Restaurant closures hurt Saputo

Article Excerpt

SAPUTO INC. $33 is still a hold. The company (Toronto symbol SAP; High-Growth Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 408.7 million; Market cap: $13.5 billion; Divd. yield: 2.1%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.saputo.com) is Canada’s largest producer of dairy products. It also has dairies in the U.S., Australia and Argentina. With the September 2020 payment, Saputo raised the quarterly dividend by 2.9%. The new annual rate of $0.70 yields 2.1%. The stock is down 18% since the start of 2020. That’s because restaurants—many of which continue to operate at reduced capacity due to COVID-19—have cut their purchases of dairy products. Those customers account for roughly 25% of Saputo’s total revenue. Saputo is hold. hold…