Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: Wanted to get your advice on Canfor Corp. Thank you.

Article Excerpt

Canfor Corp., $14.50, symbol CFP on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 132.8 million; Market cap: $1.9 billion; www.canfor.com), is a leading North American producer of softwood lumber. It has 5.8 billion board feet of annual capacity located across Western Canada and the Southeastern U.S. Lumber accounts for 70% of Canfor’s total sales. The remaining 30% comes from its 51.9% stake in Canfor Pulp Products Inc., symbol CFX on Toronto. This business makes pulp and paper products. The U.S. is the company’s largest market (53% of its 2015 revenue), followed by Asia (31%), Canada (12%), Europe (2%) and other countries (2%). Canfor’s overall sales rose 62.1%, from $2.3 billion in 2011 to $3.9 billion in 2015. That’s mainly because of higher demand for building materials as the U.S. economy recovers from the 2008 financial crisis. Canfor also fuels its growth with acquisitions. In 2015, it spent $313.9 million buying four forest-product firms in the Southeastern U.S. The company lost $0.40 a share (or a total of…