Rising interest rates add to its risk

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SNAP-ON INC. $158 (New York symbol SNA; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 56.7 million; Market cap: $9.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.snapon.com) makes tools for auto mechanics and sells them through a fleet of franchised vans that visit garages. It also makes specialized tools for mining companies, electrical power plants and other industrial customers. In the fourth quarter of 2017, sales of tools and related equipment rose 9.5%, to $974.6 million from $889.8 million a year earlier. That gain included $29.7 million from recent acquisitions. Revenue from the financing unit rose 7.7%, to $79.9 million from $74.2 million. Earnings in the quarter fell 9.3%, to $2.24 a share from $2.47. If you exclude a charge related to a patent infringement lawsuit and other unusual items, Snap-On earned $2.69 a share in the latest quarter. The company will likely earn $10.08 a share in 2017, and the stock trades at moderate 15.7 times that estimate…