Good Way to Profit from Metals Boom

Article Excerpt

TECK COMINCO LTD. $83 (Toronto symbol TCK.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 215.8 million; Market cap: $17.9 billion; SI Rating: Average) is the world’s largest producer of zinc, which helps prevent steel from rusting. Zinc accounts for a third of Teck’s revenue. The company is also a major producer of copper and gold. Thanks to the huge jump in metal prices in recent years, Teck’s revenue nearly tripled, from $2.2 billion in 2002 to $6.5 billion in 2006. Earnings before unusual items shot up from $0.15 a share (total $30.0 million) in 2002 to $10.43 a share ($2.3 billion) in 2006. Cash flow per share soared from $1.27 to $11.95. (These figures do not reflect a planned 2-for-1 stock split in May 2007.) New projects help cut risk Teck is using its strong balance sheet (it has cash of $5.4 billion or about $25.00 a share, while long-term debt of $1.5 billion is just 0.2 times equity) to diversify into other…