SNC may have trouble collecting on deal

Article Excerpt

SNC-LAVALIN GROUP INC. $49 (Toronto symbol SNC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 151 million; Market cap: $7.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; SI Rating: Average) hopes to win a $255 million U.S. contract to install gas turbines in three Iraqi electrical-power plants. To put the value of the deal in context, SNC’s annual revenue is around $7 billion (Canadian). The company has a strong reputation and a long history of operating in the region, so it stands a good chance of winning this contract. However, Iraq’s electricity ministry has less money to spend on new projects because of lower oil prices. Even if it wins, SNC may have difficulty collecting its fees. SNC-Lavalin is still a hold. hold. …