Unique assets give Torstar special appeal

Article Excerpt

TORSTAR CORP. $5.04 (Toronto symbol TS.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 78.9 million; Market cap: $397.7 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.3; SI Rating: Above Average) publishes The Toronto Star, which is Canada’s largest daily newspaper by circulation. The company also publishes three other dailies and over 100 weeklies, mainly in southern Ontario. Newspapers and web sites account for 70% of Torstar’s revenue and 60% of its earnings. The company’s other main business is wholly owned Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. Harlequin is the world’s leading publisher of romance novels. It also publishes non-fiction titles, including self-help and diet books. Harlequin sells 95% of its books in other countries. This reduces Torstar’s reliance on the Ontario market, which has been struggling because of the recession. It also helps Torstar benefit from a lower Canadian dollar. Steady revenue, but erratic earnings Torstar’s revenue has remained around $1.55 billion a year for the past five years. Earnings rose from $1.42 a share (or a total of $112.7…