The 2016 All-Europe Research Team: Household & Personal Care Products, No. 1: Andrew Wood

Andrew Wood

Sanford C. Bernstein

First-Place Appearances: 7

Total Appearances: 10

Team Debut: 2007

Andrew Wood delivers seventh consecutive No. 1 finishes for Sanford C. Bernstein on this roster and on the Food Producers lineup, in part thanks to the loyalty of longtime clients. For example, one admirer offers that he has “followed Andrew’s work since he joined Bernstein and like how he takes a long-term perspective in his analysis.” The Singapore-based researcher, 51, monitors four regional household and personal care products names and sees gradual improvement for the sector after tough years in 2014 and 2015, when weak consumer markets and strong competitive pressures kept stocks from soaring. Now, however, the deflationary commodities environment will allow for more spending on advertising and promotion, he contends, which should boost companies’ top lines, especially as consumer conditions advance across both emerging and developed markets. England’s Reckitt Benckiser Group, a name he first recommended in April 2011, at 2,752.61p, remains Wood’s top pick. Over the past year he has advised that the diversified manufacturer’s shift toward the fast-growth consumer health industry will bolster performance in a big way. In mid-January the stock was trading at 6,008p, and the analyst assigns it a price objective of 6,600p. During the preceding 12-month period, Reckitt Benckiser climbed 14.8 percent, compared with the regional sector’s gain of 12.9 percent.