Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat and staff: Could you please provide your analysis of Clearwater Seafoods? Thanks so much for a very profitable 2012 investing year.

Article Excerpt

Clearwater Seafoods, $4.00, symbol CLR on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 50.9 million; Market cap: $203.6 million; www.clearwater.ca), is one of North America’s largest seafood companies and the largest holder of shellfish licenses and quotas in Canada. The stock has moved up from $2.50 at the start of November, after the company released its results for the quarter ended September 29, 2012. Revenue rose 4.2%, to $101.6 million from $97.6 million a year earlier. Earnings per share jumped to $0.30 from $0.05. The gain mostly came from an increase in unrealized foreign exchange gains on U.S. dollar-denominated debt. But cash flow, which excludes that item, was up 6.8%. Clearwater’s long-term debt of $249.6 million is a very high 122% of its market cap. That adds a lot of risk. However, the company has been able to refinance its debt to cut its interest rates and extend its maturities, so it should be able to handle its debt payments, at least in the near…