Before Wednesday’s opening bell, General Mills (GIS ) reported lower results for its third quarter, but still beat analysts’ expectations.

GIS’s Earnings in Brief

• GIS reported net income of $343.2 million, or 56 cents per share, down from $410.6 million, or 64 cents per share, last year.
• Excluding special items, EPS was 70 cents – above analysts’ estimate of 67 cents per share.
• Revenue declined 1% to $4.35 billion from $4.38 billion. Analysts expected to see revenue of $4.35 billion.
• Looking forward, GIS expects to FY2015 adjusted earnings to grow at a low-single-digit rate. Analysts expect to see EPS of $2.82.

CEO Commentary

General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ken Powell commented: “Our third-quarter results reflect strengthened operating performance. Our U.S. Retail segment posted net sales and profit growth including contributions from the Annie’s business acquired in October 2014. Constant-currency net sales and profit growth accelerated for our International segment. And the Convenience Stores and Foodservice segment led our operating results, with sales up 6 percent and profit up 11 percent.”

GIS’s Dividend

General Mills will pay its next 44 cent dividend on May 1. The stock is going ex-dividend on April 8.

Click here to see the complete history of GIS dividends.

Stock Performance

Shares of GIS were up 47 cents, or 0.90% during premarket trading Wednesday. The stock is down 2.4% YTD.

The Bottom Line

General Mills (GIS ) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.