Producers need these tech stocks

Article Excerpt

PASON SYSTEMS $18.50 (Toronto symbol PSI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-301-3400; www.pason.com; Shares outstanding: 84.9 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Dividend yield: 3.7%) 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 June 30, 2017, Pason’s revenue jumped 105.3%, to $55.8 million from $27.2 million a year earlier. The main reason for the rise was increased drilling activity in Canada and the U.S. Cash flow per share improved sharply, to $0.22 from negative $0.01 a year earlier. That was due to the higher revenue, but also from lower costs following the company’s restructuring. Meanwhile, Pason holds cash of $166.5 million, or $1.96 a share; it has no debt. In the latest quarter, it spent $6.3 million, or a high 11% of revenue, on research. The company’s products let drilling firms increase their…