Today I am discussing the earnings prospects of four FTSE 100 beauties.
A tasty growth stock
Very few companies can boast the strong relationship that Diageo (LSE: DGE) has with its customers. Through an array of leading labels from Guinness stout, Johnnie Walker whisky and Smirnoff vodka, the business has a stranglehold on the drinks market that enables it to grow revenues regardless of the broader economic climate.
Diageo is steadily boosting investment in these ranges to maintain their evergreen popularity with shoppers, while it is also acquiring other market-leading brands to bolster its beverages stable — the business snapped up Mexico’s Don Julio tequila last year, for example.
And with Diageo steadily ramping up its operations in lucrative emerging markets, I believe the firm should deliver stunning earnings growth well into the future.
Post spectacular returns
I am convinced that Royal Mail (LSE: RMG) is also a hot growth candidate owing to the prospect of exploding parcels traffic in the years ahead.
The breakneck growth of online commerce was underlined by the British Retail Consortium this week, who revealed that online sales of non-food products grew 10.7% in February versus a year earlier, compared with February 2015’s rise of 8.3% over the previous year .
And internet colossus Amazon announced plans to open yet another operational centre this year, the creation of a new base in Manchester underlining the strength of the e-commerce sub-segment.
Royal Mail’s dominance of the UK parcels market puts it in the box seat to enjoy the fruits of this improving trend. And with restructuring also boosting its package delivery service — not to mention slashing costs from the business — I expect earnings to keep striding higher.
Pick out ‘The Pru’
While it is true the impact of economic cooling in Asia may hamper sales at Prudential (LSE: PRU) in the near-term, I believe the firm’s decision to bolster its emerging market footprint should deliver sterling gains in the coming years.
Prudential announced on Wednesday that pre-tax operating profits leapt by almost a quarter in 2015, to £4bn, with strength witnessed across all of its territories — sales in Asia, the US and its core UK markets advanced 16%, 18% and 33% respectively last year.
By tailoring its products to a rising middle class in Asia and the ‘baby-boomer’ generation in the States, Prudential continues to enjoy stunning new business growth in its key overseas growth markets.
And Prudential chief executive Mike Wells continues to underplay the impact of financial slowdown in China on insurance product demand. If Prudential continues to outperform the market despite current market difficulties, then one can expect sales to explode once the country’s economy starts to pick up again.
A diversified delight
Like Diageo, household goods giant Unilever (LSE: ULVR) boasts a broad range of brands that command exceptional loyalty from customers the world over.
And Unilever’s expertise across many product segments gives it terrific diversification, providing its growth outlook with that little bit of extra protection. From Axe deodorant and Surf detergent to Flora and Becel spreads, the London business has its fingers in many pies.
On top of this, investors can also look forward to surging revenues from developing regions as population and income levels rise. Unilever already sources around 60% of sales from these territories, and the business is ratcheting up investment in Asia to underpin earnings expansion for the years ahead.
