Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: Could you give me your opinion on investing in Norbord at this point in time? The stock is up a lot over the last couple of years.

Article Excerpt

A: Norbord Inc., $54.30, symbol OSB on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 86.6 million; Market cap: $4.7 billion; www.norbord.com), is one of the world’s largest producers of oriented strand board (OSB). That’s an engineered wood-panel product used as a plywood replacement in home construction and manufacturing. The company can produce more than 8.4 billion square feet of OSB per year at 17 plants in the U.S. Canada and Europe. Brookfield Asset Management owns 49% of Norbord. In addition to OSB, it also produces particleboard, medium density fibreboard and other engineered wood products. In the three months ended March 31, 2018, Norbord’s revenue rose 23.3%, to $576 million from $467 million a year earlier. (All figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars.) Earnings jumped 92.0%, to $96 million, or $1.11 a share, from $50 million, or $0.58. The gains are thanks to strong OSB demand across North America—the result of sustained growth in new home construction, repairs and remodeling. Increased demand from developers…