Canon aims for a turnaround

Article Excerpt

CANON INC. ADRs $29 (New York symbol CAJ; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $31.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 4.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canon. com) completed its $5.9 billion acquisition of the medical equipment business of Toshiba Corp. in December 2016. That business makes diagnostic imaging systems such as MRI (magnetic resonance imagining), X-ray and ultrasound equipment. These high-margin products should cut Canon’s reliance on digital cameras. Sales of those devices continue to suffer as more people use their smartphones to take pictures. As a result, Canon’s overall sales fell 6.7%, to $29.3 billion in 2016 from $31.4 billion in 2015. Earnings per ADR dropped 28.7%, to $1.19 from $1.67. Canon is a hold. hold…