Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Your thoughts on New Flyer. It appears to be a slow-growth but very stable transit bus business. My interest is as a dividend generator. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

New Flyer Industries, $15.06, symbol NFI on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 55.5 million; Market cap: $849.4 million; www.newflyer.com), is the leading transit bus maker in the U.S. and Canada. It also provides parts and service. In the three months ended March 31, 2015, New Flyer’s revenue rose 17.4%, to $380.3 million from $323.9 million a year earlier (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). The gain was mainly due to a 3.2% increase in bus deliveries, 12.2% higher selling prices and a 22.8% rise in parts and service revenue. Earnings per share doubled to $0.20 from $0.10. Bus manufacturing and service remain highly competitive businesses. However, New Flyer’s long-term outlook is sound. Transit spending is steadily rebounding as vehicle fleets age and government finances improve. Meantime, the company’s backlog continues to rise: it stood at $3.57 billion (or 7,193 buses) on March 31, 2015, up 5.3% from $3.39 billion (or 6,745 buses) a year previous. Recent orders include…