Topic: Value Stocks

Stronger demand lifts profit and outlook for Caterpillar dealer

Shares of this Caterpillar equipment provider have moved down in response to lower oil prices  for Western Canadian crude, but it saw strong demand in the latest quarter that drove up it’s revenue and earnings.

A recent acquisition in Western Canada and improved operational efficiencies also contributed to that recent 31.6% earnings jump. The stock trades at just 11.2 times expected 2019 earnings while yielding a 3.2% dividend.


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FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC. $25 (Toronto symbol FTT; www.finning.com) sells and services Caterpillar-brand heavy equipment in Western Canada, South America and the U.K.

The stock has dropped as much as 31.5% from its peak of $36.48 in January 2018. The drop is partly due to fears that declining Western Canadian crude oil prices will hurt Finning’s businesses in Canada. However, the company gets more of its revenue from integrated producers, whose refining operations help to shield them from lower crude prices. That’s because profit margins for their refineries generally rise as the cost of crude oil falls.

Slowing demand for Finning’s products and services in Argentina has also weighed on the stock. Offsetting that, however, is stronger demand in Chile. In fact, the company should benefit from the construction of Teck’s new copper mine in that country.

Finning continues to benefit from its 2014 restructuring plan, which has cut $200 million from the company’s annual costs. The savings mainly come from job cuts and facility closures.

Value Stocks: Recent acquisition adds a new Western Canadian revenue stream

The company’s latest deal will see it pay $260 million for 4Refuel. The privately held firm operates a fleet of more than 200 tanker trucks that provide on-site re-fuelling services to 3,400 companies in the construction, transportation, oil and gas, and power generation industries. About half of its clients are in Western Canada.

Meantime, strong demand for new equipment and maintenance services across the country increased Finning’s revenue in the third quarter of 2018 by 14.1%, to $1.76 billion from $1.54 billion a year earlier.

Thanks to the higher revenue and better efficiency, overall earnings jumped 31.6%, to $75 million from $57 million. Due to fewer shares outstanding, per-share earnings gained 36.4%, to $0.45 from $0.33.

Finning ended the quarter with long-term debt of $1.3 billion, or 31% of its market cap. It also held cash of $211 million.

The stock trades at just 11.8 times the $2.12 a share the company should earn in 2019. The $0.80 dividend yields 3.2%.

Recommendation in The Successful Investor: Finning is a buy.

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