Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat, I’m interested in getting your opinion on Westshore Terminals, trading on the TSX. Is the new deal with Teck a plus? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

A: Westshore Terminals Investment Corp., $16.60, symbol WTE on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 63.4 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; www.westshore.com), operates a coal storage and loading terminal on land leased from the Vancouver Port Authority at Roberts Bank, B.C. Westshore ships both metallurgical and thermal coal. Teck Resources is its largest customer, accounting for over 60% of sales. The company’s revenue has shown steady but slow growth over the past five years. It rose 8.1%, from $365.8 million in 2015 to $395.4 million in 2019. During that time, earnings fell 8.9%, from $152.9 million in 2015 to $139.4 million in 2019. The main reason for the decline was steadily rising costs. However, per-share earnings rose 1.5%, to $2.09 from $2.06, on fewer shares outstanding as the company continued to buy back shares. Due to lower shipments of coal due to COVID-19, Westshore’s revenue in the three months ended September 30, 2020, fell 14.7%, to $89.45 million from $104.92 million a year earlier. Earnings also fell…