The Procter & Gamble Company (PG), Unilever plc (ADR) (UL) : The Consumer Goods Giant That Donald Yacktman Is Bullish About

In a previous article, I had talked about News Corp, the top position of famous investment manager Donald Yacktman. He not only loves the entertainment business, but he also loves the consumer business. His second and third biggest positions were global giant consumer companies.

They were The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) and PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) P&G was the second biggest holding, with more than 27.7 million shares, accounting for 11.3% of his portfolio. In this post, I will take a closer look at P&G to see whether or not investors should follow Donald Yacktman into the stock.

Global brands in 180 countries

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is considered one of the largest global consumer companies, operating in more than 180 countries with five business segments:Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric Care and Home Care, and Baby Care and Family Care.

The majority of its net sales, or 32% of total sales, were generated from the Fabric Care and Home Care segment. The Beauty segment ranked second, accounting for 24% of total sales. The Fabric Care and Home Care segment was also the biggest earnings contributor, generating 26% of total earnings, while the Beauty segment represented 22% of total 2012 earnings.

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) has experienced decent growth and has increased its dividend in the past ten years. While revenue increased from $43.4 billion in 2003 to $83.7 billion in 2012, net income rose from $5.2 billion to $10.75 billion during the same period. P&G has consistently grown its dividend over the years, from $0.82 per share in 2003 to $2.41 per share in 2012.

Bill Ackman accumulated big stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

In July last year, Bill Ackman, a well-known activist investor, revealed his fund’s stake of around 1% in P&G. Ackman invested in P&G at around $62 per share, at 16 times earnings. He thought that it was a historically low multiple on depressed earnings. Indeed, as the company had more sales in the developed markets, which have been struggling with the economic slowdown, P&G’s earnings has been depressed while its main competitor Unilever plc (ADR) (NYSE:UL) has been moving forward aggressively.

Unilever plc (ADR) (NYSE:UL) focuses more on the developing markets, with 55% of the total revenue being generated from the emerging markets, whereas only 37% of total P&G’s sales derived from emerging markets. With the more decentralized structure, Unilever could adjust quickly to local demands while it takes longer for P&G to adapt to the changes in local markets with a more centralized structure.