Bombardier debt still high despite asset sale

Article Excerpt

Bombardier has now completed the sale of its passenger railcar business. This was the last transaction in a series of deals to let it focus exclusively on making business jets under the Challenger, Global and Learjet brands. However, its high debt burden remains a major risk factor. BOMBARDIER INC. is still a hold for aggressive investors. The company (Toronto symbols BBD.A $0.94 and BBD.B $0.73; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 2.4 billion; Market cap: $1.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.1; Dividend suspended in February 2015; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; www.bombardier.com) has now completed the sale of its passenger railcar business (Bombardier Transportation) to France’s Alstom SA. Bombardier owned 67.5% of that unit, while the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec—manager of the province’s public pension plan—held the other 32.5%. The company received $3.6 billion for its stake (all amounts except share prices and market cap in U.S. dollars). That included $600 million in Alstom shares. It can start to sell those shares in…