STOCKCHASE

Provides a pretty decent dividend at 2.1%. Hasn't grown much over the last few years but it hasn't lost you money. It's a nice play on rising living standards in emerging markets.

2012-01-13

PAST TOP PICK

65.120

Brooke Thackray

(Top Pick May 5/11, Up 0.15%) sold it about 3 weeks later.

2011-10-27

Comment

60.450

Charles Lannon

This is the sort of stock that is poised to do well in this kind of market. He doesn't care for it, because it is so big it is growth challenged. A good alternative might be Unilever (UL-N).

2011-08-11

WEAK BUY

64.610

Mike S. Newton, CIM FCSI

An orphans and widows stock and you can't really go wrong. It is a Buy but you are not going to make a lot of money on it. Making a lot of movement into the emerging markets.

2011-07-19

TOP PICK

65.880

Brooke Thackray

This is a time period when you want to favour defensive stocks. Brand power is extremely strong. Stock is very close to the top of where it was a few months ago but it is the beginning of its seasonality so he is not too concerned. If it comes back down, he’ll reassess.

2011-05-05

Comment

65.180

Christine Poole

Proctor & Gamble (PG-N) and Colgate Palmolive (CL-N) are both high quality consumer staple names. This one decided not to increase prices as quickly as others so their volume has suffered. A great long-term hold. Product innovation is quite good. If the market turns a bit more defensive, this could be a safe one to get into. About 35% emerging market exposure.

2011-05-02

HOLD

62.790

Defensive play in an environment where it is not being rewarded. Trades at a fairly high multiple. Not performing well but still fairly rich. OK for a portfolio but don’t overweight.

2011-02-02

BUY

65.800

Good international exposure and ability to participate in the emerging market growth.

2011-01-20

Comment

65.480

Stan Wong

Stable earnings grower. At this point in the cycle you want to be in more cyclical names than consumer staples. This one has safety and gradual growth. Has under performed the S&P 500 in the last 6-12 months.

2011-01-13

DON'T BUY

63.370

Great company, very well managed. Today and for along while has represented a defensive play. Struggles to grow revenue and earnings. It’s an expensive stock and doesn’t warrant owning the company. It’s going to have its place in a particular cycle.

2010-10-20

BUY

62.760

Steven Conville

In this economy and market, this is a defensive company. You can’t go wrong here.

2010-10-15

DON'T BUY

60.640

Money flow had gone to these areas because it was a place to hide. He is staying away from defensive areas. Too expensive at 16X earnings. Struggling for revenue and earnings growth.

2010-09-14

Comment

62.660

Good company and defensive play but not enough growth for him.

2010-07-14

BUY

61.750

Great company but when the economy turned down, people traded down to lower end and house brands. If you are a long-term investor, this is a fabulous company with a great franchise and international reputation. Growing in developing markets.

2010-07-09

BUY

61.520

Consumer staples has not done well. Did better going through 2008 and into 2009 because they are defensive but haven't benefited from the rebound. At this point they're much more interesting. 60% of their business comes from outside of the US. Restructuring and on the cost side are making some good gains. 2.9% dividend.

2010-01-13

WEAK BUY

62.120

Ara Nalbandian

Makes sense in this kind of environment. Is a long-term hold. Not a lot of upside potential. Well run company. Would prefer other consumer staples.

2009-12-15

BUY

62.230

A great stable company. More attractive today than it was in the spring. Trades at about 15X earnings and has a very solid dividend.

2009-11-11

Comment

59.030

Stan Wong

(Market Call Minute.) Consumer staples and probably one of the most diversified and defensive names. Decent but a better name would be Kimberly-Clark (KMB-N), which has a cheaper PE multiple.

2009-11-04

SELL

57.490

Don Lato

(Market Call Minute) Too high a multiple for the earnings that are there.

2009-10-21

BUY

56.950

Mark Grammer

US consumer products but have significant exposure outside of the US. Focusing now on expanding the non--US side of the business, which makes a lot of sense. Well run company. Core kind of holding.

2009-10-07

BUY

54.110

David Baskin

Perfect company. So many household word brands. Long history in the US. Recession resistant. Won't be a whiz-bang but also won't bite you. 3.3% yield. Be aware that on dividends outside Canada, you pay a lot more tax.

2009-08-31

Comment

53.340

The premier consumer brand company in the world. In an economic downturn, when incomes are crimped, consumers tend to buy more private-label or trade down to a lower priced brand. Has missed profit numbers. If you are a long-term investor you can take advantage of this but there is no rush. Dividend of 3.2%.

2009-08-24

SELL

51.460

David Burrows

Staying away from consumer products space, as he wants higher beta more aggressive names right now. This quarter some of their higher end products did not getting traction as the numbers came in a little bit light. There are other opportunities he would prefer.

2009-08-06

Comment

55.780

Mark Grammer

Extremely well run company. Prefers Nestle (NSRGY-US) because of better margins. (See Past Picks.)

2009-07-27

BUY

47.090

Brett Hryb

A great stock. In terms of a long-term holding, there very few better than this one. The challenge they face has always been on the commodity side and market share. Ad spending has come down very dramatically and will help their bottom line going forward. Great dividend. Long-term hold. 3.5% yield.

2009-03-31

PAST TOP PICK

47.310

(A Top Pick March 12/08. Down 28.6%.) Non-discretionary but have increasingly moved into more discretionary products such as makeup. Higher margins but have suffered with consumer confidence. Great franchise and the company will do well and would be a Buyer at these prices.

2009-03-04

HOLD

52.940

Brett Hryb

(Market Call Minute.) A fantastic company. Unfortunately given the commodity outlook and currency it is just a Hold.

2009-02-09

BUY

59.790

Alan Kral , CFA, CIC

He looks at it as positive. Management is efficient, one of the better ones to be involved in.

2008-12-09

Comment

63.230

Alan Kral , CFA, CIC

When the US$ got weak, earnings increased. That has now been reversed. Spinning off its Folgers operation at a 14% premium. He is tendering his holdings.

2008-10-28

Comment

58.760

David Abella

Very solid company. Spinning off Folgers coffee and are offering shareholders an option. To your advantage to accept.

2008-10-22

TOP PICK

70.720

A defensive holding. Well known brands. Consistent earnings. Good exposure to the fast growing Asia economies. Trading at about 17X earnings with very consistent and transparent outlook.

2008-08-19

BUY

67.470

David Baskin

Sells a lot of consumer necessities, a huge number of branded products. Sees this is a pretty defensive pick.

2008-04-22

TOP PICK

67.040

Very defensive stock. In all kinds of products that everyone uses. Well positioned overseas with more than 60% of its revenues outside of North America. Strong earnings outlook. Strong balance sheet.

2008-03-12

SELL

73.190

Brian Acker, CA

Very expensive. His model price is $58.85. A -19% differential. He is seeing a lot of money moving into consumer staples but you are really paying a significant price.

2007-12-20

DON'T BUY

68.590

Paul Harris, CFA

Good company. As a multinational, it should be helped by the fact that more than 50% of their product is sold overseas. Getting the benefit of the weaker US$. They have lots of pressures on pricing from the big discount stores that they supply to. Prefers Johnson & Johnson (JNJ-N).

2007-11-01

BUY

70.830

Ross Healy

Upside is quite substantial. One of the areas where, in a recession, people tend to go because of the defensive qualities.

2007-10-05

BUY

65.900

Alan Kral , CFA, CIC

Good international exposure. Has been very aggressive and very good in terms of treating its product offerings like a portfolio, i.e. spinning off products not growing fast enough and buying new ones.

2007-09-10

HOLD

62.590

Alex Ruus

Relatively good defensive stock. Feels he can get better returns and others stocks.

2007-07-18

DON'T BUY

62.680

Pat Naccarato

A fantastic company, but you want to buy it when there is some kind of problem or issue. The valuation is not compelling.

2007-07-17

WEAK BUY

62.160

James Cole, BA, CFA

Prefers business with more volatility in the share price. PG is a great company with great predictability, single digit growth + dividend .High level of safety.

2007-06-12

HOLD

61.720

Ian Nakamoto

Has split up into 3 units giving more of a pure play. In general split up units do quite well.

2007-05-14

BUY on WEAKNESS

62.960

Long-term average is 8% to 10%. Nothing wrong with this. This is the best consumers product company in the world and gives you worldwide exposure.

2007-05-01

BUY

63.730

John Manley

Analysts have target around $73.59. It looks like resistance is around the $65 area. Formed a double bottom with the rest of the market in March. Probably has decent prospects going forward.

2007-04-16

BUY

61.170

The top consumer-products company in the world. Adding Gillette gave them another premium brand and has been an accretive acquisition. Stock got ahead of itself and you are now seeing a valuation correction. Good defensive play.

2007-03-13

BUY

64.540

Steve MacMillan

The kind of a stock that you could put in your portfolio and leave for years. High-quality company with some amazing brands in its portfolio. The Gillette acquisition last year increased the quality of the brands. Valuation is reasonable and you'll probably make 10% a year over a long period of time.

2007-01-03

DON'T BUY

62.250

Brian Acker, CA

Wouldn't touch this one with a 10-foot pole. He has a model price of $50.23, which would give it a 20% negative differential. A text book example of what the market has done in the last 2 quarters by getting out of cyclicals and into consumers staples. Have pushed an overvalued sector into being even more overvalued.

2006-10-17

BUY

60.780

A classic defensive stock but has also been a great growth stock. Some changes in management really spurred innovations. The Gillette acquisition seems to be working out well.

2006-08-21

BUY

57.250

On his radar. Money has been flowing into the stock in the last couple of months and he thinks that will continue. They acquired Gillette which is a big integration.

2006-07-11

BUY

56.450

Jonathen Wellum, B. Comm, B. Sc

The purchase of Gillette made a big difference in terms of products they have. 2.2% yield. There has been some margin squeeze but they do have pricing power. Able to pass cost increases on.

2006-07-06

HOLD

55.730

Basically has gone sideways but pulled back a little bit after its merger with Gillette. When you look at a global consumers product company, it is well positioned. If you believe in global growth and you want purchasing power, it is a very strong business. Not overly expensive.

2006-06-23

DON'T BUY

56.070

Jean-Francois Tardif

Has been growing every year and has merged with Gillette. Recently got hit when Wal-Mart reduced inventories by 15% which could affect their sales short term. Trades around 18 X next year’s earnings. If the US$ falls, sales outside the US will look better. Doesn’t like exposure to the US$.

2006-04-19

HOLD

56.160

David Baskin

A worthwhile holding. It's the kind of stock that does well when the general market is kind of soggy. Hasn't been a lot of enthusiasm for this kind of lower growth, defensive name.

2006-04-18

DON'T BUY

57.740

Brian Acker, CA

The balance sheet is too big. His model price is $47 which is a -17.5% differential. Dead money.

2006-03-29

BUY

59.320

This is a great company. The Gillette acquisition is a great one. The company has a good record of making acquisitions work. They generate a lot of cash flow.

2006-02-07

BUY

55.480

Brad Willock

A good defensive name. The acquisition of Gillette will allow sales people to now distribute both products. Likes it long term.

2005-08-31

TOP PICK

54.620

Likes that they have leading brand names and diverisified geographically. The Gillette acquisition will be very positive. Not expensive relative to its 11/12% organic growth rate.

2005-08-24

BUY

53.940

Bill Carrigan

In a sector that is relativel safe. Everytime there has a been a correction on this stock, it tends to move sideways, so basically it is in fairly good support. Be prepared to sell if it takes out its lows of '05.

2005-08-09

WEAK BUY

54.250

Looking to acquire Gillette (G-N) and thinks this is a good accretive deal. It gives them 15 brands with over $1 billion US of sales. Relatively expensive. May not grow quite as fast going forward because of margin squeeze.

2005-08-08

BUY

56.120

Jean-Francois Tardif

Usually doesn't invest in large companies. Has had rising earnings every year for a long time. Dividends have been going up every year. Very stable business. Trades at about 21 X earnings. A good Buy and Hold company.

2005-06-01

DON'T BUY

55.140

Andrew McCreath

Trades at 20/21 X earnings with a yield of about 2%. Has been pretty choppy over the last year. Gillette acquisition is pretty representative of the big pharmas style in the last few years of generating some top line growth. Expect it to just grind sideways. Not ridiculously expensive based on its pristine balance sheet, but not very exciting.

2005-05-04

DON'T BUY

54.900

David Burrows

They have to start getting through the integration of Gillette and have to start to see the benefits come out of that. This was one of the very large caps that became overowned in the 90's and the ownership has been washing its way out of the system. The growth rate really hasn't been there to support the multiple that it originally had.

2005-05-03

PAST TOP PICK

54.800

(A Top Pick Jan 31/05. Up 2%.) The Gillette acquisition is going to be very good. Very strong brands.

2005-05-02

BUY

53.370

Hasn't gone anywhere in the last year because of the Gillette deal. It will be accretive. Getting a dividend while you wait. Good management.

2005-04-26

BUY

52.870

Mark Jackson, CFA

Would have to have a look at the Gillette business. At the end of the day, this is a company that's going to have some pretty powerful brands. Probably will be able to take costs out of the business. On their radar screen.

2005-02-01

TOP PICK

53.230

Gillete looks like a great acquisition of them. Going to give them great pricing power in getting shelf spacing with places like Wal Mart. This will give them an expanded line into Asia.

2005-01-31

TOP PICK

53.640

Nicholas Sargen

Feels there will be a rotation to larger caps in the US. An innovative firm.

2004-11-26

BUY

54.000

Bob Stodgell

Good for long term investors. Dividend increases quite regularily. Great franchise. With the falling US$, it's easier for them to do business internationally.

2004-11-11

DON'T BUY

53.290

Getting squeezed. Costs of their packaging is rising. Investors have made no money on Unilever, Colgate or Proctor & Gamble over the last 5 years.

2004-11-08

DON'T BUY

54.290

Cheap. Has done really well. 1.8% dividend. Looking at 11/13% earnings per share. Has probably done most of its performance over the next 12/18 months.

2004-08-12

PAST TOP PICK

55.290

Paul O'Neil

(Past top pick Mar 19/04. Up 6%.) Still likes. Valuation is very attractive. The weakness of the US dollar works for them, not against them.

2004-06-24

BUY

106.450