Teck’s prospects continue to improve

Article Excerpt

TECK RESOURCES LTD. $35 (Toronto symbol TECK.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 577.7 million; Market cap: $20.2 billion; Price-to sales ratio: 1.6; Dividend yield: 0.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.teck.com) is a leading producer of metallurgical coal, a key ingredient in steel making. It also produces zinc and copper. The company had to slow production at its Elkview coal mine in B.C. after an explosion damaged an area where specialized equipment uses natural gas to dry coal. Teck expects it will take four to six weeks to repair the damage. Meantime, Elkview will operate at 80% of its capacity. The company also estimates the repairs will cost $5 million to $10 million. To put that in context, it earned $621 million, or $1.08 a share, in the third quarter of 2017. Meantime, coal demand and prices have declined recently. That’s because China aims to cut air pollution by slowing its steel production over the winter. However, the Chinese economy continues to…