A good way to tap into rising resource prices

Article Excerpt

Finning’s earnings generally depend on cyclical commodities, particularly crude oil and copper. We think their prices will resume their upward direction in the next few years. Moreover, increasing government spending on infrastructure projects helps offset that cyclical risk. FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC. $36 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol FTT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Shares o/s: 144.0 million; Market cap: $5.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 2.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.finning.com) sells and services Caterpillar-brand heavy equipment in Western Canada but also South America, the U.K. and Ireland. Its main customers are in the oil and gas, mining, forestry-products and construction industries. Canada is Finning’s biggest market, accounting for 53% of its 2023 net revenue. Its other markets are South America (34%) and the U.K. & Ireland (13%). The servicing of equipment provided 56% of revenue, while the sale of new equipment provided 34%; the remaining 10% came from the sale of used equipment, rentals and fuel. Finning’s revenue fell 20.7%, from $7.29…