STERLING SUGARS INC
SC 13D/A, 1995-08-21
SUGAR & CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTS
Previous: SIRCO INTERNATIONAL CORP, SC 13D, 1995-08-21
Next: SEQUA CORP /DE/, 10-Q/A, 1995-08-21



                                                          Page 1 of 5 Pages

                                    UNITED STATES
                          SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                               Washington, D.C.  20549

                                    SCHEDULE 13D/A

                      Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
                                  (Amendment No. 9)

                               Sterling Sugars, Inc.
              _______________________________________________________          
                                  (Name of Issuer)

                                    Common Stock
              _______________________________________________________
                           (Title of Class of Securities)

                                     859604100
              _______________________________________________________

                               William S. Patout, III
                              M. A. Patout & Son, Ltd.
               3512 J. Patout Burns Road, Jeanrette, Louisiana  70541

                                   with a copy to:

                               Edwin S. Patout, Esq.
                                223 East Main Street
                            New Iberia, Louisiana 70560
             ________________________________________________________
            (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized 
                     to Receive Notices and Communications)

                                 August 14, 1995
             _________________________________________________________
              (Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)

          If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule
          13G  to  report  the  acquisition  which is the subject  of  this
          Schedule 13D, and is filing this schedule  because  of  Rule 13d-
          1(b)(3) or (4), check the following box ____.

          Check the following box if a fee is being paid with the statement
          ____.(A fee is not required only if the filing person: (1) has  a
          previous statement on file reporting beneficial ownership of more
          than five percent of the class of securities described in Item 1;
          and  (2) has filed  no  amendment  subsequent  thereto  reporting
          beneficial  ownership  of  five  percent  or less of such class.)
          (See Rule 13d-7.)

          NOTE: Six Copies of this statement, including exhibits, should be
          filed with the Commission. See Rule 13d-1(a) for other parties to
          whom copies are to be sent.

          *The  remainder  of this cover page shall be  filled  out  for  a
          reporting person's  initial  filing  on this form with respect to
          the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment
          containing information which would alter the disclosures provided
          in a prior cover page.

          The  information required in the remainder  of  this  cover  page
          shall  not  be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18
          of the Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934  ("Act")  or otherwise
          subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act  but  shall
          be  subject  to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the
          Notes).

<PAGE>
                                                          Page 2 of 5 Pages

          CUSIP No. 859604100
          __________________________________________________________________

               1)   Name of Reporting Person
                    S.S. or I.R.S. Identification No. of Above Person

                    M.A. Patout & Son, Ltd.  72-0283001
          __________________________________________________________________

               2)   Check  the  Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group (See
                    Instructions)
                    (a)........................................       _____
                    (b)........................................       _____
          __________________________________________________________________

               3)   SEC Use Only

          __________________________________________________________________

               4)   Source of Funds*

                    WC
          __________________________________________________________________
               
               5)   Check  Box  if   Disclosure  of  Legal  Proceedings  is
                    Required pursuant to Items 2(d) or 2(e)

          __________________________________________________________________

               6)   Citizenship or Place of Organization - Louisiana

          __________________________________________________________________

             Number of        7)  Sole Voting Power............   1,047,241
            Shares Bene-      ______________________________________________
              ficially
              Owned by        8)  Shared Voting Power..........           0
           Each Reporting     ______________________________________________
               Person
                With          9)  Sole Dispositive Power.......    1,047,241
                              ______________________________________________
                             
                              10)  Shared Dispositive Power               0

          __________________________________________________________________

               11)  Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by each
                    Reporting Person..........................     1,047,241

          __________________________________________________________________

               12)  Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11)
                    Excludes Certain Shares (See Instructions)

          __________________________________________________________________

               13)  Percent of Class Represented by Amount
                    in Row 11.................................         41.9%

          __________________________________________________________________

               14)  Type of Reporting Person 
                    (See Instructions)........................          CO
                                                          
<PAGE>                                                          
                                                          Page 3 of 5 Pages
          Item 1.   Security and Issuer.

               This  statement relates to Common Stock, $1.00 par value per
          share (the "Common  Stock"), of Sterling Sugars, Inc., a Delaware
          corporation (the "Issuer").   The  principal  executive office of
          the Issuer is P.O. Box 572, Franklin, Louisiana  70538.

          Item 2.   Identity and Background.

               This  statement  is  filed by M. A. Patout &  Son,  Ltd.,  a
          Louisiana corporation (the  "Reporting  Person").   The principal
          business  of the Reporting Person is the operation of  a  factory
          which processes  sugar  cane  into raw sugar.  The address of the
          principal business and principal  office  of the Reporting Person
          is 3512 J. Patout Burns Road, Jeanrette, Louisiana 70541.

               During  the last five years, the Reporting  Person  has  not
          been  convicted  in  a  criminal  proceeding  (excluding  traffic
          violations  or  similar  misdemeanors) or been a party to a civil
          proceeding  of a judicial or  administrative  body  of  competent
          jurisdiction and as a result of such proceeding was or is subject
          to a judgment,  decree or final order enjoining future violations
          of, or prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, federal or
          state securities  laws  or  finding any violation with respect to
          such laws.

          Item 3.   Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration.

               The Reporting Person used $618,725 in making the purchase of
          a  total  of  122,811 shares of  Common  Stock  acquired  by  the
          Reporting Person  since  the  date  of the last amendment to this
          Schedule 13D dated June 26, 1995.  Funds  were  provided from the
          working capital of the Reporting Person.

          Item 4.   Purpose of Transaction.

               The Reporting Person acquired the shares of Common Stock for
          purposes of investment and to provide a basis of  ownership  that
          could  facilitate future transactions, if determined to be in its
          interest.

               The  Reporting  Person  has  given  consideration to various
          courses  of  action  with  respect  to the Issuer  including  (i)
          acquiring  additional  shares  of  Common   Stock   in  privately
          negotiated  transactions or in the open market, (ii) proposing  a
          merger or similar  affiliation  or  business combination with the
          Issuer,  (iii) causing the termination  of  registration  of  the
          Common Stock  pursuant  to  Section  12(g)(4)  of  the Securities
          Exchange  Act of 1934 or the termination of its authorization  to
          be quoted in  an  inter-dealer  quotation  system of a registered
          national securities exchange, (iv) seeking representation  on the
          Issuer's Board of Directors, or (iv) a combination of one or more
          of the foregoing.

               The  Reporting  Person  intends to acquire additional shares
          but the exact number has not been  decided,  and  has not reached
          any  conclusion  as  to  any of the other foregoing alternatives.
          Pending such conclusion, the  Reporting Person does not presently
          intend  to sell any shares of Common  Stock  it  owns,  although,
          depending  on  market  conditions or results of operations of the
          Issuer, such intention may  change  and  the Reporting Person may
          attempt to dispose of some or all of such  shares of Common Stock
          in   open   market   transactions  or  in  privately   negotiated
          transactions to third parties.

<PAGE>                                                   Page 4 of 5 Pages

               Until the Reporting  Person  makes a decision concerning the
          alternatives described above, and depending  on market conditions
          and other factors, the Reporting Person may continue  to purchase
          shares  of  Common  Stock  in  the  open  market,  or  in private
          transactions if appropriate opportunities to do so are available,
          on such terms and at such times as the Reporting Person considers
          desirable.   Through  such  purchases,  the Reporting Person  may
          obtain a significant equity investment in the Issuer.

               The  Reporting  Person  intends to continuously  review  its
          investment in the Issuer and may  in  the future decide to pursue
          one of the alternatives discussed in this  Item  4.   In reaching
          any  conclusion  as  to the foregoing, the Reporting Person  will
          take into consideration  various  factors,  such  as the Issuer's
          business and prospects, other developments concerning the Issuer,
          other  business opportunities available to the Reporting  Person,
          developments  with  respect  to  the Reporting Person's business,
          general  economic  conditions,  and  money   and   stock   market
          conditions.  Except as set forth above, the Reporting Person  has
          no present plans or intentions which would result in or relate to
          any  of  the  transactions  required to be described in Item 4 of
          Schedule 13D.

          Item 5.   Interest in Securities of the Issuer.

               (a)  As   of   August  16,  1995,   the   Reporting   Person
          beneficially owned an  aggregate  of  1,047,241  shares of Common
          Stock, constituting 41.9% of the Common Stock.

               (b)  The  Reporting  Person has sole voting and  dispositive
          power with respect to 1,047,241 shares of Common Stock.

               (c)  The Reporting Person  has  not effected any transaction
          in  any  shares  of  Common  Stock since the  date  of  its  last
          amendment to this Schedule 13D  on  June  26, 1995 other than (i)
          the  purchase  of  113,545  shares of Common Stock  for  $567,725
          ($5.00 per share) on August 14,  1995;  and  (ii) the purchase of
          9,266 shares of Common Stock for $51,000 ($5.504 per share) on
          August   16,   1995.   All  shares  were  acquired  in  privately
          negotiated transactions.

               (d)  Not applicable.

               (e)  Not applicable.
<PAGE>                                                     Page 5 of 5 Pages

          Item 6.   Contracts, Arrangements, Understandings or Relationships 
                    with Respect to Securities of the Issuer.

               On November 15, 1994,  the  Issuer  and the Reporting Person
          entered  into an agreement (the "Technical  Services  Agreement")
          pursuant to  which the Reporting Person agreed to provide certain
          engineering and  technical  expertise  in return for, among other
          things, (i) the option to acquire 50,000  shares  of Common Stock
          from the Issuer for an aggregate of $162,500 ($3.25 per share) at
          any time prior to December 31, 1998 and (ii) the right to acquire
          that  number  of  shares  necessary  to  maintain  the  Reporting
          Person's  ownership percentage in the event additional shares  of
          Common Stock  are issued by the Issuer.  The option was exercised
          by the Reporting  Person on April 12, 1995.  The Reporting Person
          has no knowledge of  any  plans of the Issuer to issue additional
          shares of Common Stock; however,  if such shares were issued, the
          Reporting Person would most likely  acquire the maximum number of
          shares permitted under such circumstances.

          Item 7.   Material to be Filed as Exhibits.

               Exhibit  A  -Technical Services Agreement  between  Sterling
                         Sugars,  Inc.  and  M.A.  Patout & Son, Ltd. dated
                         November 15, 1994 (previously  filed  as Exhibit A
                         to  Amendment  No.  5  to  this  Schedule 13D  and
                         incorporated herein by this reference).




                                      SIGNATURE

               After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and
          belief,  I  certify  that  the  information  set  forth  in  this
          statement is true, complete and correct.

          Date: August 21, 1995         M. A. PATOUT & SON, LTD.



                                        By:   /s/ William s. Patout, III
                                            ________________________________

                                                 William S. Patout, III
                                                     President and
                                                Chief Executive Officer






© 2022 IncJournal is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission