C04830-2016

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSIONSEC FORM 17-C

CURRENT REPORT UNDER SECTION 17
OF THE SECURITIES REGULATION CODE
AND SRC RULE 17.2(c) THEREUNDER

1. Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
Aug 12, 2016
2. SEC Identification Number
9170
3. BIR Tax Identification No.
040-000-400-016
4. Exact name of issuer as specified in its charter
UNIVERSAL ROBINA CORPORATION
5. Province, country or other jurisdiction of incorporation
Philippines
6. Industry Classification Code(SEC Use Only)
7. Address of principal office
110 E. Rodriguez Avenue, Bagumbayan, Quezon City, Metro Manila Postal Code 1110
8. Issuer's telephone number, including area code
(632) 633-7631 to 40
9. Former name or former address, if changed since last report
N/A
10. Securities registered pursuant to Sections 8 and 12 of the SRC or Sections 4 and 8 of the RSA
Title of Each Class Number of Shares of Common Stock Outstanding and Amount of Debt Outstanding
Common shares 2,181,501,933
11. Indicate the item numbers reported herein
9

The Exchange does not warrant and holds no responsibility for the veracity of the facts and representations contained in all corporate disclosures, including financial reports. All data contained herein are prepared and submitted by the disclosing party to the Exchange, and are disseminated solely for purposes of information. Any questions on the data contained herein should be addressed directly to the Corporate Information Officer of the disclosing party.

Universal Robina CorporationURC

PSE Disclosure Form 4-31 - Press Release References: SRC Rule 17 (SEC Form 17-C)
Section 4.4 of the Revised Disclosure Rules

Subject of the Disclosure

Press Release "URC MANAGED TO GROW TOPLINE BY 4%, AND SUSTAINED EBIT MARGINS AT 15.7% DESPITE CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED IN VIETNAM"
Background/Description of the Disclosure

URC registered net sales of Php 85.373 billion for the nine months of fiscal year 2016 (beginning October 2015, and ending September 2016), a growth of 4.2% driven by Branded Consumer Foods (BCF) Philippines, Indonesia, Griffin’s, and Renewables. BCF Philippines including the Packaging division grew in line at 4.4%, while BCF International was flat as challenges in Vietnam dragged down results of the international branded business. Sales of Non-Branded Consumer Foods Group, composed of Agro-Industrial Group and Commodity Foods Group were up by 12.8% due to the incremental contribution of Renewables which increased by 223.8%.

Operating Income of URC was slightly up by 2.5%, amounting to Php 13.384 billion. EBIT margin was also sustained at 15.7% as a result of lower input prices on the BCF business.

URC posted net income of Php 12.199 billion, a growth of 26.4% driven by one-offs with unrealized forex gains on NZD, appreciation of IDR, and realized market valuation of financial instruments due to partial prepayment of the long term debt in New Zealand.

The Company is still in a net debt position of Php 12.318 billion with a financial gearing ratio of 0.31. Capital expenditures were at Php 6.024 billion, spent mostly on the capacity expansion for BCF, and the acquisition of the Balayan mill for Sugar.

SALES PERFORMANCE PER BUSINESS

Branded Consumer Foods (BCF) Group

Sales of BCF excluding Packaging increased by 2.6%, amounting to Php 69.734 billion for the nine months of fiscal year 2016.

BCF Philippines, excluding Packaging topline grew by 4.5%, amounting to Php 45.081 billion. Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Beverage was the fastest growing category on the back of strong sales from water, juice, and RTD Tea strong. Powdered beverage, coffee in particular still posted a decline because of the instant coffee segment. Great Taste White coffee mix meanwhile continued to post growth with the strong acceptance of our Twin Pack format which added to total sales. This brand remains a very strong challenger in the category. Total snackfoods increased by mid-single digit driven by bakery and chocolates, while salty snacks and candies remained flattish. Sales of our joint venture companies Nissins and Danone were also strong with Nissins Cup Noodles and our waterplus brand Blue getting significant traction.

BCF International sales were flat at Php 24.653 billion vs. last year’s net sales of Php 24.838 billion as regulatory issues in Vietnam negatively affected the total international business performance. On a positive note, most countries managed to grow sales in local currency terms. Indonesia was up by 24.9% driven by snacks and chocolates. Thailand increased by 1.7% as consumer confidence has started to recover in the country. Malaysia grew by 8.1% with double-digit growth on Wafers and Candies. Singapore was up by 8.9% on the back of incremental sales from Griffin’s. New Zealand sales have also started stabilizing through improved pricing and margins, coupled with new product developments introduced into the market.

Non-Branded Consumer Foods Group

Sales of the Non-Branded Consumer Foods Group reached Php 14.798 billion for the nine months of fiscal year 2016 vs. Php 13.116 billion last year, up by 12.8% driven by Renewables and Feeds.

Commodity Foods Group’s sales increased by 23.4%, amounting to Php 7.967 billion. Sugar and Renewables (SURE) sales grew by 47.2% while Flour sales were flattish as the increase in sales volumes of pasta and flour was offset by lower combined selling prices of the business.

Agro-Industrial Group’s sales had a slower growth at 2.6% as the decline in Farms was pushed up by the performance of Feeds. Farms was down by 14.1% as both sales volume and average selling price of hogs decreased. In contrast, Feeds was up by 23.4% driven by higher sales volume of hog feeds, dog food and game fowl feeds supported by marketing activities implemented for the period.
Other Relevant Information

N/A
Filed on behalf by:
Name Rosalinda Rivera
Designation Corporate Secretary