Saputo widens its market reach

Article Excerpt

SAPUTO INC. $39 (Toronto symbol SAP; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 388.7 million; Market cap: $15.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 1.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.saputo.com) is Canada’s largest producer of dairy products, including milk, butter and cheese. It also operates dairies in the U.S., Australia and Argentina. The company tends to fuel its growth with acquisitions. Its latest purchase is F&A Dairy Products, Inc. That privately held firm makes natural cheeses, including mozzarella and provolone, at plants in New Mexico and Wisconsin. Saputo will pay $85 million U.S. for that business when it completes the purchase by the end of 2018. The new operations will add $212 million (Canadian) to the company’s annual revenue of $11.5 billion. Saputo is a hold. hold…