Updating MDS INC., BOMBARDIER INC. and IGM FINANCIAL INC.

Article Excerpt

MDS INC. $6.06 (Toronto symbol MDS; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 120.1 million; Market cap: $727.8 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; SI Rating: Average) has sold one of its two late-stage drug testing businesses. The company is still looking for a buyer for the second one. To put the $50-million sale price in perspective, MDS lost $17 million, or $0.15 a share, in the three months ended April 30, 2009 (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). The loss included a $16-million writedown of buildings and equipment at its drug-testing division. By getting out of late-stage testing, MDS will be able to focus on its more promising early-stage operations. However, the company’s medical-isotope business continues to suffer from the closure of the Chalk River reactor near Ottawa, which will remain out of service until late 2009. MDS gets all of its isotopes from Chalk River, and the shutdown is cutting its gross earnings by $4 million…