Buy Russel, hold onto Stuart Olson

Article Excerpt

RUSSEL METALS $19.08 (Toronto symbol RUS; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (905-819-7777; www.russelmetals.com; Shares outstanding: 61.7 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; Dividend yield: 8.0%) is one of North America’s largest metal distributors, serving 39,000 clients at 53 locations in Canada and 12 in the U.S. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Russel’s revenue fell 25.5%, to $773.4 million from $1.04 billion a year earlier. Sales mainly declined because revenue fell 40% at the company’s energy products division, which sells pipes to oil and gas drillers. Earnings dropped sharply, to $12.8 million, or $0.21 a share, from $33.0 million, or $0.54. The latest figure included a $2-million charge related to a more than 7% cut to the company’s workforce. Russel’s earnings fell faster than revenue because steel prices moved down in the latest quarter. That hurts its profit margins and causes it to suffer losses on its inventory. Russel holds cash of $94.4 million, or $1.53 a share, and its $464.8…