Hold on to these beauty product firms

Article Excerpt

AVON PRODUCTS INC. $2.27 (New York symbol AVP; Consumer Sector; Shares outstanding: 440.0 million; Market cap: $998.8 million; Takeover Target Rating: High; No dividend paid; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; www. avoncompany.com) is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of cosmetics, fragrances, and skincare and personal-care products (74%). In addition, its Fashion & Home business (26%) sells jewelry, watches, apparel, footwear, accessories, children’s products, and gift and decorative items. The company sells its goods in 72 foreign countries. With the sale of its North American unit in 2016, Avon’s foreign operations currently account for all of its sales. Along with the sale of its North American operations, the company sold a 17% stake in its international business to private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP. Avon has also cut costs, revamped its offerings and tried to improve the relationship with its network of sales representatives. Still, its results have continued to fall as market competition increases. As a result, the company’s shares are down over…