Unusual charges lead to small loss

Article Excerpt

ANDREW PELLER LTD. $7.30 (Toronto symbol ADW.A; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 14.9 million; Market cap: $108.8 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; SI Rating: Above Average) owns wineries in Ontario, Nova Scotia and B.C. In its latest fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2009, Peller’s revenue rose 9.8%, to $268.2 million from $244.3 million in the prior year. The gain was partly due to two acquisitions in 2008. It paid $11 million for World Vintners Inc., which sells home winemaking kits, and $1.6 million for Small Winemakers Collection Inc., which imports and markets premium wines in Ontario. Without these purchases, revenue would have risen by 5.7% in fiscal 2009. Despite the higher revenue, Peller lost $125,000, or $0.03 a share, in fiscal 2009. That’s down from earnings of $11.4 million, or $0.78 a share, in the prior year. Profits fell mainly due to a $9.5-million, non-cash writedown of foreign-exchange hedging contracts, which the company uses to shield itself from changing exchange rates…