Topic: How To Invest

Hi, Pat: Do you have any thoughts on Keppel Corp. in Singapore? It seems like a large, reputable company. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Keppel Corp., $8.60 SGD (1 Singapore dollar = $0.93 Canadian), symbol BN4 on the Singapore Exchange (Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $16.3 billion; www.kepcorp.com), is the world’s largest builder of offshore oil rigs. It also has interests in power generation and real estate. You can buy shares of Singapore-listed stocks from major brokers such as TD Waterhouse. Keppel Land (formerly Straits Steamship Land) is a real estate subsidiary of Keppel Corp. Keppel Corp. has offered $2.4 billion U.S. for the 45.4% of Keppel Land it doesn’t already own. It’s making the bid because of the weak market for offshore oil rigs, which is expected to remain slow at least until the end of 2015. Keppel Corp. hopes that holding all of Keppel Land will offset falling earnings from offshore oil rigs. Keppel Corp. has yards around the world for making rigs and repairing ships—from Singapore to Indonesia, China, Brazil and Azerbaijan. The company won $5.5 billion SGD of new orders last year, ending…