deconsolidation of Venezuela.

  • Operating income declined 1.3%, while comparable operating income increased 0.9%. Operating cash flow decreased 2.3%, while in comparable terms, increased 3.8%.

  • Earnings per share was Ps. 6.62, while earnings per share from continuing operations was Ps. 5.21.

    Results Summary

Fourth Quarter

Year to Date

As Reported(1)

Comparable(2)

Comparable(2)

Expressed in millions of Mexican pesos.

2018

D%

D%

2018

D%

D%

Total revenues

50,166

2.0%

7.8%

182,342

(0.5%)

5.9%

Gross profit

23,017

1.7%

5.9%

83,938

0.5%

5.5%

Operating income

7,342

0.3%

4.3%

24,673

(1.3%)

0.9%

Operating cash flow(3)

10,215

(2.0%)

4.1%

35,456

(2.3%)

3.8%

Net income attributable to equity holders of the company

5,541

13,910

Earnings per share - Continued operations

1.38

5.21

Earnings per share(4)

2.64

6.62

As Reported(1)

  • (1)2017 financial information is re-presented as if the Philippines had been discontinued from February 2017, date of the consolidation of said operation.

  • (2)Please refer to page 9 for our definition of "comparable" and a description ofthe factors affecting the comparability of our financial and operating performance.

  • (3)Operating cash flow = operating income + depreciation + amortization & other operating non-cash charges.

  • (4)Quarterly earnings / outstanding shares as of the end of the period. Outstanding shares were 2,100.8 million.

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

"In a year marked by high volatility,I am very pleased with our organization's capability to navigate challenges and capitalize onopportunities, allowing us to achieve strong results and providing an encouraging outlook for 2019. Mexico and Central America'stop-line continues to grow; in South America, a recovering environment in Brazil coupled with a strengthened portfolio, enabled us to deliver consistent volume growth; in Colombia and Argentina, we continue to offer appealing options for difficult consumer environments. Finally, in 2018, we achieved significant milestones that reaffirm our disciplined approach to capital allocation. We closed important acquisitions in Guatemala and Uruguay, and we are positioned for further sustainable and profitable growth by adding flexibility to our balance sheet and capital structure, underscoring our commitment to deliver value for all ourstakeholders," said John Santa Maria Otazua, Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

Consolidated results for the fourth quarter

Comparable(1)figures:

Revenues:Comparable total revenues grew 7.8% in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period of 2017, driven by average price per unit case growth, ahead of inflation in Brazil, Central America and Mexico, coupled with volume growth in Brazil and Colombia.

Transactions:Comparable number of transactions increased 1.4%. Our sparkling beverage category remained flat, driven by 0.8% growth in our colas portfolio, partially offset by a decline in flavors. Our positive performance in colas was driven by growth in Brazil and Colombia. Our still beverage category increased 6.3%, driven mainly by the positive performance of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, partially offset by a decline in Central America. Finally, our water category's transactions increased by 9.2%, driven by growth in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, partially offset by a decline in Central America.

Volume:Comparable sales volume increased 0.9% in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017. Our sparkling beverageportfolio's volume remained flat, driven by growth in our colas portfolio, offset by a decline in flavors. Our growth in colas was driven by positive performance in Brazil and Colombia. Our still beverage category's volume grew 11.7%, driven by positive performance in Brazil, Central America, and Mexico. Our personal water portfolio's volumeremained flat, as positive performance in Brazil and Mexico was offset by declines in Central America and Colombia. Finally, our bulk waterportfolio's volume increased1.1%, driven mainly by growth in Brazil and Colombia, partially offset by a decrease in Mexico and Central America.

Gross profit:Comparable gross profit grew 5.9%. Our volume growth, lower sweetener prices in most of our operations, and favorable currency hedging positions in South America were offset by higher PET prices across most of our operations, higher concentrate prices in Mexico, and the depreciation in the average exchange rate of all of our operating currencies as applied to our U.S. dollar-denominated raw material costs.

Operating Income:Comparable operating income increased 4.3% for the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period of 2017.

Operating cash flow:Comparable operating cash flow increased 4.1% in the fourth quarter of 2018.

As reported figures:

According to IFRS 5, the Philippines is presented as a discontinued operation as of January 1, 2018 and the consolidated income statements presented herein are re-presented as if the Philippines had been discontinued from February 2017.

Revenues:Total revenues increased 2.0% to Ps. 50,165.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, driven mainly by volume growth in Brazil, Central America and Colombia, price increases above inflation in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico and the consolidation of recently acquired territories in Guatemala and Uruguay. These factors were partially offset by the negative translation effect resulting from the depreciation of the Argentine Peso, the Brazilian Real and the Colombian Peso as compared to the Mexican Peso, combined with volume decline in Argentina and Mexico, hyperinflationary accounting in Argentina and the deconsolidation of Coca-Cola FEMSA de Venezuela as of December 31, 2017.

Transactions:Reported total number of transactions increased 1.2% to 5,186.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017.

Volume:Reported total sales volume remained flat at 871.7 million unit cases in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017.

Gross profit:Gross profit increased 1.7% to Ps. 23,016.6 million, and gross margin contracted 10 basis points to 45.9%.

(Continued on next page)

(1)

Please refer to page 9 for our definition of "comparable" and a description of the factors affecting the comparability of our financial and operating performance.

Equity method:The reported share of the profits of associates and joint ventures recorded a loss of Ps. 108 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to a loss of Ps. 103 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2017. This is mainly due to a loss in our dairy joint venture in Panama and in our Jugos del Valle joint venture in Mexico, partially offset by gains in our joint ventures in Brazil.

Operating Income:Operating income increased 0.3% to Ps. 7,342.0 million, and operating margin contracted 30 basis points to 14.6% during the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared with the same period of 2017.

Other non-operative expenses, net:Other non-operative expenses, net, recorded an expense of Ps. 632 million, driven mainly by an impairment of Ps. 432 million to our investment in our dairy joint venture Estrella Azul, in Panama, coupled with provisions related to contingencies in Brazil and Colombia. This is compared to an expense of Ps. 29,090 million during the fourth quarter of 2017 which was driven by a one-time non-cash charge related to the deconsolidation of Venezuela as of December 31, 2017.

Comprehensive financing result:Comprehensive financing result in the fourth quarter of 2018 recorded an expense of Ps. 2,149 million, compared to an expense of Ps. 1,090 million in the same period of 2017.

During the fourth quarter of 2018, we recorded an interest expense net, of Ps. 1,770 million, compared to Ps. 1,744 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. This increase was driven by additional financing of Ps. 10,100 million during the second quarter of 2018 for the acquisition of new territories in Guatemala and Uruguay. However, this effect was partially offset by the average exchange rate depreciation of the Brazilian Real compared to the Mexican Peso as applied to existing Brazilian Real-denominated interest expense; the maturity of our five year Yankee bond in November and the reduction of the debt in Colombia.

In addition, for the fourth quarter, we recorded a foreign exchange loss of Ps. 371 million as compared to a gain of Ps. 505 million in the same period of 2017. This loss was driven mainly by the appreciation of the Mexican Peso as applied to our U.S. dollar cash position, which included income related to the sale of our stake in Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, Inc.

Moreover, due to the reporting of our Argentina operation as a hyperinflationary subsidiary, during the fourth quarter of 2018, our monetary position in inflationary subsidiaries recorded a gain of Ps. 59 million as compared to a gain of Ps. 460 million during the same period of 2017, which was generated by Venezuela.

Market value on financial instruments recorded a loss of Ps. 67 million as compared to a loss of Ps. 310 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Income tax:During the fourth quarter of 2018, reported income tax as a percentage of income before taxes was 30.1%.

Net income:Consolidated net controlling interest income reached Ps. 5,541 million which includes the sale of the Philippines stake in the fourth quarter 2018, as compared to a loss of Ps. 24,245 million during the same period of the previous year, which included a one-time non-cash charge related to the deconsolidation of Venezuela. For the fourth quarter 2018, earnings per share (EPS) was Ps. 2.64 (Ps. 26.37 per ADS). Earnings per share from continuing operations was Ps. 1.38 (Ps. 13.75 per ADS).

Operating cash flow:Operating cash flow decreased 2.0% to Ps. 10,215 million, and operating cash flow margin contracted 80 basis points to 20.4%.

Consolidated Balance Sheet(1)

As of December 31, 2018, we had a cash balance of Ps. 23,727 million of which US$ 751 million is denominated in U.S. dollars. Our cash balance increased Ps. 4,960 million compared to year-end 2017. As of December 31, 2018, total short-term debt was Ps. 11,604 million and long-term debt was Ps. 70,201 million. Total debt decreased by Ps. 1,555 million and net debt decreased by Ps. 6,515 million compared to year end 2017, driven mainly by the proceeds obtained from the divestiture of the Philippines and cash generated during the year, compensated with incremental net debt for the acquisitions of Uruguay and Guatemala.

The weighted average cost of debt for the quarter, including the effect of debt swapped to Brazilian Reals and Mexican Pesos, was 8.21%, an increase as compared to the fourth quarter 2017 due mainly to our fixed exposure to Brazilian reals denominated debt and the effect of the increase of the TIIE rate on our bilateral loans in Mexican Pesos. The following chartsset forth the Company's debt profile by currency and interest rate type and by maturity date as of December 31, 2018.

Currency

% Total Debt(2)

% Interest Rate Floating(2)(3)

Mexican Pesos

60.3%

15.0%

U.S. Dollars

8.5%

0.0%

Colombian Pesos

1.6%

100.0%

Brazilian Reals

27.7%

2.5%

Uruguayan Pesos

1.7%

0.0%

Argentine Pesos

0.2%

0.0%

Debt Maturity Profile

Maturity Date

% of Total Debt

2024+

201914.2%

202013.6%

202114.7%

20221.9%

202330.8%

24.8%

  • (1) See page 15 for detailed information.

  • (2) After giving effect to cross-currency swaps.

  • (3)Calculated by weighting each year's outstanding debt balance mix.

Selected Financial Ratios

FY 2018

FY 2017

D %

Net debt including effect of hedges(1)(3)

56,940 68,973 -17.4%

Net debt including effect of hedges / Operating cash flow(1)(3)

1.61 1.74

Operating cash flow/ Interest expense, net(1)

5.40 4.99

Capitalization(2)

40.5% 39.3%

  • (1) Net debt = total debt - cash

  • (2) Total debt / (long-term debt + shareholders' equity)

  • (3) After giving effect to cross-currency swaps.

Mexico & Central America Division

(Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama)

Comparable(1)figures:

Revenues:Comparable total revenues from our Mexico and Central America division increased 4.1% in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017, driven by pricing ahead of inflation partially offset by volume contraction in the division.

Transactions:Comparable transactions in our Mexico and Central America division decreased 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2018. Our sparkling beverage portfolio's transactions dropped 3.3%, driven mainly by a 3.6% decrease in our colas portfolio. Our still beverage category's transactions increased 1.1% in the division, driven by 3.4% growth in Mexico, partially offset by a decline in Central America. Our water transactions, including bulk water, increased 0.5%, driven by growth in Mexico.

Volume:Total sales volume for the division decreased 1.1% in the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to the same period of 2017. Our sparkling beverage category's volume decreased 1.7%, driven by a 2.1% decrease in our colas portfolio, due to a decline in both Mexico and Central America. Our still beveragecategory's volume increased 6.9%, driven by 7.2% growth inMexico and 5.1% growth in Central America. Our personal water portfolio's volume decreased 0.6%, drivenby a decline in Central America, partially offset by growth in Mexico. Our bulk waterportfolio's volume declined 2.1% driven by a contraction in the division.

Gross profit:Comparable gross profit grew 4.7% in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017. Our pricing initiatives, a favorable currency hedging position and declining sweetener costs were offset by higher PET prices, higher concentrate costs in Mexico, and the depreciation of the average exchange rates of the Mexican Peso, the Guatemalan Quetzal, the Costa Rican Colon, and the Nicaraguan Cordoba as applied to U.S. dollar-denominated raw material costs.

Operating income:Comparable operating income in the division increased 4.5% in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017, despite higher maintenance expenses and labor costs in Mexico; factors that were partially offset by a non-cash operating foreign exchange gain in Mexico.

Operating cash flow:Comparable operating cash flow increased 5.3% in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017.

As reported figures:

Revenues:Reported total revenues increased 8.7% to Ps. 25,424.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period of 2017, driven by the consolidation of recently acquired territories in Guatemala as of May 1, 2018 and pricing ahead of inflation in Mexico, partially offset by a volume decline in Mexico.

Transactions:Reported total number of transactions increased 1.6% to 2,807.4 in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period of 2017.

Volume:Reported total sales volume increased 1.8% to 503.8 million unit cases in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017.

Gross profit:Reported gross profit increased 9.2% to Ps. 12,232.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, and gross profit margin expanded 20 basis points to 48.1% during the period.

Operating income:Reported operating income increased 7.0% to Ps. 3,404.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, and operating income margin contracted 20 basis points to 13.4% during the period.

Operating cash flow:Reported operating cash flow increased 8.8% to Ps. 5,305.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, resulting in flat operating cash flow margin of 20.9%.

(1)

Please refer to page 9 for our definition of "comparable" and a description of the factors affecting the comparability of ourfinancial and operating performance.

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Coca-Cola FEMSA SAB de CV published this content on 26 February 2019 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 26 February 2019 15:17:01 UTC