Waiting for a U.S. housing rebound

Article Excerpt

WEYERHAEUSER CO. $20 (New York symbol WY; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 537.5 million; Market cap: $10.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend yield: 3.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.weyerhaeuser.com) is a leading maker of forest products, including paper and packaging. The company owns or leases over 20.3 million acres of timberland in the U.S. and Canada. In 2010, Weyerhaeuser converted to a real estate investment trust (REIT). REITs pay little or no income tax, and must pay 90% of their earnings to their shareholders as dividends. Right now, Weyerhaeuser pays a regular quarterly dividend of $0.15 a share, for a 3.0% annualized yield. The company continues to sell less profitable assets: in 2011, it sold $838 million of real estate. Weyerhaeuser is using the proceeds to expand its main lumber business and pay down debt. On March 31, 2012, its long-term debt was $4.0 billion, down from $4.7 billion at the end of 2010. Even so, the current figure is still…