Heinz aims to return to growth

Article Excerpt

Investing mainly in well-established companies is one of the three cornerstones of our investing philosophy (the other two are spreading your money out across the five main economic sectors, and focussing on investments that are outside the current media/broker limelight). Well-established companies generate enormous gains over periods that stretch into decades. But their pace of growth varies. They can and often do swing back and forth between stagnation and explosive growth. But even during lackluster times, they build their potential for gain, and pay dividends. H.J. HEINZ COMPANY $35 (New York symbol HNZ; WSSF Rating: Above average) rose more than 25-fold from the early 1980s through 1998. In the next couple of years, it dropped by nearly half. It has spent much of the current decade between $30 and $40. Its next big move is likely to be upward. Heinz is one the world’s biggest food companies, with sales in over 200 countries. It’s best known for its Heinz ketchup, which has 60%…