CAP’s industry report is based on an examination of 19 companies in the Consumer Products industry with median 2015 revenue and market cap of approximately $18B and $46B, respectively.
The Consumer Products sector faced its challenges in 2015; 1-year Revenue and EBITDA growth were down slightly at median, while the S&P 500 as a whole experienced modest growth. Many of the Consumer Products companies operate in countries outside the U.S. and were impacted by the relative strengthening of the U.S. dollar in 2015. Despite the slight declines in financial performance, 1-year Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”) for companies in the Consumer Products industry was very strong (+17%) and significantly outpaced the S&P 500 which was flat overall (+0.6%). Strong TSR performance signals that the market may be more influenced by a Consumer Products company’s strategic direction and product innovation than short-term financial performance which can be impacted by macro-economic factors including a potential rebound in certain global markets compared to expectations at the end of 2014.
