bombardier

BOMBARDIER INC. (Toronto symbols BBD.A $1.99 and BBD.B $1.90; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.7 billion; Market cap: $3.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend suspended in February 2015; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.bombardier.com) is down 52% since the start of 2015, mainly due to rising costs and delays to develop its new CSeries passenger jet. In addition, lower oil prices have diminished the main appeal of this plane—that it’s 20% more fuel-efficient than comparable models. What’s more, Bombardier’s new management team is reviewing its Global business jet program, which could postpone the planned launch of new models in 2016 and 2017. Bombardier recently raised $3.1 billion U.S. by selling new shares and notes. It also plans to sell shares in its transportation division, which makes passenger railcars. These moves should give it enough resources to finish the CSeries. Bombardier expects to begin delivering this new aircraft in 2016....

BOMBARDIER INC. (Toronto symbols BBD.A $1.99 and BBD.B $1.90; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.7 billion; Market cap: $3.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend suspended in February 2015; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.bombardier.com) is down 52% since the start of 2015, mainly due to rising costs and delays to develop its new CSeries passenger jet. In addition, lower oil prices have diminished the main appeal of this plane—that it’s 20% more fuel-efficient than comparable models. What’s more, Bombardier’s new management team is reviewing its Global business jet program, which could postpone the planned launch of new models in 2016 and 2017. Bombardier recently raised $3.1 billion U.S. by selling new shares and notes. It also plans to sell shares in its transportation division, which makes passenger railcars. These moves should give it enough resources to finish the CSeries. Bombardier expects to begin delivering this new aircraft in 2016....

Throughout history, many nations have achieved great wealth and power, if only temporarily. These periods of military and/or financial success can lead to regional or global success. They can last a long time or a short one, but none lasts forever. Both beginning and end are erratic and unpredictable. The timing of both the rise and the fall surprises a lot of observers. Tiny countries like Holland, England and Portugal had their moments of glory. Huge countries like China and India had periods of great success, followed by weakness and failure. Many people now think the U.S. is coming to the end of a dominant period. Some delight at the thought, others despair. Something like this also happens in the stock market, on a shorter time scale. During these times, the stock goes into what we think of as “the broker/media limelight.”...

BOMBARDIER INC. (Toronto symbols BBD.A $2.55 and BBD.B $2.53; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.7 billion; Market cap: $4.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.3; Dividend suspended in February 2015; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.bombardier.com) plans to sell shares in its transportation division to the public. This business makes passenger railcars and accounts for 45% of Bombardier’s total revenue.

The company expects to complete the sale in the fourth quarter of 2015. The new shares will mainly trade on Germany’s stock exchange because that’s where this business is based. Bombardier will retain a majority stake in this new company.

Bombardier also recently suspended its dividend and sold new shares to shore up its balance sheet. The cash should help the company finish developing its new CSeries jet. Bombardier has firm orders for 243 CSeries planes. If buyers exercise their options and other agreements, that figure would rise to 603 aircraft with a total value of about $39 billion U.S.

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BOMBARDIER INC. (Toronto symbols BBD.A $2.55 and BBD.B $2.53; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.7 billion; Market cap: $4.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.3; Dividend suspended in February 2015; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.bombardier.com) plans to sell shares in its transportation division to the public. This business makes passenger railcars and accounts for 45% of Bombardier’s total revenue. The company expects to complete the sale in the fourth quarter of 2015. The new shares will mainly trade on Germany’s stock exchange because that’s where this business is based. Bombardier will retain a majority stake in this new company. Bombardier also recently suspended its dividend and sold new shares to shore up its balance sheet. The cash should help the company finish developing its new CSeries jet. Bombardier has firm orders for 243 CSeries planes. If buyers exercise their options and other agreements, that figure would rise to 603 aircraft with a total value of about $39 billion U.S....

BOMBARDIER INC., Toronto symbols BBD.A $2.52 and BBD.B $2.47, plans to cut production of its Global 5000 and 6000 business jets. That’s partly because economic sanctions have hurt sales in Russia. Demand has also weakened in China and Latin America. The company will replace these planes with newer, larger versions called the Global 7000 and 8000 in 2016 and 2017. That will help it compete with new models from Gulfstream Aerospace and Dassault Aviation. As a result, Bombardier will lay off 1,800 employees (about 3% of its workforce) at its plants in Toronto, Montreal and Belfast, Northern Ireland. It didn’t say how much it expects to pay in severance and other costs....

BOMBARDIER INC., Toronto symbols BBD.A $2.65 and BBD.B $2.63, plans to sell shares in its transportation division to the public. This business makes passenger railcars and accounts for 45% of Bombardier’s total revenue. The company expects to complete the sale in the fourth quarter of 2015. The new shares will mainly trade on Germany’s stock exchange because that’s where this business is based. Bombardier will hang on to a majority stake. Meanwhile, the company earned $170 million, or $0.09 a share, in the first quarter of 2015 (all amounts except share price in U.S. dollars). These figures exclude unusual items, such as costs related to its recent decision to suspend development of the Learjet 85 business jet. On that basis, the latest earnings beat the consensus estimate of $0.05 a share. They are also up 12.6% from $151 million, or $0.08 a share, a year earlier. Revenue gained 1.0%, to $4.40 billion from $4.35 billion....

BOMBARDIER INC. $2.70 (www.bombardier.com) has 243 firm orders for its new CSeries passenger jet. If customers exercise their options to buy an additional 360 aircraft, the 603-plane total would be worth about $43 billion U.S. That’s equal to 2.1 times Bombardier’s 2014 revenue of $20.1 billion U.S....

Firan Technology Group Corp., $1.83, symbol FTG on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 17.8 million; Market cap: $40.1 million; www.ftgcorp.com), makes electronic circuit boards for clients in the defence and aerospace industries. The company works closely with its clients to custom design these boards for specific uses. Circuit boards supply 74% of Firan’s revenue. It gets the remaining 26% by making electronic components for aircraft manufacturers, including illuminated cockpit panels, keyboards and bezels (metal rims that hold transparent coverings, as on a watch, clock or headlight). Firan has plants in Toronto, California and Tianjin, China. Major clients include Bombardier, Rockwell Collins and Bell Helicopter....

BOMBARDIER INC. $2.70 (www.bombardier.com) has 243 firm orders for its new CSeries passenger jet. If customers exercise their options to buy an additional 360 aircraft, the 603-plane total would be worth about $43 billion U.S. That’s equal to 2.1 times Bombardier’s 2014 revenue of $20.1 billion U.S. The company now plans to begin delivering these planes in early 2016 instead of its previous target of the second half of 2015. That’s because airlines need the extra time to train their pilots and mechanics to handle the new plane. Buy. RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC. $49 (www.rbi.com) is testing a new premium coffee blend from Colombia at five of its Tim Hortons outlets in Canada. The company hopes this new blend is as successful as its dark roast blend, which it launched in mid-2014 and now accounts for 15% of Tim Hortons’ coffee sales. Hold. METRO INC. $36 (www.metro.ca) split its shares on a 3-for-1 basis in February 2015. That will improve the stock’s liquidity. The company also recently raised its dividend payout target to 25% of earnings from 20%. The current annual dividend of $0.47 a share (adjusted for the split) yields 1.3%. Buy.