Two manufacturers with hidden value

Article Excerpt

TOROMONT INDUSTRIES LTD. $30.49 (Toronto symbol TIH; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-667-5511; www.toromont.com; Shares outstanding: 76.9 million; Market cap: $2.3 billion; Dividend yield: 2.1%) has two divisions: the equipment group and the compression group. In the three months ended December 31, 2010, Toromont’s revenue jumped 56.7%, to $709.7 million from $452.8 million a year earlier. The increase was mostly due to its January 2010 purchase of Enerflex Systems Income Fund for $700 million. Enerflex brought new oil and gas compression customers to Toromont. It also expanded Toromont’s international presence. Even so, the company’s earnings per share fell 2.1%, to $0.47 from $0.48. The cost of integrating Enerflex held back earnings. Toromont’s order backlogs are rising: the compression group’s backlog is up 137% from the end of 2009, and the equipment group’s backlog is up 133%. Breakup is still in the works Toromont still plans to break up into two publicly traded companies: Toromont, a distributor of Caterpillar and industrial equipment; and Enerflex, a supplier of…