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What are we looking for?

Favourably valued stocks linked to commodities that can provide portfolio diversification.

The screen

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently testified to Congress and suggested that rate cuts in the near term remain a pipe dream. On the contrary, he stated that interest rates are “likely to be higher than previously anticipated.” Traditional asset classes such as cash, bonds and stocks tend to perform poorly during periods of high inflation and rising interest rates, and investors should prepare for more headwinds as economic conditions remains bearish.

Certain alternative asset classes, such as commodities, have historically performed well during inflationary periods and may offer savvy investors an opportunity to diversify their portfolios. While commodity futures, derivatives and specialized funds may offer more direct exposure to the asset class, they can often be inaccessible to retail investors because of knowledge constraints or requisite accredited investor status. As an alternative, investors can invest in equities with profits directly linked to commodity prices, providing some of the same diversification benefits.

We began identifying these equities by using FactSet’s Universal Screening tool to pull every security listed on a Canadian exchange. We further narrowed down our list using the parameters below:

  • Classified within the energy or nonenergy materials sectors, according to FactSet.
  • Market capitalization greater than $1-billion.
  • Pays a dividend.
  • Earned a positive net income in the past 12 months.

We ranked the 50 remaining companies (top 10 displayed) by a multifactor ranking of price to earnings; enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; net debt to EBITDA; and dividend yield. These ratios provide a blended view of solvency, profitability and shareholder yield that are relevant to the commodity producer space.

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What we found

10 Attractive commodity-linked stocks

RANKCOMPANYTICKERFACTSET SECTORFACTSET INDUSTRYRECENT CLOSE ($)MKT. CAP. ($ MIL.)DIV YLD. (%)1Y. TTL. RTN. (%)YTD. TTL. RTN. (%)P/E RATIO (x)EV/EBITDA (x)NET DEBT TO EBITDA RATIO (x)
1Parex Resources Inc.PXT-TEnergyUpstream Energy24.382,642.04.6-8.721.02.81.2-0.4
2Stelco Holdings, Inc.STLC-TNon-Energy MaterialsMining and Mineral Products56.103,092.73.030.427.63.21.9-0.3
3Algoma Steel Group Inc.ASTL-TNon-Energy MaterialsMining and Mineral Products10.791,117.51.9-15.627.02.31.2-0.2
4Crescent Point Energy Corp.CPG-TEnergyUpstream Energy8.914,908.44.50.2-7.53.82.30.4
5West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.WFG-TNon-Energy MaterialsManufactured Products98.958,314.21.6-15.91.24.01.8-0.2
5Peyto Exploration & Development Corp.PEY-TEnergyUpstream Energy12.032,069.611.017.2-11.76.12.70.7
7ARC Resources Ltd.ARX-TEnergyUpstream Energy15.029,303.94.0-3.2-17.75.22.50.3
8Paramount Resources Ltd. Class APOU-TEnergyUpstream Energy28.924,132.25.26.75.05.93.20.1
9Whitecap Resources Inc.WCP-TEnergyUpstream Energy10.126,180.35.76.7-4.94.03.20.7
10Russel Metals Inc.RUS-TNon-Energy MaterialsMining and Mineral Products35.032,187.24.317.523.04.93.40.1

Source: Factset

*EBITDA stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation & amortization

Stelco Holdings Inc. STLC-T, a steel producer, ranked No. 2 on our screen with promising valuation metrics. Steel prices have surged in 2023, rising 41.8 per cent year-to-date, which may account for Stelco’s phenomenal 27.6-per-cent year-to-date return. While steel prices have risen substantially, chief executive officer Alan Kestenbaum indicated in Stelco’s most recent earnings call that it will take some time for these prices to be fully realized as profits owing to varying costs of production. This could suggest further tailwinds to come for Stelco in 2023.

West Fraser Timber Co. WFG-T, a wood manufacturer, ranked No. 10 on our screen and can provide investors exposure to a less widely held commodity – lumber. Lumber prices surged over 30 per cent to start the year before falling sharply, now trading at close to flat year-to-date, providing a prime example of volatile price fluctuations often associated with commodities. West Fraser Timber’s stock price has closely followed the price of lumber this year, providing a meagre 1.2-per-cent year-to-date total return. As Canada’s largest lumber producer by capacity, it may be able to weather fluctuating lumber prices more effectively than its smaller contemporaries.

Lastly, investors looking to add exposure to energy will find six energy companies that ranked within our top 10. It should be noted that energy makes up a large portion of the Canadian equity market and investors may already have high exposure through conventional exchange-traded funds and mutual funds.

The information in this article is not investment advice. FactSet assumes no liability for any consequence relating directly or indirectly to any action or inaction taken based on the information contained above.

Arjun Deiva, CFA, is a vice-president at FactSet Canada’s consulting division.

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Tickers mentioned in this story

Study and track financial data on any traded entity: click to open the full quote page. Data updated as of 27/03/24 4:00pm EDT.

SymbolName% changeLast
PXT-T
Parex Resources Inc
+0.42%21.52
STLC-T
Stelco Holdings Inc
+2.04%44.02
ASTL-T
Algoma Steel Group Inc
+0.18%11.42
CPG-T
Crescent Point Energy Corp
+1.3%10.95
WFG-T
West Fraser Timber CO Ltd
-0.63%117.82
PEY-T
Peyto Exploration and Dvlpmnt Corp
+1.64%14.91
ARX-T
Arc Resources Ltd
+2.39%23.99
POU-T
Paramount Resources Ltd
+0.59%27.43
WCP-T
Whitecap Resources Inc
+0.59%10.19
RUS-T
Russel Metals
+1.37%45.24

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