How Teck Tempers Your Risk

Article Excerpt

Teck Cominco operates in the Resources sector, which along with Manufacturing is one of the two most volatile and cyclical of the five main economic sectors (the other three are Finance, Consumer and Utility). Teck compounds its risk by growing through acquisitions. That’s riskier than internal growth because new operations may fail to live up to expectations, particularly in mineral development. However, Teck’s mining expertise and its exposure to a wide variety of minerals tempers that risk. That makes it an attractive choice for conservative investors who want a relatively low-risk mining investment. TECK COMINCO LTD. $43 (Toronto symbol TCK.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 441.9 million; Market cap: $19.0 billion; SI Rating: Average) is the world’s top producer of zinc, which accounts for 35% of Teck’s revenue. To cut its dependence on zinc, Teck has diversified in the past few years through acquisitions. The biggest was its $4.1 billion cash-and-stock purchase of Aur Resources in August 2007. Aur owns the…