Cost cutting sets them up for gains

Article Excerpt

WAJAX CORP. $23.96 (Toronto symbol WJX; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (905-212-3300; www.wajax.ca; Shares outstanding: 20.0 million; Market cap: $482.7 million; Dividend yield: 4.2%) sells and services cranes, forklifts and other heavy equipment. It also provides related parts and systems such as ball bearings, hoses, diesel en gines and transmissions. Wajax’s customers are spread across the resources, construction, manufacturing and transportation industries. In the three months ended September 30, 2016, the company’s revenue fell 1.5%, to $286.6 million from $290.9 million a year earlier. The slowdown in Canada’s energy sector hurt sales for its power systems business. Wajax made $7.6 million in the latest quarter, or $0.38 a share. That’s virtually unchanged from a year earlier. The latest results include $1.0 million in pre-tax insurance proceeds related to the Fort McMurray wildfires, but the yearearlier quarter reflected a $2.8 million gain from asset sales. The company’s latest restructuring efforts contributed to its earnings in the most recent quarter. Introduced early last year, the plan aims…