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VEVEY, Schweiz – land matter and drinks giant Nestle SA boasted a full-year gain acquire of 34.23 1000000000 land francs ($35.8 billion) Thursday, inflated by the understanding of its wager in receptor automobile consort Alcon that added 24.5 1000000000 francs gain to its balance sheet in 2010.

Analysts had predicted an modify higher acquire of $37 1000000000 francs for the world's large matter company. But investors cheered brawny nonsynthetic ontogeny of 6 proportionality and a proposed 15.6 proportionality dividend hike to 1.85 francs per deal — by mid-morning the shares were trading 1.6 proportionality higher at 53.30 francs.

In 2009, the concern of Nescafe, Perrier, Jenny Craig and Haagen Dazs had made a gain acquire of 10.4 1000000000 francs. Excluding exceptional one-off gains much as the Alcon sale, gain acquire dipped to 8.78 1000000000 francs in 2010 from 9.26 1000000000 francs.

Sales reached 109.7 1000000000 francs terminal year, up from 107.6 1000000000 in 2009.

The favourite Nespresso coffee capsules, boosted by ads featuring actor George Clooney, surpassed income of 3 1000000000 francs for the prototypal time. That continues a recent color of more than 20 proportionality period nonsynthetic growth, a manoeuvre that excludes acquisitions. Nestle added 36 more Nespresso store stores terminal year, and today has 215 worldwide.

Other brands much as Gerber and Nestea also saw brawny income growth. Among the 29 brands the consort listed, the lowest-performing were Stouffer's and Herta with between 0 and 3 proportionality nonsynthetic growth, and Dreyer's, Hot Pockets and Lean Cuisine with declining sales.

The Vevey, Switzerland-based consort achieved almost a ordinal of its income — whatever 34.3 1000000000 francs — with matter and drinks in the Americas region, despite brawny headwind from the weakness of the U.S. note compared to the franc.

The understanding of Nestle's remaining 52 proportionality wager in receptor tending consort Alcon to take concern Novartis AG allowed it to launch newborn products, revilement its debt, acquire backwards shares and physique newborn factories around the concern terminal year. Early in 2010 it bought Kraft Foods Inc.'s icy dish business.

Chief executive Paul Bulcke said the consort is aiming for nonsynthetic ontogeny of 5 to 6 proportionality in 2011 — the same direct as in previous eld — and is starting 2011 with continuing momentum.

"2010 was a hard year," he told reporters. "We hit actually been able to outperform our business ... in every geographies of the world."

Jim Singh, the chief business officer, said the consort saw nonsynthetic ontogeny in income of 11.5 proportionality in aborning markets and 3.3 proportionality in developed markets. He said Nestle low costs by 1.5 1000000000 francs through forcefulness savings, low work accidents and less bad risks.

"We wait added good assemblage in 2011," he said.

At the headquarters, a antiquity perched along the shores of Lake Genf that is worlds absent from the poor countries the consort operates in, CEO Bulcke highlighted the extent of Nestle's orbicular reach.

He singled discover the "floating supermarket," a craft that sells chocolate, pulverised milk, coffee and another Nestle products to 800,000 previously unreachable consumers in isolated communities along the Amazon River.

The ship, titled the Terra Grande, began operative in South USA terminal June.

The company's mart continuance is today more than 180 1000000000 francs, helped by gains in shares of about 2.6 proportionality during the time year. By stock mart continuance it is today Europe's third-largest company, after HSBC Holdings Plc and Royal land Shell Plc.

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Frank Jordans contributed from Geneva.

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