Investors based in the United States tend to primarily focus on domestic equity exposure, and rightfully so, as they are more familiar with U.S. companies and their home country’s economy. With that said, there are some compelling things happening outside of US markets that should not be overlooked. European stocks, in particular, are consistently rallying to new all-time highs and could provide a great opportunity to add international exposure to your portfolio at this time.
European stocks are benefitting from a lot of the same themes that are present in US markets, such as the reopening of the economy and optimism surrounding the widespread distribution of vaccines. There’s also a new wave of share repurchases by companies in Europe that should help to boost prices in the coming months, and investors should take into account the strength in the Euro versus weakness in the US Dollar. These are all great reasons to consider adding shares of the top European stocks at this time, which is why we've put together a list of 3 European stocks to buy for international exposure below.
1. Unilver
First up is Unilever (NYSE:UL), a leading international consumer goods company and one of the largest providers of personal care products in the world. With a broad range of home and personal care products and food categories and products that reach over 2.5 billion consumers, investors can rest assured that this company’s products will always be in high demand. It’s a great European stock for more conservative investors that want to own a high-quality dividend payer, as the stock offers an attractive 3.28% dividend yield at this time.
Unilever owns major brands like Dove, Hellman’s, Axe, and Vaseline, and has been known to pursue high-growth acquisition opportunities in the past including the recent purchase of men’s grooming business Dollar Shave Club. It’s also worth noting that Unilever saw 58% of its reported sales in 2020 come from emerging markets, which tells us that the company has developed a strong presence in countries with growth potential such as Brazil and China. The bottom line here is that Unilever is a great option for investors interested in adding a core global consumer holding to their portfolio.
2. Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) is a Danish pharmaceutical company that is the leading provider of diabetes-care products in the world. With close to 50% market share by volume of the global insulin market, it’s a company that has established a wide economic moat. Unfortunately, diabetes is a chronic condition that requires regular treatment, which means Novo Nordisk will see steady sales for years to come. Consider the fact that obesity is a widespread health issue that impacts countries all over the world and it’s safe to say that Novo Nordisk is poised to achieve sales growth for many years to come.
This stock has been a strong performer in 2021 and has rallied over 12.5% year-to-date. Novo Nordisk could be in for even more upside, especially given the company’s promising drug pipeline. The company also owns one of the only FDA-approved obesity drugs, Saxenda, that has quickly become the world’s top obesity drug by sales and could be a nice growth driver in the long term. Novo Nordisk has also been increasing its dividend for over a decade and currently offers a 1.76% dividend yield, another attractive reason to consider adding shares.
3. ASML Holdings
Last, but not least, is ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML), a major semiconductor manufacturing equipment supplier that is headquartered in the Netherlands. The company counts all of the top chipmakers as its customers and serves both memory and logic customers. ASML’s key products are photolithography systems, which are crucial in the chip manufacturing process. The company is also pioneering Extreme Ultraviolet lithography, which could eventually help chipmakers create more powerful chips than ever before.
When you consider all of the ways that semiconductors are being used in innovative new technology, it’s easy to recognize why this stock is worth adding for the long term. Whether it's 5G networks, big data, autonomous driving, or artificial intelligence, there’s plenty of exciting new opportunities for a company like ASML to grow. The company reported Q1 earnings that exceeded expectations, including Q1 revenue of €4.36 billion, up 3% year-over-year, and should continue to benefit from the chip shortage throughout 2021.