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(Reuters) -Walmart on Tuesday unveiled its 2025 Thanksgiving meal basket priced at under $4 per person, the lowest since the retailer launched the program in 2022, as U.S. shoppers contend with persistent inflation and wider economic uncertainty. The basket, which is meant for 10 people, includes more than 20 items, such as a turkey, potatoes, stuffing mix, fried onions, pie crusts, and boxed macaroni and cheese. The bundle, which cost about $7 per person last year, comes a week after the U.S. arm of German discount supermarket chain Aldi introduced a similar holiday offer. The price slash comes as U.S. retailers sharpen their price appeals ahead of the lucrative holiday season as households, particularly lower-income shoppers, feel the pinch from higher living costs and uncertainty tied to U.S. trade policy. The holiday shopping season runs from November through January, encompassing Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas, days that drive a significant share of retailers' annual sales and heavy consumer spending. Walmart in August raised its full-year outlook even as it posted its first quarterly earnings miss in more than three years. The company's U.S. CEO said last week that customers remained resilient and were spending at a healthy clip. (Reporting by Neil J Kanatt in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

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(Reuters) -Philip Morris International raised its annual profit forecast for the third time this year on Tuesday, benefiting from strong demand for its smoking alternatives, including nicotine pouch Zyn and inhalable IQOS. Shares of the world's largest tobacco company by market capitalization were up 4% in premarket trading. The company has been counting on its newer products, such as Zyn, to offset long-term declines in cigarette brands Marlboro, Chesterfield and others.  "Our global smoke-free portfolio is outgrowing the industry by a clear margin, driving positive total volumes, strong top-line growth and impressive margin expansion," CEO Jacek Olczak said.  With ever-stricter regulations and health concerns pushing consumers away from tobacco, cigarette makers are heavily investing in developing products such as pouches and vapes to replace lost revenues and profits. Though, PMI's Zyn has become the leading pouch label in the U.S., its sales performance in the last few quarters had disppointed, due to stiff competition from rivals, economic challenges and pressure from campaigners who say tobacco companies' new products pose health risks. PMI recently regulated the pricing for Zyn, which helped its sales pick up pace in the quarter.  "While this had an impact on Americas Region Q3 net revenue and operating income growth, we expect U.S. Zyn to remain best-in-class in terms of profitability for the group, reinforcing the attractive outlook for the category," PMI said. The company expects an adjusted annual profit of $7.46 to $7.56 per share, compared with its prior forecast of $7.43 to $7.56. Analysts expect PMI to log an adjusted profit of $7.53 per share for the year.  The company reported a third-quarter adjusted profit of $2.24 per share, beating analysts' average estimate of $2.09 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. (Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru and Emma Rumney in London; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

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By Yamini Kalia (Reuters) -Swiss-based bottler Coca-Cola HBC on Tuesday said it has agreed to buy a 75% stake in its African counterpart for $2.6 billion, creating the world's second-largest Coca-Cola bottling partner by beverage volume. Coca-Cola HBC will acquire U.S.-based Coca-Cola's roughly 42% stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) and the Gutsche Family Investments' entire stake, valuing the African bottler at $3.4 billion, according to company statements. The transaction puts the renewed group second behind Coca-Cola FEMSA by Coca-Cola bottling volumes and expands Coca-Cola HBC's footprint in Africa, targeting growing demand in 14 new markets driven by younger consumers. Coca-Cola HBC will represent two-thirds of Africa's total Coca-Cola volume, including drinks such as Fanta, Sprite and Monster, and cover more than 50% of the continent's population, according to J.P. Morgan. "ACQUISITION IS ABOUT GROWTH" "Coca-Cola HBC is a strong and valued bottler that will help usher in the next chapter of growth for CCBA," said Coca-Cola Chief Operating Officer Henrique Braun. The Atlanta, U.S.-based beverage giant owns about 23% of Coca-Cola HBC. The deal for control of CCBA, founded in 2014, will be one of the biggest ever in Africa's consumer goods space, according to Rothschild, the sole adviser to Coca-Cola. "This acquisition is about growth," Coca-Cola HBC CEO Zoran Bogdanovic said during a media call, highlighting the company's commitment to Africa. Coca-Cola HBC, which is already listed in London and Athens, intends to pursue a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and it has an option to buy Coca-Cola's remaining 25% stake in CCBA within six years. EMERGING MARKETS LEAD COCA-COLA HBC'S PORTFOLIO Coca-Cola HBC's emerging markets portfolio, comprising some African, Eastern European and Balkan countries, leads its volumes and sales. However, none represent more than 20% of sales volumes, according to its website. The latest deal comes as the group tries to offset cost pressures from concerns surrounding U.S. tariffs that have weighed on consumer sentiment globally. The expansion will also help it make up for lost volumes from its 2022 exit from Russia, one of the group's largest and most profitable markets at the time. Separately on Tuesday, Coca-Cola HBC maintained its annual sales outlook despite reporting a smaller-than-expected 5% rise in third-quarter organic revenue. Its London-listed shares fell as much as 4.7%, before paring losses to be down 1.2% by 1105 GMT. Goldman Sachs and UBS were advisers to Coca-Cola HBC, while Nomura alone advised GFI. (Reporting by Yamini Kalia and Raechel Thankam Job in Bengaluru; Writing by Pushkala Aripaka; Editing by Alexander Smith and Hugh Lawson)

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By Utkarsh Shetti and Mike Stone (Reuters) -U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin raised its 2025 forecast for revenue and profit on Tuesday, driven by sustained demand for its fighter jets and munitions amid escalating geopolitical tensions. Weapons makers are benefiting from surging demand for arms as a result of simmering conflicts in the Middle East and a protracted Russia-Ukraine war. Lockheed, which makes the F-35 stealth fighters, said its aeronautics segment sales jumped 11.9% to $7.26 billion in the third quarter. The program secured a long-awaited $12.5 billion contract from the Pentagon last month, for a total of 296 F-35 jets. Lockheed has also clinched some large agreements recently, including an about $11 billion navy contract to build up to 99 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters, and a nearly $10 billion contract for Patriot missiles. The commitments underscore a growing need for the U.S. government and its allies to replenish stockpiles and load up on new weapons. Lockheed, the largest defense contractor in the world, is also vying for a slice of the Trump administration's $175 billion marquee Golden Dome missile shield, for which the Pentagon began doling out contracts last month. The company's total revenue rose 8.8% to $18.61 billion in the third quarter, above analysts' average estimate of $18.56 billion, per data compiled by LSEG. Profit per share came in at $6.95, also beating analysts' expectation of $6.36. Lockheed now expects a profit of $22.15 to $22.35 per share for 2025, compared with its previous estimate of $21.70 to $22.00. The company also raised the lower end of its sales outlook to $74.25 billion from $73.75 billion, while maintaining the higher end at $74.75 billion. (Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru and Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

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By Alexander Marrow and Yadarisa Shabong LONDON (Reuters) -Consumer goods group Unilever is delaying the spin-off of its Magnum Ice Cream unit due to the U.S. government shutdown, it said on Tuesday, the latest example of global business disruption from the impasse that shows little sign of ending. Unilever, the maker of Dove soap and Hellmann's mayonnaise, said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was currently unable to declare effective the registration statement required for shares of The Magnum Ice Cream Company to be listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The primary listing was originally scheduled for November 10 in Amsterdam, with secondary listings planned in New York and London. Unilever will retain a 19.9% stake in the ice cream business that includes Magnum, Ben & Jerry's and Cornetto. COST TO US ECONOMY The delay underscores the disruptions caused by the three-week U.S. federal government shutdown, which has hit IPOs, aviation and is expected to cost the U.S. economy as much as $15 billion a week in lost output. Seoul-headquartered green energy and technology company DeepGreenX Group withdrew its registration statement for a direct listing in the United States on Monday, due to being unable to communicate with SEC staff.  The Magnum stand-alone ice cream business is a test for investor appetite for a sugar-heavy product in its biggest market at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is pushing to 'Make America Healthy Again'. Analysts expect the spin-off will benefit Unilever and Magnum by allowing both businesses to become more focused.  Unilever said preparatory work for the demerger was on track and progressing well, and that it remained committed to completing the spin-off process this year. The company's shares were down 0.8% on Tuesday, only slightly lagging rivals. "We're not concerned by the delay," said Anna Farmbrough, UK Quality Portfolio Manager at Unilever investor Ninety One. "The timing of the listing isn't especially important in the broader context — what matters is the quality of the underlying business and its long-term growth prospects."  US IPO REVIEWS HALTED DURING SHUTDOWN The U.S. market regulator has halted IPO reviews during the shutdown, although earlier this month it eased the way for firms to proceed with listings despite the political gridlock.  Companies are normally prevented from debuting on Wall Street during periods when Congress has not approved funding for government operations, because officials are unable to review and approve registration statements. That has prompted investor concerns that partisan gridlock in Washington could dent the IPO market. Companies can allow their statements to become effective automatically, which involves setting their IPO pricing 20 days before the listing instead of finalising it on the eve of a SEC review, but that can heighten the risk of filing errors or overlooked disclosures. Despite the delay, Unilever held a general meeting on Tuesday at which shareholders voted in favour of the proposed consolidation of its share capital. However, the implementation timeline for that will also be revised, Unilever said.  (Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru, Alexander Marrow and Josephine Mason in London; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazilian planemaker Embraer's firm order backlog stood at a record $31.3 billion at the end of the third quarter, up 38% from a year earlier, according to a securities filing. The company delivered 62 aircraft in the period, a 5% increase from the 59 deliveries in the same quarter of 2024, it said. (Reporting by Isabel Teles; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

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(Reuters) -Philip Morris International raised its annual profit forecast for the third time this year on Tuesday, benefiting from strong demand for its portfolio of smoking alternatives. PMI has been counting on newer products, such as its nicotine pouch brand Zyn, the leading label in the U.S., to offset long-term declines in its cigarette brands Marlboro, Chesterfield and others in some markets.  "Our global smoke-free portfolio is outgrowing the industry by a clear margin, driving positive total volumes, strong top-line growth and impressive margin expansion," CEO Jacek Olczak said. Shares of the company were up 3% in premarket trading. With ever-stricter regulation and health concerns pushing consumers away from tobacco, cigarette makers have been heavily investing in developing products such as pouches and vapes to replace lost revenues and profits. The company expects an adjusted annual profit of $7.46 to $7.56 per share, compared with its prior forecast of $7.43 to $7.56.  (Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru and Emma Rumney in London; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

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(Reuters) -Coca-Cola's revenue and profit exceeded Wall Street's third-quarter expectations on Tuesday, helped by resilient demand for its trademark sodas and zero-sugar beverages. The company's shares rose about 1% in premarket trading as it also maintained its annual sales and profit targets. The stock has risen nearly 10% this year. Demand for Coca-Cola's trademark sodas has been steady in the U.S. and some international markets despite a slowdown in non-essential spending due to economic uncertainties and inflation. The company has also benefited from price increases particularly for products such as Fairlife milk and Topo Chico sparkling water brand. Rival PepsiCo also topped quarterly estimates earlier this month, helped by growth in international markets and demand for healthier drinks in the U.S. The world's largest beverage company reported quarterly revenue of $12.5 billion, compared with estimates of $12.39 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Excluding items, the company earned 82 cents per share, compared with estimates of 78 cents. (Reporting by Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)

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(Reuters) -Halliburton beat Wall Street estimates for third quarter profit on Tuesday, helped by steady demand for its oilfield equipment and services in North America. The company reported an adjusted profit of 58 cents per share for the quarter ended September 30, compared with analysts' estimate of 50 cents, according to data compiled by LSEG. (Reporting by Tanay Dhumal in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

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-Industrial giant 3M raised annual profit forecast on Tuesday, driven by cost-cutting measures and a strategic shift toward high-margin products, sending its shares up as much as 2.6% in premarket trading. Under CEO Bill Brown, 3M has steered toward product innovation and pivoted away from its earlier emphasis on managing legal risks and cutting supply-chain costs. The conglomerate forecasts 2025 operating margin to expand 180 to 200 basis points, compared with its previous projection of a rise of 150 to 200 basis points. It expects 2025 adjusted profit to be between $7.95 and $8.05 per share, compared with its previous forecast of $7.75 to $8 per share. (Reporting by Aishwarya Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)

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