TOYOTA MOTOR CO. ADRs $106

TOYOTA MOTOR CO. ADRs $106 (New York symbol TM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 1.5 billion; Market cap: $159.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.toyota.com) is the world’s largest carmaker. In its fiscal 2016 third quarter, which ended December 31, 2015, Toyota sold 2.22 million vehicles worldwide, down 2.1% from a year earlier. North American sales rose 2.2%. However, sales fell 4.5% in Europe, 1.0% in Japan and 3.2% in other parts of Asia. Revenue gained 1.9%, to $61.0 billion from $59.9 billion. Revenue in Japanese yen rose 2.4%. Cost cuts and favourable exchange rates boosted earnings per ADR by 4.7%, to $3.32 from $3.17 (each American depositary receipt equals two Toyota common shares). The company expects to sell 8.75 million vehicles for all of fiscal 2016, unchanged from 2015. Even so, better production efficiency and positive foreign exchange rates should push up its earnings by 3.6%, to $12.75 per ADR. The stock trades at just 8.3 times that estimate. The $3.64 dividend yields 3.4%. Toyota is a buy.

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