Saputo lifts your dividend

Article Excerpt

SAPUTO INC. $33 is still a hold. The company (Toronto symbol SAP; High-Growth Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 413.6 million; Market cap: $13.6 billion; Dividend yield: 2.2%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.saputo.com) raised its quarterly dividend by 2.9% with the September 2021 payment. The new annual rate of $0.72 yields 2.2%. The dairy producer recently purchased two food-making facilities in North Carolina. One plant makes a variety of shelf-stable food products and beverages, while the other specializes in refrigerated yogurt. Saputo paid a total of $149 million. To put that in context, it earned $122 million, or $0.29 a share, in the three months ended June 30, 2021. The company has a successful history of integrating new businesses, but using acquisitions to expand adds risk. Saputo is a hold. hold…