price to sales ratio

THOMSON REUTERS CORP. $54 (Toronto symbol TRI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 784.1 million; Market cap: $42.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 3.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.thomsonreuters.com) sells specialized information products in four main areas: financial (53% of 2014 revenue, 39% of earnings); legal (28%, 39%); tax (11%, 12%); and intellectual property and science (8%, 10%). The company continues to see rising demand for its financial-information products in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. It’s also doing a good job of getting traders and portfolio managers to upgrade their older electronic terminals, through which Thomson supplies them with news and financial data, to its new Eikon platform. In the three months ended June 30, 2015, Thomson’s revenue fell 3.8%, to $3.0 billion from $3.2 billion (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Without the negative impact of the high U.S. dollar on its overseas operations (40% of the total), revenue rose 2%....

These two banks are making timely acquisitions south of the border. We feel these purchases will help both profit from an improving U.S. economy, while the lower Canadian dollar enhances these businesses’ revenue and profits. ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $76 (Toronto symbol RY; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $106.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.2; Dividend yield: 4.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.rbc.com) continues to sell its less promising overseas operations as it shifts its international focus to the U.S., U.K. and Asia. For example, it recently sold its retail banking business in the country of Suriname, South America....

IGM FINANCIAL INC. $38 (Toronto symbol IGM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 247.5 million; Market cap: $9.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.1; Dividend yield: 5.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.igmfinancial.com) had $137.9 billion worth of assets under management as of July 31, 2015, down 3.0% from $142.1 billion a year earlier. The company’s fee income rises and falls with the value of the mutual funds and other securities it manages, so its revenue and earnings decline when the price of these assets falls. However, IGM sells most of its funds through its own salesforce. This leaves it less dependent on selling through the brokerage industry than its competitors. This salesforce also lets IGM form close relationships with clients, and keep redemption rates down. IGM Financial is a buy.

POTASH CORP. OF SASKATCHEWAN $34 (Toronto symbol POT; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 834.7 million; Market cap: $28.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.5; Dividend yield: 5.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.potashcorp.com) has offered to buy leading German fertilizer producer K+S AG for around $8.6 billion U.S. K+S has rejected the offer, as it feels the price discounts the potential value of its new Legacy potash mine in Saskatchewan, which will open in 2016. As a result, K+S has indicated that Potash Corp. would have to raise its bid by roughly 22%. In response, Potash Corp. may launch a hostile takeover offer. However, German regulators would probably block an acquisition, particularly if Potash Corp. plans to close some of K+S’s mines. Potash Corp. is still a hold....

LINAMAR CORP. $71 (Toronto symbol LNR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 65.1 million; Market cap: $4.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 0.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.linamar.com) saw its sales rise 23.8% in the three months ended June 30, 2015, to a record $1.4 billion from $1.1 billion a year earlier. Sales at the company’s powertrain and driveline division (79% of the total) rose 22.5%, thanks to acquisitions and the launch of new transmissions and other automotive products. The industrialproducts division’s sales (21%) gained 28.9%, mainly due to strong demand for the company’s Skyjack self-propelled, scissor-type elevating work platforms. Earnings jumped 33.3%, to a record $1.84 a share from $1.38. In addition to the higher sales, Linamar’s earnings benefited from efficiency improvements and favourable currency exchange rates....

MICROSOFT CORP. $43 (Nasdaq symbol MSFT; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 8.0 billion; Market cap: $344.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.5; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.microsoft.com) is the world’s largest software company. Its Windows operating system powers about 90% of the world’s personal computers.

Microsoft’s other main product— its Office suite, which includes a word processor (Word) and spreadsheet program (Excel)— controls 90% of this market.

Over the past few years, Microsoft has expanded into computer-hardware products, including its Xbox video game console and Surface tablet computer.

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BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS INC. $52 (New York symbol BR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 118.2 million; Market cap: $6.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 2.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.broadridge.com) serves the investment industry in three main areas: investor communications, securities processing and transaction clearing.

Without one-time items, the company earned $171.5 million in its fiscal 2015 fourth quarter, which ended June 30, 2015. That’s up 18.6% from $144.6 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 20.7%, to $1.40 from $1.16, on fewer shares outstanding.

Revenue gained 4.9%, to $929.6 million from $885.9 million. Broadridge continues to add new clients and is doing a good job of holding on to existing ones. Recurring fee revenue rose 7% in the latest quarter and accounted for 65% of the total.

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APPLE INC. $110 (Nasdaq symbol AAPL; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.7 billion; Market cap: $627.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; Dividend yield: 1.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.apple.com) plans to let Best Buy and other retailers sell its new Apple Watch. Until now, customers could only purchase the watch through Apple’s website or in its company-owned stores.

In its latest quarter, Apple didn’t provide specific sales data for the watch, but it did say that demand exceeded its initial projections.

Apple is still a hold.

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PEPSICO INC. $92 (New York symbol PEP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.5 billion; Market cap: $138.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.0; Dividend yield: 3.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pepsico.com) has suffered lately as a more health-conscious population consumes fewer soft drinks. Sales of its low-calorie sodas have also fallen on concerns over the long-term health effects of the artificial sweetener aspartame. In 2014, total U.S. diet soda sales declined 5.9%.

In response, PepsiCo has replaced the aspartame in Diet Pepsi with Splenda, a low-calorie sweetener made from regular sugar. The switch will likely boost sales, as the company has launched a new marketing campaign and promotions that will likely encourage consumers to try the new drink. Even so, PepsiCo’s overall sales will likely stay weak for the rest of 2015.

PepsiCo is a hold.
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MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL INC. $42 (Nasdaq symbol MDLZ; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.6 billion; Market cap: $67.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.0; Dividend yield: 1.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mondelezinternational.com) makes cookies and biscuits (Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Ritz), chocolate bars (Cadbury, Toblerone), gum and candy (Trident, Chiclets) and Halls cough drops.

The stock gained 10% recently on news that activist investment firm Pershing Square Capital now owns 7.5% of the company. Pershing will likely pressure Mondelez to improve its profitability, instead of trying to break it up or merge it with another food maker. However, the stock is expensive at 23.6 times the company’s projected 2015 earnings of $1.78 a share.

Mondelez is a hold.

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