New financing cuts Precision’s risk

Article Excerpt

PRECISION DRILLING TRUST, $5.84 (Toronto symbol PD.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Units outstanding: 241.2 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; SI Rating: Extra Risk) provides contract-drilling services in Canada and the United States through a fleet of 380 rigs. Precision is raising cash to pay down debt related to last December’s $2-billion purchase Grey Wolf Inc., which operates 123 rigs in the U.S. To this end, Precision sold $280 million worth of new units and notes to the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) in April 2009. AIMCo is a crown corporation that manages Alberta’s public-sector pension plans and other special funds. The deal gives AIMCo 15% of the trust. Precision plans to raise an additional $103 million by selling new units to its existing investors. In the three months ended March 31, 2009, Precision’s earnings fell 46%, to $57.4 million from $106.3 million a year earlier. Precision paid an extra $36 million in interest due to the loans it took…