Wage subsidies buoy its earnings

Article Excerpt

RUSSEL METALS $25 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol RUS; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 62.2 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Dividend yield: 6.1%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.russelmetals.com) has paid quarterly dividends of $0.38 a share since the third quarter of 2014; the annual rate of $1.52 yields a high 6.1%. Revenue in the three months ended December 31, 2020, fell 19.9%, to $670.5 million from $837.4 million a year earlier. That reflects the slowing economy and lower oil prices. (Russel supplies pipes to oil and gas drillers.) Excluding one-time items, the company earned $13.8 million ($0.22 a share), up 25.5% from $11.0 million ($0.19). However, the latest quarter included $8 million in federal government wage subsidies. Russel Metals is a buy. buy. …