Updating your Conservative stocks: Canon Inc. ADRs, Gannett Co. Inc. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. ADRs

Article Excerpt

CANON INC. ADRs $23 (www.canon.com) is a hold. The company’s sales in the first quarter of 2021 rose 5.8%, to $7.59 billion from $7.18 billion a year earlier. That’s partly due to better sales of printers to consumers as employees work from home due to COVID-19. However, sales of printers, copiers and other equipment to businesses remains weak. Thanks to a successful cost-cutting plan, earnings jumped 100.0%, to $0.38 per ADR from $0.19. Canon is a hold. GANNETT CO. INC. $5.88 (www.gannett.com) is still a hold. In November 2019, the company merged with GateHouse Media, and its parent company New Media Investment Group Inc. (New York symbol NEWM). So far, the merger has let the newspaper publisher cut $300 million from its annual costs. It expects the yearly cost-cutting will rise to $325 million by the end of 2021. However, the company’s total debt of $1.54 billion (as of March 31, 2021) is a high 1.8 times its $840.8 million market…