Narrower Focus Should Unlock Value

Article Excerpt

TORSTAR CORP. $19 (Toronto symbol TS.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 78.5 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; SI Rating: Above average) is thinking about selling or closing its Transit Television Network division, which operates digital information screens on buses and subway trains. Despite contracts with big transit systems in Los Angeles and Atlanta, losses continue to grow. Unloading this business would free up cash for operations with greater potential, such as Torstar’s Internet sites. Torstar earned $0.51 a share in the fourth quarter of 2006, up 6.3% from $0.48 a year earlier. These figures exclude the negative impact of foreign exchange rates at Torstar’s Harlequin Enterprises book publishing division. On a reported basis, profit fell 4.2%, to $0.46 a share. Revenue fell 0.6%, to $414.6 million from $417.2 million, as strong growth at the community newspapers offset lower ad sales at the flagship Toronto Star. The stock has stayed in narrow range for the past few months, and now trades…