Tuesday, October 9, 2012

5-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Unilever

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, consumer staples giant Unilever (NYSE: UL  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Unilever's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Unilever facts

Headquarters (Founded) London (1885)
Market Cap $87.4 billion
Industry Packaged foods
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $61.06 billion
Management CEO Paul Polman (since 2008)
CFO Jean-Marc Huet (since 2010)
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) 36.9%
Cash/Debt $3.95 billion / $13.15 billion
Dividend Yield 3.9%
Competitors Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT  )
PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP  )
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  )

Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 97% of the 834 members who have rated Unilever believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include BKITU and All-Star hazelnut283. �

A few months ago, BKITU tapped Unilever as a solid international selection: "As long as there are more and more consumers being created by globalization, it's a good idea to be bullish on unsexy consumable goods produced and/or marketed by solid companies."

Currently, Unilever even boasts a juicy dividend yield of 3.9%. That's higher than that of rivals like Kraft (3.3%), PepsiCo (3.4%), and Procter & Gamble (3.3%).

CAPS All-Star hazelnut283 elaborates on the Unilever bull case:

Famous maker of products ranging from deodorant and soap, to tea and cooking oil, Unilever is one of those companies we never realize how heavily we depend on in our day-to-day lives. This said, it has done well in weathering this economic downturn, and still remains true to investors with a healthy dividend. Yay for the likes of Degree, Lipton and Dove!

What do you think about Unilever, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!

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