Buy Goodyear, hold on to ATN

Article Excerpt

GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO. $34.37 (Nasdaq symbol GT; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (330-796-2122; www.goodyear.com; Shares outstanding: 246.3 million; Market cap: $8.5 billion; Dividend yield: 1.6%) is one of the world’s largest tire makers. It has 47 production plants in 21 countries worldwide. For the three months ended September 30, 2017, the company earned $177 million, excluding one-time items. That’s a decrease of 42.9%, from $310 million a year earlier. The decline was partly due to slowing vehicle sales in both North America and China. Higher raw material costs, up more than 30%, also contributed. Earnings per share fell 40.2%, to $0.70 from $1.17, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue rose 1.9%, to $3.92 billion from $3.85 billion. While Goodyear sold fewer tires overall, it sold more high profit-margin premium tires. The long-term outlook for vehicle and tire sales is strong. That’s due to cheaper gas, growing employment and a rise in the average number of miles consumers drive. The company also continues to develop connected…