Topic: How To Invest

Wall Street Stock Forecaster Hotline – Friday, January 24, 2025

Article Excerpt

PROCTER & GAMBLE CO., $164.41, New York symbol PG, is a buy. The company is one of the world’s largest makers of household and personal-care goods. Major brands include Tide (laundry detergent), Pampers (diapers), Gillette (razors), Crest (toothpaste) and Vicks (cold remedies). In its fiscal 2025 second quarter, ended December 31, 2024, Procter’s sales rose 2.1%, to $21.88 billion from $21.44 billion a year earlier. That topped the consensus forecast of $21.54 billion. If you exclude businesses that Procter bought and sold, as well as foreign exchange rates, sales rose 3% in the quarter, mainly due to higher volumes. The company’s overall earnings also rose 2.2% in the quarter, to $1.88 a share (or a total of $4.63 billion) from $1.84 a share (or $4.53 billion). That also beat the consensus estimate of $1.86. Procter still expects its sales for all of fiscal 2025, excluding businesses it bought and sold and currency rate movements, will rise between 3% and 5%. The company also sees its…