ATCO LTD. (Toronto symbols ACO.X [class I non-voting] $46 and ACO.Y [class II voting] $46; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 115.1 million; Market cap: $5.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 2.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.atco.com) owns 50% of Torngait Services, a partnership with a Labradorbased aboriginal firm.
Torngait recently won a contract to provide support services to 1,000 workers building a line that will transmit power from Labrador’s Muskrat Falls to the island of Newfoundland. Under the deal, Torngait will supply catering, laundry and janitorial services until mid-2018.
The contract is worth $40 million to $45 million; using the midpoint of that range, ATCO’s share is worth $21.25 million. That’s small next to the company’s revenue of $1.2 billion in the quarter ended December 31, 2014. However, deals like this enhance ATCO’s already strong reputation and should help it win more contracts in this region. The class I (X) non-voting shares are more liquid than the class II (Y) voting shares.
ATCO class I stock is a buy.
