Lawsuit risk overshadows spinoff benefit

Article Excerpt

Maple Leaf Foods’ investors stand to gain from its plan to spin off of its fresh pork operations. The company’s new processing facilities should also cut its operating costs. However, the stock will probably make little progress, particularly as it faces a major lawsuit. MAPLE LEAF FOODS INC. $23 is a hold. The company (Toronto symbol MFI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 123.4 million; Market cap: $2.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 3.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mapleleaffoods.com) sells fresh and prepared meats under the Maple Leaf and Schneider labels. It also makes plant-based hamburgers, hot dogs and other protein products under the Lightlife and Field Roast brands. Maple Leaf now plans to spin off its pork processing business, which raises and processes hogs, as a separate firm called Canada Packers Inc. The remaining business will get about 70% of its sales from prepared meats, followed by poultry (25%) and plant-protein products (5%). The company will distribute the new shares as a partial “butterfly…