Churchill’s future is bright

Article Excerpt

THE CHURCHILL CORP. $8.95 (Toronto symbol CUQ; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (780-454-3667; www.churchillcorporation.com; Shares outstanding: 24.5 million; Market cap: $219.3 million; Dividend yield: 5.4%) reported earnings of $1.8 million, or $0.07 a share, in the three months ended September 30, 2012. That was down sharply from $6.1 million, or $0.24 a share, a year earlier. Revenue fell 20.0%, to $303.2 million from $379.3 million. Project delays were part of the reason for the declines. Churchill’s earnings also fell because of less-profitable contracts that should be completed by the end of this year. Even with these setbacks, the company’s long-term prospects are sound. The stock trades at 17.2 times Churchill’s forecast 2013 earnings of $0.52 a share. Its dividend, which yields a high 5.4%, appears safe. Churchill is a hold. hold…