Talking Foolishly out of both sides of my mouth, I
recently offered investors
two big reasons to loveconsumer-staples company
Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL), followed by my
best attempt to
stir up investor disdainfor the oral-care king. The
company's just-released third-quarter results, however, have
me leaning toward loving this consistent performer.
On the top line, revenue of $3.99 billion was flat versus
the year-ago quarter, while volume increased a not-too-shabby
1.5%. Both numbers are a significant improvement from the
prior quarter, when sales and volume were in the
doldrums.
Of course, third-quarter results likely made for an easier
year-over-year comparison, given that we're measuring today's
more stable macro environment against the onset of the
financial crisis. Nonetheless, it could be that consumers are
inching out of their shells -- maybe not for
Starbucks ' (Nasdaq: SBUX)
pricey lattesor
Altria 's (NYSE: MO)
heavily taxed smokes, but certainly for fancy
toothbrushes. Â Indeed, personal-care products do
have great consumer loyalty.
On an organic basis, which excludes currency effects and
restructurings, third-quarter sales rose 7%, helped by price
increases and a healthy 2% volume gain.
As for profit, here's the real treat: Net income and
earnings per share hit a record $590 million and $1.12,
respectively. Stripping out restructuring charges that
depressed third-quarter 2008 results, net income climbed 11%.
Shareholders can be cheered that the earnings increase tops
the company's five- and ten-year average EPS growth.
Meanwhile, gross margin expanded 2.8% on the back of
higher pricing, cost-savings initiatives, and lower raw
material and packaging expense. Management plowed the
additional cash into advertising, which no doubt helped fuel
the quarter's volume growth. The benefit of higher ad
spending can also be seen in Colgate-Palmolive's market
share, where its global toothpaste position came in at 45.1%,
up from the prior quarter. However, while the company's
manual toothbrush market share inched up annually -- showing
that consumers haven't lost their proclivity for textured
tongue fresheners and angled bristles -- sequentially, it was
down slightly.
Looking ahead, management said it was "comfortable with
external profit expectations for both the fourth quarter and
the year." Based on the average analyst estimate from Yahoo!
Finance, that puts full-year EPS at $4.29 -- up just shy of
11% from 2008. Hey, it sure beats the single-digit earnings
decline expected from
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG).
Despite Colgate-Palmolive's solid results, investors
should keep in mind that shares
trade at a P/E-premiumto those of fellow consumer-staples
companies such as
Unilever (NYSE: UL),
Clorox (NYSE: CLX), and
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB). That's probably
warranted given the company's enviable international profile
and
trade-down resistant product categories. In the near
term, however, it could be harder for Colgate management to
deliver substantial upside surprise, in turn limiting share
appreciation. Yet for those who prefer a slow and steady
ride, the odds appear to favor Colgate-Palmolive delivering a
shiny long-term return.
Related Foolishness:
takeover targets.
Of course, companies that
love the recessionare worth a look, too.
Finally, beware store brands that are
killing the competition.
This article was originally published as
Making a Mint in the Recessionon
Fool.com
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