Why Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc Beats Unilever Plc And Associated British Foods Plc

Reckitt Benckister Group plc (LON:RB) triumphs over Unilever plc (LON:ULVR) and Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF) in the consumer sector battle.

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

Last time I took a look at one of the FTSE 1oo sectors, I examined the oil & gas business, and I found it impossible to choose between Royal Dutch Shell and BP.

Today I’m turning to something a little different, and I’m comparing three companies that are technically in two different sectors. They are Unilever (LSE: ULVR) (NYSE: UL.US), Reckitt Benckiser Group (LSE: RB) (NASDAQOTH: RBGLY.US) and Associated British Foods (LSE: ABF), and the reason I’m pitting them against each other is that all three essentially produce consumer goods — and I think they make a good barometer for consumer demand.

 Here’s an overview of some fundamentals:

Company Unilever Reckitt Benckiser Associated British Foods
Market cap £34.3bn £32.6bn £15.3bn
Recent price 2,620p 4,570p 1,933p
Share price growth 16% 28% 50%
Historic EPS growth 10% 7% 18%
Forward EPS growth -2% 0% 11%
Historic P/E 17.2 14.5 14.6
Forward P/E 19.2 17.0 20.0
Historic Dividend 3.5% 3.5% 2.2%
Forward Dividend 3.4% 3.0% 1.6%
Forward Cover 1.5x 1.9x 3.1x

Share price growth is over the past 12 months, historic figures are for the last reported full year, forward figures are for the next forecasts.

First impressions

I’ve been watching all three companies for some time, as I have Unilever in the Fool’s Beginners’ Portfolio watchlist, and they’ve all been looking a bit pricey to me. They’re reasonably defensive shares, so I’m not surprised they’ve been holding their own during the past few years — but they’ve all been soaring since late 2012. But let’s take a look at each:

Unilever

I’ve always liked Unilever as long term investment, and with the exception of a cut in 2009, it has been steadily raising its dividend. Even the 2009 dip was quickly overcome, with the next year’s payment rising to exceed 2008’s. The yield is not great, but at around 3.5% it isn’t bad either. Forecasts are somewhat middling for this year and next, with little real change in overall earnings per share (EPS) expected, but the dividend is expected to carry on creeping up and it should be adequately covered.

But that share price! Granted, it peaked at 2,885p back in May (which gave us a forward P/E of 21) and has fallen 9% since then to 2,620p. But I can’t help thinking we’re in a price-correction phase right now and the share price is likely to disappoint over the next year or two.

Reckitt Benckiser

With hindsight, Reckitt Benckiser would have been a great buy a year ago, but even after a strong share price rise, I think the company edges ahead of Unilever in a number of ways. Firstly, even the crunch year of 2009 didn’t affect its dividend, and we’ve been seeing uninterrupted rises — last year we had a yield of 3.5%. Earnings growth has been steady too, though forecasts do suggest flat EPS this year and a modest 3% rise for 2014. Dividend growth also looks set to slow a bit this year, with a 3% yield predicted.

But, Reckitt Benckiser also scores in that its dividend is significantly better covered that Unilever’s, and the company could afford to pay a similar 3.4% forward yield to Unilever’s while still keep cover above 1.7x. The slightly lower P/E multiple tempts me more too.

Associated British Foods

This brings me to perhaps the must unusual of the three, Associated British Foods, which mostly focuses on grocery, agriculture, sugar and such foodie things. But it also owns retail clothing chain Primark, and it’s Primark that has been driving its recent upbeat trading.

Associated British Foods has been exhibiting growing earnings and dividends just like the other two, and it has the strongest EPS forecasts of the three here — 11% this year, 9% next. But against that, we do have the highest forward P/E by a whisker. And though the dividend is rising and is the best covered of the three, it looks set to provide a yield of only 1.6% — doubling that to the FTSE average of around 3.2 would bring the cover down to Unilever’s 1.5x.

The winner

I have to confess I’d have difficulty plonking down my cash for any of these three at today’s prices, even though I think they’re all great long-term businesses. But if I had to choose one, I’d plump for Reckitt Benckiser, on what I think are slightly better fundamentals — and it also has lower debt than Unilever, though neither carries too much.

Finally, if you’re looking for investments that should take you all the way to a comfortable retirement, I recommend the Fool’s special new report detailing five blue-chip shares. They’ll be familiar names to many, and they’ve already provided investors with decades of profits.

But the report will only be available for a limited period, so click here to get your hands on these great ideas — they could set you on the road to long-term riches.

> Alan does not own any shares mentioned in this article. The Motley Fool has recommended shares in Unilever.

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

More on Investing Articles

Investing Articles

6 stocks that Fools have been buying!

Our Foolish freelancers are putting their money where their mouths are and buying these stocks in recent weeks.

Read more »

Google office headquarters
Investing Articles

1 reason I like buying S&P 500 shares – and 1 reason I don’t

Will this investor try to improve his potential returns by focusing more on S&P 500 shares instead of British ones?…

Read more »

Young woman holding up three fingers
Investing Articles

3 SIPP mistakes to avoid

Our writer explains a trio of potentially costly errors he tries to avoid making when investing his SIPP, on an…

Read more »

Smiling white woman holding iPhone with Airpods in ear
Investing Articles

Here’s how (and why) I’d start buying shares with £25 a week

Our writer uses his investment experience and current approach to explain how he would start buying shares on a limited…

Read more »

Aerial shot showing an aircraft shadow flying over an idyllic beach
Investing Articles

Here’s my 5-step approach to earning passive income of £500 a month

Christopher Ruane explains the handful of steps he uses to target hundreds of pounds in passive income each month.

Read more »

Investing Articles

2 UK shares I’ve been buying this week

From a value perspective, UK shares look attractive. But two in particular have been attracting Stephen Wright’s attention over the…

Read more »

Investing Articles

A lifelong second income for just £10 a week? Here’s how!

With a simple, structured approach to buying blue-chip dividend shares at attractive prices, our writer's building a second income for…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Here’s how I’d use a £20k Stocks and Shares ISA to help build generational wealth

Discover how our writer would aim to turn a £20k Stocks and Shares ISA into a sizeable nest egg by…

Read more »