Updating Transcontinental Inc.

Article Excerpt

TRANSCONTINENTAL INC. $24 (Toronto symbol TCL.A; Cyclical-Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 77.0 million; Market cap: $1.8 billion; Dividend yield: 3.3%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.tctranscontinental.com) is Canada’s leading printer of advertising flyers, magazines, books and newspapers. It also makes plastic packaging for food products. Starting with the April 2017 payment, investors receive $0.20 a share, up 8.1% from $0.74. The new annual rate of $0.80 yields 3.3%. Transcontinental recently announced that it will sell the bulk of its newspaper publishing operations. In the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, that media division accounted for 15% of overall revenue and 4% of the company’s earnings. As part of its plan, Transcontinental has agreed to sell its 28 newspapers in Atlantic Canada, and their websites, to SaltWire Network Inc. The deal includes four printing plants and distribution networks. Transcontinental has yet to reveal how much it will receive for these operations. The company also plans to sell its 93 newspapers in Quebec and Ontario…