Market leadership gives them an edge

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PASON SYSTEMS $17.93 (Toronto symbol PSI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-301-3400; www.pason.com; Shares outstanding: 82.1 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; Dividend yield: 2.9%) rents equipment for monitoring and managing oil and gas rigs. It also sells communication systems, such as its satellite system, which companies use to remotely collect data from their drilling operations. Pason serves oil and gas producers and drilling contractors throughout Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Argentina and Australia. In the three months ended March 31, 2013, Pason’s revenue fell 5.1%, to $109.3 million from $115.1 million a year earlier. Less drilling in the U.S. and Canada offset strong international sales. Cash flow per share fell 7.9%, to $0.58 from $0.63. Pason holds cash of $168.9 million, or $2.06 a share, and has no debt. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 8.3% with the April 2013 payment, to $0.13 from $0.12. It also switched to quarterly dividends from semi-annual payouts. This latest increase followed a 9.1% hike with…