What's the yardstick by which all snooze-inducing events are measured? Watching paint dry? Watching grass grow? As somnolent as these activities may be, the paint and lawn-care industries harbor some surprisingly solid companies.
Since the global paint market is as fragmented as a Jackson Pollock original, rumors of merger and consolidation activity have become a key factor in the industry. I've decided to peer into the paint biz and identify a definitive boring stock worth your consideration. (In a future installment, I'll do likewise for lawn care.)
The princes of paint
Backed by two centuries of operating history, Akzo Nobel
The U.K.'s Imperial Chemical Industries
I was initially excited to dig up such a large, boring company that seems to fly under the radar of our Motley Fool CAPS players; only seven members have weighed in on Imperial's prospects, so the company has no CAPS rating. However, all the excitement surrounding the swirling buyout rumors simply cans this company's chances of being dubbed a definitive boring stock.
Two American paint firms have also been mentioned as potential takeover targets. Valspar has seen an analyst upgrade on buyout prospects stemming from its "low-cost, high-quality and geographically well-positioned coatings assets." Pittsburgh's PPG Industries
Lastly, there's Sherwin-Williams
Further painterly Foolishness:
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Fool contributor Toby Shute is the grandson of a house painter, but he personally enjoys reading the paint companies' SEC filings more than using their products. He welcomes your feedback. Dow Chemical and PPG Industries are
Motley Fool Income Investor
picks. The Motley Fool's disclosure policy has a fresh, glossy sheen.