Updating Procter & Gamble

Article Excerpt

PROCTER & GAMBLE CO. $80 (New York symbol PG; Income- Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 2.6 billion; Market cap: $208.0 billion; Dividend yield: 3.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.pg.com) is one of the world’s largest makers of household and personal-care goods. Procter last raised its quarterly dividend with the May 2017 payment. Investors now receive $0.6896 a share, up 3.0% from $0.6695. The new annual rate of $2.76 yields 3.5%. Procter has paid dividends for 127 years and has increased its payout annually for the past 61. For its second quarter ended December 31, 2017, Procter’s sales rose 3.2%, to $17.4 billion from $16.9 billion a year earlier. If you disregard businesses that the company has bought and sold in the past year—along with foreign exchange rates—sales improved 2%. Higher demand for the company’s beauty products (including Olay skin cream and Head & Shoulders shampoo) offset weaker sales of its grooming products (including Gillette razor blades). Stronger sales of Tide laundry detergent…