What's Next for Reckitt Benckiser?

Following news that Reckitt's CEO is retiring, we are revisiting the assumptions we made regarding the integration of recently acquired SSL International

Lauren DeSanto 15 April, 2011 | 10:34AM
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We are placing Reckitt Benckiser (RB.) under review following the news that CEO Bart Becht is retiring later this year. Just before this news, we were in the process of updating our model following the release of the firm's annual filing, and we anticipated raising our fair value estimate. While we still expect a fair value increase, we will probably revisit the assumptions we made regarding the integration of recently acquired SSL International.

The acquisition appears to be on track in terms of its integration, but Reckitt seems to have its hands very full right now. The firm has a strong bench of managerial talent, and incoming CEO Rakesh Kapoor has a solid record with Reckitt and led the firm's successful Powerbrand strategies. Becht's departure follows the retirement of CFO Colin Day last October, however, and we doubt that new CFO Liz Doherty has her arms around all of Reckitt's operations just yet, including the acquisition of Paras Pharma, which officially closed Monday.

In our valuation we will be accounting for the possibility that the firm is unable to capitalise on SSL's brands quickly, given this leadership turnover. As operationally strong as Reckitt is, the change of its top leadership in such a short period is a concern. As a parallel, Procter & Gamble's former CEO A.G. Lafley and former CFO Clayt Daley both stepped down from their positions within about six months of each other. P&G, which in our opinion effectively sets the bar in terms of having a topnotch talent pool, has only really regained its footing in the past nine months. Reckitt reports first-quarter earnings next week, and we expect to have our report and fair value estimate updated shortly thereafter.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security NamePriceChange (%)Morningstar
Rating
Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC4,278.00 GBX-0.02Rating

About Author

Lauren DeSanto  Lauren DeSanto is Morningstar's chief operating officer for equity research.

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