Updating SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., BlackBerry Ltd. and Canadian National Railway Co.

Article Excerpt

SNC-LAVALIN GROUP INC. $56 (Toronto symbol SNC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 175.4 million; Market cap: $9.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.snclavalin.com) is a leading Canadian engineering and construction firm. In July 2017, the company paid $3.6 billion for U.K.- based engineering firm WS Atkins plc. That business specializes in industrial projects such as railways, nuclear power plants, water-treatment facilities and highways. The purchase cut SNC’s exposure to cyclical oil and gas clients, from 44% of its 2016 revenue to 37% in 2017. Thanks to the new operations, SNC’s earnings will likely rise from $3.20 a share in 2017 to between $3.60 and $3.85 a share in 2018. The stock trades at just 15.0 times the midpoint of that range. The low p/e is mainly because the company still faces federal criminal charges over accusations it and two of its subsidiaries used bribes to win Libyan construction contracts between 2001 and 2011. The…