Large backlog a plus for CAE

Article Excerpt

CAE INC. $33 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol CAE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 318.6 million; Market cap: $10.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.4; Dividend suspended in March 2020; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cae.com) is a leading maker of flight simulators for commercial and military aircraft. It also operates pilot-training schools. CAE continues to win new orders for its flight simulators and training services. In the 12 months ended September 30, 2024, its book-to-sales ratio was a healthy 1.57 (a figure below 100% implies demand for its products and services is falling). The company’s backlog is also a record $18.04 billion, which is equal to 4.1 times its annual revenue. Those new orders should lift CAE’s earnings in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, by 38% to $1.20 a share. The stock, which is up 18% in the past year, trades at a reasonable 27.5 times that estimate. CAE is a buy. buy…