Top Consumer Companies To Own In Right Now

Stocks held up well today–until they didn’t–and the S&P 500 sunk for the second day in a row.

AFP

The S&P 500 fell 0.6% to 1,949.98, its biggest drop since June 12, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.7% to 16,818.13, its largest tumble since May 20. The Nasdaq Composite dropped just 0.4% ti 4,350.36, while the small-company Russell 2000 slid 1% to 1,173.24.

Why did socks have that sinking feeling? It wasn’t because of the economic data, which showed new home sales picking up–the monthly rise was the largest since 1992–and consumer confidence rising. So let’s blame what’s happening in Iraq, where Syria bombed the western part of the country. That’s called escalation.

Or don’t. Westpac’s Graeme Jarvis explains why:

Best Construction Material Companies For 2015: Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc (HAWK)

Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc., incorporated on January 27, 2006, is a prepaid payment network utilizing technology to offer a range of gift cards, other prepaid products and payment services in the United States and 18 other countries. The Company is a third-party distributor of gift. Its product offerings include gift cards, prepaid telecom products and prepaid financial services products (including general purpose reloadable (GPR), cards and its reload network). In addition, it sells physical and electronic gift cards to consumers through both online distributors and its Website, GiftCardMall.com. It offers gift cards from consumer brands, such as Amazon.com, Applebee��, iTunes, Lowe��, Macy�� and Starbucks and from payment networks, such as American Express, MasterCard and Visa. In addition, it distributes GPR, cards provided by Green Dot and NetSpend, as well as PayPower, its own GPR card. REloadit, its reload network, allows consumers to reload funds onto certain of their previously purchased GPR cards. In November 2013, Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc completed the acquisition of InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions. Effective December 2013, Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc, a unit of Safeway Inc, acquired Retailo AG.

The Company also offers prepaid solutions, including functionality and connectivity for digital wallet products within digital payments space, as well as an online gift card exchange called Cardpool. The Company�� extensive prepaid network provides benefits to its three primary constituents: consumers who purchase the products and services it offers, content providers who offer branded gift cards and other prepaid products that are redeemable for goods and services, and distribution partners who sell those products. Its extensive network connects to more than 500 content providers and over 100,000 active retail distribution locations, providing access to over 160 million consumer visits per week. For consumers, the Company provides a variety of brands and content at ! retail distribution locations and online. For its content providers, it provides access to millions of consumers and creates new customer relationships. For its distribution partners, it provides product category that drives incremental store traffic and customer loyalty. It also distributes prepaid telecom products offered by prepaid wireless telecom brands. The Company distributes its products across multiple traffic channels, such as grocery, convenience, specialty and online retailers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andrew Marder]

  More recently, the company IPO'd its gift-card business last week as Blackhawk Network Holdings (NASDAQ: HAWK  ) . Safeway sold off about 22% of its holding, generating $243 million in cash, which the company used to repay some of its debt. That will be reflected in the next earnings statement.

Top Consumer Companies To Own In Right Now: Jones Soda Co.(JSDA)

Jones Soda Co., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, markets, distributes, and licenses premium beverages primarily in the United States and Canada. The company provides Jones Soda, a carbonated soft drink; Jones Zilch, a zero calories product in black cherry, pomegranate, and vanilla bean flavors; WhoopAss Energy Drink, an energy supplement drink; and WhoopAss Zero Energy Drink, an energy supplement drink with zero sugar. It also offers various products, including soda with customized labels, wearables, candy, and other items online. The company sells and distributes its products through its network of independent distributors and national retail accounts. Jones Soda Co. was founded in 1986 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Monster Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: MNST), a mid cap marketer and distributor of energy drinks and alternative beverages, has been a monster of a performer since the end of the financial crisis as the stock is up around 308% over the past five years, but could new or overlooked players like small cap beverage stocks�Jones Soda Co (OTCMKTS: JSDA), Celsius Holdings, Inc (OTCMKTS: CELH) and Konared Corp (OTCBB: KRED) repeat that performance? A look strictly at the long term performance of all three small caps might have you thinking otherwise. After all, none of these small cap beverage stocks are profitable while�the beverage industry can be a long hard expensive slog just to increase market share by one or two points when you are competing for shelf space with industry giants like Pepsi and Coke. But past performance is just that���the past and only part of the story as there is much more to consider about these small cap beverage stocks which could also make them potential acquisition targets by larger beverage players seeking to expand their product line up with innovative products:

Top Consumer Companies To Own In Right Now: Unilever PLC(UL)

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. It offers personal care products, including skin care and hair care products, deodorants, and oral care products under the brand names of Axe, Brylcreem, Dove, Fissan, Lifebuoy, Lux, Pond's, Radox, Rexona, Signal & Close Up, Simple, St Ives, Sunsilk, TRESemm� Vaseline, and VO5. The company also provides home care products comprising laundry tablets, powders and liquids, soap bars, and a range of cleaning products under the Cif, Comfort, Domestos, Omo, Radiant, Sunlight, and Surf brand names. In addition, it offers food products consisting of soups, bouillons, sauces, snacks, mayonnaise, salad dressings, margarines and spreads, as well as cooking products, such as liquid margarines. The company markets its food products under the brand names of Becel/Flora, Bertolli, Blue Band, Rama, Hellmann?s, Amora, and Knorr. Further, it provides refreshment products, which includ e ice cream, tea-based beverages, weight-management products, and nutritionally enhanced staples under the brand names of Heartbrand, Lipton, and Slim Fast. Unilever sells its products through its own sales force, as well as through independent brokers, agents, and distributors to chain, wholesale, co-operative and independent grocery accounts, food service distributors, and institutions. The company, formerly known as Lever Brothers Limited, was founded in 1885 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Unilever PLC is a subsidiary of The Unilever Group.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Royston Wild]

  Today, I am looking at Unilever (LSE: ULVR  ) (NYSE: UL  ) to see how it measures up.

  What are Unilever's earnings expected to do?

• [By G. A. Chester]

  Unilever� (LSE: ULVR  ) (NYSE: UL  ) ,�J Sainsbury� (LSE: SBRY  ) (NASDAQOTH: JSAIY  ) , and�Standard Chartered� (LSE: STAN  ) are three companies from the U.K.'s elite FTSE 100 index that have grown both their earnings and dividends faster than inflation and are forecast to continue doing so.

• [By Fast Weekly]

  Today I'm going to take a look at Unilever Plc (UL), the London based consumer products�conglomerate. �It's stock has sold off sharply in recent weeks, even after delivering �decent quarterly earnings. �Unilever is truly a global company, which sells everything from hygiene products to food, all around the world. The fact that Unilever Plc has been in business since 1895 is one heck of an endorsement, but how does the operating business look today.

Top Consumer Companies To Own In Right Now: STR Holdings Inc(STRI)

STR Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells encapsulants for the solar industry worldwide. Its encapsulants protect the embedded semiconductor circuits of solar panels. The company sells its products to crystalline silicon and thin-film solar module manufacturers. STR Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Enfield, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Solar stocks have not exactly given buy and hold investors a smooth ride, but small cap�GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) could be an interesting materials play on the solar sector���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with potential peers like Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: ASTI) and STR Holdings, Inc (NYSE: STRI) plus solar ETF Guggenheim Solar ETF (NYSEARCA: TAN). I should mention that just last week, we added GT Advanced Technologies to our�SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio for both�fundamentals and technical reasons and we are already up almost 9%.