A Yield to Caution: Alaris Royalty Corp.

Article Excerpt

ALARIS ROYALTY CORP. $19 (Toronto symbol AD; Shares outstanding: 36.5 million; Market cap: $693.5 million; Dividend yield: 8.7%; www.alarisroyaties.com) lends money to its partners—private businesses—in exchange for royalties or distributions. Its goal is to generate stable cash flows and so provide its shareholders with dividend payments. These partner firms pay monthly distributions to Alaris, and the company adjusts the interest rates it charges them annually based on certain criteria. They include changes in a client’s sales or profits. Alaris pays a monthly dividend of $0.1375 a share: the annual rate of $1.65 yields a high 8.7%. The company currently collects distributions from 18 private businesses. An example of Alaris’s partners is franchisor Planet Fitness, with 60 gyms in the U.S. The chain of health clubs plans to open more locations. Alaris’s income depends on a highly volatile, highly leveraged business model. Its focus on private businesses also makes it difficult to value. The company aims to invest in profitable firms operating in stable industries, but private companies do sometimes…