The FTSE 100 has staged a bit of a recovery so far in October, but at 6,350 its still more than 10% down from its April high of 7,100.
The oil price has moved back above $50 a barrel, while a bid of just over 42 a share for Footsie beer giant SABMiller from the even-more-gigantic Budweiser owner Anheuser Busch InBev has injected a bit of excitement into the market.
The bid for SABMiller is a reminder of just how highly trade buyers rate the rare and valuable brands owned by the worlds top consumer goods companies. The equity markets may rate these companies highly they tend to trade on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio well above the market average but trade buyers typically rate them at a higher premium still.
Which brings me to another two FTSE 100 companies with outstanding brands household goods goliath Unilever (LSE: ULVR) and hard liquor leviathan Diageo (LSE: DGE). Now, Im not saying a bid is coming for either of these companies. What I am saying is that the true long-term value in such businesses is often underestimated by the market.
Here are three reasons why investors might want to consider piling into Unilever and Diageo right now.
Buy on the dips
You dont tend to get wild swings in the share prices of companies like Unilever and Diageo. When a market correction comes along, such as the one were in now, the biggest fallers grab the attention. Nevertheless, buying the likes of Unilever and Diageo at such times has been a good strategy over the years for long-term investors. Buy on the dips, as the saying goes.
At 27.50, Unilevers shares are 9% below their 52-week high, while Diageos, at around 18, are 10% off. The companies trade on a similar earnings rating: Unilevers 12-month forecast P/E is 19.9 and Diageos is 19.7.
For comparison, SABMillers P/E is 23.9 at its current share price, and a whopping 27.9 at the AB InBev offer price.
3.3% and rising
As all good Fools know, the compounding power of reinvesting dividends is never to be underestimated. Unilever and Diageo both offer a 12-month forward yield of 3.3%. Again, for comparison, SABMiller offers a prospective 2.1% (or 1.9% at the AB InBev offer price).
Sure, the yields of Unilever and Diageo are still a long way from being the highest in the market, but these two companies are among the most certain to deliver dividends. Both have excellent long-term records of growing their payouts, and analysts see this continuing with mid-single-digit annual increases for the foreseeable future.
A 3.3% initial yield (in the current low interest rate environment) and the prospect of annual mid-single-digit growth (in the current low inflation environment) offer an attractive compounding combination for reinvesting dividends.
Defence of the realm
Finally, Unilever and Diageo share several characteristics that underpin their prospects for years to come. Economies of scale, geographical diversification and the power of their brands provide a powerful armoury for defending their realms and, indeed, increasing their influence.
The nature of their products also makes Unilever and Diageo hugely appealing businesses. Their products are bought over and over again day-in, day-out; week-in, week out; rain or shine. Such predictability makes for relatively predictable cash flows, and, ultimately, relatively predictable returns for investors.
In fact, I can tell you that Unilever and Diageo are two of just five stocks that have been identified as the very elite blue chips of the FTSE 100 by our analysts in this FREE Motley Fool report.
Our analysts are confident all five firms have what it takes to deliver outstanding performance for investors through thick and thin. In “5 Shares To Retire On“, you can read more about Unilever and Diageo — and all about the Motley Fool’s other three top blue-chip picks.
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G A Chester has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of Unilever. We Fools don’t all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.