No deal for MTS

Article Excerpt

MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES INC. $29.44 (Toronto symbol MBT; Shares outstanding: 67.8 million; Market cap: $2.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.8%; www.mts.ca) is down over 9% since the federal government’s October 8, 2013, decision to block the company’s recent deal to sell its Allstream subsidiary to an Egyptian billionaire. Allstream provides integrated telephone, Internet and other communication services to over 50,000 businesses across Canada, as well as government agencies. Ottawa felt that selling Allstream to a foreign investor could risk national security. Manitoba Tel’s main telecom business continues to perform well, thanks to strong demand for wireless and high-speed Internet services. However, Allstream is still incurring big losses. If you disregard costs related to the sale, Manitoba Tel now expects to earn $1.15 to $1.45 a share in 2013. Without Allstream, it probably would have earned around $1.75 a share. The stock trades at a high 22.6 times the midpoint of the new range. Manitoba Tel’s cash flow will…