A Yield to Caution

Article Excerpt

NFI GROUP INC. $20 (Toronto symbol NFI; Shares outstanding: 71.0 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; Dividend yield: 4.3%; www.nfigroup.com) is a leading transit bus maker in the U.S., Canada and globally. Longer term, NFI Group stands to benefit from rising interest in electric buses, especially as increased U.S. infrastructure funding is contracted out. At the same time, though, the company faces near-term challenges. Foremost is that it is now cutting back on production due to shortages of critical parts, components, and chassis. NFI expects those shortages to continue, at least until the second half of 2022. The company cut its quarterly dividend by 50% with the January 2021 payment, to $0.2125 a share from $0.425. The stock still yields a high 4.3%, but even its lower payout may not be sustainable if the company’s production cutbacks last longer than expected. We don’t recommend NFI Group. Group…