| BUY | 8.200 | Benj Gallander | Excellent management. Selling off non-core assets. Still looking to get rid of their solar Photowatt at some point in time. Sell target is $22. | 2008-09-15 | |
| TOP PICK | 6.880 | Don Lato | A classic turnaround story. A year ago, there was a proxy fight and a new board was installed along with new management. In 9 short months they engineered a remarkable turnaround. Just reported an extremely profitable quarter. There is still room for improvement on the margin side and revenue booking side. | 2008-08-13 | |
| BUY | 6.140 | Jean-Francois Tardif | (Market Call Minute.) New management and they are doing much better. Focusing on solar energy. | 2008-07-15 | |
| BUY | 6.990 | Benj Gallander | Automated tooling for automobile, housing and solar industries. Solar division was doing very poorly for quite a while. Starting to turn the corner now. | 2008-07-04 | |
| WATCH | 6.720 | Don Lato | Their basic business is the automated tooling business. They had to fight against the Canadian dollar rising so rapidly. Also bungled some of the efforts on the solar power division. New management has streamlined the company dramatically. Wait for the courtly results that come out in May, as this will be the first full quarter that the new management has been in play. | 2008-04-09 | |
| DON'T BUY | 6.700 | Robert McWhirter | Ranks midpoint at 298 in his database. Year-over-year earnings were down over 100%. Analysts have chopped earnings estimates by about 45% in the last 90 days. Expected to earn $.05 in March 09 which brings a very crisp 144X PE. Has high respect for the new management. | 2008-04-08 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 5.900 | Benj Gallander | (Top pick, April 19, 2007. Down 15%) They’re in the solar field, very competitive space that is growing. Target over $21. | 2008-03-25 | |
| TOP PICK | 6.080 | Benj Gallander | Deals with automation in the automotive industry, health care, computers as well as into solar. There are so many companies out there and there is some question about the efficacy. Likes the new board of directors. Also have a new CEO. Think it's moving in the right direction. | 2008-01-25 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 5.160 | Bill Carrigan | (A Top Pick Feb 1/07. Down 56.9%.) This stock was torpedoed and it usually takes a long time to recover from a torpedo. It is probably improving and if you own it, wait it out. | 2008-01-09 | |
| DON'T BUY | 5.100 | Andrew Guy, CFA | Has 3 different parts. At any given time one of them could be doing very well and the others not so well. Trying to get out of their precision components business, which continues to be a drag on their results. Automation business continues to do well but their solar panel has had its ups and downs. Sensitive to economic conditions. | 2007-12-27 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 4.640 | Benj Gallander | (A Past Top Pick Apr 20/07. Down 46.4 %.) Just doubled his position in it. Board of directors was changed for the better. New CEO. Have a debt load they have to deal with this month. | 2007-12-24 | |
| DON'T BUY | 4.090 | Steve Martin | 3 different business lines including a solar business. Key feed stock for making a solar cell is polysilicon, which is in a massive global shortage. They have not been able to secure this so are using other material resulting in the cost structure lagging. Margins are practically negative. | 2007-11-22 | |
| WAIT | 4.460 | Lesley Marks | A bit of a mixed picture. You have the manufacturing side as well as the solar business. They have a lot of workout to do here. Still have to put in a new CEO. | 2007-11-15 | |
| BUY | 7.080 | Benj Gallander | IPO was postponed twice which hurt the share price. They've done a rights offering which has raised a lot of money.
He likes it. | 2007-10-18 | |
| Comment | 6.940 | Hugh Cleland, CFA | There has been a coup at the board level, which is the reason for the jump to $7. He would like to look at this one because of the changes. | 2007-09-28 | |
| BUY | 7.290 | Benj Gallander | Board of directors resigned and have been replaced. New board wants to see things move more quickly. They have a good track record, so he is fairly confident going forward. Could see it tripling over several years. | 2007-09-21 | |
| BUY | 7.130 | Ben Stadelmann | Disappointed in the stock results. Hedge funds are trying to put in their own fleet of directors. He will be voting against this. 2 problems last year. Photowatt IPO was a complete disaster and the recent rights offering undercut the stock price at a lot | 2007-09-07 | |
| WEAK BUY | 9.380 | Peter Hofstra | Into solar. Big auto parts provider. At fair value and there is probably decent upside from here. | 2007-07-09 | |
| TOP PICK | 8.750 | Benj Gallander | Manufacturer automotive, health, computers, etc. they fell off the rails recently when they were going to do an IPO for their photo solar technology. He likes the solar field and longer-term feels it will do well. Good management team. | 2007-05-18 | |
| TOP PICK | 7.780 | Ben Stadelmann | Automated robotic assembly lines. There Fuller division was supposed to have an IPO but it was cancelled. Has disappointed investors in the past but feels they can come back. Nice suite of products. | 2007-04-20 | |
| TOP PICK | 7.550 | Benj Gallander | Have attempted an IPO for their solar unit, but fell off the rails. Making a lot of changes. Very skilled management. | 2007-04-19 | |
| TOP PICK | 12.730 | Bill Carrigan | This is a capital-spending theme. If the market gets in trouble, he thinks capital spending is going to persist. Down last summer and then rallied. Dropped again but with a higher low and is starting to rally again. Overlooked, under owned and under loved. | 2007-02-01 | |
| TOP PICK | 10.890 | Hank Cunningham | (A Top Pick Oct 31/05. Down 15.4%.) Still likes. Likes their subsidiary Photowatt International, which is in the solar power business. Will be spinning off a portion of this as an IPO. | 2006-12-11 | |
| HOLD | 11.480 | Gavin Graham | Were going to spin off their solar panel division, but didn’t happen as fast as the market had hoped. Solar panel is a major growth area, but about 5 X expensive as producing from power plants. The rest of the company is OK and the spin off will probably happen. | 2006-12-07 | |
| TOP PICK | 12.880 | Hank Cunningham | Likes their solo energy subsidiary, Photowatt. They are booked to spin off part of it in an IPO. A very exciting area to be in. Upside potential is very attractive. | 2006-10-31 | |
| DON'T BUY | 13.380 | Robert McWhirter | Surprised that they are going ahead with the IPO of their Photowatt division as they were having difficulties with the manufacturing. Analysts have chopped their estimates by 13%. Ranks 474. | 2006-09-15 | |
| DON'T BUY | 13.340 | Martin Hubbes, CFA | Issuing an IPO on their Photowatt company and the stock took a jump on this news. However, the automation side of the business will continue to be under pressure. | 2006-09-01 | |
| DON'T BUY | 9.650 | Michael Sprung | Has taken a bath. The market is saying they don't see a big return. | 2006-07-18 | |
| DON'T BUY | 11.000 | David Burrows | There have been a number of analysts reductions in their estimates. Estimates of earnings have dropped a number of times over the past few weeks. | 2006-06-15 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 17.480 | Ian Ainsworth | (A Top Pick Nov 16/05. Up 20%.) Valuations for solar technology companies have gone up. | 2006-05-09 | |
| BUY | 17.800 | Ben Rogoff | Very excited about solar power. This company’s core business is not very interesting but they have a solar sector that is very interesting. When you buy this stock, you're getting the non-interesting part for free. | 2006-04-24 | |
| WATCH | 16.750 | Gavin Graham | Has some very attractive parts including a solar panel business. With the high price of oil, it is wonderful news for the environmental movement. Unfortunately, the automation part of the business is not doing as well. They are talking of spinning out the solar panel portion. | 2006-02-10 | |
| TOP PICK | 14.650 | Ian Ainsworth | Buying it for their alternate energy strategy with solar power. Have proven up the technology and getting some reasonable yields. Now have to put it in production. Some risk. | 2005-11-16 | |
| TOP PICK | 14.780 | Pierre Bernard | It went up to $17, but for the wrong reason. Not for their automation, but for their solar business. Has a value of this company of $18, but has a feeling that it's a worth a lot more than that. | 2005-10-17 | |
| BUY | 15.300 | Larry Berman CFA, CMT, CTA | Targeting a minimum move back to its last high of around $17. The fundamental story is improving. Has a really strong trend channel. | 2005-09-28 | |
| WEAK BUY | 12.140 | Peter Hofstra | Their end business is selling automation equipment to automotive parts manufacturers. In a tough end market. A sound business. They are aggressive in getting into new markets which are sometimes a long time in maturing and gets them into trouble now and then. | 2005-08-22 | |
| TOP PICK | 14.940 | Ron Meisels | Had a very extreme sell off from the 2000 high, got down to $10, made a base building and started to move out again. Not at a new all time high, so could have some resistance on the way up. Has shown a lot of strength in starting to move up from the $10/12 level. Anywhere between $13.50 and $15 would be a good entry point. | 2005-07-29 | |
| WEAK BUY | 13.490 | Brian Acker, CA | His model price is $16.31 which is a differential of 20%. Too much of a small cap for his funds. | 2005-05-05 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 13.320 | Pierre Bernard | (Was a Top Pick Jan 13/05. Up 11%.) Still likes. Their solar division is creating the activity in the stock. | 2005-04-18 | |
| TOP PICK | 14.130 | Peter Hodson | There's hidden value in their solar division. They produce solar cells that go on roofs. A very big business for them. They'll probably do $150 million in sales on an annual basis. Comparable companies are trading at 15/20 X revenue. If this division hits their critical mass, they'll spin out the company or IPO it. or sell it to a larger player. | 2005-04-07 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 12.200 | Ian Ainsworth | (A Top Pick July 13/04. No change.) Cdn$ has been a burden for a lot of Canadian manufacturers. Has recently been picking up and looks like it's building some momentum. Still a BUY. | 2005-01-20 | |
| DON'T BUY | 11.000 | Martin Hubbes, CFA | The enigma with this company is the great revenue and cash flow, but lousy earnings. Stock always seems expensive on forward earnings. | 2004-11-05 | |
| DON'T BUY | 10.400 | Andrew McCreath | Have a couple of interesting venture capital plays. Company has always troubled him because it is run like a private company, disclosure has not been good and very lumpy earnings. | 2004-09-27 | |
| TOP PICK | 10.800 | Pierre Bernard | If the world wide production keeps on growing, they will do very well. Well run. | 2004-09-21 | |
| DON'T BUY | 10.500 | Brian Acker, CA | Model price of $13. A cyclical company. Has had trouble. Is not attractive right now. | 2004-09-10 | |
| DON'T BUY | 11.430 | Martin Hubbes, CFA | A good company. The backlog has been growing. The valuation always seems to be ahead of where reality is. Slightly expensive. Good company. | 2004-08-23 | |
| DON'T BUY | 12.250 | Ron Meisels | Technically, the stock is not showing a good signal. Has fallen below its 200 day moving average again. | 2004-07-14 | |
| TOP PICK | 12.220 | Ian Ainsworth | (Past top pick Mar 26/04. Up 5%.) Has had a dramatic improvement in orders. Diversified across a number of industries. Has some upside in a new solar business it's working on. | 2004-07-13 | |
| DON'T BUY | 12.290 | David Baskin | Never fulfilled the promise that the street had for it. The US$ is definitely a problem for them. Would like a stronger management. | 2004-06-02 | |
| TOP PICK | 11.990 | Ian Ainsworth | Has a great balance sheet. Great products. Specialists in micro machining and manufacturing. Spending in this sector should start to come back. | 2004-04-20 | |
| TOP PICK | 11.990 | Ian Ainsworth | Has a great balance sheet. Great products. Specialists in micro machining and manufacturing. Spending in this sector should start to come back. | 2004-04-20 | |
| TOP PICK | 11.550 | Ian Ainsworth | Probably the healthiest company in their sector. Very good at creating robotics and precision components. Good revenues. Cheap. | 2004-03-26 | |
| BUY | 13.350 | Pierre Bernard | Will be good in an economic recovery. Expensive but worth it. | 2004-01-13 | |
| BUY | 13.500 | Robert Floyd | Book value is around $9. The stock is associated with an upturn in the industrialized section. Earnings are starting to pick up. Orders are starting to come in. Should move up. | 2003-09-22 | |
| WATCH | 11.960 | Lou Schizas | Had a double bottom in March/April, which gave the rise in stock.Trading above its 50/200 day moving averages.Has some support at $12 and would like to see that maintained.Its a bet on economic recovery and capital spending increases. | 2003-08-21 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 11.980 | Mark Jackson, CFA | (A top pick June 10/03.Up 6.1%.)Will be a late cycle play on an economic recovery.Still a good price. | 2003-08-20 | |
| TOP PICK | 11.310 | Mark Jackson, CFA | Bought in the $10 range. Should have more upside. May be a little early on this one. | 2003-06-10 | |
| TOP PICK | 9.800 | Mark Jackson, CFA | Could be a little early on calling this one. Trading below its book value. An economic recovery will serve them well. | 2003-05-07 | |
| DON'T BUY | 8.750 | David Baskin | This stock is industry sensitive, so not a good time. | 2003-03-04 | |
| BUY | 9.900 | Robert Floyd | The book value is almost the same as the share price. Should start to pick up. | 2003-02-07 | |
| TOP PICK | 11.690 | Robert Floyd | Well run company. Strong balance sheet. Book value is $9.50. | 2003-01-15 | |
| DON'T BUY | 13.000 | David Driscoll | Very cyclical. There is no capital spending so stock is mired. | 2002-12-03 | |
| DON'T BUY | 13.200 | Ted Macklin | Solid company and good balance sheet. Will take a while. | 2002-10-31 | |
| BUY on WEAKNESS | 17.580 | John McColl | Fully valued. Would buy at $15. | 2002-03-07 | |
| DON'T BUY | 16.730 | Ted Macklin | Good balance sheet, strong management. An expensive stock. May take awhile. | 2002-02-12 | |
| BUY | 18.000 | Pierre Bernard | A great company. A long term hold. | 2002-01-22 | |
| DON'T BUY | 17.900 | Bruce Cooper | Very good company with a good track record. Business' are in a capital cutback which will hurt them. Too high. | 2002-01-15 | |
| WAIT | 18.750 | John Zechner | Valuation is a little high. Wait for capital spending to improve in the back half of 2002. | 2002-01-04 | |
| BUY | 16.150 | Ted Macklin | Good company/management. Will rise with the economy. Long term is good. | 2001-12-06 | |
| BUY | 16.150 | Brian Acker, CA | Looking at it now. | 2001-12-06 | |
| BUY | 15.340 | Mike Weir | Great company. Good client base. Expanding. May be volatile in near term. | 2001-10-17 | |
| TOP PICK | 22.140 | Joe Connolly | When there is a recovery, this will move. Has a good backlog of contracts with only a 3% cancellation rate. Good mngmnt. | 2001-07-27 | |
| DON'T BUY | 23.300 | Keith Graham | High quality company and a global leader in its niche. Too expensive | 2001-03-02 | |
| TOP PICK | 21.990 | Pierre Bernard | Good outsourcing company. Now at a lower price and minimal downside risk. A core holding | 2001-02-13 | |
| BUY | 22.500 | Jonathen Wellum, B. Comm, B. Sc | Buying now. In low $20's its a BUY. A good base. World's largest. | 2001-01-25 | |
| TOP PICK | 21.500 | Jonathen Wellum, B. Comm, B. Sc | Price is much better. A world leader getting involved in fibre. Like their outsourcing aspect | 2000-12-15 | |
| BUY | 22.750 | Bruce Sellery | P/E 33, but offset by low PEG. Trading below their earnings growth 8 BUYS 1 HOLD Strong earnings | 2000-12-13 | |
| BUY | 26.000 | Jonathen Wellum, B. Comm, B. Sc | Been watching. World leader in automated systems Good customers | 2000-11-13 | |
Experts that have talked about ATS Automation
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