P&G (PG) has failed to keep up with Wall Street’s earnings forecasts for four straight quarters and it’s pushed the stock down over 18% this year. James Abate, Chief Investment Officer for Centre Funds, expects that streak to end when the company reports its first quarter results next week. ‘We’ve seen some of the cost restructuring efforts that they have taken, namely to improve margins and, more importantly, increase asset efficiency and inventory turnover has started to boost return on assets and return on capital for the company,’ said Abate. Abate is also recommending General Mills (GIS), which has seen its shares rise more than 6% year-to-date. He said he likes the company’s innovation and its efforts to improve its profitability. ‘Here is a company that has defensive characteristics, improving margins in an overall market where margin improvement is a very scarce commodity,’ said Abate. ‘And its trading at 19 times earnings with a 3% dividend yield, so that’s a name we are very bullish on.’
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