This merger is just starting to pay off

Article Excerpt

NEWELL BRANDS INC. $52 (New York symbol NWL; Aggressive Growth and Income Portfolios, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 482.2 million; Market cap: $25.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.1; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.newellbrands. com) makes a variety of household goods such as pens, hand tools, coffee makers and baby strollers. It took its current form through the merger of Newell Rubbermaid and Jarden Corp. on April 15, 2016. Newell shareholders now own 55% of the combined firm. The combined company’s sales in the second quarter of 2016 rose 19.7%, to $3.9 billion from $3.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding integration costs and other unusual items, the new company earned $349.2 million, or $0.78 a share. A year earlier, the old Newell Rubbermaid earned $174.5 million, or $0.64. The stock is now up 18% since the merger, and trades at a reasonable 18.4 times the $2.83 a share that Newell should earn in 2016. The $0.76 dividend yields 1.5%. Newell Brands…