Unilever PLC (UL)

Have done a very good job over the last several years of analyzing their product range and bringing down those numbers. Owned a lot of products that were not giving them a great return on capital so they sold a lot of those off. Went into emerging markets and realized they were not going to make as much of a return on capital that they wanted, so they backed away. Got rid of a lot of non-core products, and concentrated on some big names that they really liked, and have grown that and have been able to increase margins on those products.

Has owned this since 1997. Dividend growth has been in the 10% range. Have exposure to emerging markets. India is their big market. Had some cost overruns, but really what they’ve focused on in the last few years is to get rid of non-core assets that are not making the big margins. Sticking with Dove and ice cream which have high margins and big demands. This is a company that you can pick away at and dollar cost average to your hearts content, because it is a solid international consumer products company that continues to grow.

Up until the breakdown of the emerging-market currencies, this was a stellar performer. Went sideways for a while and has only started moving up recently. If you want exposure to emerging markets, this is a good company but a little rich right now.

One of the global great consumer product companies. Not a cheap stock. Solid dividend and a rising dividend yield. This company has huge exposure to many interesting areas including emerging markets and many good niche areas.

There are many on the street that are bullish on this company. It’s a steady company, well managed and has decent margins. Regarding household product companies, he prefers Nestlés (NESN-SIX) which he feels has better growth prospects.

Has been a very disappointing performer over the last year because of worries about growth in emerging markets. One of the best plays on rising consumer income. Management has done a really good job in making assets work harder. This is a pause “that refreshes” and once it gets through $40 again, you’ll make your profits. This is a long-term hold and it will be substantially higher in 5 years time.

A great company, but has done nothing for years. He prefers getting his branded product companies in the US and Canada. He watches this, but it is not cheap enough for him to buy.

Outside of North America this is still a strong brand for household products. Heavily exposed to places like Indonesia, Philippines, India, etc. that have huge populations. Raised their dividend consecutively for a long period of time. Very good balance sheet. Has been hurt because emerging markets currencies have sort of rolled back on themselves. If you have patience for this company, use a DRIP and continue to accumulate while it is cheap and you will be well rewarded.

There were a lot of expectations about growth in China coming to this company, which didn’t materialize as well as expected. Have pulled out of some of their Chinese assets. Not expensive, so this is a chance to Buy. Have some great brands that will be able to grow globally over the next little while. They’ve looked at all of their brands and got rid of non-core holdings, which is really important for them.

Has lagged the overall market. Emerging-market demand on an absolute basis is stronger than the developed market demands. Feels overall demand is going to be stronger than developed markets. Have over 55% in emerging markets. This is a time when you buy names like this. 3.65% dividend yield.

One of the world’s great consumer product companies. Would like to own this, but he needs to get in when companies are selling at very cheap prices. Not widely expensive, but too expensive for him. A good stock to get emerging market exposure to. Would like a better entry point.

(Top Pick Dec 11/12, Up 7.90%) CEO says emerging markets will likely be challenged for the next couple of years. 55% of sales come from emerging markets.

Large food company, one of the largest. Sort of like the Procter & Gamble of Europe. This company has a global footprint, so it does have participation in the growth markets of Asia.

(Market Call Minute) Tough couple of markets in emerging markets.

Primarily 57% of sales come from frontier and emerging markets. Great play on the emerging market middle class. Up about 15% over the last year. Decent dividend yield at about 3%-3.5%. However, emerging-market sales were not as strong as had been hoped, so the market price sold off by about 5%-10% in the last few weeks. As people get wealthier, they want small affordable pleasures such as toothpaste, etc.