Cameco gives up gains

Article Excerpt

CAMECO CORP. $14.39 (Toronto symbol CCO; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (306-956-6200; www.cameco.com; Shares o/s: 395.8 million; Market cap: $5.7 billion; Dividend yield 2.8%) rose as high as $17.67 in January—up almost 22%—following Kazakhstan’s announcement it will cut uranium production by 10% for 2017. The shares have since dropped back down. That’s because Cameco expects its 2016 earnings to be significantly below the consensus forecast of $0.86 a share. The main reason for the profit warning is low uranium prices. Uranium’s long-term outlook is positive, but even with the Kazakhstan cut (resulting in a 3% cut to global supply), demand is weak. Low oil prices should also keep prices down in the near term and could slow the construction of new reactors. Cameco is still a hold. hold…