Restaurant closures hurt Saputo

Article Excerpt

SAPUTO INC. $35 is still a hold. The company (Toronto symbol SAP; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 408.7 million; Market cap: $14.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.saputo.com) is Canada’s largest producer of dairy products, including milk, butter and cheese. It also operates dairies in the U.S., Australia, the U.K. and Argentina. Saputo’s revenue in its fiscal 2021 second quarter, ended September 30, 2020, rose 1.0%, to $3.70 billion from $3.67 billion a year earlier. Improving sales to consumers offset weaker demand from restaurants, many of which continue to operate at reduced capacity due to COVID-19. In the quarter, those customers accounted for 31% of Saputo’s total revenue. Disregarding costs related to acquisitions and other unusual items, the company’s earnings declined 10.0%, to $0.45 a share from $0.50. Saputo is a hold. hold…