# Product Portfolio: Definition, and What Its Analysis Tells You

## What Is a Product Portfolio?

A product [portfolio](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/portfolio.asp) is the collection of all the products or services offered by a company, each with a different growth rate and market share. Product portfolio analysis can provide nuanced views on a stock type, company growth prospects, profit margin drivers, income contributions, market leadership, and operational risk. This is essential for [investors conducting equity research](https://www.investopedia.com/investing/equity-research/) or analysts supporting internal corporate financial planning.

### Key Takeaways

*   A product portfolio is the menu of goods or services that a firm produces and offers for sale.
*   Analysis of product portfolios can give deep and nuanced insight into the workings of a company and its earnings potential.
*   Product portfolios will tend to be different for mature vs. younger growth companies.

## Understanding Product Portfolios

Product portfolios are an important element of financial analysis because they provide context and granularity to a firm and its primary operations. Investors can distinguish between [long-term](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/longtermassets.asp) [value stocks](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/valuestock.asp) and [short-term asset](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/shortterm.asp) growth opportunities. Portfolio analysis of a firm’s product offerings also allows [investors](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/investor.asp) to nail down specific drivers of financial performance, which is necessary for effective [modeling](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financialmodeling.asp).

The various components of a portfolio also face different market dynamics and can contribute inconsistently to the [bottom line](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bottomline.asp). A firm’s market share can vary among the parts of its offering, with more-dominant products generally requiring different strategies from high-growth portions of the portfolio. A shifting [sales mix](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sales-mix.asp) can have significant consequences for the bottom line when margins vary across the portfolio.

Companies often rebrand or restructure underperforming and unprofitable products, a strategy that requires portfolio analysis. Products that contribute the most income are generally the most important for short-term financial analysis, and alterations to these flagship elements of the portfolio impact performance more substantially.

Apple Inc. is known for offering a variety of electronic devices, but the iPhone is the most important driver of [top-line](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/topline.asp) and bottom-line results. This smartphone contributed nearly 48% of total company sales as of the fourth quarter of 2022, meaning its performance is more meaningful than that of Apple’s laptops, iPad, or App Store.

## Product Portfolios and Mature Companies

Mature companies often have diversified product portfolios, because internal product development and acquisitions contribute to portfolio size over time, and larger enterprises have the infrastructure to support the marketing of a broader offering. Geographic expansion can also augment a product portfolio, with products varying in popularity among cities or countries.

[Diversification](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/diversification.asp) tends to limit growth potential while reducing downside risk, so mature firms tend to exhibit less operational volatility. This reduces the amount of speculation in equity valuation. The Procter & Gamble Co. is an example of such a company, with 65 different, well-known personal and household goods brands, including Bounty, Charmin, Crest, Gillette, and Tide.

## Product Portfolios and Growth Companies

Younger firms with small portfolios are more [exposed](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financial-exposure.asp) to the performance of their main products, which can lead to greater operational volatility. More risk and higher growth potential lead to more speculative equity [valuation](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/valuation.asp). The various components in a product portfolio often have disparate margins, because they have different price dynamics, production costs, or marketing demands.

## What is a product portfolio?

A product portfolio contains every product or service that a company provides, each of which will differ with regard to growth rate and market share. Products with high profit margins will often subsidize those with low ones.

## What is product portfolio analysis?

Analyzing a profit portfolio is de rigueur for the successful operation of a company. Knowing which products are making the most money, which have low profits but growth potential, and which are underperforming is crucial to economic success.

## How do product portfolios differ among companies?

Each product portfolio will, of course, be specific to the company in question, meaning no two portfolios are exactly alike, though they may be similar. Older companies generally have portfolios that are more greatly diversified than younger companies, having been in business longer with more opportunity to expand. As a result, they have less operational volatility than younger companies, which may rely upon the performance of fewer products, opening them up to greater [risk](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financialrisk.asp).

## The Bottom Line

All the products and services offered by a company constitute its product portfolio. Analyzing a company’s product portfolio allows investors and internal analysts to assess its strengths and growth potential, as well as the risks that investing in it could entail. There are significant differences between the portfolios of mature companies and younger firms.  

> **Article Sources**
>
> 1.  Boston Consulting Group. “[The Product Portfolio](https://www.bcg.com/publications/1970/strategy-the-product-portfolio).”
>     
> 2.  Statista. “[Share of Apple’s Revenue by Product Category from the 1st Quarter of 2012 to the 4th Quarter of 2022](https://www.statista.com/statistics/382260/segments-share-revenue-of-apple/).”
>     
> 3.  Procter & Gamble Careers. “[About Us: Build Brands That Are More than Just Brands](https://www.pgcareers.com/about-us).”