Buy Dorel, hold on to AlarmForce

Article Excerpt

DOREL INDUSTRIES $23.55 (Toronto symbol DII.B; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514-731-0000; www.dorel.com;Shares outstanding: 32.8 million; Market cap: $729.3 million; Dividend yield: 2.5%) makes a wide range of products, including ready-to-assemble home and office furniture; juvenile products, such as car seats, strollers, high chairs, toddler beds and cribs; home furnishings, including chairs, tables, bunk beds, futons and step stools; and recreational products, including bicycles. It has 4,700 employees, and plants in 19 countries. In the three months ended June 30, 2011, Dorel’s sales rose 1.9%, to $619.0 million from $607.7 million a year earlier (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars). The recreational/leisure division’s sales rose 15.9%, mainly on strong demand for bicycles. That offset lower sales at the other divisions. Still, earnings per share fell 30%, to $0.70 from $1.00 a year earlier, due to rising shipping and raw-material costs. The company didn’t pass on all of these price increases to its customers, due to continuing economic weakness in the U.S….