They let you gain from commodity prices

Article Excerpt

Demand for heavy equipment, such as bulldozers and backhoes, is starting to improve as prices for oil and other commodities rebound with the global economy. That should help spur profits at these two equipment dealers. FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC. $23 remains a buy. The company (Toronto symbol FTT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 162.1 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 3.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.finning.com) sells and services Caterpillar-brand heavy equipment in Western Canada, South America and the U.K. Its main customers are in the oil and gas, mining, forestry-products and construction industries. Finning’s revenue in the three months ended September 30, 2020, fell 20.7%, to $1.55 billion from $1.96 billion a year earlier. That’s mainly because COVID-19 forced many oil producers and mining firms to restrict their operations. During the quarter, the company received $35 million in subsidies under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program. If you exclude that amount and other unusual items,…