A Dividend Aristocrat almost two times over is being added to the Best Dividend Stocks list as of today. This global food giant has over $7 billion in free cash flow and more than 3.7% organic revenue growth from 2015 to 2016. It has around 9% core constant currency EPS growth, achieved a billion dollars in productivity savings annually since 2012 and returned more than $7 billion to shareholders during 2016 through share repurchases and dividends.
This company has been filling our snack and beverage needs for more than 100 years. It’s recession resistant and did not cut its dividend during the past two recessions. The company cannot get more blue chip in nature. The firm continues to expand into new emerging markets such as China and South Africa with its core offerings, as well as some well-timed M&A. Meanwhile, in the developed world, new healthy beverages and natural snack options have been added.
To summarize, here are 4 reasons why you should own this stock:
- A cash flow earnings machine, this company has a wide economic moat.
- They expect to deliver up to $1 billion productivity savings, at least for the next couple of years.
- Demand for their product stays constant no matter what the economy is doing.
- Analysts expect that its bottomline will grow by 8.39% from 2017 to 2018.
Soft Removal of a Consumer Goods Stock From the Best Dividend Stocks List
We are removing a consumer goods stock that we recommended on 02/21/14. Even though we are removing the stock from the Best Dividend Stocks list, we continue to view it positively and maintain our rating of 3.5.
