Topic: How To Invest

Dear Pat: Your analysis please on the fundamental value in three beaten-up resource-related equities: Orbit Garant Drilling, Thompson Creek Metals and Stonegate Agricom.

Article Excerpt

Orbit Garant Drilling, $2.15, symbol OGD on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 33.3 million; Market cap: $71.6 million, www.orbitgarant.com), is a Canadian firm that provides both underground and surface drilling services to mining companies. It has 224 drills and 800 employees that serve clients in Canada and internationally. Orbit Garant’s customers range from major producers to junior miners. These firms use its services through their projects’ exploration, development and production phases. The company also provides geotechnical drilling services to miners, engineering and environmental consulting firms and government agencies. (Geotechnical drillers investigate the type and stability of soil. That helps determine how to mitigate conditions, such as soil movement or the presence of groundwater, that may damage existing or proposed structures, roads and other infrastructure.) In the three months ended September 30, 2012, Orbit Garant’s revenue fell 5.9%, to $34.9 million from $37.1 million a year earlier. Earnings per share declined to $0.06 from $0.11. The lower results were mostly due to a drop in drilling…