Their high yields look sustainable

Article Excerpt

Generally, a higher-than-usual dividend yield is a sign that the payout may exceed the company’s earning capacity. We feel, however, that the dividends from these two small-cap stocks are safe. That’s because they are leaders in their niche markets. RUSSEL METALS INC. $34 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol RUS; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 63.1 million; Market cap: $2.1 billion; Dividend yield: 4.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.russelmetals.com) is one of the largest metals distributors in North America with more than 30,000 end customers across many different industries. Russel has paid regular quarterly dividends of $0.38 a share since the third quarter of 2014; the annual rate of $1.52 yields a high 4.5%. On December 1, 2021, Russel closed its acquisition of Arkansas-based Boyd Metals for $110 million U.S. Boyd specializes in providing carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum products. The purchase will add about $244 million U.S. to Russel’s annual revenue. For the three months ended December 31, 2021,…