Tariffs are not the only challenge for Saputo

Article Excerpt

Saputo shares are up as it looks like Canada will defend the domestic dairy industry during negotiations for any new North American trade deal. Even if foreign import quotas are eased, driving down prices, the company’s large presence in Canada and the U.S. will help it adapt to the new rules. Saputo will also benefit from its ongoing cost-cutting plan. However, the increasing popularity of non-dairy milks and other products adds risk. SAPUTO INC. $26 is a hold. The company (Toronto symbol SAP; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 422.6 million; Market cap: $11.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 2.9%; 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. Cheeses, including mozzarella and cheddar, account for 47% of its sales. That’s followed by dairy foods such as butter and ice cream (32%), milk (11%), by-products and ingredients (5%), and non-dairy products (5%). The U.S. supplies 45% of its sales, followed…