Topic: How To Invest

Dear Pat, Would you please give me your excellent advice on SeaDrill and Lannett Company, and whether they meet your criteria! Thanks.

Article Excerpt

SeaDrill Ltd., $36.96, symbol SDRL on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 364.6 million; Market cap: $13.5 billion; www.seadrill.com), is a leading offshore drilling company. Norway-based SeaDrill has a fleet of 54 drilling rigs that can operate in shallow to very deep water. The company operates in 15 countries on four continents. In the three months ended December 31, 2010, SeaDrill’s revenue rose 33.0%, to $1.2 billion from $878.9 million a year earlier. Before one-time items, earnings rose 2.9%, to $413.1 million, or $0.96 a share, from $401.1 million, or $0.95 a share. The company’s debt is very high, at $8.6 billion, or 63.7% of its market cap, but it does hold cash of $1.4 billion, or $3.84 a share. The company only started up in 2005, so it owns modern drilling rigs that are in the greatest demand. As a result, SeaDrill’s utilization rates are high, in the 95% to 97% range. Like most deepwater drillers, SeaDrill’s shares fell following the April 2010 explosion and…