December presents a somewhat contradictory market picture: the VIX is low, the major indices are close to their all-time highs and yet some shares in the non-cyclical consumer goods sector are experiencing significant setbacks. This creates interesting opportunities for dividend hunters and anyone who likes to trade cash secured puts. In this article, we present three cash-secured puts that are worth a closer look at the end of the year.
What is a Cash Secured Put?
A Cash Secured Put is an option strategy in which you choose a Short Put and at the same time holds sufficient liquidity to actually buy the underlying share if it is exercised. When selling the put, you undertake to buy the share at a fixed price and receive a premium in return. If the share price remains above the specified strike, the option expires worthless and the premium remains as profit. If the share price falls below the strike, the option can be exercised and the share purchased at the agreed price, with the premium reducing the effective entry price. This strategy is particularly suitable for investors who want to buy a share or ETF at a certain price anyway and are prepared to make a corresponding commitment. The seemingly most unfavorable result, namely the purchase of the share, thus corresponds exactly to the original goal - supplemented by the advantage of a premium already received.
Below we present three companies and possible Cash Secured Puts. Important: This is neither a trading recommendation nor investment advice and is not an invitation to trade!
General Mills - Attractive valuation with stable dividend
Some non-cyclical consumer stocks are currently showing weakness - a circumstance that could offer attractive entry opportunities for long-term investors. General Mills is also trading at the 2013 price level and therefore offers interesting fundamental key figures. The food group, known for Häagen-Dazs among other things, is currently valued at a P/E ratio of just 11 - a historically favorable value. Although profits are expected to fall by around 7 % in 2025, operating cash flow should remain stable and, according to forecasts, even increase by over 11 %. The current dividend yield is 5.31 %, with the share price hovering at an important long-term support zone between $ 40 and $ 45.
The payout is sustainable: with a payout ratio of around 40 % on cash flow, the dividend is well secured and further increases also appear possible.
Possible Cash Secured Put:
- Expiry April with 129 days RLZ
- Strike 45s (tender amount USD 4,500)
- Premium income 270 USD
Despite this solid basis, it should be noted that the credit rating is "BBB" - General Mills is therefore more of a second-tier stock compared to industry giants such as Coca-Cola or Procter & Gamble. At the current valuation level, we nevertheless see General Mills as an attractive candidate for a long-term buy-and-hold portfolio.
Clorox - Solid dividend stock in the defensive consumer segment
Clorox is a US consumer goods company that is primarily known for its cleaning and household products. Its product portfolio includes disinfectants, bleach, bin liners, personal care products and nutritional supplements. Well-known brands such as „Clorox“, „Glad“ and „Burt's Bees“ belong to the company. As a defensive stock in the non-cyclical consumer sector, Clorox benefits from comparatively stable demand even in difficult economic times.
Following the corona-related surge in demand, the share has lost around 60 % in value and is currently at the 100 mark. The current dividend yield is around 4.9 %. Although the payout ratio is high at 70-80 % of earnings, it is covered by operating income. The dividend increases in the last two years have been moderate at 2 % each.
Possible Cash Secured Put:
- Expiry April with 129 days RLZ
- Strike 100s (tender amount 10,000 USD)
- Premium income 550 USD
Clorox is a dividend champion with a decades-long history of steady payouts. Overall, we regard Clorox as a classic buy-and-hold stock in the defensive consumer sector, albeit with a somewhat lower quality profile than Procter & Gamble, for example.
Diageo - Attractive entry opportunity in the UK?
Diageo, headquartered in London, is one of the world's leading producers of alcoholic beverages. Since its foundation in 1997, the company has built up a strong portfolio of brands, including Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff and Tanqueray. With activities in over 180 countries, the focus is on the production and global distribution of spirits, beer and wine.
Like many companies in the industry - including Brown-Forman - Diageo's share price has recently fallen significantly. The dividend yield currently stands at an attractive 5.0 %.
Diageo has been reliably raising its dividend for 38 years. Over the last ten years, the average annual dividend growth has been 4.08 %, and over five years 2.75 %. The payout ratio based on free cash flow is currently 85%.
Possible Cash Secured Put:
- Expiry April with 129 days RLZ
- Strike 16,000s (tender amount GBP 16,000)
- Premium income 900 GBP
There is a significant level around the 1,600 pence mark. At this price level, we consider Diageo to be attractively valued and see a good entry opportunity for long-term buy-and-hold investors.
DEO, DGE, Penny, Pound? Diageo is a British company and is quoted in British pounds (GBP). In many charting softwares, the price is given as 1,600 - but this is in pence, not pounds. The current share price is therefore GBP 16.00. In addition, there is a Depositary Receipt (DR) in the USA, but this only represents a subscription right to the share. As the UK does not levy withholding tax on dividends, buying directly on the London Stock Exchange would be the preferred option.
Conclusion
At the end of the year, there are still interesting opportunities in the non-cyclical consumer goods sector for investors looking for stable dividends or cash-secured puts. General Mills, Clorox and Diageo appear to have different profiles at first glance, but what they have in common is that they pay solid dividends and price setbacks make entry more attractive. The cash-secured put strategy not only enables a premium to be achieved, but also allows the risk to be managed in a targeted manner, as a possible purchase of the share is planned anyway. For long-term investors, these stocks can therefore be interesting both as a supplement to a buy-and-hold portfolio and as a basis for option strategies.
Anyone who finds such cash-secured puts interesting will receive in our options letter regularly provides further ideas and in-depth assessments.
Please note that this does not constitute a trading recommendation or investment advice and is not an invitation to imitate.
