SHAWCOR LTD. $44 (Toronto symbol SCL.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 70.2 million; Market cap: $3.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 0.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.shawcor.com) has acquired the 60% of Fineglade Ltd. that it did not already own. Fineglade owns 96% of Socotherm S.p.A., an Italian company that provides pipeline-coating services in Europe and Asia.
ShawCor paid $135 million, which is equal to 2.4 times its 2011 earnings of $56.1 million, or $0.78 a share.
The company is now conducting a strategic review of its operations. That could mean that ShawCor will eventually be sold. It hasn’t said how long this process will take.
ShawCor is still a hold.