Tuesday, July 29, 2025 - Procter & Gamble on Tuesday said it will raise prices on some products sold in the U.S. as it deals with uncertainty over tariffs and also undergoes a leadership transition.
Economic volatility and "consumer anxiety" related
to President Donald Trump's tariff policies and
immigration crackdown have led consumers to rein in their spending to provide a
buffer in their budget, the company's executives told analysts on a
post-earnings call.
P&G said it plans to raise prices on about a quarter of
its products in the U.S. in the single-digit range starting this month.
The company said that the strength of its pantry staples
like Charmin toilet paper and Dawn dish soap, as well as demand for new
products like the Tide Evo laundry detergent tile, have given it room to raise
prices to offset about $1 billion in cost increases associated with tariffs.
"We believe that customers will still pay up for these
products," said Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital
Partners. "During soft economic times, consumers made trade down but
P&G has many products that people are willing to pay up for, regardless of
tariffs or a slow economy."
Some imported goods that
P&G is paying tariffs on include psyllium fiber from India for use in
Metamucil, along with oils sourced from tropical regions, a company
spokesperson said in a report by Reuters.
P&G said that it's also trying to drive growth in areas
where it has lost ground, including its Luvs value-priced diapers and Olay
skincare, said CFO Andre Schulten.
"The consumer clearly is more selective in terms of
shopping behavior in our categories and we see a desire to find value either by
going into larger pack sizes in the club channel or online or big-box retailers
or by lowering the cash outlay," Schulten said.
The company's annual forecasts were
below analysts' estimates, projecting net sales growth between 1% and 5%, which
was below analysts' estimate of 3.09% growth, according to data compiled by
LSEG.
"There is a level of baseline uncertainty that we
reflect in the guidance range," said outgoing CEO Jon Moeller. "To
the extent that people are frustrated with the lack of certainty, and the
breadth of the range, trust me, there's no one more frustrated with that than
I."
Proctor & Gamble on Monday named company insider
Shailesh Jejurikar as its new CEO.
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