Earnings: mixed menu from Nestlé, Unilever, Pernod

With not one but two consumer goods giants reporting ...

Investors in the sector had a chance to do some comparison shopping on Thursday (October 17).

First, Nestlé.

Organic growth slowed in Q3, it said - overshadowing what normally would be share-positive news:

An announcement of a plan to return 20 billion Swiss francs to investors - around 20 billion dollars - primarily through share buybacks.

Nestlé was instead the biggest drag on Switzerland's benchmark index - its shares slipping over three quarters of a percent.

Unilever rose.

Adding a per cent and a half in early trade - in a UK share market subdued by Brexit worries ...

Though sterling weakness on those worries has been good for the firm - making its exports cheaper.

Turnover beat estimates with a near 6 per cent rise to just under 15 billion dollars.

But a slowdown in India and China has dampened sales growth to 2.9 per cent - three had been expected.

And emerging market sales - a key focus for Unilever - slipped.

Drink also featured in the latest earnings....

Nestlé wants to reorganise its ailing bottled water business - whose brands include Perrier and San Pellegrino ...

While French spirits maker Pernod Ricard also spoke of slower growth in India and China.

Q1 sales overall were up 1.3 per cent on an underlying basis.

Its shares on Thursday were over three per cent down.