Astral Foods Limited provided earnings guidance for the twelve months ending September 30, 2018. For the year, earnings per Share (EPS) is expected to be at least 80% up on the previous year. This implies that the EPS for the twelve months ending 30 September 2018 is expected to be at least 3,506 cents per share. Headline Earnings per Share (HEPS) for the 12 months ending 30 September 2018 is expected to be at least 85% up on the previous year. This implies that the HEPS for the twelve months ending 30 September 2018 is expected to be at least 3,513 cents per share. The improvement in the financial results for the 12 months ending 30 September 2018 is mainly as a result of the following: Profits reported for the first half of 2018, which ended on 31 March 2018, reflected a marked improvement on the results for the comparative period that was adversely impacted by abnormally high feed costs. The result for 2018 includes net finance income, whereas in the comparative period, the group reported net finance costs of ZAR 14.8 million. Although the results for the second half of 2018 are comparable with that of the second half of 2017, poultry sales volumes and selling prices came under pressure towards the end of the 2018 financial year due to a weakening in consumer demand. Increases in the fuel price and the VAT rate have had a negative impact on the consumer, with current trading conditions not as favorable as in the corresponding reporting period of the previous year.