Updates on TORSTAR CORP., TELUS CORP. and LOBLAW COMPANIES

Article Excerpt

TORSTAR CORP. $14 (Toronto symbol TS.B; Shares outstanding: 78.9 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.6%; www.torstar.com) continues to benefit from the deep cost cuts it made over the past few years in response to slowing advertising and circulation revenue at its newspapers. As a result, Torstar’s earnings rose 70.9% in 2010, to $60.9 million, or $0.76 a share. It earned $35.6 million, or $0.45 a share, in 2009. If you exclude losses from Torstar’s 20% investment in CTVglobemedia, earnings per share would have risen 67.6%, to $1.14 from $0.68. (Privately held CTVglobemedia owns the CTV Television Network, 30 specialty channels and 34 radio stations.) On this basis, the 2010 earnings beat the consensus estimate of $1.13 a share. Revenue rose 1.9%, to $1.48 billion from $1.45 billion. Revenue at Torstar’s newspapers and web sites (68% of its 2010 revenue) rose 5.6%. However, revenue from its Harlequin book-publishing subsidiary (32% of revenue) fell 5.1%. That’s mainly…