Russian pork ban could boost Maple Leaf

Article Excerpt

MAPLE LEAF FOODS INC. $20 (Toronto symbol MFI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 141.9 million; Market cap: $2.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 0.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mapleleaf.ca) ships only a small portion of its pork products to Russia, so that country’s recent ban on food imports from Canada will have little effect on its sales and earnings. Pork prices have moved up recently, because a virus has cut hog supplies. As a result, consumers have shifted to beef and other meats. However, the Russian pork ban could cut prices in Canada, which would help spur demand for Maple Leaf’s products. Meanwhile, Maple Leaf’s sales rose 9.6% in the three months ended June 30, 2014, to $831.8 million from $759.3 million a year earlier, as higher selling prices offset lower volumes. The company continues to restructure, including closing older plants. Its loss narrowed to $0.13 a share from $0.25. Maple Leaf Foods is still a buy. buy…