Saputo diversifies its product line

Article Excerpt

SAPUTO INC. $43 (Toronto symbol SAP; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 386.2 million; Market cap: $16.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 1.5%; 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 and Argentina. The company recently agreed to a buy a plant in Florida that makes extended shelf-life dairy products. To make those products, dairy producers use a process that reduces bacteria in raw milk before pasteurization. They also use special packaging that keeps refrigerated milk fresh for between 30 and 90 days. Saputo has not yet said how much it will pay for this facility. However, it should add $59 million to its annual revenue. Meantime, the company earned $200.3 million in its fiscal 2018 first quarter ended June 30, 2017. That’s up 13.4% from $176.7 million a year earlier. Per-share earnings rose at a faster rate of 15.9%, to $0.51 from $0.44, on…