TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says this consumer-products titan has weathered the storm and should enjoy lower inputs.
General Mills (NYSE: GIS) (Cramer's Take) hits another 52-week high. This company has been one of the great standout performers this year, just a juggernaut, even though it is a gigantic buyer of grains and a huge user of cardboard boxes and plastic wrapping. Plus, it needs gasoline to deliver product. Some of this move has to be attributed to projections of huge declines in raw costs. Those are going to happen, as we know from the commodities.
But perhaps it is worth noting that few packaged goods companies -- perhaps Heinz (NYSE: HNZ) (Cramer's Take) is an exception -- dominate and innovate as well as GIS does. It has always been one of the great brand producers and acquirers, and also a company that can take out costs better than anyone. When I compare how a Unilever (NYSE: UN) (Cramer's Take) or a Clorox (NYSE: CLX) (Cramer's Take) has handled the raw costs to how General Mills has performed, it is almost as if GIS is a pharmaceutical with no raw cost exposure whatsoever.
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) reported its Q4 and full-year results on Tuesday. The numbers looked very good to me (save for one, which I'll get to). P&G was up over 3% on Tuesday. Granted, the Dow saw one heck of a rally yesterday, but even so, P&G deserved a bid just due to its blue-chip corporate performance.
Revenues for the quarter increased 10%, and adjusted earnings per diluted share jumped over 19% to $0.80. For the year, revenues increased 9% and adjusted earnings per diluted share rose 15% to $3.50. As I stated in my earnings preview from the other day, Wall Street was looking for adjusted earnings to be around $0.78 per share. So P&G beat by two pennies.
Of course, the earnings beat is nice, but cash flow is even nicer. In fact, management likes to evaluate itself by comparing its free cash flow to net earnings. P&G would like the so-called "free cash flow productivity" metric to equal at least 90%. Well, shareholders need not worry, since productivity in these terms was 96% for the quarter and 106% for the fiscal year. Free cash flow for the year expanded by 21%, and it was more than enough to power P&G's great dividend.
TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says 30%-40% discounts have a way of bringing out the buyers.
Home prices in Stockton, CA are down 40%. In Daytona, FL, houses are priced at 30% discounts with amenities. The Inland Empire of California -- you name your price. That's how the madness ends: with huge price cuts, the way it ended in Bradenton, FL.
And believe me, we get more Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) (Cramer's Take) money -- forget these darned covered bonds, let's just solve the problem. You get buyers after a year and a half that buyers went on strike.
Remember, while we can't live in stocks, we know they trade like houses, and when the first stocks to go down bottom, the others are not far behind.
With the new housing bill, the rate of foreclosures will go down and the bargains will be quite evident for those who want to take them. Either a new administration will remove the fear of the illegal immigrants from buying homes -- they were a huge part of the hard hit Arizona, Florida and California markets. Or the dramatic decline in inventory at the homebuilding level has given us breathing room.
U.S. stock futures were mixed Thursday morning ahead of the government preliminary report of U.S. second-quarter gross domestic product to be released at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Compare to the first quarter, where GDP grew at an annual rate of 1%, analysts are expecting an annual growth rate in the second quarter of 2.3% according to Briefing.com. Another wave of earnings will also wash Wall Street over this morning, while it's still digesting Wednesday's ones. The market will likely take a clearer direction once GDP is out.
[Update: GDP grew at a 1.9% pace in the second quarter came in well short of the 2.3% forecast. Futures are declining on economy and the XOM miss. Wall Street will likely open significantly lower.]
Reporting/reported this morning:
Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) is expected to report second-quarter earnings before the open. If ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) and BP (NYSE: BP) results are any indication, XOM will likely post massive profits thanks to oil's skyrocketing prices and even break the record it has set for largest profit by a U.S. company. Analyst on average expect Exxon Mobil to earn $2.52 a share on revenue of $144 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Financial.
MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA) is expected to report earnings of $2.02 per share.
Kellog (NYSE: K) is expected to post earnings of 81 cents per shares.
Unilever (NYSE: UN, UL), the Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant, said Monday it was selling its laundry business in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to private equity firm Vestar Capital for $1.45 billion. Included in the deal are the All, Wisk, Sunlight, Surf and Snuggle brands.
Selling mature or non-core businesses to focus on fast-growing units has been part of Unilever's recent strategy. Interestingly enough, though, the European laundry business has not been sold. Patrick Cescau, Unilever's CEO said that "Laundry remains an important category for Unilever outside North America." The sale will allow Unilever to concentrate on a "leading position" in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, Cescau said.
Only last week, Unilever sold its Bertolli olive oil and vinegar business for $998 million to Grupo SOS SA and before that it sold its Turkish olive oil business. All part of a strategy to dispose of non-strategic brands, with collectively more than €2 billion ($3.14 billion) in turnover. It has made 19 divestments so far. The other parts of the plan include job cuts and other cost cutting measures. Unilever wants to concentrate on higher-priced products to boost profit, attempting to catch up to Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG).
5 Solar Stocks That Can Triple The growth in the solar sector is still in the early innings of what should be a very long game. Investors who find the gems in this sector have the potential to be awarded with large gains. James Altucher spotlights five he likes. they include Hoku Scientific, LDK Solar, GT Soar, Daystar and Green Solar. 5 Solar Stocks That Can Triple - TheStreet.com What Does the Housing Bill Mean for You? The soon-to-be law offers relief to homeowners and new buyers. Naturally, there are strings attached. The new bill is full of goodies and not-so-goodies for homeowners and those who aspire to be homeowners. Here are some highlights. What the housing bill means for you - Bankrate.com
U.S. stock futures were lower early Monday as investors concerns over the banking sector grew. Federal regulator seized two more banks, 1st National Bank of Nevada and First Heritage Bank, which were scheduled to reopen on Monday as Mutual of Omaha Bank branches. The Senate also passed a major housing bill over the weekend, and this could actually give a boost to mortgage lenders like Fannie (NYSE: FNM). Meanwhile, oil prices rebounded as European markets declined. As of 8:00 a.m., it seems Wall Street would start weak.
Reporting earnings today are Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) - Kraft reported 58 cents earnings per share excluding items, beating estimates of 50 cents; Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) - Verizon reported earnings of 67 cents per share, excluding items, beating estimates by 2 cents; and after the close of trading, Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN).
Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) stock is jumping over 17% in premarket trading after announcing late Friday its experimental osteoporosis drug, denosumab, significantly reduced the risk of bone fracture in post-menopausal women in a large trial. Rodman & Renshaw and Jefferies & Co both upgraded Amgen to Market Outperform and to Buy respectively.
Unilever NV (NYSE: UL) will sell its North American laundry detergents business to private equity investor Vestar Capital Partners for $1.45 billion (euro924 million). Unilever said the sale consistent with its strategy of divesting non-core businesses and concentrating on a few core ones.
This post is part of a series on celebrity spokespeople who ended up doing serious harm to the brands they were hired to promote, or vice versa. See how we rank the 20 top spokesperson fiascos.
I have to wonder what Slim-Fast (Unilever ADR, NYSE:UL) was thinking when they hired Whoopi Goldberg. Many of their earlier spokespersons, including Ann Jillian and Kathy Lee Gifford, exuded a sort of "if you don't love me, I'll die," desperation. On the other hand, Whoopi's self-confidence and pride are as much a part of her persona as her granny glasses and trademark braided hair. Although she has never shied away from the spotlight, a great deal of Whoopi's strength lies in her low-key energy and undeniable power. In retrospect, this might have made her a less than ideal choice to shill for the brand, which thrives on insecurity.
Regardless, in late 2003, Slim-Fast talked Whoopi into hawking their shakes; presumably, there was a very large check involved. Things progressed relatively well until July 2004, when she decided to appear at a gala fundraiser for Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry. Carrying a bottle of wine onstage, Goldberg pretended to read from the label: "When Bush comes to shove, don't whine. Vote Kerry." She proceeded to launch into a series of bush-themed double entendres.
Almost immediately, Bush supporters began calling and writing Slim-Fast, threatening to boycott the company's products if it continued to employ Goldberg. Slim-Fast quickly caved, stating that it was disappointed in Whoopi and would no longer air her commercials. She responded that, "While I can appreciate what the Slim-Fast people need to do in order to protect their business, I must also do what I need to do as an artist, as a writer, and as an American -- not to mention as a comic [...] I only wish that the Republican re-election committee would spend as much time working on the economy as they seem to be spending trying to harm my pocketbook."
Goldberg proceeded to reprise the routine at other venues; she later found a place on The View. In the meantime, Slim-Fast went on to hire Rachel Hunter, whose conventional good looks and palpable insecurity are far more fitting for their marketing demographic. Recently, however, the company has demonstrated an amazing inability to learn from the mistakes of the past. In January 2008, they approached rapper Eminem with an endorsement offer; one can't help but wonder if his misogynistic, violent lyrics might not alienate Slim Fast's target market!
Imagine this typical American strip mall: a Trader Joe's, a Sunglass Hut, a Caribou Coffee. Maybe there's a restaurant that serves hot dogs with French's mustard, and a choice of Good Humor ice cream or homemade Toll House chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Across the street is a CITGO, Shell and a 7-Eleven.
All this sounds so American. It could -- and does -- exist all across the country. Yet all of these companies and brands are foreign-owned.
Some of these marquee names were always foreign-owned, but overseas firms are increasingly buying up American properties. Most recently, beer drinkers were shocked when Belgian beer juggernaut InBev put the moves on Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD). [Update: On July 14, Anheuser-Busch agreed to be acquired by InBev for $52 billion.] How could InBev attempt to turn Budweiser into just another of its stable of international brands? We were surprised not only that those European beer snobs even liked our watery brew, but by the apparent ease with which foreigners could try to snap up American icons.
It's not just American brands and companies getting sold. Foreign companies were the buyers in four of the top 13 U.S. commercial real estate deals in 2007, according to Real Estate Alert newsletter. Another foreign acquisition of notable Manhattan real estate was the Dubai-based Jumeirah group's 2006 purchase of the Essex House on Central Park South.
This post is part of our Big Company, Small Town series, featuring large companies and the small towns in which they are headquartered.
This entry in the Big Company, Small Town series features one of the great recent American business success stories, as this powerhouse brand came from very humble beginnings only 30 years ago.
Ben & Jerry's was started in 1978, when Long Island, N.Y., natives Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield used a $12,000 investment to open up a homemade ice cream scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont. The Ben & Jerry's shop grew rapidly in popularity, and by 1980 they began packing pints to sell in grocery stores. By 1985, the company's sales were more than $9 million, and it began building its manufacturing plant in nearby Waterbury, Vermont. The plant in Waterbury was then opened to the public for tours of Ben & Jerry's ice cream making operations, creating a tourist attraction for the town, which has a population of around 1,700.
Although Ben & Jerry's was bought in 2000 by Unilever (NYSE: UN) for $326 million, the company still maintains its local roots, with its headquarters in South Burlington and its factory still open for tours in Waterbury. The founders of Ben & Jerry's, while no longer holding any positions within the company, have worked with Unilever to make sure it remains as socially conscious as when they ran it, keeping that small-town, grassroots feel that made it such a success worldwide.
To this day, Ben & Jerry's maintains its Free Cone Day, which Ben & Jerry started to honor the first anniversary of their ice cream shop.
Unilever (NYSE: UL) shares were climbing $1.68, or 5.17% to $34.15 in early trading this morning. This is after, according to Bloomberg, "the world's second-largest maker of food and detergent, said revenue will beat its forecast for the first time in six years."
Naturally, with rising commodity prices, I expected the company to feel at least a margin squeeze, but Unilever has been proactive and has raised prices 4.8% in the quarter to offset its rising costs. The company increased not only prices but also managed to grow sales of Dove soap, Hellmann's mayonnaise and Lipton tea to post a first-quarter net income climb of 33% and exceed analysts' estimates.
Apparently, the company's Boursin cheese unit, which took the brunt of the price increase, also helped boost gains as revenue grew 7.2% and sales rose 14% in the Asia Africa region and 9.6% in Latin America, making up for disappointing growth in Europe.
TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the exchange rate plus massive undervaluations make the great brands prime targets.
There's always been a groupthink in Europe about currencies. The companies that want to buy American companies have, at times, seemed to care more about the currency, or at least not buying a company in a country whose currency is in decline, than they care about the actual target.
That's what it looks like now that a large German company and now a large Italian company have decided to start splurging. It is no coincidence that Deutsche Tel (NYSE: DT) (Cramer's Take) and Finmeccanica are exploring Sprint (NYSE: S) (Cramer's Take) and DRS (NYSE: DRS) (Cramer's Take). These companies are selling for something like 40% off for those bearing euros, and neither potential acquirer has debt problems or subprime issues, so the deals don't have big borrowing problems.
That's what I am thinking about when I see the better-than-expected figures today from Unilever (NYSE: UL) (Cramer's Take) and the other day from Nestle. These companies are part of that same groupthink. They are looking, no doubt, at a Heinz (NYSE: HNZ) (Cramer's Take) and thinking, "Wait, that's about a $10 billion company that's a global leader."
Unilever (NYSE: UL) is the world's second-largest maker of food and detergent, so you would expect the company to hurt with rising commodity prices. But Unilever has been proactive and has raised prices 4.8% in the quarter to offset its rising costs. In fact, the company said revenue will beat its forecast for the first time in six years on increased prices and sales of Dove soap, Hellmann's mayonnaise and Lipton tea. First-quarter net income climbed 33%, exceeding analysts' estimates.
As expected, April retail sales have so far indeed been strong, although there are some ares weakness is seen.
Costco (NASDAQ: COST) shares are up 1.2% in premarket trading after the warehouse club retailer said April same-store sales increased 8%, beating analysts' expectations of 6.1%.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) shares are also higher in premarket trading, up 1.8%, after the world's largest retailer, said same-store sales climbed 3.2%, beating the 2.1% forecast by analysts. Staying with Wal-Mart for a moment, it said it plans to invest millions in Canada and open more supercenters.
The more luxurious items, though, such as lingerie sold at Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD) have seen a slowdown as the company said that April same-store sales fell 5%, falling short of the 2.3% sales decline analysts had anticipated.
Profit rose to $2.71 billion, or 82 cents per share, compared with $2.51 billion, or 74 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue rose 9% to $20.46 billion from $18.69 billion last year. The Cincinnati-based company was expected to earn 81 cents on revenue of $21.44 billion, according to Thomson Financial.
"P&G delivered strong results in-line with long-term targets in a challenging economic and competitive environment with broad-based sales and share growth, earnings growth and overhead cost improvement," said Chief Executive AG Lafley in the earnings release.
Shares of the maker of Tide (my favorite detergent) and Pampers (our family's preferred diaper for my son) have slumped more than 10% this year under-performing rivals including Church & Dwight Co. (NYSE: CHD) and Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL). Uniliver Plc. (NYSE: UL) has fared slightly worse than P&G.
TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says this consumer-products titan has weathered the storm and should enjoy lower inputs. 
Procter & Gamble
U.S. stock futures were mixed Thursday morning ahead of the government preliminary report of U.S. second-quarter gross domestic product to be released at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Compare to the first quarter, where GDP grew at an annual rate of 1%, analysts are expecting an annual growth rate in the second quarter of 2.3% according to Briefing.com. Another wave of earnings will also wash Wall Street over this morning, while it's still digesting Wednesday's ones. The market will likely take a clearer direction once GDP is out.
I have to wonder what Slim-Fast (
Imagine this typical American strip mall: a Trader Joe's, a Sunglass Hut, a Caribou Coffee. Maybe there's a restaurant that serves hot dogs with French's mustard, and a choice of Good Humor ice cream or homemade Toll House chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Across the street is a CITGO, Shell and a 7-Eleven. 
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