Newell eyes overseas growth

Article Excerpt

Newell Rubbermaid dropped over 20%, from $18 to $14, in early June 2011, after it warned that slowing demand for its household goods, particularly in the U.S., are hurting its sales growth. We see this is a temporary setback, as Newell has a number of advantages that will help it rebound and thrive. For one, it has huge potential to expand in fast-growing markets, like Asia and Latin America (right now, it gets just 30% of its sales from outside North America). Moreover, its strong brands will give it an edge in attracting new customers as it expands into new markets. In addition, it continues to realize big savings from its multi-year restructuring plan, which has cut its manufacturing capacity by 60% since its 1999 purchase of Rubbermaid Inc. These savings are helping Newell deal with rising costs for plastic resins made from oil, a key raw material. As well, the lower costs are freeing up more cash that Newell can use…