CAE gains from expanding air travel

Article Excerpt

CAE INC. $13 (Toronto symbol CAE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 254.0 million; Market cap: $3.3 billion; SI Rating: Average) has paid an undisclosed sum for Sabena Flight Academy, which operates pilot training facilities in Belgium and Arizona. The acquisition expands CAE’s annual training capacity, from 1,000 pilots to 1,400. Demand for pilot training services should continue to rise, as many airlines face pilot shortages due to increasing interest in air travel in Asia and the Middle East. CAE also continues to win new orders for its flight simulators. It recently sold five simulators for $56 million. That’s about 4% of CAE’s annual revenue of $1.4 billion. CAE sold 37 flight simulators in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, and has sold 10 so far in fiscal 2009. Sales should continue to grow as airlines upgrade their aging fleets. CAE is a buy. buy…