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Procter & GamblePGDON'T BUYJul 10, 2018Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 18, 2026. Market Open.
His theme for today is that he's really not that hot on the consumer. Of the whole economy, the consumer sector is the most exposed. Though a great company with a lot of good products, branded products tend to suffer when consumers are stretched. Growing about 3-5% revenue, 7-9% on earnings, trading at 23x. Pass. Better opportunities elsewhere.
The beat on sales despite raising prices by 7% YOY and have paid dividends and bought back shares. Remember that PG has been wiped out by higher commodity and transportation costs. Impressive. Posted 7% organic sales growth. They predict a $800 million windfall due to the costs of raw costs falling. They boast powerful brands.
Consumer and packaged food stocks can keep rallying. As we approach another debt-ceiling crisis, these stocks are good places to invest in. The whole sector. They are resilient. People take comfort in their favourite brand, from Campbell's soup to Hershey's chocolate. Consumers still buy them despite higher prices. Supply chain problems have been solved and freight costs have fallen, too. Raw costs like paper (cardboard) are falling, though such companies have existing purchase contracts. There's still room to run.
Consumer staples stocks have been under a lot of pressure because of who they sell to (buyers are putting pricing pressure on them) and competition from start-up local brands. This is pressuring their margins. She has not owned P&G for years. Back then, innovation flowed through the company (more so than now). They are in beauty care, which she likes, but they have to do more product innovation. The company is trying to do that, but not enough. In this space, she would invest in Mondelez (MDLZ-O) or Unilever PLC (UL-N) because of their exposure to emerging markets.