Big U.S. consumer stocks: 1 buy & 1 hold

Article Excerpt

PROCTER & GAMBLE CO. $103 (New York symbol PG; Income-Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 2.5 billion; Market cap: $257.5 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.pg.com) is one of the world’s largest makers of household and personal-care goods. Starting with the May 2018 payment, Procter raised its quarterly dividend by 4.0%. Investors receive $0.7172 a share, up from $0.6896. The annual rate of $2.87 yields 2.8%. The company has paid dividends for 128 years and has increased its payout annually for the past 62. For its fiscal 2019 second quarter, ended December 31, 2018, Procter’s sales were unchanged from a year earlier at $17.44 billion. On a comparable basis and excluding foreign exchange rates, sales improved 4%. Higher comparable sales of Beauty products (up 8%), Fabric and Home products (up 6%), Health products (up 5%), and Baby, Feminine and Family Care products (up 3%) helped offset a 3% decline in Grooming products. In the quarter, excluding one-time items, earnings rose 3.1%,…