5 Stocks Pushing The Consumer Goods Sector Lower

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model

All three major indices are trading down today with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) trading down 25 points (-0.2%) at 14,513 as of Friday, March 15, 2013, 12:49 PM ET. The NYSE advances/declines ratio sits at 1,309 issues advancing vs. 1,578 declining with 140 unchanged.

The Consumer Goods sector currently sits up 0.1% versus the S&P 500, which is down 0.1%. On the negative front, top decliners within the sector include BRF - Brasil Foods (BRFS), down 1.7%, Companhia de Bebidas das Americas Ambev (ABV), down 1.1% and Companhia de Bebidas das Americas Ambev (ABV.C), down 0.7%. A company within the sector that increased today was Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (MJN), up 1.7%.

TheStreet Ratings group would like to highlight 5 stocks pushing the sector lower today:

5. Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL) is one of the companies pushing the Consumer Goods sector lower today. As of noon trading, Colgate-Palmolive Company is down $1.36 (-1.2%) to $112.48 on heavy volume Thus far, 1.7 million shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 1.7 million shares. The stock has ranged in price between $112.33-$113.11 after having opened the day at $112.50 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $113.84.

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. The company operates in two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a market cap of $53.7 billion and is part of the consumer non-durables industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 22.3, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 8.9% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday. Currently there are 5 analysts that rate Colgate-Palmolive Company a buy, 2 analysts rate it a sell, and 14 rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Colgate-Palmolive Company as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity, good cash flow from operations, growth in earnings per share and expanding profit margins. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had generally high debt management risk by most measures that we evaluated. Get the full Colgate-Palmolive Company Ratings Report now.

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