SADIF Analytics Assigns Negative Long-Term Outlook Rating to Maple Leaf Foods

Released on: October 28, 2008, 9:10 am

Press Release Author: SADIF-Investment Analytics SA

Industry: Financial

Press Release Summary: SADIF-Investment Analytics SA has applied its StockMarks(tm)
stock-rating system to Maple Leaf Foods and produced a research report, rating the
company's attractiveness to long-term investors.

Press Release Body: Mira, Portugal - October 28, 2008 - SADIF Investment Analytics
SA, today announced the release of a new equity research report covering Maple Leaf
Foods (MFI). The report utilizes SADIF's powerful StockMarks(tm) stock rating system
and is required reading for any current or potential Maple Leaf Foods investor.

Report Summary: Major Canadian food processing company Maple Leaf Foods came into
the spotlight in the third quarter of 2008 due to listeria bacteria contamination at
its Bartor Road plant. The contamination caused Maple Leaf to temporarily shut down
production at the plant on August 20th and recall all 191 products manufactured at
the location. The financial effects of the contamination will clearly be a focal
point of the company's quarterly results to be released October 29th. At a time
where investors are shifting their share holdings into shares of low-cost food
manufacturers such as Maple Leaf, the company has seen a decline in its share price
of almost thirty-three percent since it closed the Bartor Road plant. This compares
to a thirty-six percent drop in the S&P/TSX composite index. While beating the
market, Maple Leaf shares have plunged relative to other food producers such as
Saputo Inc. Saputo experienced a 7% decline over the same period. Have investors
over-reacted to news of the listeria outbreak and undervalued the shares? Given the
company's poor performance during the first-half of 2008 due to rising input costs
and the expected drop in earnings to be announced October 29th, any investment
decision should focus on the company's long-term performance. We can assess Maple
Leaf's underlying long-term fundamentals through the use of the StockMarks
framework. Maple Leaf currently has an overall Long-term investment-attractiveness
rating (Total StockMark or SMT) of 47, rating slightly below the Canadian market
average. This rating ranks the company ninth among ten of its closest peers,
selected on the basis of both similarity of business and market positioning factors
such as size.

The complete report breaks down the Total StockMark into its three components -
Business, Management and Price, performing a thorough analysis of Maple Leaf Foods
for long-term investors.

A summary of the StockMarks(tm) ratings for Maple Leaf Foods is available here:
http://sadifanalytics.com/stockmarks/company.php?ticker=MFI&cod_country=18

The report has been distributed to Reuters, and forwarded to Yahoo Finance and
FT.com. It is available under 'Analyst Reports' from these websites or directly from
SADIF-Investment Analytics SA at
http://sadifanalytics.com/stockmarks/article/hist_article.php?cod_country=18


About SADIF-Investment Analytics SA
SADIF-Investment Analytics SA is an independent investment research company covering
sixteen different markets and over 12,000 companies. Our StockMarks(tm) system is based
on proven investment principles and is designed to drive long-term shareholder
returns.



Web Site: http://www.sadifanalytics.com

Contact Details: Company: SADIF-Investment Analytics SA
Address: AIBAP,
Rua do Matadouro,
3070-436 Mira, Portugal
Phone Number: (+351) 231849038
Website: www.sadifanalytics.com
Email: press@sadifanalytics.com

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