Drillers profit from their technology

Article Excerpt

PASON SYSTEMS $19.58 (Toronto symbol PSI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-301-3400; www.pason. com; Shares outstanding: 84.7 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; Dividend yield: 3.5%) serves the drilling contractors for oil and gas firms in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Argentina. The company provides them with rental equipment for monitoring and managing land-based oil rigs. Its systems also let clients remotely monitor their wells. In the three months ended December 31, 2016, Pason’s revenue dropped 18.4%, to $48.8 million from $59.8 million a year earlier. A rise in the U.S. dollar only partially offset the slowdown in oil and gas drilling. Pason’s cash per share remained positive in the latest three months, although it was down 18.2%, to $0.18 from $0.22. Meanwhile, the company holds cash of $146.5 million, or $1.73 a share, and has no debt. In the latest quarter, it spent $5.2 million, or 11% of revenue, on research. Reduced capital spending by oil producers cut U.S. drilling activity in the latest quarter…