Merging divisions should cut costs

Article Excerpt

MAPLE LEAF FOODS INC. $24 is a hold. The company (Toronto symbol MFI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 122.7 million; Market cap: $2.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mapleleaffoods.com) sells fresh and prepared meats under the Maple Leaf and Schneider labels. Maple Leaf now plans to merge its meat protein and plant-based foods divisions into a single unit. That should let them better share administrative and other functions and cut costs. The plan will also make it easier for the company to promote its brands in the U.S., which supplied just 11% of its sales in 2023. However, slow demand for plant-based foods continues to weigh on Maple Leaf’s growth: the plant division lost $51.9 million in 2023 compared to a profit of $245.2 million at the meat division. As well, the shares trade at a somewhat high 26.1 times the $0.92 a share that Maple Leaf will probably earn this year. The $0.88 dividend yields 3.7%. Maple Leaf…