We’re all familiar with SC Johnson “A Family Company” am I right? What about an SC Johnson stock? With a company as popular as they are, you think you’d know the answer right? Can we trade or invest in this company? The answer might surprise you.
SC Johnson is one of the oldest family-owned companies in America today. It was founded way back in 1886 in Racine, Wisconsin, and is still going strong today. You likely don’t know the company by its name but the products it carries.
Actually you might know it if you heard the jingle: SC Johnson, a family company! Ring any bells? The interesting thing about SC Johnson is how much his small family company has managed to expand into regions around the world.
It started in rural Wisconsin, but its products are now found in Asia, Europe, Australia, and South America. SC Johnson offers plenty of regionally specific products with several that we are certain you will recognize and possibly use on a daily basis.
The current chairman and CEO is Herbert Fisk Johnson III: the fifth generation of Johnson family CEOs. Fisk, as he is known, came into the corner office of SC Johnson back in 2004, when his father passed away. He has one daughter with an estranged wife he divorced. So the succession plan for the next CEO remains unclear for SC Johnson. The headquarters for SC Johnson remains in Racine, Wisconsin to this day and has been designated a national historic landmark. Can you buy SC Johnson stock?
Can I Buy SC Johnson Stock?
Unfortunately for investors, SC Johnson remains a privately owned family company. After 135 years, it does not seem like SC Johnson has any plans to head to the public markets either. As we say, things can always change when the next generation of executives are brought in, but for now, do not expect to be able to buy shares of SC Johnson anytime soon.
Who Are SC Johnson Stock Competitors?
You might be surprised by how many products we use that are owned by this handful of companies. Let’s take a look at some of the publicly traded competitors of SC Johnson stock.
Procter and Gamble (NYSE: PG): About as American as a company can get, Procter and Gamble has been in business for 184 years and counting! It is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and serves nearly every country in the world aside from Cuba and North Korea.
Procter and Gamble has an extensive portfolio of home consumer goods such as Always, Crest toothpaste, Charmin, Febreze, Tide, Vicks, Gillette, Ivory, Cascade, Dawn, and Pampers.
Procter and Gamble literally has hundreds of other brands that are both global and regional. The company is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and has a market cap of $376 billion. There are few conglomerates that have the global reach and name brand power that Procter and Gamble possesses.
Colgate Palmolive (NYSE: CL): Pairing together a toothpaste and a dish soap company might seem strange, but you cannot argue with its success. Colgate Palmolive is a direct competitor to both Procter and Gamble and SC Johnson. While its portfolio of brands is not as impressive as P&G, Colgate Palmolive can hold its own. It owns brands like Colgate, Ajax, Irish Spring, Speed Stick deodorant, Tom’s of Maine, and Fab. Colgate Palmolive is stationed right on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and has a market cap of $67 billion.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ):
Johnson & Johnson has its lucrative medical supply segment which includes pharmaceuticals and medical devices. More recently, Johnson & Johnson was making headlines for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
If you thought Procter and Gamble had an impressive portfolio, you will want to check out what Johnson & Johnson produces. It owns brands like Aveeno, Rogaine, Neutrogena, Tylenol, Pepcid, Nicorette, Band-Aid, Listerine, Polysporin, and Benadryl. Johnson & Johnson sees an annual revenue of nearly $100 billion, which makes it one of the top-earning companies in the world.
Unilever (NYSE: UL): Perhaps Unilever is one that you have not heard of, compared to brands like Procter and Gamble or Johnson & Johnson. That is because Unilever operates in the United Kingdom, although it does trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Unilever also has plenty of products it sells stateside including Dove, Axe Body Spray, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Lipton, Sunlight, Breyer’s, Ben and Jerry’s, Magnum, Klondike, and even Dollar Shave Club. The British company is the world’s largest producer of ice cream which brings in over £5 billion annually in revenue. Unilever has been in business for 92 years since 1929 and is headquartered in London, England.
What Are Some of SC Johnson’s Products?
Home Cleaning Supplies
SC Johnson stock owns some of the more recognizable home cleaning brands on the market. You will likely recognize brands like Fantastik, Drano, Duck, Pledge, Shout, and Windex. Home cleaning supplies is one of SC Johnson’s more lucrative segments, and the company offers region specific cleaning products as well. Like other brands, SC Johnson has been involved in some controversy about animal testing and environmental safety. SC Johnson is committed to sustainability and a more transparent business for the greater health of the world.
Pest Control
Yes SC Johnson has a wide range of products, and pest control is one of its biggest sellers. SC Johnson owns recognizable brands such as Raid and Off! The company has been in the pest control business for over sixty years now and Raid is one of the most commonly used forms of pest control in the world.
Home Storage
Perhaps some of SC Johnson’s most widely used and globally recognized brands: Saran Wrap and Ziploc. There is a good chance that many of you use these brands on a daily basis, for organizing and keeping your food fresh.
More Products to Look At
Lifestyle Brands
SC Johnson is also taking advantage of the new clean lifestyle popularity by selling premium versions of their soaps. Brands like Method and Mrs. Meyer’s are premium soaps that come with a fairly steep price tag, especially when compared to their other soaps. SC Johnson also owns the brand Babyganics, which is focused on a healthier and more natural line of products for babies.
Air Care
When it comes to keeping your air fresh and smelling nice, there is nothing that compares to Glade. That’s right, SC Johnson owns Glade plug-ins, sprays, and any other product that is associated with the air freshener.
International Products
As we mentioned, SC Johnson makes products that are for specific international markets. As is often the case, some of these products can have some pretty humorous names due to translation and regional appeal.
For example, instead of the cleaning product Mr. Clean that is owned by Procter and Gamble, SC Johnson has an international version called Mr. Muscle. SC Johnson has a Kiwi line of products that is popular in Australia and New Zealand, and also provides Asian markets with their own specific brands as well.
SC Johnson Stock and Sustainability
If you like to use more natural products and companies that are environmentally conscious, then SC Johnson might surprise you. The brand is dedicated to a world of sustainability, and is working hard to eliminate the use of plastics and using renewable energy sources to reduce their carbon footprint. SC Johnson has teamed up with local sports teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Milwaukee Brewers to turn plastic cups used at games into bottles for their products. Which would be a plus if there was an SC Johnson stock.
Conclusion
Recognizable brands, international expansion, and dedication to sustainability? Seems like a slam dunk of an investment doesn’t it? It’s too bad SC Johnson stock isn’t a publicly traded company after all these decades. It remains one of the foundational consumer product companies in America, and owns brands and products that are used around the world.
SC Johnson is up there with Procter and Gamble, Unilever, Colgate Palmolive, and Johnson & Johnson as the true consumer-based conglomerates. Were you as surprised as I was at how many brands in the world fall under these five behemoth companies? As the others are, SC Johnson would make for a great investment, but for that, you will have to see if the company ever decides to go public.
