New markets should spur MTS

Article Excerpt

MTS SYSTEMS CORP. $26 (Nasdaq symbol MTSC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 16.7 million; Market cap: $434.2 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; WSSF Rating: Average) earned $17.4 million, or $1.03 a share, in the fiscal year ended October 3, 2009. That’s down 63.1% from $47.1 million, or $2.68 a share, in the prior year. However, if you exclude a $12.1-million charge related to a 12% cut that MTS made to its workforce, it would have earned $1.51 a share in the latest year. These job cuts should save it $21 million in fiscal 2010. Sales fell 11.2%, to $408.9 million from $460.5 million, as struggling carmakers spent less on testing equipment. However, MTS is seeing higher demand from other types of firms, such as wind-turbine makers. The company continues to pay quarterly dividends of $0.15 a share, for an annualized yield of 2.3%. MTS Systems is a buy. buy…