Leon’s reports record sales

Article Excerpt

LEON’S FURNITURE LTD., $16, is a buy. The retailer (Toronto symbol LNF; High-Growth Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 77.6 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; Dividend yield: 3.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.leons.ca) last raised its quarterly payment for investors by 16.7% in October 2018, to $0.14 a share from $0.12. The new annual rate of $0.56 yields 3.5%. In the quarter ended September 30, 2019, Leon’s overall sales rose 1.5%, to a record $601.4 million from $592.3 million a year earlier. On a same-store basis, sales rose 0.6%. Excluding one-time items, the company earned $36.6 million in the latest quarter, up 6.9% from $34.3 million. The jump in profits was partly due to lower selling and administrative expenses. The improving efficiency should continue to boost profit and pave the way for investor dividend hikes. hikes…