The Hillshire Brands Co. reported results for the second quarter and first six months of fiscal year 2014. Second quarter net sales increased 2.1% to $1.1 billion, and the adjusted operating income of $139 million was up 9.0%; reported operating income increased 16.9% to $116 million.
"I'm pleased to report a strong second quarter," said Sean Connolly, president and chief executive officer of The Hillshire Brands Company. "Despite significant input cost inflation, both sales and profit exceeded our expectations. This reflects the strong ongoing progress our team is making to build our brands and improve our cost efficiencies. We are now well into the second year of our plan and achieving our goal of delivering strong and sustainable shareholder returns."