Hello Share Players. Despite the Footsie’s lack of progress, quite a few members are posting encouraging numbers. They include Reckitt Benckiser (RKT). In the first half of this year, its like-for-like sales improved by 8.6%. Revenue was up by 2.2% and, more importantly, underlying operating profit increased by a fifth to £1.8 billion.
Hello Share Twiddlers. Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) makes very well-known hygiene products. And during and after Covid there’s more demand for this kind of thing. Among its well-known brands are Lysol and Dettol. The names conjure up in the mind heavy duty attacks on germs. During the hard times we’re encountering at the moment, folks are often tempted to buy cheaper supermarket own makes but such is the strength of Reckitt’s brands this issue doesn't seem to apply to it.
Last October I observed that Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) ‘without working hard offers the scope for a £60-70 share price plus picking up a dividend’. In short a holding in the ‘home to the world's best loved and trusted hygiene, health and nutrition brands’ group theoretically for FY22 is probably over ten times more interesting than government bonds or money in the bank. How many times a month do you - or someone in your household - use Finish, Dettol, Air Wick, Nurofen, Vanish, Harpic, Calgon or Durex products? My guess is more than once. So what about the shares today post the group's full year numbers publication?
Like the complete weirdo I am, I do like doing a bit of sector research now and again. I do find it strange that whilst fundamental caution towards fixed income markets still makes a lot of sense, technical (rather than fundamental) bullishness for equity markets seems to have become more important. Typically active management and fundamental investment rationales are akin to one another, as is passive management and technical investment preferences. And then I read that more investors now believe that the S&P 500 - by the end of the year - will not only hit a number of all-time highs above the level achieved in 2017 (62 all-time highs) but also the all-time high of 77 achieved in 1995. No doubt too many of such people are overly excited by Tesla’s market cap reaching $1 trillion and tripling this (or more!) by the end of the decade. As if. Anyhow, back onto stocks I really care about. Three names my pension fund owns have reported today and - very nicely - all are doing rather well (and I think there is more to come).
How many Reckitt (RKT) products have you used this year? I would image we all have at least used one out of the antiseptic brand Dettol, the analgesic Disprin, the sore throat medicine Strepsils, the hair removal brand Veet, the immune support supplement Airborne, the indigestion remedy Gaviscon, the baby food brand Mead Johnson, the air freshener Air Wick or Calgon, Clearasil, Cillit Bang, Durex, Lysol, Mycil, Enfamil, Nutramigen and Vanish. I first bought the stock just shy of £60 a share earlier this year and then - as discussed here in late July - doubled my position after a share price fall. Currently I am sitting at a small overall profit and have picked up some dividends on the way but how do I feel about the 96 page ‘delivering sustainable growth’ presentation yesterday?
