Two buys for a cyclical rebound

Article Excerpt

The shares of these two heavy equipment suppliers have slumped recently as investors fear a recession would hurt their earnings growth. However, both firms now get most of their revenue from servicing equipment, which cuts their reliance on new equipment sales. Their strong balance sheets also help them cope with any downturn. FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC. $25 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol FTT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 153.7 million; Market cap: $3.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 3.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.finning.com) sells and services Caterpillar-brand heavy equipment in Western Canada but also Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, the U.K. and Ireland. Its main customers are in the oil, mining, forestry-products and construction industries. Canada is Finning’s biggest market, accounting for 50% of its net revenue. Its other markets are South America (32%), and the U.K. & Ireland (18%). The servicing of equipment provides 54% of its revenue, while the sale of new equipment provides 37%; the balance comes…