CAE goes far beyond flight simulators

Article Excerpt

CAE INC. $10 (Toronto symbol CAE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 258.7 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cae.com) is the world’s leading maker of flight simulators for commercial airlines, with 70% of the market. It also makes simulators for military clients. The company began training pilots for its customers in 2001; it now has over 100 flight schools in 30 countries. CAE gets 50% of its revenue from military clients. That cuts its exposure to cyclical commercial airlines, which supply 45% of its revenue. New markets have big potential The remaining 5% of CAE’s revenue comes from new businesses it has developed in the past few years. For example, it now makes simulators to train paramedics and medical students. The company has also developed simulators that help mining companies train employees to operate complex drilling machines. CAE’s revenue rose 16.8%, from $1.4 billion in 2008 to $1.7 billion in 2009 (fiscal…