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Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.)

Sector:

Household Goods

Index:

FTSE 100

Market Cap

£17,843m

Change Today

Price Down-111.00p ()

Share Price

2,517.00p

Sunday tips focus: Reckitt Benckiser, Rexam, Greggs

Date: Sunday 03 Aug 2008

Even after this week's rise in the shares, the Reckitt Benckiser stock trades on around 15 times 2009 earnings, its lowest valuation since 2000. With a pledge to lift the dividend to levels that ensure it is among the highest in its peer group, analysts have pencilled in a final payout of around 70p to 75p, offering a 2.5 per cent yield, says the Sunday Telegraph.

Cleanliness is next to godliness, as Francis Bacon, once proclaimed. So long as that remains the case, Reckitt remains a good place to park your money in uncertain times, the paper recommends.

The key message is that Rexam's business is more robust than the market has given it credit for of late and it should prove its mettle in the coming months. Hold on, this is a solid defensive investment in troubled times, says the Mail on Sunday.

Although Greggs’ like-for-like sales are said to have risen 6.2 per cent in the first half, at least some analysts predict that once price inflation is taken account off, volumes are actually flat, says the Sunday Telegraph. As a result, and with costs increasing, last week's first-half numbers were a little shy of expectations. Questor advises avoiding the shares and buying a sausage roll instead.

Shaftesbury now stands at a 14 per cent discount to Cazenove's "bottom of the cycle" net asset value estimates, while the rest of the sector trades on an average discount of double that. It is a justified valuation, however, and Sunday Telegraph' Questor rates the stock a buy.

Compass shares have wobbled recently due to concerns about sky-high commodity prices, but as Merrill Lynch says, the trading update is upbeat, justifying Questor's decision to select Compass as one of six tips of the year. After a strong run, there may also have been an element of profit-taking last week, meaning that the Sunday Telegraph's decision to continue buying into the Compass story holds firm.

Santander must be one of the best banks to own in the coming few years, but there may be better returns elsewhere, particularly for UK investors, who will want their profits in sterling. On balance, it is probably time for existing and soon-to-be shareholders in Santander to cash in the shares, says the Mail on Sunday.

Note 1: Prices and trades are provided by Digital Look Corporate Solutions and are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

Note 2: RiskGrade figures are provided by RiskMetrics.

 

RB. Market Data

Currency UK Pounds
Share Price 2,517.00p Price Down
Change Today -111.00p
52 Week High 3,010.00
52 Week Low 2,314.00
Volume 2,962,816
Shares Issued 708.89m
Market Cap £17,843m
Beta 0.51
RiskGrade 234

Performance Indicators

Compare performance with the sector and the market.
Find out more
Key: vs Market vs Sector
Value
99.33% below the market average99.33% below the market average99.33% below the market average99.33% below the market average99.33% below the market average
100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average
Price Trend
85.17% above the market average85.17% above the market average85.17% above the market average85.17% above the market average85.17% above the market average
100.00% above the sector average100.00% above the sector average100.00% above the sector average100.00% above the sector average100.00% above the sector average
Income
96.49% below the market average96.49% below the market average96.49% below the market average96.49% below the market average96.49% below the market average
100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average
Growth
12.84% below the market average12.84% below the market average12.84% below the market average12.84% below the market average12.84% below the market average
53.33% above the sector average53.33% above the sector average53.33% above the sector average53.33% above the sector average53.33% above the sector average
Price Chg 6m
65.19% above the market average65.19% above the market average65.19% above the market average65.19% above the market average65.19% above the market average
86.67% above the sector average86.67% above the sector average86.67% above the sector average86.67% above the sector average86.67% above the sector average
P/E
56.9% below the market average56.9% below the market average56.9% below the market average56.9% below the market average56.9% below the market average
100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average
PEG
68.03% below the market average68.03% below the market average68.03% below the market average68.03% below the market average68.03% below the market average
76.47% below the sector average76.47% below the sector average76.47% below the sector average76.47% below the sector average76.47% below the sector average
Dividend Yield
71.5% below the market average71.5% below the market average71.5% below the market average71.5% below the market average71.5% below the market average
100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average100% below the sector average
EPS Growth
0.23% below the market average0.23% below the market average0.23% below the market average0.23% below the market average0.23% below the market average
23.08% above the sector average23.08% above the sector average23.08% above the sector average23.08% above the sector average23.08% above the sector average
Operating Margin
48.29% above the market average48.29% above the market average48.29% above the market average48.29% above the market average48.29% above the market average
86.67% above the sector average86.67% above the sector average86.67% above the sector average86.67% above the sector average86.67% above the sector average

What The Brokers Say

Strong Buy 6
Buy 5
Neutral 5
Sell 1
Strong Sell 0
Total 17
buy
Broker recommendations should not be taken as investment advice, and are provided by the authorised brokers listed on this page.

RB. Dividends

  Latest Previous
  Interim Final
Ex-Div 06-Aug-08 27-Feb-08
Paid 25-Sep-08 29-May-08
Amount 32.00p 30.00p

Trades for --2008

Time Volume / Share Price
0 @ 0.000p

RB. Key Personnel

CFO Colin R Day
CEO Lambertus H J Becht
CEO Bart Becht

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