Lower costs help Molson Coors compete

Article Excerpt

MOLSON COORS CANADA INC. (Toronto symbols TPX.A $45 and TPX.B $45; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 185.5 million; Market cap: $8.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.7; Dividend yield: 2.1%; SI Rating: Average) is the world’s fifth-largest brewer by volume. Its top brands include Coors Light, Molson Canadian and Carling. The company gets 49% of its gross profit from Canada, followed by the U.S. (41%) and the U.K. (10%). In February 2005, Canadian brewer Molson Inc. merged with U.S.-based Adolph Coors Co. The cost savings from the merger continue to help the company compete with large international brewers. At the time of the merger, Canadian shareholders received exchangeable shares in Molson Coors Canada. These shares carry the same voting and dividend rights as common shares of the U.S. parent company, Molson Coors Brewing Co. (New York symbol TAP). In July 2008, the company merged its U.S. brewing operations with those of rival brewer SABMiller. Both companies have equal voting rights in this joint venture,…