Three more updates to protect your returns

Article Excerpt

NEWELL BRANDS INC. $7.04 remains a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol NWL; Aggressive Growth and Income Portfolios, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 414.3 million; Market cap: $2.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; Dividend yield: 4.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.newellbrands.com) makes a wide range of consumer and household products such as PaperMate pens, Elmer’s glue, Rubbermaid food containers, Graco baby strollers, Coleman camping gear and Oster kitchen appliances. Under a new restructuring plan, Newell is shifting its focus to its most-profitable 25 brands and top 10 countries, which represent about 90% of sales. As well, in response to rising input costs, the company is cutting jobs, including 13% of its office workers. Excluding severance and other restructuring items, Newell’s earnings will probably fall about 28%, to $0.57 a share in 2024 from $0.79 in 2023. The stock trades at 12.4 times that estimate. That low multiple reflects investor uncertainty over elevated interest rates and inflation, and their impact on consumer spending. The $0.28 still seems safe, and yields…