In our update last month I featured Western Uranium (TSX: V.WUC, Stock Forum ; 85 cents) as an excellent way to play the resource sector without incurring significant risk. A person would try to buy their stock near cash value of almost 80 cents/share and then have exposure to lithium, gold, and uranium for next to nothing.
That full report is available here:
https://stockhouse.com/columnists/2009/nov/2/penny-miner-trades-at-
its-cash-value
We have employed this same strategy very successfully all year and most recently with Khan Resources (TSX: T.KRI, Stock Forum; 61 cents). This was a stock we bottom fished recently near cash value of 30 cents because the uranium properties in Mongolia were valued at nothing. As usual the market was completely wrong with these small stocks and a takeover surfaced this past week for 65 cents/share from one of the world's largest uranium miners.
Scenarios like this are not uncommon. BioMS (TSX: T.MS, Stock Forum; 33 cents) holds almost $50 million in cash worth about 55 cents/share and will decide in the next couple months how the money will be put to use after a failed drug trial with Eli Lilly this summer. Rumour was floating around this past month that a firm from Toronto would try to takeover the company and backdoor that large cash position, but nothing has yet emerged. It makes sense if someone can get the paper cheap enough in the open market to sway control from existing management.
Phoscan Chemical (TSX: T.FOS, Stock Forum; 35 cents); www.phoscan.ca
A very similar situation to KRI may exist with Phoscan in 2010. This is another microcap with a huge cash position and underlying asset that the market is (mistakenly) discounting to zero.
October 19th was one of the bigger volume days on Phoscan for the year - and a story out of China likely created the interest.
1) BEIJING, Oct 19 (Reuters) - China's Zhongchuan International Mining Corp, has signed a deal to build a huge potash base in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan to ease its own tight supply of the fertiliser, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.
2) Chinese companies exploring for potash in Canada
https://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN1939112620091019
Phoscan owns the Martison Phosphate Project. A large phosphate deposit and a "planned" phosphate mine, beneficiation plant, phosphoric acid plant and solid fertilizer production facility.
The problem is capital costs. These are not cheap mines to develop and the slowdown in the economy has called into question the economics of such projects. However, this phosphate project and minerals are actually treated as a liability by the market - because the stock trades below its cash value.
My main concern with Phoscan has been that senior management could easily sit around and soak up management and director fees. With $68 million in the bank, it’s a nice retirement project. However, one has to assume this is not their mandate and if it was, we would eventually see a revolt from majority shareholders.
We are seeing substantial interest in Canada's natural resources from China & India. Because of this, Phoscan may have an opportunity in 2010 to finance a mine or sell the project outright. Investors could not see the value in a similar situation with Khan Resources yet one of Russia's largest miners is happy to pay double the current share price.
Phoscan has spent close to $80 million on their Phosphate project yet the market doesn't even give them 100% value for their cash in the bank. Just like Khan, this makes no sense and creates opportunities for astute investors.
Disclosure: Danny Deadlock owns 20,000 shares of Western Uranium (TSX: V.WUC), 30,000 shares of BioMS (TSX: T.MS), and 30,000 shares of Phoscan Chemical (TSX: T.FOS).