The following companies are ranked as 2013 Best Picks by Canadian analysts at Raymond James Ltd.
Aecon Group Inc. (TSX: T.ARE, Stock Forum). Aecon is a leading player in three of Canada’s most promising construction sectors – transportation, energy and natural resources. The stock traded Wednesday at $10.60 in a 52-week range of $13.76 and $9.48.
Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX: T.AGI, Stock Forum). Alamos is a consistent, low cost gold producer with $319.9 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, sufficient to build the Agi Dagi, and Kirazli operations in Turkey. The stock traded Wednesday in a 52-week range of $21 and $13.84.
B2Gold Corp. (TSX: T.BTO, Stock Forum). B2Gold is an aggressive growth-orientated gold producer with a two mine Nicaraguan production base, a prospective development stage project pipeline, and an attractive portfolio of exploration projects. The stock traded Wednesday at $3.53 in a 52-week range of $4.55 and $2.64.
Black Diamond Group Ltd. (TSX: T.BDI, Stock Forum). Raymond James believes Black Diamond is well positioned to capture considerable growth in the remote accommodations business, particularly as it relates to Canada’s energy sector. The stock traded Wednesday at $20.23 in a 52-week range of $23.79 and $16.60.
Cameco Corp. (TSX: T.CCO, Stock Forum) (NYSE: CCJ, Stock Forum). Cameco is the world’s largest, publicly listed uranium producer, with 2011 annual output of 22.4 million pounds at $25 per pound production cash costs. The stock traded Wednesday at $20.51 in a 52-week range of $26.43 and $16.50.
Canfor Corp. (TSX: T.CFP, Stock Forum) Canfor is Raymond James’s top pick in the western Canadian lumber sector due to attractive relative valuation, strong leverage to the U.S. housing recovery, expected improvements in pulp segment earnings, and anticipated returns on the extensive ongoing capital plans. The stock traded Wednesday at $15.82 in a 52-week range of $16.15 and $10.06.
Canfor Pulp Products Inc. (TSX: T.CFX, Stock Forum). This company remains Raymond James’s top pick in its universe of pulp and paper producers, based on a number of factors, including tight global pulp markets. The stock traded Wednesday at $9.89 in a 52-week range of $15.19 and $7.60.
Copper Mountain Mining (TSX: T.CUM, Stock Forum). Copper Mountain is the 75% owner and operator of the Copper Mountain mine in southern British Columbia. The stock traded Wednesday at $4.16 in a 52-week range of $6.39 and $2.43.
Endeavour Mining Corp. (TSX: T.EDV, Stock Forum). This company is one of the few emerging mid-tiers that has the balance sheet strength to largely fund its growth with access to $130 million in cash and equivalents and $100 million in undrawn credit. The stock traded Wednesday at $2.07 in a 52-week range of $2.70 and $1.84.
HudBay Minerals Inc. (TSX: T.HBM, Stock Forum) (NYSE: HBM, Stock Forum). HudBay is set to re-emerge as a multi-mine company, concurrently increase its cash-generating abilities and deliver peer-leading growth in net asset value and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. The stock traded Wednesday at $10.15 in a 52-week range of $12.47 and $7.36.
Open Text (TSX: T.OTC, Stock Forum) (NASDAQ: OTEX, Stock Forum). Open Text develops and markets software that allows users to collaborate, share, store and retrieve information. Raymond James said it believes the company’s organizational changes are largely behind it and that the share price should respond positively to organic growth. The stock traded at $55.82 on Wednesday in a 52-week range of $62.66 and $44.76.
Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (TSX: T.POT, Stock Forum) (NYSE: POT, Stock Forum). Potash Corp is ranked number one in global potash capacity and number 3 in phosphate and nitrogen, boasts a formidable competitive position and world-class assets within Saskatchewan’s basin at the low-end of the industry cost curve. The stock traded Wednesday at $40.05 in a 52-week range of $47.94 and $37.02.
Savanna Energy Services (TSX: T.SVY, Stock Forum). Savanna is a highly cyclical resource-oriented stock. It operates a fleet of 102 service (workover) rigs in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. The stock traded Wednesday at $7.04 in a 52-week range of $8.42 and $6.30.
Shoppers Drug MartCorp. (TSX: T.SC, Stock Forum). Raymond James is eyeing a recovery in earnings power in the public sector funded segment of Shoppers’ RX business (despite the continued regulatory headwinds and the deflationary impact of increased generic penetration). Shoppers traded Wednesday at $42.45 in a 52-week range of $44.44 and $39.30.
Raymond James is a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S.-based Raymond James Financial Inc. (NYSE: RJF, Stock Forum). The stock traded Wednesday at $39.27 in a 52-week range of $39.99 and $29.64.