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Summary The Consumer Staples sector ranks first in Q4’15. Based on an aggregation of ratings of 10 ETFs and 8 mutual funds.. FSTA is our top-rated Consumer Staples ETF and VCSAX is our top-rated Consumer Staples mutual fund.. The Consumer Staples sector ranks first out of the 10 sectors as detailed in our Q4’15 Sector Ratings for ETFs and Mutual Funds report. It gets our Attractive rating, which is based on aggregation of ratings of 10 ETFs and eight mutual funds in the Consumer Staples sector. See a recap of our Q3’15 Sector Ratings here . Figure 1 ranks from best to worst the nine Consumer Staples ETFs that meet our liquidity standards and Figure 2 ranks from best to worst all eight Consumer Staples mutual funds. Not all Consumer Staples sector ETFs and mutual funds are created the same. The number of holdings varies widely (from 16 to 114). This variation creates drastically different investment implications and, therefore, ratings. Investors seeking exposure to the Consumer Staples sector should buy one of the Attractive-or-better rated ETFs or mutual funds from Figures 1 and 2. It is rare that two of the worst ETFs in this sector hold enough quality stocks to earn an Attractive-or-better rating. Figure 1: ETFs with the Best & Worst Ratings – Top 5 (click to enlarge) * Best ETFs exclude ETFs with TNAs less than $100 million for inadequate liquidity. Sources: New Constructs, LLC and company filings The ProShares Ultra Consumer Goods ETF (NYSEARCA: UGE ) is excluded from Figure 1 because its total net assets are below $100 million and do not meet our liquidity minimums. Figure 2: Mutual Funds with the Best & Worst Ratings – Top 5 (click to enlarge) * Best mutual funds exclude funds with TNAs less than $100 million for inadequate liquidity. Sources: New Constructs, LLC and company filings The Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF (NYSEARCA: FSTA ) is the top-rated Consumer Staples ETF and the Vanguard World Funds: Consumer Staples Index (MUTF: VCSAX ) is the top-rated Consumer Staples mutual fund. FSTA earns a Very Attractive rating and VCSAX earns an Attractive rating. The PowerShares S&P SmallCap Consumer Staples Portfolio ETF (NASDAQ: PSCC ) is the worst-rated Consumer Staples ETF and the ICON Consumer Staples Fund (MUTF: ICRAX ) is the worst-rated Consumer Staples mutual fund. PSCC earns a Neutral rating and ICRAX earns a Very Dangerous rating 112 stocks of the 3000+ we cover are classified as Consumer Staples stocks. Cal-Maine Foods (NASDAQ: CALM ) is one of our favorite stocks held by Consumer Staples ETFs and mutual funds and was previously a Stock Pick of the Week . It earns a Very Attractive rating. Since 1998, Cal-Maine has grown after-tax profit ( NOPAT ) by an impressive 20% compounded annually. Over this same timeframe, Cal-Maine’s return on invested capital ( ROIC ) has improved from 5% to its current top quintile 45%. Despite nearly two decades of excellent business operations, CALM is priced for significant profit decline. At its current price of $61/share, CALM has a price to economic book value ( PEBV ) ratio of 0.7. This ratio implies that the market expects the company’s profits to permanently decline by 30%. If Cal-Maine can grow NOPAT by just 8% compounded annually over the next decade , the stock is worth $76/share today – a 25% upside. Seneca Foods Corp (NASDAQ: SENEA ) is one of our least favorite stocks held by Consumer Staples ETFs and mutual funds and earns a Dangerous rating. Since 2012, the company has been unable to grow profits, as NOPAT has declined by 25% compounded annually. Making matters worse, Seneca’s ROIC fell to a bottom quintile -2% from 8% over this same timeframe. Despite the deteriorating business fundamentals, SENEA remains priced for significant profit growth moving forward. To justify its current price of $26/share, Seneca must grow NOPAT by 11% compounded annually for the next 20 years . Investors would be wise to stay away from overvalued stocks like SENEA. Figures 3 and 4 show the rating landscape of all Consumer Staples ETFs and mutual funds. Figure 3: Separating the Best ETFs From the Worst ETFs (click to enlarge) Sources: New Constructs, LLC and company filings Figure 4: Separating the Best Mutual Funds From the Worst Mutual Funds (click to enlarge) Sources: New Constructs, LLC and company filings Disclosure: David Trainer and Blaine Skaggs receive no compensation to write about any specific stock, sector or theme. Scalper1 News
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