UL - The Unilever Group
| Previous Close | 61.67 |
| Open | 61.04 |
| Bid | 61.14 x 1400 |
| Ask | 61.14 x 1000 |
| Day's Range | 61.00 - 61.38 |
| 52 Week Range | 50.80 - 64.84 |
| Volume | 529,591 |
| Avg. Volume | 648,250 |
| Market Cap | 160.777B |
| Beta (3Y Monthly) | 0.43 |
| PE Ratio (TTM) | 24.19 |
| EPS (TTM) | N/A |
| Earnings Date | N/A |
| Forward Dividend & Yield | 1.83 (2.97%) |
| Ex-Dividend Date | 2019-08-08 |
| 1y Target Est | N/A |
- Bloomberg
Naspers Unit Soars in Debut to Close Discount With Tencent
(Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.Naspers Ltd.’s newly listed internet unit received an enthusiastic early response from investors, soaring on its trading debut to close a valuation discount to its biggest investment, Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd.Prosus NV, as the new Amsterdam-listed company is known, jumped as much as 32% in early trading to value the business at about 125 billion euros ($138 billion). The group’s 31% stake in WeChat creator Tencent is worth about $131 billion, the result of a timely investment made almost two decades ago.The investor reaction is an early vindication of the strategy masterminded by Naspers Chief Executive Officer Bob van Dijk, who took the helm of the Cape Town-based company five years ago. His plan to carve out Prosus into a new listing in Amsterdam was designed to attract a more global investor base and realize more value, while weakening the group’s dominance over the Johannesburg stock exchange.The move to Euronext is “to facilitate our next phase of growth,” Van Dijk said in an interview with Bloomberg TV just after the market opened. Prosus’s classified-ads business is the largest in the world, while the group also sees fast expansion in internet payments, food delivery and online trading in second-hand goods, he said.While the discount to Tencent was all but wiped out, the firm is still trading below the sum of its parts when you add other assets, including shareholdings in Russia’s Mail.Ru Group Ltd. and Delivery Hero SE of Germany. Van Dijk’s next challenge will be to generate higher returns from those investments and prove that Prosus isn’t merely a proxy for holding Tencent stock.“Our next step will be to bed down and invest in our core business units,” Chief Financial Officer Basil Sgourdos said by phone.Shares in Prosus -- a Latin word meaning ‘forwards’ -- declined slightly after the early surge. The value as of 11:28 a.m. in Amsterdam was 121 billion euros, making it the third-largest publicly traded company in the Netherlands, behind Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Unilever NV. Its market value rivals that of Europe’s biggest tech company, Germany’s SAP SE.Naspers is retaining a 73% stake in Prosus, and will keep hold of South African businesses including the newspapers that form the basis of the company’s origins a century ago. Its stock rose in Johannesburg, trading 5.4% higher as of 11:28 a.m. local time.“Naspers has been looking to unlock value in the steep discount applied to its Tencent holding and the successful listing of Prosus today has certainly gone some way to achieving that target,” said Neil Campling, an analyst at Mirabaud Securities. “Prosus is not only the Tencent holding though.”(Updates with CFO comment in sixth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Swetha Gopinath, Anna Edwards, Matthew Miller and Kit Rees.To contact the reporters on this story: Loni Prinsloo in Johannesburg at lprinsloo3@bloomberg.net;John Bowker in Johannesburg at jbowker2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Thomas Pfeiffer at tpfeiffer3@bloomberg.net, Jennifer RyanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Moody's
WEI Sales LLC -- Moody's affirms WEI Sales LLC's CFR following announcement to acquire Halo Top; outlook negative
Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") today affirmed WEI Sales LLC's ("WEI") Corporate Family Rating (CFR) at Ba3 and its Probability of Default Rating at Ba3-PD. At the same time Moody's affirmed the company's first lien term loan due 2025 at B1.
- Simply Wall St.
Unilever Group (AMS:UNA) Has A Pretty Healthy Balance Sheet
Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility...
- Yahoo Finance
Walmart's move to restrict guns 'should provide an added value to the company': consultant
Walmart and Kroger took bold steps to restrict guns and ammunition.
- Reuters
Slave to sachets: How poverty worsens the plastics crisis in the Philippines
Armed with gloves, rubber boots and a rake, "Mangrove Warrior" Willer Gualva, 68, comes to Freedom Island in the Philippines almost every day to stop it being engulfed by trash. No one lives on the island, yet each morning its shores are covered in garbage, much of it single-use sachets of shampoo, toothpaste, detergent and coffee that are carried out to sea by the rivers of overcrowded Manila. "We collect mostly plastics here and the number one type are sachets," said Gualva, one of 17 people employed by the environment agency to help preserve the island and its forest.
- Bloomberg
The Stock Market Has Become a Very Liberal Place
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Wall Street was a very conservative place politically when I started working in the capital markets in 1999, but it seems to have lurched to the left lately. It’s not only that many of the people who work there have become more liberal, but more importantly, left-leaning behavior by publicly traded companies is being rewarded by the stock market.The decision by the Business Roundtable, which is an organization led by JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon, to explicitly state that the purpose of a publicly traded company is social responsibility and not creating value for shareholders is just the latest example of this lurch to the left. For decades, most public companies have chosen to remain politically neutral. That remained the case even after the Citizens United Supreme Court decision on campaign finance in 2010 that held that the free speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political communications by corporations. Most expected the Citizens United decision to result in conservative political speech, but it has been quite the opposite. Ben and Jerry’s, a unit of Unilever Plc, recently launched a flavor of ice cream designed specifically to support Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign.Nike Inc.’s shares are up about 36% since the start of 2018, compared with 9.20% for the S&P 500 Index, despite backlash from some conservative outlets for signing controversial former National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick to a marketing deal and then bowing to pressure from the left and pulling its special edition sneakers featuring the “Betsy Ross Flag” that some feel was a symbol of racism. I was recently in a Nike outlet store here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and it was packed with a checkout line 30 people deep in the middle of summer.The technology sector leans to the left, led by Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., whose Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post. Many consumers may complain about the liberal orientation of these companies, but there is not a lot they can do to avoid them. Sure, share prices of tech firms have stalled lately, but that’s more likely due to the threat of antitrust action than a reflection of their political orientation.The list of companies who have engaged in left-leaning speech, marketing or protest is getting long. The list of actions include pulling advertising from various Fox News programs, supporting the Women’s March, pulling products related to President Donald Trump from stores and banks dropping business with the certain gun makers. There have been few consequences, and no serious boycotts of these companies by conservatives, or at least none have been effective. Conservative media outlets had some fun with Procter & Gamble Co.’s $8 billion charge for Gillette, attributing it to backlash from an ad campaign asking men to “do better.” But the razor business has been bad for a while, with competitive threats coming from all sides. And more men are growing beards these days, so one is probably not related to the other.Corporate America may have declared a political orientation for strategic reasons. Companies today have more data and information than ever on their customers. What works for Nike may not work for Bass Pro Shops.Then there’s the waterfall of money that is earmarked for environment, social and governance, or ESG, investing strategies. It is the only form of active management that seems to be gathering assets even with a mixed track record when it comes to returns. The idea here is that companies engaging in socially responsible behavior should be rewarded by the stock market, but that isn’t always true. Indexing is widely considered to be a left-wing philosophy, the idea that you would invest in all companies equally, instead of trying to pick the best stocks. It has even famously been called worse than Marxism by Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. As everyone knows, index fund assets have been growing at an astronomical pace. By some estimates, passive strategies now make up 40% to 50% of all assets under management, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Even actively managed funds with great performance are losing assets.We’ve come a long way from suspender-snapping, bull and bear cufflinks and “lunch is for wimps.” Back then, the idea that you would invest your money and not seek the highest return would have seemed odd.I assume that decisions to engage in political speech are carefully considered by managements, but I still find it disconcerting. I’m from a generation that grew up believing the job of a public company was to “make money,” not “do good.” When they both align, then great, but what hasn’t changed is that people still like to see the value of their investments go up every year.To contact the author of this story: Jared Dillian at j.dillian@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Robert Burgess at bburgess@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Jared Dillian is the editor and publisher of The Daily Dirtnap, investment strategist at Mauldin Economics, and the author of "Street Freak" and "All the Evil of This World." He may have a stake in the areas he writes about.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
Spanish Uber Rival Eyes Supermarkets as Consolidation Looms
(Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.A Spanish startup best known for delivering takeaways is betting on building a network of convenience stores to expand its business -- just as the food delivery sector eyes a wave of consolidation.Glovo, a Barcelona-based web platform used mainly for ordering food from restaurants, is rolling-out so-called dark-supermarkets -- delivery-only convenience stores -- from Tbilisi to Lisbon in an attempt to tap into growing web-based demand for groceries.The company is also focusing on delivering groceries for existing supermarket chains. In May it announced a deal with Carrefour SA to handle their deliveries in under 30 minutes in four countries, and it has similar partnerships in different countries with Walmart Inc., Auchan Holding Sadir and Kaufland Stiftung & Co KG, among others.Glovo drew preliminary interest from Uber Technologies Inc. and Deliveroo, Bloomberg reported in August. The startup is in 180 cities spread across 24 countries, according to its website.But the company is increasingly marketing itself as an "app for anything" that allows users to request a rider -- as the delivery staff, who mainly ride bicycles, are known -- to buy any product. With this function, a user can send a rider to any store to pick up a product and the price is charged directly to the user’s credit card, together with a fixed service fee.Competitors are increasingly moving into delivering groceries alongside restaurant-delivery. Uber Eats has piloted delivery goods from Nestle and Unilever, and said in July that it’s in discussions with European supermarkets to roll out a grocery delivery service. Amazon.com Inc. is growing its grocery store delivery operations in several countries including Spain, one of its first markets.Germany’s Delivery Hero SE is already offering transport of consumer items such as groceries and toiletries in 12 markets and plans to raise that number in the coming months, Chief Executive Officer Niklas Oestberg said last month.Demand for online groceries in Europe’s largest economies set to grow by about 60% between 2018 and 2023, to more than $45.1 billion, according to estimates compiled by Delta Partners, a consultancy.Unlike online grocery shoppers such as U.K.’s Ocado Group Plc, which delivers weekly purchases the following day, Glovo is targeting small baskets at speed. Such deliveries are simply the latest twist in the “anything" strategy, according to co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Oscar Pierre, a wiry 26-year-old aeronautical engineer who started the company in 2015, shortly after a short stint working for airplane manufacturer Airbus SE.“The app aims to allow users to buy whatever they need from their phone", says Pierre.Glovo’s main food-delivery competitor in Latin America, Rappi, recently received an $800 million investment from two SoftBank units, the Vision Fund and the smaller, Latin America-focused Innovation Fund. Glovo is also in talks to receive an investment from SoftBank’s Vision Fund, after raising 150 million euros in a round earlier this year.To contact the reporter on this story: Rodrigo Orihuela in Madrid at rorihuela@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Stefan NicolaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
Naspers Says Prosus Unit to Be Valued at About $100 Billion
(Bloomberg) -- Naspers Ltd. said a newly created entity containing assets including a stake in Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. will be valued at about $100 billion.Africa’s largest company by market value received shareholder backing last week to proceed with the listing of Prosus NV in Amsterdam next month. Alongside the Tencent stake, the new company will hold businesses from Brazil to Germany in industries such as online food delivery and classified advertising.A value of $100 billion would make only Royal Dutch Shell Plc and consumer-goods giant Unilever bigger in Amsterdam by market capitalization. The company would overtake ASML Holding NV, a semiconductor gear-maker priced at about 80 billion euros ($89 billion).Naspers opted to spin off Prosus -- in which it will keep a 73% stake -- to ease its dominance of Johannesburg’s stock exchange and help reduce a valuation gap between the Cape Town-based company and its stake in Tencent. The new group’s assets were valued at about $34 billion as of end June, Naspers said in a statement on Monday.Naspers Looks to Invest in AI as Prosus Listing ApprovedNaspers shares erased gains after the publication of the anticipated market value of Prosus, and traded 0.1% higher at 3,421.11 rand as of 11:52 a.m. in Johannesburg.The stock could gain by a further 40% to 4,800 rand, JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts led by JP Davids said in a note published Monday. “In addition to Tencent’s outperformance, we expect the recent compression in the holding company’s discount to be sustained as it reduces its South African sovereign exposure.”Prosus had net income of about $1.4 billion for the three months through June, compared with $1.1 billion the previous year, Naspers said.JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley are the main financial advisers on the Prosus listing.(Updates with Amsterdam ranking in third paragraph)\--With assistance from Joost Akkermans.To contact the reporters on this story: Loni Prinsloo in Johannesburg at lprinsloo3@bloomberg.net;Renee Bonorchis in Johannesburg at rbonorchis@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Rebecca Penty at rpenty@bloomberg.net, John Bowker, Frank ConnellyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Yahoo Finance
New business group debuts 'inclusive growth' push ahead of G7 Summit
A new group focused on “inclusive growth” — backed by prominent names in business and finance — is expected to launch on Friday during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit.
- Simply Wall St.
Could Unilever PLC's (LON:ULVR) Investor Composition Influence The Stock Price?
If you want to know who really controls Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share...
- Simply Wall St.
Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR)'s Could Be A Buy For Its Upcoming Dividend
It looks like Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. If you purchase the stock on or...
Motley FoolUnilever N.V. (UN) Q2 2019 Earnings Call Transcript
UN earnings call for the period ending June 30, 2019.
- Reuters
Unilever second-quarter sales slip as wet weather hits Europe
The company said it continues to expect full-year underlying sales growth to be in the lower half of its multi-year 3% to 5% target range and operating margin to reach 20% in 2020. Unilever's shares were down 1.1% in morning trade, compared to the broader FTSE 100 index , which was flat. Wet weather in Europe dampened ice-cream sales following two straight seasons of hot summers, while growth in India slowed again as a late monsoon season and lower food inflation weakened rural demand.
- Reuters
Unilever, Tesco, Nestle ranked top on meat alternatives - report
Unilever, Tesco and Nestlé are among the best prepared to capitalise on the trend for plant-based meat substitutes, according to a report from an investor group managing $5 trillion in assets. The report by the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) coalition showed 25 major retailers and manufacturers were developing strategies for sustainable protein products, recognising the risk of a strategy reliant on animal protein. Unilever, Tesco and Nestle were awarded top rankings for their work in understanding the impact and reducing risks associated with intensive animal agriculture, such as the emission of greenhouse gas.
- Moody's
Unilever Capital Corporation -- Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Unilever PLC
Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Unilever PLC and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical unit. The review was conducted through a portfolio review in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future.
- Simply Wall St.
Is Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR) An Attractive Dividend Stock?
Today we'll take a closer look at Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR) from a dividend investor's perspective. Owning a strong...
- GuruFocus.com
MS Global Franchise Fund's Top 5 High-Conviction Trades as of 1st Quarter
Fund’s top buys include Microsoft and Lysol parent Reckitt Benckiser Continue reading...
- InvestorPlace
Is Shopify Stock Getting Ahead of Its Fundamentals?
Investors in online marketplace Shopify (NYSE:SHOP), one of Canada's best tech names, have enjoyed the stock's stellar move up in 2019; so far this year, SHOP stock has soared 133%. On June 20, the Shopify stock reached an all-time high of $338.94.Source: Shopify via FlickrShopify is expected to report its second-quarter earnings on July 30. Now that SHOP's earnings are approaching, let's look at what may be next for SHOP stock, which has been a darling of Wall Street since its IPO in 2015. SHOP's Q1 Earnings and BackgroundOn Apr. 30, SHOP reported strong Q1 results that beat analysts' average estimates on both the top and bottom line, thanks to strong demand for its subscription solutions. Shopify reported revenues of $320.4 million, which was up almost 50% year-on-year. Its net loss came in at $24.2 million.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 7 Retail Stocks to Buy for the Second Half of 2019 In a nutshell, Shopify sells out-of-the-box e-commerce solutions. The company's growth comes from two segments: "Merchant Solutions" and "Subscription Solutions."Merchant Solutions includes tools that enable merchants to serve their customers better and sell more products. Within Merchant Solutions, SHOP offers payment services, shipping services, and a working capital management tool.Subscription Solutions offer merchants of all sizes monthly recurring subscription plans that cost from under $10 to over $2,000 per month. SHOP now has over 800,000 sellers, an increase of 25% over the past year.Shopify Plus, the premium version of Shopify, has over 5,300 customers, including names like Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Unilever (NYSE:UL), and the Obama Foundation.A quarter of the company's monthly recurring revenues comes from Shopify Plus merchants. SHOP has recently launched a multi-currency feature for Shopify Plus merchants who also use Shopify Payments.During the Q1 earnings conference call, CEO Tobi Lutke stressed that SHOP would continue to innovate and launch new products and services for both merchants and their customers. Wall Street also expects the company to continue to grow via acquisitions. Shopify Stock's Global GrowthManagement has also been looking at expanding overseas, especially in non-English-speaking countries, as the company's next key growth area. In Q1, the company's overseas customer base grew, enabling its international revenue growth to accelerate.Earlier in the year, Shopify launched its payment gateway, Shopify Payments, in Germany, making bank account transfers possible there. Several of Canada's provinces have used Shopify to launch online cannabis stores, giving Shopify even more global visibility.In its efforts to expand beyond the core English-speaking countries, the company has recently made the Shopify website available in six other languages: French, German, Japanese, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish; the website is soon expected to be available in 11 languages.In other words, Shopify is an attractive company with excellent growth prospects in cloud-based e-commerce , both in North America and globally. However, investors also need to be aware of some question marks facing SHOP stock. Should Investors Be Concerned About the Valuation of SHOP Stock?SHOP stock bears point out that, given the high valuation of Shopify stock, the shares would be hit hard if a recession occurs. Even if the stock market does not go up as rapidly as it has over the past decade, then the momentum of high-flying names like SHOP stock will slow down, too.For example, SHOP stocks's price-sales (P/S) ratio is high enough to make value investors run for cover. Shopify stock's P/S ratio stands at about 30. To put the metric into perspective, the S&P 500's average price-sales ratio is 2.1.Another way to look at this number is to compare the company's current P/S ratio with its P/S ratios over time. Since going public, SHOP stock'a lowest and highest P/S level has respectively been 6.86 and 30.In other words, at present, its P/S ratio is at its highest level ever. That essentially means that the owners of SHOP stock are paying a lot more for Shopify stock now than they were when the P/S ratio was 6.Another way to analyze the P/S ratio is to compare it with the ratios of companies in similar sectors. The P/S ratio of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is four. Alibaba's (NASDAQ:BABA), P/S ratio stands at eight. And MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) stock's P/S is 17.Although the P/S ratio of SHOP stock is very high, investors should also remember that it is only one of many valuation metrics. Moreover, it does not take into account the profitability or costs of Shopify. What Else Could Derail SHOP Stock?SHOP bulls are happy to point out that the company's revenue growth is showing no sign of slowing down.But on the other hand, Shopify has not yet reported any profits. If SHOP cannot keep meeting the Street's aggressive growth forecasts, then the owners of SHOP stock may become more concerned about its lack of profit, and Shopify stock could drop.During Q1, SHOP launched its TV and film content division, Shopify Studios, Wall Street is debating why Shopify has decided to create such content. And in June, SHOP announced that it would be launching a fulfillment network and offer two-day shipping across 99% of the continental U.S. Analysts believe this ambitious strategy is likely to be quite costly for Shopify.Instead of focusing on profits, management wants to expand the company by launching new businesses. Therefore, those who plan to own SHOP stock over the long-term need to pay attention to the cash flows from its new ventures.Many investors have been quite concerned about the various reports by short seller Citron Research which regards Shopify's business model as a "get-rich-quick-scheme." Moreover, several analysts have recently downgraded SHOP stock in response to its stellar bull run.Finally, those investors who follow short-term technical charts will be interested to know that Shopify stock has spent a good portion of 2019 in overbought territory. It is possible that some profit-taking will negatively impact SHOP stock in the near future, possibly prior to its Q2 earnings report. The Bottom Line on Shopify StockIn a few weeks, SHOP stock is likely to release another strong quarterly report. However, SHOP stock is simply too expensive for me to hit the "buy" button on it at these levels.SHOP is a growth stock and a speculative stock. Therefore, in the coming weeks, I expect SHOP to be a battleground between investors and traders. While long-term investors would like to see Shopify stock go over the $350 level, traders are likely to keep it between $300 and $250.Those who have benefited from SHOP's 2019 gains should possibly consider taking profits as we look ahead to the next earnings report.Well-performing stocks tend to keep on winning, and the recent strength of Shopify stock might be a good indication that within three or four years, investors who buy SHOP on weakness are likely to be rewarded handsomely.As of this writing, Tezcan Gecgil did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 10 Stocks to Buy on College Students' Radars * 7 Retail Stocks to Buy for the Second Half of 2019 * The S&P 500's 5 Best Highest-Yielding Dividend Stocks The post Is Shopify Stock Getting Ahead of Its Fundamentals? appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Benzinga
Unilever USA, A Shipper Of Choice That Embraces Drivers And The Future
Unilever (NYSE: UN) USA had a problem at its distribution center in Newville, Pennsylvania. Working with the Canadian-based carrier Kriska, Unilever piloted a program called Safe Haven to allow drivers to park at the distribution center. "Unilever was motivated to allow parking onsite in order to become a ‘shipper of choice' for drivers," a 2018 report from the DOT Parking Capacity Working Group noted.
- MarketWatch
Neptune Wellness CEO Jim Hamilton steps down, succeeded by Michael Cammarata
Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc. said Monday Chief Executive Jim Hamilton has stepped down after more than 4 years in the role, but will remain with the cannabis extraction company as an advisor. Neptune named Micheal Cammarata as its new CEO, effective Monday. The company said Cammarata, who has been a "serial entrepreneur" over the past 20 years, is the co-founder of wellness brand Schmidt's Naturals, which is now a business unit of Unilever PLC . "[Cammarata] has identified new trends and opportunities which led to the development of market-leading products," said Chairman John Moretz. "These critical skills should benefit our customers. Moreover, Michael possesses the right mix of operational CEO experience, leadership skills, and technology industry expertise to help elevate Neptune to the next level." Neptune's stock, which was still inactive in premarket trading, has soared 74.4% year to date, while the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has rallied 27.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 15.4%.
- InvestorPlace
5 Dividend Stocks to Buy From Across the Globe
Most income seekers and retirees have a sort of set playbook when it comes to dividend stocks. They either buy an exchange-traded fund that's heavy in dividend stocks like the iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:DGRO) or they stick to a few well-known dividend stocks like Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ). And there's nothing wrong with that approach. You certainly can get plenty of income and total return potential from going this route. But income seekers may want to move outside their comfort zone.Specifically, I'm talking about dividend investments that are outside of the U.S.The truth is, some of the best dividend stocks can be found outside the United States. The world is filled with a variety of strong multinational and international leaders. Even better is that valuations for many global stocks are lower than the U.S., while dividend yields are higher.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsThe yield on the internationally focused MSCI EAFE Index is about double that of the S&P 500. That should be music to an income seeker or retirees' ears. * 10 Stocks That Should Be Every Young Investor's First Choice In the end, going global can result in some wonderful dividends stocks. With that, here are five international dividend stocks to buy today. Unilever (UL, UN)Dividend Yield: 2.96%Suave soap, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Q-tips … these are all brands most people are familiar with. In fact, you probably use some of these brands yourself. That goes to show just how powerful and big Unilever (NYSE:UL, NYSE:UN) is. The firm is a consumer products powerhouse and features 400 different brands and sales in more than 190 different countries.This portfolio of brands continues to pay some big results for UL and its bottom line. Sales continue to rise, jumping 3.1% during the first half of the year. That's not bad for a firm the size of Unilever. The firm has more than 10 brands that generate more than $1 billion in annual sales. So, this is a big ship. Moreover, emerging markets make up a ton of those sales. Here, UL continues to see plenty of growth and high single-digit sale boosts.The future looks rosy for Unilever as well. The firm has announced that it's doing away with its Anglo-Dutch dual share listing and moving to a single share structure. This will reduce costs. Moreover, the firm has undergone some strategic reviews and it has pruned itself of underperforming brands to improve margins and profits.All of this will translate into continued dividend strength. Since moving to a quarterly payout back in 2010, UL has managed to boost its payout by around 90%. This is a testament to its huge portfolio of brands and continued rising sales.Today, Unilever yields nearly 3% making it a top dividend stock to buy. Royal Bank of Canada (RY)Dividend Yield: 3.8%One of the most under-owned nations on the planet happens to be our neighbors to the North. For some reason, Canada isn't included in many international indexes. That's a real shame as the country features plenty of leading dividend stocks and multinational giants.This includes banking giant, the Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY).Historically, Canada's banks have been more conservatively run than U.S. ones. This has been the case for RY for decades. The firm's continued focus on risk management has allowed it to skate through various financial downturns relatively unscathed. Both the Great Recession and the recent Oil Bust didn't affect the bank's bottom line or financial position. This fact has allowed RBC to pay dividends for more than 100 years and keep its payout steady during both crises.But RY isn't a stodgy, old fuddy-duddy. In fact, Canada's banks were some of the first to embrace consumer technology, mobile banking, apps and A.I. Partnerships with tech for its small businesses, enterprise and wealth management divisions have directly boosted retention and overall usage, with digital payments at the bank are surging. All of these digital initiatives have paid off in a big way -- with RY now realizing more than $15 billion in annual revenues. The best part is that RBC now expects to pull in three times the number of new clients as a result of these moves. That'll only grow its base even more. * 10 Stocks to Buy for A Summer Rally For dividend seekers, RY blends the best of both stable revenues with a huge upshot to its growth. With a near-4% yield, it could be one of the best dividend stocks to buy today. GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) Dividend Yield: 5.14%When it comes to dividend stocks, Big Pharma offers some of the biggest yields. And the U.K.'s GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE:GSK) offers a juicy 5.14% payout. GSK features a robust portfolio of consumer healthcare products with brands such as Aquafresh, Nicorette and Theraflu under its umbrella. However, the firm is also a prescription drug powerhouse with several blockbusters under its belt. Likewise, it has a huge vaccine business that it contains to generate steady revenues.All of this has made GSK a big-time dividend player throughout its history. As a U.K. company, GSK sends out a percentage of profits twice a year, so the amount varies. But it has been steady and consistent.But dividend and growth seekers have a lot to like about GlaxoSmithKline. That's because GSK is currently merging its consumer health division with Pfizer's (NYSE:PFE). This separate company will feature a massive portfolio of brands and produce plenty of stable cash flows. Meanwhile, the remaining biopharma company will feature a robust pipeline of new cancer fighters and other drugs. Investors will be able to get the best of both worlds -- growth and income -- from GSK.Buying GSK today, investors get a seat at the table and the ability to score a high yield. BP PLC (BP)Dividend Yield: 5.85%For a long time, BP (NYSE:BP) was the whipping boy of the energy patch. The Deepwater Horizon spill was horrific and cost billions upon billions of dollars in legal fees, damages and fines. Because of that, BP was pretty much dead for years. But lately, the energy giant has returned to its former glory days … at least in terms of dividends and growth.Thanks to the costs related to the spill, BP was forced to become "lean and mean." That meant selling underperforming and non-core assets, spinning out its logistics infrastructure and reducing its overall debt load. All of this has made the firm a much better run energy stock than before. The results of this made themselves known last summer, when BP actually started to pull in some serious cash flows, Now, BP's operating cash flows currently cover its CAPEX spending and dividend payments when oil is around $50 per barrel.However, with continued technology improvements, BP estimates it should reduce its breakeven price to about $35 per barrel by 2021. With new major finds in the Gulf of Mexico, an increase in onshore shale drilling and other moves, BP is back on the prowl. Since suspending its dividend during the spill, BP has been able to increase its payout by 47% and completely end its so-called script dividend program, which paid investors shares rather than cash. * 7 Marijuana Stocks With Critical Levels to Watch With a near-6% yield, BP makes a strong contender for investors looking for international dividend stocks. iShares International Dividend Growth ETF (IGRO)Dividend Yield: 2.87%Perhaps the best way to get a dose of international dividends is to own them all. We mentioned the popular DGRO ETF in the opening slide. That fund also has an international sister -- the iShares International Dividend Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IGRO).Similar to DGRO, IGRO tracks a basket of international dividend stocks. The key for the ETF is that it's not just about the payout, but the ability to grow that payout over time. The ETF's index screens for stocks that have been increasing dividends for at least five years straight. A second screen is used to ensure that firms aren't overreaching their ability to pay. Stocks with payout ratios of above 75% are removed. This leaves you with a basket of 408 different dividend stocks. There is some emerging market exposure, but developed markets garner the bulk of assets.Top holdings include pharma giant Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), consumer products superstar Nestle and tech firm Samsung.In terms of performance, IGRO hasn't been bad. The ETF is relatively new -- only opening shop in mid-2016. Since then, it has managed to produce a near-7% return annually. That's not too shabby. Moreover, IGRO yields a very healthy 2.87%. And as a member of iShares core group of funds, expenses for the ETF run at a dirt cheap 0.22%.All in all, when it comes to getting broad exposure to international dividend stocks, IGRO could be one of the best and cheapest ways.At the time of writing, Aaron Levitt did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 10 Stocks That Should Be Every Young Investor's First Choice * 5 IPO Stocks to Buy -- According to Wall Street Analysts * The Top 10 Best Sectors in the Market for 2019 The post 5 Dividend Stocks to Buy From Across the Globe appeared first on InvestorPlace.
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Ben & Jerry's new flavor gives a taste of criminal justice reform
Ben & Jerry's launched a new ice cream flavor with a "sweet swirl of justice." Dubbed "Justice Remix'd" it combines chocolate ice cream with cinnamon bun dough and spicy fudge brownies. The flavor was created in partnership with civil rights organization "The Advancement Project National Office." It is meant to bring greater awareness to criminal justice reform. Payne Capital Management's Courtney Dominguez joins Yahoo Finance's Zack Guzman, Kristin Myers for a scoop.
