These two have big potential—and big risk

Article Excerpt

MART RESOURCES $1.19 (Toronto symbol MMT; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-270-1841; www.martresources.com; Shares outstanding: 356.6 million; Market cap: $449.3 million; Dividend yield: 16.8%) produces oil at its 50%-held Umusadege field in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria. The company recently completed construction of a new central processing facility at the Umusadege field. This plant can process 35,000 barrels of oil a day, enough to handle the field’s current output of 10,140 barrels a day, in addition to all future production increases. Meanwhile, the company is reporting steady cash flow and continues to pay quarterly dividends of $0.05 a share. The stock yields 16.8%. In the three months ended June 30, 2013, Mart’s cash flow was $31.7 million, up 47.9% from $21.4 million a year earlier. Cash flow per share was up 39.1%, to $0.089 from $0.064, on more shares outstanding. Offsetting the stock’s high yield and cash flow is the fact that Mart’s exposure to Nigeria entails considerable political risk…