Molson’s global expansion pays off

Article Excerpt

MOLSON COORS CANADA INC. (Toronto symbols TPX.A $85 and TPX.B $85; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 185.3 million; Market cap: $15.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.molson coors.com) is the world’s fifth-largest brewer by production volume. Its main brands include Coors Light, Molson Canadian and Carling. Overall beer consumption in North America has declined in the past few years, mainly because baby boomers are switching to wine and spirits. Moving beyond North America In June 2012, the company paid $3.5 billion for StarBev, which owns nine breweries in central and eastern Europe (all amounts except share prices and market cap in U.S. dollars). Europe (including the company’s Carling operations in the U.K.) now supplies 53% of its total sales, followed by Canada (43%) and other countries, excluding the U.S. (4%). In 2007, Molson Coors merged its U.S. brewing operations with those of rival SABMiller. Molson Coors owns 50% of this venture but…