Rising backlog a plus for Toromont

Article Excerpt

TOROMONT INDUSTRIES LTD. $92 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol TIH; Aggressive Growth Portfolio; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 82.5 million; Market cap: $7.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 1.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.toromont.com) distributes a range of industrial equipment, including Caterpillar machinery, in eastern Canada. It also makes refrigeration systems through its CIMCO business. Due to COVID-19 shutdowns, revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020, fell 3.2%, to $992.2 million from $1.03 billion a year earlier. The equipment group, which accounts for 90% of overall sales, saw a decrease of 3.9% in the fourth quarter. That was because the pandemic slowed construction and mining activities. However, sales at the CIMCO refrigeration unit rose 3.5%. Earnings fell 1.8%, to $1.08 a share from $1.10. The company’s order backlog jumped 41.2% in the fourth quarter, to $557.4 million from $394.8 million a year earlier. This was due to higher orders at both its Equipment Group and CIMCO. Toromont is a buy. buy…