Demand for their products stays high

Article Excerpt

PASON SYSTEMS $20.40 (Toronto symbol PSI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-301-3400; www.pason.com; Shares outstanding: 85.8 million; Market cap: $1.8 billion; Dividend yield: 3.5%) serves drilling contractors for oil and gas firms in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Argentina. The company provides them with rental equipment for monitoring and managing land-based oil rigs. Its systems also let clients remotely monitor their wells. In the quarter ended December 31, 2018, Pason’s revenue jumped 23.8%, to $82.0 million from $66.2 million a year earlier. The main reason for the rise was increased oil drilling activity in the U.S. and internationally. Cash flow per share improved 12.5%, to $0.36 from $0.32 a year earlier. That was due to the higher revenue, but also lower costs following the company’s restructuring. Meanwhile, Pason holds cash of $203.8 million, or $2.38 a share; it has no debt. In the latest quarter, it spent $7.3 million, or a high 8.9% of revenue, on research. The company’s products let drilling firms increase output and lower operating costs…