Major hikes its dividend

Article Excerpt

MAJOR DRILLING $9.80 (Toronto symbol MDI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (1-866- 264-3986; www.majordrilling.com; Shares outstanding: 79.1 million; Market cap: $775.2 million; Dividend yield: 2.0%) is a large contract-drilling firm that mainly serves the mining industry. In the three months ended October 31, 2012, Major’s revenue fell 6.6%, to $199.6 million from $213.9 million a year earlier. Earnings per share declined 34.9%, to $0.28 from $0.43. Most of the company’s large- and midsized mining customers maintained their drilling activity during the latest quarter, but orders from junior miners slowed. That’s because juniors are having difficulty raising funds in today’s uncertain resource markets. Major’s results could remain weaker for the rest of this year, but the company’s longer-term outlook is positive. It raised its twice-yearly dividend by 11.1%, to $0.10 from $0.09, with the November 2012 payment. This followed a 12.5% increase in May, to $0.09 from $0.08. The stock now yields 2.0%. Major Drilling is still a buy. buy…