A Yield to Caution

Article Excerpt

WESTSHORE TERMINALS INVESTMENT CORP. $27 (Toronto symbol WTE; Shares outstanding: 63.3 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; Dividend yield: 3.7%; www.westshore.com) operates a coal storage and loading terminal at Roberts Bank, B.C. Westshore ships both metallurgical coal (for steelmaking) and thermal coal (for power plants). Teck Resources is its largest customer, accounting for over 60% of sales. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 25.0% with the October 2021 payment. The stock now has a 3.7% yield. Meanwhile, though, we see a number of sources of risk around the sustainability of that dividend. Westshore’s business centres on a single facility and commodity. That adds considerable risk. Major operational difficulties or an unexpected shutdown or strike at one of its coal customers—especially Teck—could force it to cut or halt its dividend payments. Meanwhile, the company signed a new contract with Teck in 2020. But while that new deal lets it keep the coal giant as its biggest customer, it also means that thermal coal customers represent the majority…