Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Your opinion please on Unilever. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Unilever plc (ADR), $26.10, symbol UL on New York (Shares outstanding: 1.3 billion; Market cap: $33.5 billion), is one of the world’s largest makers and marketers of branded and packaged consumer goods. Asia and Africa account for 38% of its sales, followed by the Americas (32%) and western Europe (30%). Unilever operates through two divisions: Foods and Home and Personal Care. 1) The foods division manages brands in two groups: Savoury Dressings and Spreads, and Ice Cream and Beverages. Savoury, Dressings and Spreads includes soups, bouillons, sauces, snacks, mayonnaise, salad dressings, olive oil, margarines and spreads. Key brands include Knorr, Hellmann’s, Becel/Flora, Rama/Blue Band, Amora and Ragu. Ice Cream and Beverages also includes tea and diet products. Its main ice-cream brands include Cornetto, Magnum, Carte d’Or, Solero, Wall’s, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Klondike and Popsicle. Unilever’s teas include Lipton, Brooke Bond and PG Tips. Slim-Fast is the company’s weight-management product. 2) The home and personal care division manages brands in two main groups: a) Personal…