Time to sell Fortress

Article Excerpt

FORTRESS PAPER $7.00 (Toronto symbol FTP; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-888- 820-3888; www.fortresspaper.com; Shares outstanding: 14.5 million; Market cap: $101.5 million; No dividends paid) lost $18.1 million, or $1.26 a share, in the three months ended September 30, 2012. A year earlier, it lost $7.7 million, or $0.54. Cash flow was negative $9.5 million, or $0.66 a share, in the latest quarter, compared to negative $3.7 million, or $0.26 a share. The company’s Dresden wallpaperproducts plant is profitable, but the Landqart security-paper operation is losing money because of the high Swiss franc. Increased competition is also making it difficult for Fortress to attract customers. As well, the Thurso dissolving pulp plant is having startup problems, and rising global production has pushed down selling prices sharply. Fortress holds cash of $83.8 million or $5.88 a share, but its long-term debt of $245 million is a very high 241% of its $101.5- million market cap. That’s a big risk factor, especially in a company…