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| DON'T BUY | 7.860 | Charles Lannon | Sold his holdings in 2008. Cement industry is very fragmented. Debt level is enormous. When US housing recovers, this stock will do very, very well. | 2012-02-02 | |
| DON'T BUY | 4.740 | Paul Harris, CFA | Mexican cement company. This is a difficult environment for cement companies, especially in the US where there is not a lot of growth. Debt to EBITDA is about 7.2 times and they have to bring it down to 7 by the end of the year. Made a bunch of acquisitions, which they still have to work through. | 2011-11-07 | |
| DON'T BUY | 10.730 | Charles Lannon | (Market Call Minute) Too highly valued | 2010-01-26 | |
| PARTIAL BUY | 12.370 | Karl Berger | Sold in 2008 because of concerns on debt maturities and refinancing needs for a 2007 acquisition. Managed quite well. Good play for infrastructure as well as an emerging market stock. Feels emerging markets are somewhat overvalued. Suggest you scale into a position over the next 3 to 6 months. | 2010-01-05 | |
| SELL | 12.000 | David Driscoll | Prior to meltdown, they were on an acquisition binge. They have been selling assets to raise cash. He sold a year ago because of balance sheet impairment. | 2009-12-29 | |
| DON'T BUY | 12.230 | Paul Harris, CFA | Mexican Cement company. Over long term there is good growth potential around the world. Well run, but high estimates about making numbers this year. Would affect debt coverage so he wouldn’t touch it. | 2009-09-01 | |
| DON'T BUY | 11.340 | Charles Lannon | Did own but exited because of a possible refinancing issue. Doesn't think this will be the case but there is a very high risk that they will have to issue some common equity to shore up the balance sheet. | 2009-06-12 | |
| DON'T BUY | 8.280 | Andrew Guy, CFA | Will be a long-term beneficiary of spending being done by governments. Challenge in the near term is their highly levered balance sheets. Would prefer CRH (CRH-N), which has a better balance sheet and good valuation. | 2009-02-04 | |
| DON'T BUY | 7.790 | David Driscoll | Sold this a couple of months ago because they had refinancing problems. Their cost of capital right now is greater than 15%. Their markets are in US, Spain and Britain and are not doing very well in the housing markets. | 2009-01-30 | |
| SELL | 8.080 | Norman Levine | (Market Call Minute.) Infrastructure company but has too much debt and has taken on one too many acquisitions. A lot of its projects are being put off. | 2008-12-15 | |
| DON'T BUY | 4.580 | Andrew Guy, CFA | Mexican cement company. Very consolidated industry. There are issues in Europe as they questioned the pricing. With governments putting in infrastructure spending, most of it requires cement. This is not the name you would want, as its balance sheet is very stretched. Generates good free cash flow, but most of it goes to the banks for the next couple of years. | 2008-11-19 | |
| DON'T BUY | 5.630 | David Driscoll | Acquisition of Rinker Group 2 years ago was fine, but now that credit windows have closed, they will have to roll over $6 billion of debt next year. All of their markets, US, Europe and Spain have begun to fall. Last quarter they took most of their existing cash flow to pay down about $1.5 billion of debt, but still have a huge amount to come up with. Interest rates, relative to the Mexican peso, are going up. He has his holdings under review right now. | 2008-11-13 | |
| HOLD | 5.780 | Brendan Caldwell | (Market Call Minute.) Not his favourite. | 2008-10-27 | |
| PARTIAL BUY | 18.330 | David Driscoll | Will be able to maintain its standing as it is not in a credit crunch. The global slowdown in housing affected the stock. Operating margins are still in the teens so have plenty of free cash flow to continue to pay down debt. Historically, cement companies get cheap at around 5 to 6 times earnings and expensive around 12 times. They are trading around 6X right now. In this environment, by a half position. | 2008-09-16 | |
| TOP PICK | 20.620 | Paul Larson | Incredibly cheap. On track to generate roughly $3 billion in free cash flow this year. That equates to nearly 20% of the current stock price. Strong competitive position. | 2008-08-22 | |
| BUY | 21.790 | David Driscoll | Trades between 6 and 12 times earnings, generally. Are at 8x now. May take a while for the business to turn around. Cash flow from operations is very strong. We are developing a base at these levels. Margins rose 12% in last quarter. | 2008-08-11 | |
| DON'T BUY | 21.740 | Duncan Stewart | Concrete manufacturer. Cut back on building foundations has decreased stock price. Would rather own a pure play in infrastructure such as Aecon Group (ARE-T), Stantec (STN-T) or SNC Lavalin (SNC-T). Could drop another $5. | 2008-07-28 | |
| BUY on WEAKNESS | 23.040 | Laura Wallace | Great global play on infrastructure spending about vulnerable in the near term. She is watching it very carefully and looking to buy in the $19-$20 range. | 2008-07-10 | |
| BUY on WEAKNESS | 25.510 | Patricia Perez-Coutts | Very strong global player. Has been hit with the slowdown in the US. Would consider buying at about $22. | 2008-06-17 | |
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| DON'T BUY | 27.300 | David Driscoll | 3rd largest cement manufacturer globally. Has been hurt because 30%-40% of revenues is from the US. Dividend yield of 3%-3.5%. Wait until it gets to $18-$21 before buying. | 2008-06-09 | |
| PARTIAL BUY | 26.930 | David Driscoll | Long-term outlook for the company is extremely strong, as are all of the cement companies. There is sluggishness right now because of the US housing market of which they have 46% sales. Dominate the Mexican and Latin American markets and are paying off the debt from their Rinker (?) acquisition. Expect the dividend to stay the same or rise. Fairly cheap. Start with a half position. | 2008-04-23 | |
| BUY | 26.690 | David Baskin | This falls into a global infrastructure play. 2nd or 3rd biggest cement company globally. His choice had been Lafarge (LAF-T). | 2008-02-19 | |
| BUY | 28.770 | David Driscoll | Cement maker with markets predominantly in the US and Mexico but also have European and now Australian and Asian markets. The housing market in the US has hurt them with sales on the residential side been down about 9%. The non-residential side has been growing. They'll probably have their debt paid off in 2 years time. Extremely cheap. Dividend yield of about 2.25%. | 2007-12-06 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 38.670 | David Driscoll | (A Top Pick June 29/06. Up 40.5%.) Continuing to buy. Concrete is their bailiwick and this is important for infrastructure. Based in Mexico, but operate in the US and Europe as well. | 2007-06-22 | |
| BUY | 39.200 | Mark Grammer | A good cash generator. They've locked up the Mexican market. A pure play cement company. Exposure to South America. Not a bad entry point at all, for a long term investment. | 2007-06-06 | |
| BUY | 34.820 | Larry Berman CFA, CMT, CTA | Coming towards its resistance point now. Feels there is a lot of momentum behind the story. Has a 7%-8% risk on the downside but maybe 15%-20% on the upside. | 2007-01-17 | |
| STRONG BUY | 32.400 | Charles Lannon | #3 global cement company. Bulk of its revenue is from outside of Mexico but still suffers from an emerging market discount. Short-term outlook will be a little mixed because of concerns on its US housing exposure. Long-term Outlook is going to be fantastic. | 2007-01-09 | |
| BUY | 32.320 | David Driscoll | The #2 leader globally in cement and aggregate production. Have almost all of Mexico and 40% of the US. While the home owners/builders pull back, commercial building is starting to thrive. | 2006-10-20 | |
| TOP PICK | 29.450 | David Driscoll | Infrastructure of roads, bridges, airports and rails will be moving forward for the next 5/10 years. This is the 3rd largest cement maker in the world. | 2006-09-21 | |
| STRONG BUY | 29.010 | David Driscoll | Trading at about 4 X price to cash flow. Below 5 X is a signal to buy. 2.5% yield. Very strong cash flows. Continually reducing their debt. They have the biggest exposure of all the cement companies to the emerging markets. Likes the infrastructure sector. | 2006-08-17 | |
| BUY | 29.010 | David Driscoll | Good price. They are using all their free cash flow right now to continue to pay down debt. Yield is about 2.5%. The demand for cement is continuing unabated. 70% of the revenues are from the US and Europe. | 2006-07-26 | |
| TOP PICK | 56.580 | David Driscoll | Mexican market sold off quite a bit and this came with it. Market thought it was a Mexican stock, but 40% of revenues are US with another 25/30% outside of Mexico. Demand for cement continues to rise. Good price at 7 X earnings. 2.5% dividend. About to split 2 for 1 so don't buy this week. | 2006-06-29 | |
| HOLD | 54.640 | David Burrows | A great company. Basic materials probably do have another rally in them. Wait to see if this rally will hold. | 2006-06-15 | |
| BUY | 57.550 | David Driscoll | Usually, when interest rates rise, people don't want to own emerging markets because risks go up a little. This one should be thought of as a global company. It could go down further so just buy small portions now and add gradually over time. | 2006-05-25 | |
| BUY | 71.700 | David Driscoll | The European acquisition has paid for itself a year ahead of time so they have been paying off debt in a very large way which has helped boost their operating margins. Wouldn't buy your entire position today, but would buy gradually. | 2006-05-08 | |
| BUY | 66.220 | Mark Grammer | A very well run company. In an enviable position being a near monopoly in Mexico. Have been able to gain very high returns on that monopoly. Also have investments internationally. On his radar screen, but hard to get an entry point. | 2006-04-25 | |
| BUY | 68.200 | David Driscoll | Concrete is still in demand. The tariffs in the US have been lowered which will help them. Money earned will help pay down more of their debt. Good value. | 2006-04-06 | |
| SELL | 63.560 | David Driscoll | Past top pick. The US has cut it's duties on imports of cement, which is good for this company. Says to rebalance, which means take some profits off, but still hold your position. | 2006-02-23 | |
| BUY | 60.800 | Norman Levine | The outlook for this company and cement is very positive. Stock has done phenomenally well and there is probably more upside. A cyclical company. | 2005-12-13 | |
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| TOP PICK | 52.190 | David Driscoll | There's a huge demand for cement and the growth continues to rise. Because of the hurricanes, more infrastructure is going to have to be built. 40% of the US market share and 100% of Mexico. Well run and very efficient. Good margins. | 2005-11-03 | |
| BUY | 47.810 | David Burrows | A global player in the cement business. In a developing country, there's nothing more basic than cement. | 2005-08-04 | |
| BUY | 47.260 | David Driscoll | Emerging markets are building infrastructures like there's no tomorow. There is a shortage of cement right now which has been spurring the earnings on the stock price. 2.5% dividend. | 2005-08-03 | |
| VAGUE | 44.480 | Don Reed | Well managed company. Because of high shipping costs, you have to make surfe that there are things going on locally that can take the cement. | 2005-07-25 | |
| BUY | 42.200 | David Driscoll | In a growing economy you need steel and cement for the infrastructure. Yielding almost 3%, very clean balance sheet. Should continue to grow. | 2005-06-28 | |
| BUY | 38.200 | Pierre Bernard | Good dividend yield. Trading at about 9 or 10 X earnings. | 2005-05-31 | |
| BUY | 28.220 | David Driscoll | Likes the company long term. | 2004-10-15 | |
| TOP PICK | 28.610 | David Driscoll | 3 1/2% dividend. Revenues are expected to grow because demand is starting to rise while supply is growing short. One caveat is that they want to buy aggregates which could increase debt. | 2004-07-15 | |
| BUY | 25.010 | David Driscoll | Have 40% of the US market. 4% dividend yield. Very good company. Good price. | 2003-12-11 | |
| BUY | 22.350 | David Driscoll | Mexican $ has fallen even more than the US$, but is now starting to stronger. Stock shouldn't move a whole lot. Long term hold. | 2003-06-17 | |
| TOP PICK | 20.200 | Arthur Heinmaa | Global operations. 7 X earnings. Hefty cash flow. | 2002-10-04 | |
| TOP PICK | 23.640 | Arthur Heinmaa | Trades at 7 X earnings. Good yield. Paying down debt. | 2002-08-29 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 24.950 | David Driscoll | (Was a top pick on Apr 3. Down 1%. Still likes. Paying down their debt. 4% yield. | 2002-07-30 | |
| TOP PICK | 26.900 | David Driscoll | Good cash flow allowing them to make some good acquisitions. Div 3.5/4%. Could drop another $2. | 2002-06-25 | |
| BUY | 30.300 | David Burrows | Have been looking at it. Has a lot going for it. | 2002-05-31 | |
| TOP PICK | 31.730 | David Driscoll | (Was a top pick on Mar 8 up 11.5% ) Still likes. Paying off their debts. Dividend increase. | 2002-05-15 | |
| BUY | 31.140 | Noah Blackstein, B.A., CFA | A good play on the emerging market. Earnings should be good. | 2002-04-10 | |
| TOP PICK | 29.380 | Arthur Heinmaa | Trades at 6 X earnings Div 3.2%. Reducing debt. Free cash flow is $15 a share. | 2002-04-04 | |
| TOP PICK | 29.380 | David Driscoll | (Was a top pick on Jan 9 up 17%) Paying off their debts. Stock could double over the next few years. | 2002-04-03 | |
| TOP PICK | 28.100 | David Driscoll | Trading at 7 X earnings. Growing at 8% a year. Paing off debt. | 2002-03-08 | |
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| PAST TOP PICK | 25.000 | Arthur Heinmaa | (Was a top pick on Nov 23 up 4.6%) Still likes. Paying down their debt. 8 X earnings. 4% yield. | 2002-02-08 | |
| TOP PICK | 25.500 | David Driscoll | (Was a top pick on Oct 12 up 11%) 6 X earnings. Should grow 8% a year. | 2002-01-09 | |
| TOP PICK | 24.000 | Arthur Heinmaa | Good value stock. Yields 4%. Trades at 5 X earnings and is at 5 X book. A global company. | 2001-11-23 | |
| TOP PICK | 23.200 | Arthur Heinmaa | Trades at 5.5 X earnings with a yield of 4.5%. Growing globally. | 2001-10-19 | |
| TOP PICK | 23.060 | David Driscoll | 4% dividend yield. Peso is getting stronger. | 2001-10-12 | |
| BUY | 27.450 | David Driscoll | Moving up because of Mexican peso. Can be volatile, but a good stock when Mexicos economy is good. | 2001-08-10 | |
| BUY | 27.710 | David Driscoll | Expects a lot of expansion. | 2001-07-05 |
