Their restructuring plans are paying off

Article Excerpt

These top U.S. makers of consumer products continue to benefit from successful restructuring plans that simplify their businesses and cut their costs. Even so, we feel Procter is the better choice for new buying right now. PROCTER & GAMBLE CO. $143 is a buy. The company (New York symbol PG; Income-Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 2.4 billion; Market cap: $343.2 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.pg.com) is one of the world’s largest makers of household and personal-care goods. Major brands include Tide (laundry detergent), Pampers (diapers), Gillette (razors), Crest (toothpaste) and Vicks (cold remedies). Starting with the May 2021 payment, Procter raised its quarterly dividend by 10.0%. Investors now receive $0.8698 a share instead of $0.7907. The new annual rate of $3.48 yields 2.4%. Procter has paid dividends for 131 years, and has increased its payout annually for the past 65 years. In the fiscal 2021 fourth quarter, ended June 30, 2021, sales gained 6.8%, to $18.9 billion…