Lower costs will help Saputo adapt

Article Excerpt

Saputo has struggled in the past few years, as consumers shift away from dairy products to non-dairy, plant-based milks. In response, the company has added new products, such as goat cheese. Saputo is also in the midst of a major plan to improve its efficiency, which will make it less vulnerable to rising input costs. However, the stock will likely stay in a narrow range until its earnings meaningfully improve. SAPUTO INC. $27 is a hold. The company (Toronto symbol SAP; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 424.2 million; Market cap: $11.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 2.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.saputo.com) is Canada’s largest producer of dairy products. It also operates dairies in the U.S., Australia, the U.K. and Argentina. Saputo is now in the midst of a multi-year restructuring plan, which mainly involves closing some facilities. For example, it recently closed a goat cheese plant in Wisconsin and shifted its production to another facility at a cost of $6 million. It’s…