Use these updates to enhance your returns: Philips, Sherin-Williams & Stanley Black

Article Excerpt

PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V. ADRs $20 is a hold. The company (New York symbol PHG; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; ADRs outstanding: 906.4 million; Market cap: $18.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 4.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.philips.com) has stopped selling its sleep apnea and ventilator machines in the U.S. That’s because it’s now changing the way it makes those machines due to concerns a foam used in the devices could degrade and release harmful particles. Philips is also recalling some medical imaging machines due to the risk that a detector in some devices could fall on patients during scans. In the fourth quarter of 2023, Philips set aside 363 million euros to cover the costs of fixing its manufacturing methods and writedowns of equipment (1 euro=$1.49 Canadian). If you exclude that charge, Philips earned 0.41 euros per ADR (or a total of 381 million euros). Thanks to a cost-cutting plan, that’s up 5.1% from 0.39 euros per share (or 360 million…