These three can ride out the oil slump

Article Excerpt

Oil prices fell from over $90 U.S. a barrel in 2014 to a recent low of $30. Prices have since rebounded to over $40 but it’s possible that they will remain low for some time. That adds risk for these three firms that service oil producers. Recent cost cutting by all three will help them thrive when crude prices move higher. But only two are attractively priced right now. SNC-LAVALIN GROUP INC. $57 (Toronto symbol SNC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 150.2 million; Market cap: $8.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.snclavalin.com) is a leading Canadian engineering and construction company that specializes in large-scale public works projects such as roads, bridges, transit systems and watertreatment plants. In 2014, the company bought U.K.-based Kentz Corp. for $2.1 billion. It provides engineering and construction services to oil and gas firms, The acquisition means oil and gas clients now supply 43% of SNC’s total…