Takeover Rumors Highlight Value

Article Excerpt

The likely takeover of BCE Inc. has pushed up prices of our two other telecom buys, Manitoba Telecom (see below) and Telus (see box on page 62). Any telecom takeover would face hurdles such as limits on foreign ownership and anti-competition concerns. But regardless of whether any takeovers occur, we feel all three of these stocks offer attractive long-term opportunities. Manitoba Tel is riskier than BCE and Telus, due to its heavy exposure to a single province and falling profits at Allstream, its Canada-wide business communications subsidiary. But the stock yields over 5%, and its profits are also improving thanks to a major restructuring plan. MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES INC. $49 (Toronto symbol MBT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 65.1 million; Market cap: $3.2 billion; SI Rating: Average) is Canada’s third-largest telephone company, after BCE and Telus. It is the leading provider of local, long distance and wireless telephone service in Manitoba, with over 90% of the market. Other services include…