Rogers Sugar (TSX:RSI) was an earnings fund till its conversion to a daily listed inventory in 2011. The patron defensive inventory retains its high quality as a dependable passive earnings funding play for 2024. Including onto a juicy 6.4% dividend yield, Rogers Sugar has room for regular development as its markets enhance whereas administration follows via on a capability enlargement venture. I’m bullish on RSI inventory’s capability to outperform some prime dividend shares and potential to stay a dependable earnings play.

Rogers Sugar is Canada’s main producer of refined sugar and maple syrup merchandise. The $589 million firm has seen rising home demand for its merchandise over the previous 5 years. Coupled with rising export demand, administration is following via on a deliberate $200 million capital venture to increase manufacturing capability, which ought to go operational by late 2025.

Rogers Sugar studies double-digit income development regardless of challenges

In its first-quarter 2024 earnings report launched on February 8, 2024, Rogers Sugar elevated its first-quarter 2024 income by 10.4% 12 months over 12 months and maintained its gross margin above 15.4% through the previous quarter, whilst manufacturing stalled at its Vancouver refinery through the previous 4 months resulting from a employee strike.

The employee strike, which started on September 28, 2023, was a big drag on income development. The Vancouver refinery produces 17% of the corporate’s annual sugar manufacturing. Rogers Sugar relied on manufacturing from its crops in Japanese Canada to satisfy buyer demand in Western Canada, decreasing export shipments.

To traders’ reduction, the strike has ended following a decision signed on the primary of February this 12 months. Nevertheless, administration has diminished its annual sugar quantity forecast for Fiscal 12 months 2024 from 800,000 metric tonnes to 790,000 metric tonnes resulting from misplaced manufacturing. Maple product volumes might stay flat at 43.5 million kilos for the 12 months.

Firm managed constructive income development whereas manufacturing stalled

Regardless of decrease productiveness, Rogers Sugar benefited from increased pricing on new contracts for its sugar merchandise. Maple product market economics have considerably improved as stockpile ranges drop resulting from successive durations of decrease harvests. The corporate can be realizing price financial savings from automating maple manufacturing amenities, and maple gross margins expanded to 10.3% through the previous quarter, up from 7.7% a 12 months in the past.

Trying forward, an ongoing enlargement venture to extend manufacturing and logistic capability of japanese sugar refining operations in Montreal and Toronto is progressing nicely. The $200 million venture might add 100,000 metric tonnes of annual incremental refined sugar capability to serve a rising Canadian market.

Increased manufacturing may release extra of Rogers Sugar’s manufacturing feed into the export market, assist develop income, and develop the corporate’s recurring earnings. Buyers might begin to see the impression of capital investments through the first half of Fiscal 12 months 2026, which begins within the fourth quarter of Calendar 12 months 2025.

Rogers Sugar inventory: A dependable dividend inventory to purchase in February 2024

Rogers Sugar pays a flat $0.09 per share quarterly dividend, at present yielding 6.4% yearly. The dividend has remained unchanged since June 2012.

Ought to traders depend on Rogers Sugar’s excessive dividend? The corporate’s dividend was nicely supported by earnings in 2023. Dividends accounted for 73.5% of the corporate’s fundamental earnings per share over the previous 4 quarters.

Notably, Rogers Sugar’s dividend is nicely supported by recurring money flows. The corporate’s annual money dividends for 2023 and 2022 accounted for 85.4% and 64.7% of free money stream, respectively. The dividend remained nicely supported regardless of elevated capital expenditures in 2023 and will stay safe in 2024 as all belongings resume full operation after a earlier strike.

Rogers Sugar inventory undervalued

Rogers Sugar is a dependable high-yield dividend inventory providing well-covered quarterly payouts. Revenue-oriented traders may buy the inventory for recurring passive earnings functions.

Importantly, shares seem extra undervalued than they’ve been in years. Rogers Sugar’s inventory is cheaper now in comparison with the previous 12 months. Its ahead Enterprise Worth-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) a number of of 8.1 is decrease than the five-year common a number of of 9.2. Shares final traded at these decrease ranges through the market fallout brought on by COVID-19 in 2020.