Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: What is your recommendation on Westshore Terminals? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

A: Westshore Terminals Investment Corp., $24.08, symbol WTE on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 70.7 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; www.westshore.com), operates a coal storage and loading terminal at Roberts Bank, B.C., about 30 kilometres south of Vancouver. The terminal started up in 1970. The company loads both metallurgical coal used in steelmaking (61%) and thermal coal for power plants (39%). Westshore loads coal for delivery to customers in over 18 countries. In 2017, Korea received 37% of the coal shipped by the company, Japan 22%, and China 8%. Of this coal, 63% was shipped from mines owned by Teck Resources in B.C. and Alberta. The remaining 37% came from Westshore’s U.S. clients. Producers ship their coal to the terminal by rail. Westshore then loads it onto ships that deliver it to customers in over 18 countries. The company does not purchase the coal. Instead, it receives a handling fee for loading it. In 2014, Westshore undertook a project to replace much of the terminal’s equipment,…