Stock price when the opinion was issued
Certainly at 5X earnings MRC can be considered cheap. Shares are very tightly held with 74% held by a connected group. The dividend is fairly low and shares have not done much, so it is not our favourite, as we do prefer more growth. But we would consider it OK. There is always a chance of a privatization but not something we would count on and would not buy just on that possibility. Net asset value requires lots of estimates and can be a moving target. The last comment from the company on a conference call indicated $340/share as NAV. Note this would be pre-tax.
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We again reiterate MRC as a TOP PICK. The company has been selling some non-core assets, allowing for cash reserves to grow and for debt to be aggressively retired. The company still holds assets over $11 billion. It trades at 5x earnings and under book value. We recommend maintaining a tight stop at $103, looking to achieve $135 -- upside potential of 22%. Yield 0.5%
(Analysts’ price target is $135.00)