Procter’s strong brands cut your risk

Article Excerpt

A key part of our approach to investing is to look for companies with hidden or overlooked assets that can help unlock long-term value for investors. In Procter & Gamble’s case, its hidden assets are its brand names, many of which have been around for over 100 years. Those brands are making it easier for Procter to raise selling prices, to offset rising input costs, without losing market share. The company also continues to launch new products and acquire new brands, which sets its up for more growth. Higher earnings will also give Procter more room to reward investors with dividend hikes and share buybacks. PROCTER & GAMBLE CO. $147 is a buy. The stock (New York symbol PG; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 2.4 billion; Market cap: $352.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.5; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pg.com) gives you a stake in one of the world’s largest makers of household and personal-care goods. The company has five main business lines:…