Sara Lee Corp - SLE

"Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee!" 

Sara Lee Corporation, stock ticker SLE, is THEE global manufacturer and marketer of brand-name products for consumers globally focused primarily on the meats, bakery, beverage and household products categories. Their major brands include Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Senseo and namesake, Sara Lee. Now tell me that you have not enjoyed one of these tasty products during your lifetime? Jimmy Dean is my personal favorite. Click here to learn more about SLE brands. The list goes on and on and on and on (here).

SLE has five segments: North American Retail, North American Fresh Bakery, North American Foodservice, International Beverage and International Bakery. In May 2011, SLE acquired Aidells Sausage. In October 2011, Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. acquired North American private brand refrigerated dough business of it. In November 2011, SLE sold North American Fresh Bakery business. In December 2011, Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV announced that it has completed the acquisition of Sara Lee’s business. In January 2012, The J.M. Smucker Company acquired the North American foodservice coffee and hot beverage business of Sara Lee Corporation. In January 2012, the Company acquired Tea Forte.

I like SLE because of their healthy 2.17% dividend yield of 12 cents per share per quarter. See below for some additional SLE statistics:

52 week 15.66 - 22.04
Vol / Avg. 6.59M/8.04M
Mkt cap $12.52B
P/E 73.93
Div/yield $0.12/2.17%
EPS 0.29
Shares 591.59M
Beta 0.86
Inst. own 76%

Click here to visit Sara Lee's Investor Relations website and listen to their earnings calls. Always perform your own due diligence before you invest your hard earned dollars into a company. Take time to listen about the company direct from the horse's mouth, I mean each company's officers.

Sara Lee is a corner stone of the American packaged goods industry, however there are some positives and negatives about this company. Negative? Sales have declined at a 5 percent annual pace the past five years. Positive? Although sales have declined, earnings the past five years increased at an annual pace of 68 percent! SLE has gone 265+ quarters with a dividend and has solid margins!!

SLE is just what the doctor ordered for any ailing portfolio. Currently, SLE would be a nice addition to your Roth IRA retirement portfolio. SLE is currently selling for about $10.00 less than their all time high. They have the brand recognition to weather the storm of another economic downturn. Pick up some shares at this level and reinvest those dividends for optimal profits. Until next time, keep saving as much as your possibly can and invest in dividend aristocrats!