Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Can I have your recommendation on Enercare? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Enercare Inc., $15.82, symbol ECI on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 88.0 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion, www.enercare.ca), owns a portfolio of about 1.1 million installed gas-fired water heaters. These are mainly rented to residential customers in Ontario. The company also owns Enercare Connections Inc., a leading sub-metering business, with metering contracts for condominium and apartment suites in Ontario, Alberta and elsewhere in Canada. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, Enercare’s revenue rose 12.4%, to $141.6 million from $126.0 million a year earlier. Cash flow per share jumped, to $0.34 from $0.20. The increase is the result of stronger revenue and lower costs for the disposal of used equipment. Enercare holds cash of $28.4 million, or $0.32 a share. Its $736.2 million in long-term debt is a high 53% of its $1.4 billion market cap. The company recently acquired Service Experts for $340.8 million U.S. That business serves both commercial and residential customers in 29 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. It is…