Nestle S.A. (NESN.VX) is open for acquisitions but no major purchase is imminent, company executives said Thursday.

"We are open for acquisitions if they make sense," Nestle Chief Executive Paul Bulcke said during a media conference, adding the world's largest food and beverages company typically spends around 2 billion Swiss francs ($1.7 billion) each year to round out its portfolio.

"There is no major acquisition target in sight," Chief Financial Officer James Singh said.

Earlier Thursday, Nestle reported a 69% rise in 2008 net profit to CHF18.04 billion, boosted by a partial divestment of a majority holding in U.S. eye-care company Alcon Inc (ACL) to Novartis AG (NOVN.VX).

Company Web site: http://www.nestle.com

-By Martin Gelnar, Dow Jones Newswires; +41 43 443 8042; martin.gelnar@dowjones.com