WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

(Mark one)

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2015

OR

For the transition period from  to

Commission file number 1-434

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(513) 983-1100

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes ☑     No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    

Yes ☑     No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Large accelerated filer  ☑                    Accelerated filer   o                    Non-accelerated filer   o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    

Yes o     No ☑

There were 2,720,572,743 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of September 30, 2015 .

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION 

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME/(LOSS)

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Basis of Presentation

These statements should be read in conjunction with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015 . In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements of The Procter & Gamble Company and subsidiaries (the "Company," "Procter & Gamble," "P&G," "we," or "our") contain all adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods reported. However, the results of operations included in such financial statements may not necessarily be indicative of annual results.

2. New Accounting Pronouncements and Policies

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)." This guidance outlines a single, comprehensive model for accounting for revenue from contracts with customers. We will adopt the standard no later than July 1, 2018. While we are currently assessing the impact of the new standard, we do not expect this new guidance to have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

On July 1, 2015, the Company adopted ASU 2014-08, "Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity". The guidance included new reporting and disclosure requirements for discontinued operations. For additional details on discontinued operations, see Note 11.

No other new accounting pronouncement issued or effective during the fiscal year had or is expected to have a material impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements.

3. Segment Information

As discussed in Note 11, the Beauty Brands, Batteries and Pet Care businesses are presented as discontinued operations and are excluded from segment results for all periods presented.

Following is a summary of segment results:

4. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill is allocated by reportable segment as follows:

On July 9, 2015 , the Company announced the signing of a definitive agreement to divest four product categories, comprised of 43 of its beauty brands ("Beauty Brands"), which will be merged with Coty, Inc. The transaction includes the global salon professional hair care and color, retail hair color, cosmetics and fine fragrances businesses, along with select hair styling brands (see Note 11). The Beauty Brands had historically been part of the Company's Beauty reportable segment (previously named Beauty, Hair and Personal Care). In accordance with applicable accounting guidance for the disposal of long-lived assets, the results of the Beauty Brands are presented as discontinued operations. As a result, the goodwill attributable to the Beauty Brands as of June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2015 is excluded from the preceding table and is reported as assets held for sale in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

In November 2014, the Company reached an agreement to divest the Batteries business via a split transaction in an exchange of a recapitalized Duracell Company for Berkshire Hathaway's (BH) shares of P&G stock (see Note 11). Based on the terms of the agreement and the value of BH's shares of P&G stock as of September 30, 2015 , the Company recorded a non-cash, before-tax impairment charge of $402 ( $350 after tax) during the three months ended September 30, 2015 to reduce the carrying amount of the Batteries business net assets held for sale. This charge was recorded in discontinued operations. The final transaction value will depend on the value of BH's shares of the Company as of the closing date, which is expected to occur early in calendar year 2016 . Accordingly, if the value of such shares declines further before the closing date, we may need to record additional non-cash impairment charges as part of discontinued operations in the future.

The test to evaluate goodwill for impairment is a two-step process. In the first step, we compare the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying value. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we perform a second step to determine the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill. The second step of the impairment analysis requires a valuation of a reporting unit's tangible and intangible assets and liabilities in a manner similar to the allocation of purchase price in a business combination. If the resulting implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill is less than its carrying value, that difference represents an impairment.

The business unit valuations used to test goodwill and intangible assets for impairment are dependent on a number of significant estimates and assumptions including macroeconomic conditions, overall category growth rates, competitive activities, cost containment and margin expansion and Company business plans.  We believe these estimates and assumptions are reasonable.

In addition to the discontinued operations impacts, Goodwill decreased from June 30, 2015 primarily due to currency translation.

Identifiable intangible assets at September 30, 2015 are comprised of:

Due to the divestiture of the Beauty Brands and Batteries business, intangible assets specific to these businesses are reported in assets held for sale (see Note 11).

Intangible assets with determinable lives consist of brands, patents, technology and customer relationships. The intangible assets with indefinite lives consist primarily of brands. The amortization expense of intangible assets for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 was $104 and $119 , respectively.

5. Share-Based Compensation and Postretirement Benefits

Total share-based compensation expense for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 was $66 and $81 , respectively.

The Company offers various postretirement benefits to its employees. The total net periodic benefit cost for pension benefits for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 was $86 and $117 , respectively. The total net periodic benefit cost/(benefit) for other retiree benefits for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 was $(24) and $4 , respectively. The components of the total net periodic benefit cost for both pension benefits and other retiree benefits for those interim periods, on an annualized basis, do not differ materially from the amounts disclosed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015 .

The disclosures above for both share-based compensation and postretirement benefits include amounts related to discontinued operations which were not material in any period presented.

6. Risk Management Activities and Fair Value Measurements

As a multinational company with diverse product offerings, we are exposed to market risks, such as changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates and commodity prices.

The Company has not changed its valuation techniques used in measuring the fair value of any financial assets and liabilities during the period. The Company recognizes transfers between levels within the fair value hierarchy, if any, at the end of each quarter. There were no transfers between levels during the periods presented. Also, there was no significant activity within the Level 3 assets and liabilities during the periods presented. Except for the impairment charges related to our Batteries business (see Note 4), there were no assets or liabilities that were remeasured at fair value on a non-recurring basis for the three months ended September 30, 2015 .

The following table sets forth the Company's financial assets as of September 30, 2015 and June 30, 2015 that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis during the period:

Investment securities are presented in Available-for-sale investment securities and Other noncurrent assets. The amortized cost of U.S. government securities with maturities less than one year was $550 as of September 30, 2015 and $700 as of June 30, 2015 . The amortized cost of U.S. government securities with maturities between one and five years was $3,091 as of September 30, 2015 and $2,789 as of June 30, 2015 . The amortized cost of Corporate bond securities with maturities of less than a year was $267 as of September 30, 2015 and $221 as of June 30, 2015 . The amortized cost of Corporate bond securities with maturities between one and five years was $980 as of September 30, 2015 and $1,052 as of June 30, 2015 . The Company's investments measured at fair value are generally classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. There are no material investment balances classified as either Level 1 or Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy. Fair values are generally estimated based upon quoted market prices for similar instruments.

The fair value of long-term debt was $22,657 and $23,127 as of September 30, 2015 and June 30, 2015 , respectively. This includes the current portion ( $3,273 and $2,776 as of September 30, 2015 and June 30, 2015 , respectively) of debt instruments. Certain long-term debt is recorded at fair value. Certain long-term debt is not recorded at fair value on a recurring basis, but is measured at fair value for disclosure purposes. Long-term debt with fair value of $2,184 and $2,180 as of September 30, 2015 and June 30, 2015 , respectively, is classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. All remaining long-term debt is classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy. Fair values are generally estimated based on quoted market prices for identical or similar instruments.

The following table sets forth the notional amounts and fair values of qualifying and non-qualifying financial instruments used in hedging transactions as of September 30, 2015 and June 30, 2015 :

All derivative assets are presented in Prepaid expenses and other current assets or Other noncurrent assets. All derivative liabilities are presented in Accrued and other liabilities or Other noncurrent liabilities. The total notional amount of contracts outstanding at the end of the period is indicative of the Company's derivative activity during the period. The change in the notional balance of foreign currency contracts not designated as hedging instruments during the period reflects changes in the level of intercompany financing activity. All of the Company's derivative assets and liabilities measured at fair value are classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy.

During the next 12 months, the amount of the September 30, 2015 Accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) balance that will be reclassified to earnings is expected to be immaterial.

The amounts of gains and losses on qualifying and non-qualifying financial instruments used in hedging transactions for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 are as follows:

7. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss)

The table below presents the changes in Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) by component and the reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss):

8. Earnings Per Share

Net earnings attributable to Procter & Gamble less preferred dividends (net of related tax benefits) are divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period to calculate basic net earnings per common share. Diluted net earnings per common share are calculated to give effect to stock options and other stock-based awards and assume conversion of preferred stock. Net earnings attributable to Procter & Gamble and common shares used to calculate basic and diluted net earnings per share were as follows:

9. Restructuring Program

The Company has historically incurred an ongoing annual level of restructuring-type activities to maintain a competitive cost structure, including manufacturing and workforce optimization. Before-tax costs incurred under the ongoing program have generally ranged from $250 to $500 annually. In fiscal 2012, the Company initiated an incremental restructuring program as part of a productivity and cost savings plan to reduce costs in the areas of supply chain, research and development, marketing and overheads. The productivity and cost savings plan was designed to accelerate cost reductions by streamlining management decision making, manufacturing and other work processes in order to help fund the Company's growth strategy.

The Company expects to incur in excess of $5 billion in before-tax restructuring costs over a six year period (from fiscal 2012 through fiscal 2017), including costs incurred as part of the ongoing and incremental restructuring program. The program includes a non-manufacturing overhead enrollment reduction target of 25% - 30% by the end of fiscal 2017.

Through fiscal 2015, the Company reduced non-manufacturing enrollment by approximately 12,600 , or approximately 21% . Through September 30, 2015 , the Company reduced non-manufacturing enrollment by approximately 13,300 , or approximately 23% . The reductions are enabled by the elimination of duplicate work, simplification through the use of technology and optimization of various functional and business organizations and the Company's global footprint. In addition, the plan includes integration of newly acquired companies and the optimization of the supply chain and other manufacturing processes.

Restructuring costs incurred, consist primarily of costs to separate employees, asset-related costs to exit facilities and other costs. Through fiscal 2015, the Company incurred charges of approximately $3.9 billion . Approximately $2.0 billion of these charges were related to separations, $954 were asset-related and $944 were related to other restructuring-type costs.

For the three month period ended September 30, 2015 , the Company incurred total restructuring charges of approximately $143 . Approximately $43 of these charges were recorded in SG&A and approximately $90 of these charges were recorded in Cost of products sold. The remainder is included in discontinued operations. The following table presents restructuring activity for the three months ended September 30, 2015 :

Separation Costs

Employee separation charges for the three month period ended September 30, 2015 relate to severance packages for approximately 610 employees, including non-manufacturing employees of approximately 250 . The packages are predominately voluntary and the amounts are calculated based on salary levels and past service periods. Severance costs related to voluntary separations are generally charged to earnings when the employee accepts the offer. Since its inception, the restructuring program has incurred separation charges related to approximately 14,910 employees, of which approximately 8,870 are non-manufacturing overhead personnel.

Asset-Related Costs

Asset-related costs consist of both asset write-downs and accelerated depreciation. Asset write-downs relate to the establishment of a new fair value basis for assets held-for-sale or disposal. These assets were written down to the lower of their current carrying basis or amounts expected to be realized upon disposal, less minor disposal costs. Charges for accelerated depreciation relate to long-lived assets that will be taken out of service prior to the end of their normal service period. These assets relate primarily to manufacturing consolidations and technology standardizations. The asset-related charges will not have a significant impact on future depreciation charges.

Other Costs

Other restructuring-type charges are incurred as a direct result of the restructuring program. Such charges primarily include employee relocation related to separations and office consolidations, termination of contracts related to supply chain redesign and the cost to change internal systems and processes to support the underlying organizational changes.

Consistent with our historical policies for ongoing restructuring-type activities, the restructuring program charges are funded by and included within Corporate for both management and segment reporting. Accordingly, all of the charges under the program are included within the Corporate reportable segment. However, for informative purposes, the following table summarizes the total restructuring costs related to our reportable segments:

10. Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation

The Company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims arising out of our business which cover a wide range of matters such as antitrust, trade and other governmental regulations, product liability, patent and trademark, advertising, contracts, environmental, labor and employment and tax. With respect to these and other litigation and claims, while considerable uncertainty exists, in the opinion of management and our counsel, the ultimate resolution of the various lawsuits and claims will not materially affect our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We are also subject to contingencies pursuant to environmental laws and regulations that in the future may require us to take action to correct the effects on the environment of prior manufacturing and waste disposal practices. Based on currently available information, we do not believe the ultimate resolution of environmental remediation will have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Income Tax Uncertainties

The Company is present in approximately 140 taxable jurisdictions and, at any point in time, has 60 – 70 jurisdictional audits underway at various stages of completion. We evaluate our tax positions and establish liabilities for uncertain tax positions that may be challenged by local authorities and may not be fully sustained, despite our belief that the underlying tax positions are fully supportable. Uncertain tax positions are reviewed on an ongoing basis and are adjusted in light of changing facts and circumstances, including progress of tax audits, developments in case law and closing of statutes of limitations. Such adjustments are reflected in the tax provision as appropriate. We have tax years open ranging from 2002 and forward. We are generally not able to reliably estimate the ultimate settlement amounts until the close of the audit. Based on information currently available, we anticipate that over the next 12 month period, audit activity could be completed related to uncertain tax positions in multiple jurisdictions for which we have accrued liabilities of $440 , including interest and penalties.

Additional information on the Commitments and Contingencies of the Company can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2015 .

11. Discontinued Operations

On July 9, 2015 , the Company announced the signing of a definitive agreement to divest four product categories, comprised of 43 of its beauty brands ("Beauty Brands"), which will be merged with Coty, Inc. ("Coty"). While the ultimate form of the transaction has not yet been decided, the Company's current preference is for a Reverse Morris Trust split-off transaction in which P&G shareholders could elect to participate in an exchange offer to exchange their P&G shares for Coty shares. The transaction includes the global salon professional hair care and color, retail hair color, cosmetics and fine fragrance businesses, along with select hair styling brands. The Company expects to close the transaction in the second half of calendar year 2016 , pending regulatory approvals.

Coty's offer for the Beauty Brands, which was accepted by the Company, was $12.5 billion . The final value of the transaction will be determined at closing. Based on Coty's stock price and outstanding shares and equity grants as of September 30, 2015, the value of the transaction was approximately $13.0 billion . The value is comprised of approximately 413 million shares, or 52% of the diluted equity of the newly combined company, valued at approximately $11.1 billion and the assumption of debt of $1.9 billion by the entity holding the Beauty Brands immediately prior to close of the transaction. The assumed debt is expected to vary between $3.9 billion and $1.9 billion , depending on a $22.06 to $27.06 per share collar of Coty's stock based on the trading price prior to the close of the transaction, but will be subject to other contractual valuation adjustments.

The Beauty Brands were historically part of the Company's Beauty reportable segment. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance for the disposal of long-lived assets, the results of the Beauty Brands are presented as discontinued operations and, as such, have been excluded from both continuing operations and segment results for all periods presented. Additionally, the Beauty Brands' balance sheet positions as of September 30, 2015 and June 30, 2015 are presented as assets and liabilities held for sale in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

In November 2014, the Company reached an agreement to divest its Batteries business to Berkshire Hathaway (BH) via a split transaction, in which the Company will exchange a recapitalized Duracell Company for BH's shares of P&G stock. As of the date the transaction was signed, BH's shares were valued at approximately $4.7 billion . As of September 30, 2015, this value has declined to approximately $3.8 billion . The Company expects to contribute approximately $1.8 billion in cash to the Duracell Company in the pre-transaction recapitalization, subject to final working capital adjustments. The Company recorded goodwill and indefinite-lived asset impairment charges during the three months ended September 30, 2015 which reflected the total estimated proceeds from the divestiture transactions (see Note 4). Because the number of shares of P&G stock the Company will receive in the Batteries transaction is fixed, the total value to be received in the transaction will be based on the Company's share price as of the closing date, which is expected to occur early in calendar year 2016 . Accordingly, any further increase or decrease in the

Company's share price before the closing date will ultimately be reflected in Net earnings/(loss) from discontinued operations as a gain or loss.

The Batteries business had historically been part of the Company's Fabric Care and Home Care reportable segment. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance for the disposal of long-lived assets, the results of the Batteries business are presented as discontinued operations and, as such, have been excluded from both continuing operations and segment results for all periods presented. Additionally, the Batteries balance sheet positions as of September 30, 2015 and June 30, 2015 are presented as assets and liabilities held for sale in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

On July 31, 2014, the Company completed the divestiture of its Pet Care operations in North America, Latin America and other selected countries to Mars, Incorporated (Mars) for $2.9 billion in an all-cash transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, Mars acquired our branded pet care products and our manufacturing sites in the United States and assumed the majority of the employees working in the Pet Care business. The agreement included an option for Mars to acquire the Pet Care business in several additional countries, which were substantially completed as of June 30, 2015 . The European Union countries were not included in the agreement with Mars. In December 2014, the Company completed the divestiture of its Pet Care operations in Western Europe to Spectrum Brands in an all-cash transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, Spectrum Brands acquired our branded pet care products and our manufacturing site in the Netherlands and assumed the majority of the employees working in the Western Europe Pet Care business. The one-time after-tax impact of these transactions is not material.

The Pet Care business was historically part of the Company's Health Care reportable segment. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance for the disposal of long-lived assets, the results of the Pet Care business are presented as discontinued operations and, as such, have been excluded from both continuing operations and segment results for all periods presented.

On July 1, 2015, the Company adopted ASU 2014-08, which included new reporting and disclosure requirements for discontinued operations. The new requirements are effective for discontinued operations occurring on or after the adoption date, which includes the Beauty Brands divestiture. All other discontinued operations prior to July 1, 2015 are reported based on the previous disclosure requirements for discontinued operations, including the Batteries and Pet Care divestitures.

The following table summarizes total Net earnings/(loss) from discontinued operations and reconciles to the Consolidated Statements of Earnings:

The following table summarizes total assets and liabilities held for sale and reconciles to the Consolidated Balance Sheets:

The following is selected financial information included in Net earnings/(loss) from discontinued operations for the Beauty Brands:

The major components of assets and liabilities of the Beauty Brands held for sale were as follows:

The following is selected financial information included in Net earnings/(loss) from discontinued operations for the Batteries and Pet Care businesses:

The major components of current assets and current liabilities of the Batteries business held for sale were as follows:

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this report, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to our business plans, objectives, and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may appear throughout this report, including without limitation, the following sections: "Management's Discussion and Analysis," "Risk Factors," and Notes 4, 10 and 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions, which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise.

Risks and uncertainties to which our forward-looking statements are subject include, without limitation: (1) the ability to successfully manage global financial risks, including foreign currency fluctuations, currency exchange or pricing controls and localized volatility; (2) the ability to successfully manage local, regional or global economic volatility, including disruptions in credit markets, reduced market growth rates or changes affecting our credit rating, and generate sufficient income and cash flow to allow the Company to effect the expected share repurchases and dividend payments; (3) the ability to maintain key manufacturing and supply arrangements (including sole supplier and sole manufacturing plant arrangements) and manage disruption of business due to factors outside of our control, such as natural disasters and acts of war or terrorism; (4) the ability to successfully manage cost fluctuations and pressures, including commodity prices, raw materials, labor costs, energy costs and pension and health care costs, and achieve cost savings described in our announced productivity plan; (5) the ability to stay on the leading edge of innovation, obtain necessary intellectual property protections and successfully respond to technological advances attained by, and patents granted to, competitors; (6) the ability to compete with our local and global competitors in new and existing sales channels by successfully responding to competitive factors, including prices, promotional incentives and trade terms for products; (7) the ability to manage and maintain key customer relationships; (8) the ability to protect our reputation and brand equity by successfully managing real or perceived issues, including concerns about safety, quality, efficacy or similar matters that may arise; (9) the ability to successfully manage the financial, legal, reputational and operational risk associated with third party relationships, such as our suppliers, contractors and external business partners; (10) the ability to rely on and maintain key information technology systems and networks (including Company and third-party systems and networks) and maintain the security and functionality of such systems and networks and the data contained therein; (11) the ability to successfully manage regulatory and legal requirements and matters (including, without limitation, those laws and regulations involving product liability, intellectual property, antitrust, privacy, accounting standards and environmental) and to resolve pending matters within current estimates; (12) the ability to manage changes in applicable tax laws and regulations; (13) the ability to successfully manage our portfolio optimization strategy, as well as ongoing acquisition, divestiture and joint venture activities, to achieve the Company's overall business strategy, without impacting the delivery of base business objectives; and (14) the ability to successfully achieve productivity improvements and manage ongoing organizational changes, while successfully identifying, developing and retaining particularly key employees, especially in key growth markets where the availability of skilled or experienced employees may be limited. A detailed discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those projected herein is included in the section titled "Economic Conditions and Uncertainties" and the section titled "Risk Factors" (Part II, Item 1A of this Form 10-Q).

The purpose of the Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) is to provide an understanding of Procter & Gamble's financial condition, results of operations and cash flows by focusing on changes in certain key measures from year to year. MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. MD&A is organized in the following sections:

Throughout MD&A, we refer to measures used by management to evaluate performance, including unit volume growth, net sales and net earnings. We also refer to a number of financial measures that are not defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP), including organic sales growth, core net earnings per share (EPS), free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow productivity. Organic sales growth is net sales growth excluding the impacts of the Venezuela deconsolidation, acquisitions, divestitures and foreign exchange from year-over-year comparisons. Core EPS is diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations excluding certain items that are not judged to be part of the Company's sustainable results or trends. Free cash flow is operating cash flow less capital spending. Adjusted free cash flow productivity is the ratio of free cash flow to net earnings excluding impairment charges on the Batteries business. We believe these measures provide our investors with additional information about our underlying results and trends, as well as insight to some of the metrics used to evaluate management. The explanation at the end of MD&A provides more details on the use and the derivation of these measures.

Management also uses certain market share and market consumption estimates to evaluate performance relative to competition despite some limitations on the availability and comparability of share and consumption information. References to market share and market consumption in MD&A are based on a combination of vendor-reported consumption and market size data, as well as internal estimates. All market share references represent the percentage of sales in dollar terms on a constant currency basis of our products, relative to all product sales in the category.

OVERVIEW

P&G is a global leader in fast-moving consumer goods, focused on providing branded consumer packaged goods of superior quality and value to our consumers around the world. Our products are sold in more than 180 countries and territories primarily through mass merchandisers, grocery stores, membership club stores, drug stores, department stores, distributors, e-commerce, high-frequency stores and pharmacies. We have on-the-ground operations in approximately 70 countries.

Our market environment is highly competitive with global, regional and local competitors. In many of the markets and industry segments in which we sell our products, we compete against other branded products as well as retailers' private-label brands. Additionally, many of the product segments in which we compete are differentiated by price tiers (referred to as super-premium, premium, mid-tier and value-tier products). We are well positioned in the industry segments and markets in which we operate, often holding a leadership or significant market share position.

The table below provides more information about the components of our reportable segment structure.

The following table provides the percentage of net sales and net earnings by reportable business segment for the three months ended September 30, 2015 (excluding net sales and net earnings in Corporate):

SUMMARY OF RESULTS

Following are highlights of results for the three months ended September 30, 2015 versus the three months ended September 30, 2014 :

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND UNCERTAINTIES

Global Economic Conditions. Current macroeconomic factors remain dynamic, and any causes of market size contraction, such as reduced GDP in commodity-dependent economies as commodity prices decline, greater political unrest in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, further economic instability in the European Union, political instability in certain Latin American markets and economic slowdowns in Japan and China, could reduce our sales or erode our operating margin, in either case reducing our earnings.

Changes in Costs. Our costs are subject to fluctuations, particularly due to changes in commodity prices and our own productivity efforts. We have significant exposures to certain commodities, in particular certain oil-derived materials like resins, and volatility in the market price of these commodity input materials has a direct impact on our costs. If we are unable to manage commodity fluctuations through pricing actions, cost savings projects and sourcing decisions as well as through consistent productivity improvements, it may adversely impact our gross margin, operating margin and net earnings. Sales could also be adversely impacted following pricing actions if there is a negative impact on consumption of our products. We strive to implement, achieve and sustain cost improvement plans, including outsourcing projects, supply chain optimization and general overhead and workforce optimization. As discussed later in this MD&A, we initiated certain non-manufacturing overhead reduction projects along with manufacturing and other supply chain cost improvements projects in 2012. If we are not successful in executing these changes, there could be a negative impact on our operating margin and net earnings.

Foreign Exchange. We have both translation and transaction exposure to the fluctuation of exchange rates. Translation exposures relate to exchange rate impacts of measuring income statements of foreign subsidiaries that do not use the U.S. dollar as their functional currency. Transaction exposures relate to 1) the impact from input costs that are denominated in a currency other than the local reporting currency and 2) the revaluation of transaction-related working capital balances denominated in currencies other than the functional currency. In 2015 and 2014, the U.S. dollar has strengthened versus a number of foreign currencies leading to lower sales and earnings from these foreign exchange impacts. Certain countries experiencing significant exchange rate fluctuations, like Brazil, Japan, Russia, and Turkey have had, and could have, an additional significant impact on our sales, costs and earnings. Increased pricing in response to these fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may offset portions of the currency impacts, but could also have a negative impact on consumption of our products, which would affect our sales.

Government Policies. Our net earnings could be affected by changes in U.S. or foreign government tax policies. For example, the U.S. is considering corporate tax reform that may significantly impact the corporate tax rate and change the U.S. tax treatment of international earnings. Additionally, we attempt to carefully manage our debt and currency exposure in certain countries with currency exchange, import authorization and pricing controls, such as Argentina, Egypt, Greece, Nigeria and Ukraine. Changes in government policies in these areas might cause an increase or decrease in our sales, operating margin and net earnings. During fiscal 2015, the Company deconsolidated its Venezuelan subsidiaries due to evolving conditions that resulted in an other-than-temporary lack of exchangeability between the Venezuelan bolivar and U.S. dollar and restricted our ability to pay dividends and satisfy certain other obligations denominated in U.S. dollars.

For information on risk factors that could impact our results, refer to Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS – Three Months Ended September 30, 2015

The following discussion provides a review of results for the three months ended September 30, 2015 versus the three months ended September 30, 2014 .