Solid balance sheets protect your dividends

Article Excerpt

These two firms remain essential equipment suppliers to oil producers, so the onset of COVID-19 and the collapse of oil prices have hurt this year’s earnings. However, their strong balance sheets will help them cope with the crisis and maintain their current dividends. FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC. $20 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol FTT; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 162.1 million; Market cap: $3.2 billion; Dividend yield: 4.1%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.finning.com) sells and services Caterpillar-brand heavy equipment in Western Canada, South America and the U.K. It is the largest caterpillar deal in the world. Its main customers are in the oil and gas industry but also mining, forestry-products and construction. Finning has paid dividends since 1970. It last raised that quarterly payment in June 2019 by 2.5%. The new annual rate of $0.82 yields a solid 4.1%. The company’s revenue in the three months ended June 30, 2020, fell 33.1%, to $1.34 billion from $2.00 billion a year earlier…