Research spending keeps them on top

Article Excerpt

PASON SYSTEMS $16.32 (Toronto symbol PSI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-301-3400; www.pason. com; Shares outstanding: 84.4 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; Dividend yield: 4.2%) serves the drilling contractors of 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 collect data from their drilling operations. For the three months ended September 30, 2016, Pason’s revenue fell 43.6%, to $38.6 million from $68.5 million a year earlier. Cash flow per share dropped 60.7%, to $0.11 from $0.28. A sharp decline in oil and gas drilling was only partially offset by a higher U.S. dollar. Meanwhile, The company’s balance sheet remains strong. Pason has cash of $154.6 million, or $1.83 a share, and no debt. In the latest quarter, it spent 5.4 million, or 14% of revenue, on research. The stock yields a high 4.2%. The company believes the low point in the drilling cycle…