NEWELL RUBBERMAID INC. $25 (New York symbol NWL; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 288.0 million; Market cap: $7.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 2.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.newellrubbermaid.com), like Stanley (see left), is a good example of an out-of-the-limelight stock with long-term appeal.
Also like Stanley, Newell is selling its less profitable operations and focusing on products with greater growth potential, such as pens and tools for industrial users.
For example, it recently agreed to sell some of its hardware businesses, which make a variety of hooks, hinges, door knobs and paint brushes. Newell will receive $175 million after taxes when the sale closes in the new few weeks.
Excluding the contribution from these operations and other unusual items, Newell earned $147.1 million, or $0.50 a share, in the three months ended June 30, 2013. That’s up 11.6% from $131.8 million, or $0.45 a share, a year earlier. Sales rose 3.5%, to $1.5 billion from $1.4 billion.
The company is also making progress on its plan to simplify its operations, including closing plants and consolidating warehouses. These moves should lower its annual costs by $270 million to $325 million when it completes the plan in 2015.
Newell Rubbermaid is a buy.
