50% off Premium Yearly
North American Construction GroupNOA.TOTOP PICKJun 29, 2023Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 17, 2026. Market Open.
Purely a cheap value play. Construction in oil sands projects, which is only ~10% of overall revenue. Diversified over the years. Moved into mine construction, expanding in US and Australia. Trades at only 3.5x operating cashflow and under 10x PE, compared to peers at 10-12x operating cashflow. Yield is 2.55%.
(Analysts’ price target is $27.16)It's diversified phenomenally well internationally over the last few years (should really change the name of the company ;) Used to be oil sands (now only 10% of revenue), now into mining and construction. Big operations in Australia.
At 4x operating cashflow, much cheaper than peers. Unloved, unknown. Growth area. Yield is 2.13%.
Insiders own about 9% of NOA. On a one-year basis, its total return is 60%, it pays a small dividend of 1.5%, its five-year sales and earnings CAGR are impressive at 19% and 37%. Forward sales and earnings estimates are strong, and profit margins have been expanding nicely over the past several years. It is a smaller name ($740M market cap), and its free cash flow yield is around 5%. It trades at a cheap valuation of 6.4X forward earnings and 0.6X forward sales. It has some small-cap risks, but its fundamentals and share price performance have been strong. We feel that NOA looks fairly attractive here, although we would be mindful of position sizing and small-cap risks.
Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free
The stock was also up on very strong earnings, with EPS more than 14% ahead of estimates and sales more than 8% ahead. For a $900M company, the $395M acquisition is very significant. NOA entered Australia two years ago, and this deal instantly gives it scale and market share, and allows it to serve its global customers better. It also further diversifies its overall business. It adds about 1,400 employees and a $4B backlog. It is highly accretive to sales and earnings. Debt-financed, there is risk, but the earnings boost is substantial. We think it is a solid deal, and the stock remains cheap overall despite the gains last week.
Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free
We reiterate NOA, one of Canada's largest heavy construction and mining contractors as a TOP PICK. The company recently reported record revenue on wholly-owned business, as oil sands activity improved and operating margins widened. We like that cash reserves are growing, while debt is retired and shares bought back. It trades at 10x earnings and 2x book, while supporting a 24% ROE. We continue to recommend a stop-loss at $23, looking to achieve $30 -- upside potential of 18%. Yield 1.3%
(Analysts’ price target is $30.17)