H RC A SE
Transcription
H RC A SE
EQUITY RESEARCH CANADIAN RESEARCH AT A GLANCE October 15, 2014 Price Target Revisions ! Semafo Inc. Summary Solid Production, Guidance Upgraded, May Need to Dig Deeper for OBS Summary Potential changes in Zambian taxation unlikely to have a large impact Summary IOC's Q3/14 production and sales results reported by Rio Tinto Summary Q3/14 production results show improvement Summary China reinstates coal import taxes; iron ore prices rebound Summary Where to hide from the sea of red Summary For the week of October 3–10, 2014 First Glance Notes ! First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ! Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corp. ! Thompson Creek Metals Company Industry Comments ! Bulking Up - RBC's Weekly Review ! Canadian Energy Infrastructure ! Canadian Equity Coverage Alert ! CommTech: Buying low and Summary managing risk in an unsettling capex environment Diversified Metals, Mining, Oil & Gas Summary ! ! Forest Products ! Global Mining Trends & Values ! Integrated Oil and Senior E&P ! International E&P Scorecard ! Q4/14 Global Mining Best Ideas Portfolio RBC Compass ! ! RBC International E&P Daily ! Uranium Weekly Summary Royalties from Rocks: Opportunities abound to create further value NA Panel Stats – OSB production 7% higher y/y reflecting capacity re-starts Summary Summary So what WTIE price are the large caps discounting? Summary Summary Summary What Rail Merger Scenarios are Most Likely if Regulator Gives the Green Light Summary DNO; WZR; PMO; PRE Summary Ux spot price unchanged at $35.65/lb; TradeTech up $0.20 to $35.50/lb Investment Strategy Research ! Swing States Summary How Libya and Nigeria could control the marginal barrel Quantitative Research ! Benchmarks ! QuaDS Score Model Portfolios Summary Summary Top “Consistent Quality” S&P/TSX Composite Index Stocks Priced as of prior day's market close, EST (unless otherwise noted). For Required Non-U.S. Analyst and Conflicts Disclosures, see Page 13. EQUITY RESEARCH U.S. RESEARCH AT A GLANCE October 15, 2014 Ratings Revisions ! SABMiller plc Summary Softening growth Summary Slightly better sales trends; Sector Perform Summary Expect a decent Q3 but upside limited over the longer term Summary Operating Margin Leverage of DCG and PCCG Continues to Fund Mobile & IoT Summary Solid Q3-14 result reflects strong cost control Summary Q3 First Look: Despite Headwinds, Demonstrating Earnings Growth Summary 3Q14 production: Iron ore ramp-up on track Summary 3Q14 Preview - Mix headwinds Summary 3Q/14 preview – It’s still all about the (Enterprise) bookings Summary Decent Report Summary Strong 3Q EPS Beat. Slightly Raising Estimates Summary Updated capital plan and expense initiatives enhance EPS growth outlook. Summary Good Vibrations: Dreamforce Day 2 Takeaways Summary Some "Growing Pains" Adjustments Price Target Revisions ! Brinker International, Inc. ! Deutsche Börse AG ! Intel Corporation First Glance Notes ! CSX Corp ! Intel Corporation ! Rio Tinto plc Earnings Preview ! Airbus Group NV Company Comments ! athenahealth, Inc. ! J.B. Hunt Transport Services, ! Johnson & Johnson ! Metro Bancorp Inc. ! salesforce.com ! SM Energy Company Industry Comments ! Asset Management & Custody Banks Summary ! Bulking Up - RBC's Weekly Review Summary Summary ! CommTech: Buying low and Sell-Off in the Alts Space Overdone, in Our View ! ! Diversified Metals, Mining, Oil & Gas Summary Summary ! Forest Products Summary ! Integrated Oil and Senior E&P Summary ! International E&P Scorecard Summary ! RBC Compass Summary ! RBC International E&P Daily ! Thinking Through Ideas Given Recent Summary Discussing strategy and fundamentals ! We offer our thoughts on LLTC's new CFO managing risk in an unsettling capex environment Dallas Restaurant Day Summary Reversal in IT Hardware/Supply Chain Thoughts on LLTC: Read-Through on Summary Results and CFO Succession China reinstates coal import taxes; iron ore prices rebound Royalties from Rocks: Opportunities abound to create further value NA Panel Stats – OSB production 7% higher y/y reflecting capacity re-starts So what WTIE price are the large caps discounting? What Rail Merger Scenarios are Most Likely if Regulator Gives the Green Light DNO; WZR; PMO; PRE Remaining Selective on Market Reversal 2 EQUITY RESEARCH Investment Strategy Research ! Swing States Summary How Libya and Nigeria could control the marginal barrel Summary 3Q14: Business as Usual Summary 3Q14: The Titan Marches Onward Summary Strong Operating Results Plus Continued L-T Progress on Improving Profitability In-Depth Reports ! Wells Fargo & Co. ! JPMorgan Chase & Co. ! Citigroup Inc. 3 EQUITY RESEARCH UK & European Research at a Glance October 15, 2014 Ratings Revisions ! SABMiller plc Summary Softening growth Summary Expect a decent Q3 but upside limited over the longer term Summary 3Q14 production: Iron ore ramp-up on track Summary 3Q14 Preview - Mix headwinds Summary China reinstates coal import taxes; iron ore prices rebound Price Target Revisions ! Deutsche Börse AG First Glance Notes ! Rio Tinto plc Earnings Preview ! Airbus Group NV Industry Comments ! Bulking Up - RBC's Weekly Review ! CommTech: Buying low and Summary managing risk in an unsettling capex environment Global Mining Trends & Values Summary ! ! International E&P Scorecard ! Uranium Weekly Summary Summary Ux spot price unchanged at $35.65/lb; TradeTech up $0.20 to $35.50/lb Investment Strategy Research ! Swing States Summary How Libya and Nigeria could control the marginal barrel Find our Research at: RBC Insight (www.rbcinsight.com): RBC's global research destination on the web. Contact your RBC Capital Markets' sales representative to access our global research site, or use our iPad App "RBC Research" Thomson Reuters (www.thomsononeanalytics.com) Bloomberg (RBCR GO) SNL Financial (www.snl.com) FactSet (www.factset.com) 4 Price Target Revisions Semafo Inc.(TSX: SMF; 4.01) Jonathan Guy (Analyst) +44 20 7653 4603; jonathan.guy@rbccm.com Richard Hatch, ACA (Analyst) +44 20 7002 2111; richard.hatch@rbccm.com Rating: Price Target: 52 WEEKS 18OCT13 - 10OCT14 Sector Perform 4.70 ▲ 4.60 Solid Production, Guidance Upgraded, May Need to Dig Deeper for OBS Semafo has reported a solid third quarter with production of 64.7koz at Mana. Management have increased guidance for the year to 230koz - 235 koz from 220koz - 225koz previously with lower cost guidance. We believe that this morning's updated scoping study from OBS could, however, result in SMF needing to offer a higher price to secure the company. 5.00 4.50 4.00 3.50 3.00 2.50 30000 20000 10000 O 2013 N D J Close F M A 2014 M J J A S O Rel. S&P/TSX COMPOSITE INDEXMA 40 weeks EPS, Adj Diluted Prev. 2013A (0.31) 2014E 0.14↑ 0.12 2015E 0.24↓ 0.26 2016E 0.11↓ 0.12 All market data in CAD; all financial data in USD. • Semafo has reported solid Q3 production results with Mana processing 750.3kt at 2.91g/t and 92% recovery to produce 64.7koz (RBC 59koz), with the beat driven by throughput. The company has upped guidance for the year to 230koz-235koz from 220koz-225koz previously due to the performance of the Siou and Fofina deposits. Cash cost guidance has been reduced from US$695/oz -US$745/oz tio US$660/oz-US$675/oz. Capex should, however, be US$10 million higher at US $58.5 million higher due to higher capitalized stripping. This is a solid quarter from Semafo and highlights the strength of the company's production and cost management and demonstrates that it is ready to take on a development project at this time. • Orbis (ABS.AU), which is currently subject to a bid by Semafo, released an update to the scoping study for its Natougou project this morning. This brought significantly higher grade material into the first year of the mine life and was value accretive increasing our NAV for OBS from A$0.99/share to A$1.28/share. SMF have bid A$0.62-A$0.65 per share for the company, valuing it at 0.5x NAV - a discount to the emerging producer peers that are currently trading at 0.57x NAV. Given the exceptional grade of the Natougou project we believe that SMF may need to offer a higher price to secure the asset. We have assumed that they need to offer 0.7x NAV, A$0.90/share, reflecting Natougou's status as a high grade medium scale feasibility stage project. Should the deal complete it would transform SMF into a >500koz/year producer by 2018E. First Glance Notes First Quantum Minerals Ltd.(TSX: FM; 18.62; LSE: FQM) Fraser Phillips, P.Eng. (Analyst) (416) 842-7859; fraser.phillips@rbccm.com Steve Bristo, CFA (Associate) (416) 842-7826; steve.bristo@rbccm.com Thomas Klein (Associate) 416 842 5339; thomas.klein@rbccm.com Rating: Potential changes in Zambian taxation unlikely to have a large impact 52 WEEKS 18OCT13 - 10OCT14 26.00 24.00 22.00 20.00 18.00 12000 8000 4000 O 2013 N D Close J F M A 2014 M J Sector Perform J A S O Rel. S&P/TSX COMPOSITE INDEXMA 40 weeks All market data in CAD; all financial data in USD; dividends paid in CAD. • Zambian government proposes higher royalties in place of corporate income tax: The budget proposed for 2015 would increase royalties and remove corporate income tax. For open pit mines, royalties would increase from the current rate of 6%to 20%. The current corporate income tax rate in Zambia is 30% in addition to a variable profits tax of 8–14%. First Quantum's effective tax rate for Zambia was 43% in 2013. • Earliest the changes could take effect is beginning of 2015: The proposed mining tax changes would come into effect January 1, 2015, assuming they are approved by parliament. If the president, whose health is currently in question, were to leave office an election must take place within three months and any change to the country's mining taxes could be delayed. • Impact on First Quantum depends on metal prices: The elimination of corporate income taxes would mean First Quantum would lose any capital allowances or tax loss carryforwards it has accumulated. The company commented that it would expect its overall effective tax rate in Zambia to decrease from 46% to 40%, and that at current metal prices the impact to the company's net income would be roughly neutral. At higher metal prices the company would expect to be better off 5 from the mining tax changes (as higher earnings would more than offset higher royalty payments), while at lower metal prices it would expect to be worse off. Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corp.(TSX: LIF; 20.48) Fraser Phillips, P.Eng. (Analyst) (416) 842-7859; fraser.phillips@rbccm.com Melissa Oliphant (Associate) 416 842 4126; melissa.oliphant@rbccm.com 34.00 32.00 30.00 28.00 26.00 Rating: 52 WEEKS 18OCT13 - 10OCT14 24.00 22.00 20.00 3000 2000 1000 O 2013 N D J Close F M A 2014 M J J A S O Rel. S&P/TSX COMPOSITE INDEXMA 40 weeks All values in CAD unless otherwise noted. Rating: 52 WEEKS 18OCT13 - 10OCT14 3.15 2.80 2.45 2.10 6000 4500 3000 1500 D Close J F M A 2014 M J J A S Rel. S&P/TSX COMPOSITE INDEXMA 40 weeks All market data in CAD; all financial data in USD. Sector Perform Q3/14 production results show improvement 3.50 2013 N • Rio Tinto, which owns a 58.7% stake in IOC, today reported IOC's third quarter production and sales results. Production results came in below previous quarters and our expectations, while sales exceeded previous quarters despite coming in slightly below our estimates. See page 2 for an overview of Q3/14 results vs. RBC estimates and past quarters. • Production results below our expectations: IOC produced 1.593Mt of concentrates and 2.322Mt of pellets for total production of 3.915Mt, 14% below our estimate. We expected production to build following IOC's concentrate expansion program from capacity of 18Mtpa to 23.3Mtpa, and the third quarter has historically been the seasonally strongest period for production. Pellet production did improve by 5% YoY and 10% QoQ; however, overall production was down 2% YoY and 3% QoQ as concentrate production declined by 11% from last year and 17% QoQ. • Although production declined from past quarters, total sales volumes increased by 14% YoY and 12% QoQ, with concentrate sales of 2.288Mt and pellet sales of 1.996Mt. Despite the shortfall in production versus our forecasts, total sales volume came in only 3% below our expectation. After an unusually cold start to the year hindered production and sales, third quarter shipments improved as previously frozen material became available, allowing sales to surpass production by 9%. • Rio Tinto's full-year iron ore shipping and production guidance (which includes IOC's operations) was maintained. Thompson Creek Metals Company(TSX: TCM; 2.24; NYSE: TC) Fraser Phillips, P.Eng. (Analyst) (416) 842-7859; fraser.phillips@rbccm.com Steve Bristo, CFA (Associate) (416) 842-7826; steve.bristo@rbccm.com Thomas Klein (Associate) 416 842 5339; thomas.klein@rbccm.com O Outperform IOC's Q3/14 production and sales results reported by Rio Tinto O • Mt. Milligan mill throughput shows modest improvement: Mill throughput for Q3/14 averaged 40,445 tpd, up 4% from 38,967 tpd in Q2/14. Thompson Creek remains confident it can achieve 80% (48,000 tpd) of design throughput of 60,000 tpd consistently by year-end. • Mt. Milligan gold production up significantly while copper production and concentrate production relatively flat: As copper production was up only 2% versus throughput up 5%, either copper recoveries, copper grades, or both must have been down from the prior quarter. Gold production was up 63%, implying much higher gold grades and recoveries versus Q2. • Increased concentrate production required in Q4 to meet guidance: The company's current annual run-rate (Q1 + Q2 + (Q3 x 2)) for concentrate production is 120,289 versus 2014 annual guidance of 125,000 - 140,000 dry tonnes. We believe reduced downtime in Q4 should enable the company to increase throughput and meet its guidance. • Decision on Mt. Milligan secondary crusher still expected by year-end • Received payment for all three Mt. Milligan shipments made in Q3 • Consolidated molybdenum production and sales above expectations due to strong performance at Thompson Creek mine: The outperformance was due to continued strong production at Thompson creek mine, but results should deteriorate in the last quarter as Thompson Creek completed mining of Phase 7 ore in August and will complete the processing of stockpiled ore in December. Industry Comments Fraser Phillips, P.Eng. (Analyst) (416) 842-7859; fraser.phillips@rbccm.com Bulking Up - RBC's Weekly Review 6 Melissa Oliphant (Associate) 416 842 4126; melissa.oliphant@rbccm.com Chris Drew, CFA (Analyst) +61 2 9033 3060; chris.drew@rbccm.com Ken Tham, CFA (Analyst) +61 2 9033 3064; ken.tham@rbccm.com All values in USD unless otherwise noted. China reinstates coal import taxes; iron ore prices rebound • What's Hot: Iron ore prices rose with improved sentiment, with IODEX up 3.7% to $83.50/t. • What's Not: Coal prices declined after China announced the introduction of new import taxes. • Our View: China will introduce coal import tariffs at 3% for metallurgical coal and anthracite, 6% for thermal coal and 5% for lignite. We expect this will result in modest ($1-2/t) reductions in FOB prices. Australia is likely to be most impacted given ~25% of its coal exports go to China. Indonesia is exempt under free trade agreements. Met coal exporters in Canada and the US are likely to see flow-on effects as benchmark prices are largely set FOB Australia. • Iron ore inventories at Chinese ports and mills declined over the last two weeks. • Steel inventories held by Chinese traders and at mills increased. • Metallurgical coal prices generally declined this week, including premium LV FOB Australia (-0.2%) and CFR China (-0.4%). Trading was quiet amid uncertainty surrounding prospective effects of China's 3% import tax. • Thermal coal: Newcastle, Richards Bay, and CIF ARA prices fell by 1.9%, 2.3% and 0.2%, respectively. Chinese buyers exerted downward pricing pressure to offset the cost of China's upcoming 6% import tax. • Iron ore: IODEX recovered to $83.50/t, boosted by improved market sentiment as well as an uptick in steel prices at the end of the week. Declining port stocks are expected to support higher seaborne prices. • Steel prices were mixed in North America and Europe but fell in China. Robert Kwan, CFA (Analyst) (604) 257-7611; robert.kwan@rbccm.com Canadian Energy Infrastructure Nelson Ng, CFA (Analyst) (604) 257-7617; nelson.ng@rbccm.com • A barbell approach to the sector might work well. With the RBC Energy Research Team's commodity base case calling for an improvement in oil prices, we continue to recommend positions in the Pipeline and Midstream stocks. However, while we have been historically cooler on the Regulated Utility stocks due to lower growth, we believe that having a greater weighting in the defensive stocks could prove to be fruitful. On the most defensive end, we would look at Emera (EMA) and Fortis (FTS). While modestly less defensive, we continue to favour Canadian Utilities (CU) due to the higher expected dividend growth. • Pipeline and Midstream stocks: share price weakness reflects concerns about medium-term growth and an overall sentiment shift. There is minimal direct commodity price exposure for the Pipeline and Midstream stocks, and we attribute the poor performance to concerns about future growth profiles due to falling oil prices (i.e., oil and gas customers curtailing future production growth). While RBC's Energy Research Team has highlighted that future drilling could moderate if WTI moves lower to, or below, US$80/bbl for an extended time frame (measured in months), that is not the base case. • Historically, the sector has performed very well during major market downturns. As shown on page 2 of this report, Energy Infrastructure stocks have consistently outperformed the market during major downturns. Since 1975, the group has outperformed the S&P/TSX Composite during 8 of 9 downturns, with an average annualized outperformance of 30%. Kelsey Roste (Associate) (604) 257-7383; kelsey.roste@rbccm.com Michelle Zuliani (Associate) 604 257 7064; michelle.zuliani@rbccm.com All values in CAD unless otherwise noted. RBCCM Global Research (416) 842-7800; rbccm-ie-publishing@rbccm.com Where to hide from the sea of red Canadian Equity Coverage Alert For the week of October 3–10, 2014 • Canadian Equity Coverage Alert is a weekly product that summarizes changes made to ratings and price targets for companies under coverage, in addition to highlighting initiations and discontinuation of research coverage. Mark Sue (Analyst) (212) 428-6491; mark.sue@rbccm.com Ameet Prabhu (Associate) (212) 618-3330; ameet.prabhu@rbccm.com CommTech: Buying low and managing risk in an unsettling capex environment 7 Spencer Green (Associate) (212) 858-7153; spencer.green@rbccm.com All values in USD unless otherwise noted. • Expect better sentiment in CY15. Finisar and JDSU are trading at price/ tangible book value of 1.5x and 2.1x, near historical trough price/tangible book levels of 1.4x and 1.9x respectively. The sentiment on the group is decidedly negative, yet we highlight that service provider capex tends to be cyclical and we do see an eventual healthy return to wireline capex spending next year, driven by metro upgrades at carriers. • Structural issues imply choppiness ahead for others. Near-term, the rate of improvement in wireline carrier capex (3Q14, 4Q14) looks anemic and margin pressures imply that both Juniper and Ciena may have quite a bit of work to do to regain investor confidence on forward earnings. From an historical 5-year EV/ sales point of view, Juniper is 34% off its lows of 1.1x, while Ciena is 58% off its lows of 0.6x, implying there may be some incremental downside in an unsettling sentiment-driven equity market. • Wireless vs. wireline capex… situation often reverts. Wireline telecom trends have moderated in the back-half with mixed trends in North America given a shift in focus to wireless, spending coupled with moving parts related to European wireline upgrades. Additionally, we may not see the typical material year-end capex flush in 4Q; next year is when we expect to see an uptick in wireline spending with a better pipeline for projects. With spending depressed near-term in wireline, we would be opportunistic on JDSU and Finisar, particularly as we believe the industry structure is likely to improve in the future. Dan Rollins, CFA (Analyst) (416) 842-9893; dan.rollins@rbccm.com Diversified Metals, Mining, Oil & Gas Stephen D. Walker (Analyst) (416) 842-4120; stephen.walker@rbccm.com Shailender Randhawa, CFA (Analyst) (403) 299-6576; shailender.randhawa@rbccm.com RBC recently hosted its inaugural Royalties from Rocks Conference in Toronto. Overall, the conference further reinforced our positive outlook on the industry as a whole, highlighting the breadth of opportunities to create further shareholder value as well as the strength of the underlying business model. Mark Mihaljevic (Associate) (416) 842-3804; mark.mihaljevic@rbccm.com Deal flow remains strong All values in USD unless otherwise noted. Royalties from Rocks: Opportunities abound to create further value • With tight equity/debt markets for mining companies, the sale of a royalty/ stream is often an attractive source of alternative financing, filling the gap left by typical sources of project financing. • On the energy front, royalties are less a source of financing as E&P's have greater access to traditional capital providers. Accordingly, future value creation depends on stimulating increased drilling activity on large legacy royalty landholdings and growth via accretive acquisitions. Upside driven by embedded optionality • The royalty/streaming companies highlighted that the true long-term value of transactions is driven by the optionality inherent within the business model, including mine-life extensions and capacity expansions, at no cost to them. • In the energy sector, this was highlighted by the perpetual ownership of mineral rights which provides optionality on future exploration and exploitation opportunities. Syndication is likely to play an increased role in transactions • Given the increased size of transactions, deals on assets in riskier jurisdictions, and maturity of the sector, companies expect syndication to play an increasing role in the space. Continuing to return capital to shareholders • Given limited ongoing capex needs, the companies have been able to generate strong FCF which, beyond reinvesting in new deals, has been consistently returned to shareholders. Paul C. Quinn (Analyst) (604) 257-7048; paul.c.quinn@rbccm.com Forest Products Hamir Patel (Analyst) (604) 257-7145; hamir.patel@rbccm.com • Production – NA OSB production increased 3.1% q/q to 5.2 Bsf in Q314 and was 7.0% higher than a year ago. Plywood production increased 0.2% q/q to 2.7 Bsf in Q3 but was 1.8% lower y/y. NA Panel Stats – OSB production 7% higher y/y reflecting capacity re-starts 8 All values in USD unless otherwise noted. • Exports – NA panels exports fell 27% y/y (-22% q/q) with OSB volumes at 189 mmsf (-18% y/y) and plywood down 42% y/y to 79 mmsf. While these stats are fairly negative, with NA panels exports representing only 3.4% of NA panels consumption, they are not representative of demand for NA panel producers. • Consumption – NA panels consumption increased 3.5% q/q (+5.5% y/y). OSB was up 4.2% q/q to 5.0 Bsf (+8.2% y/y) and plywood increased 2.4% q/q to 2.8 Bsf (+1.0% y/y). • OSB pricing outlook – As discussed in more detail in our Q3 earnings preview, we see North Central prices averaging $220/msf over 2014 (-30% y/y), $240 over 2015 (+9% y/y) and $275 over 2016 (+15% y/y). Prices ended October 10 at $222/msf. With 3.6 Bsf of capacity added in the last 8 months, we believe US housing starts of 1.2MM to 1.25MM (8-Mo YTD average = 976K) are required to significantly tighten NA OSB markets and lead to materially higher pricing levels. We do not anticipate this occurring until H215 at the earliest. We expect NA OSB operating rates to average 84% in FY14, 87% in FY15 and 91% in FY16. Fraser Phillips, P.Eng. (Analyst) (416) 842-7859; fraser.phillips@rbccm.com Global Mining Trends & Values Chris Drew, CFA (Analyst) +61 2 9033 3060; chris.drew@rbccm.com Timothy Huff (Analyst) +44 20 7653 4866; timothy.huff@rbccm.com Des Kilalea (Analyst) +44 20 7653 4538; des.kilalea@rbccm.com Ken Tham, CFA (Analyst) +61 2 9033 3064; ken.tham@rbccm.com Commodity Price Performance: • Metal prices were up on average 0.0% last week. Silver was the best performer up 3.2%, followed by zinc up 2.7%, gold up 2.7%, iron ore up 1.3%, copper up 0.5%, aluminium up 0.5%, uranium up 0.4%, and nickel up 0.2%. Moly was the worst performer down 8.2%, followed by lead down 1.1%, thermal coal down 1.0%, and coking coal down 0.7%. Mining Share Price Performance: • Mining shares were down on average 5.5% last week. The best performing group was mineral sands down 3.4%, followed by the diversified group down 3.4%, iron ore down 4.8%, copper down 5.5%, aluminium down 5.7%, uranium down 6.2%, miscellaneous down 7.6%, nickel down 7.8%, and coal down 14.6%. Valuation: • Mining shares are now trading at a 12.7% discount to NAV at forward curve prices, versus an 11.8% discount one week ago. Long/Short Metal Positions: • RBC CM's proprietary data for the LME shows that the net long positions in copper, aluminium, zinc, nickel, and lead all were unchanged last week. Exchange Inventories: • Total exchange inventories of aluminium, copper, and zinc decreased last week, while total inventories of nickel increased last week. Greg Pardy, CFA (Analyst) (416) 842-7848; greg.pardy@rbccm.com Integrated Oil and Senior E&P Dillon Culhane, CFA, CA (Analyst) (416) 842-7915; dillon.culhane@rbccm.com • Based on our net asset value analysis, our large cap independent and integrated coverage universe is currently discounting a long-term escalated WTI equivalent (WTIE) price of US$72/boe (vs. US$76/boe), down 5% from last week; and a longterm WTI price of US$86/b (vs. US$90/b), down 4% from last week. • Current WTIE implied prices would compare with prior 2009-2014 YTD peak and trough levels of US$84/boe and US$61/boe, respectively; while current WTI implied prices would compare with peak and trough levels of US$102/b and US $62/b, respectively. • Spot WTIE prices of US$68/boe (vs. US$74/boe) were down 8% from last week. Long-dated (2015-2018) WTIE prices of US$69/boe (vs. US$70/boe) were down 1% from last week. • Our implied WTIE price (defined as an equivalent barrel economically weighted approximately 75% to WTI crude oil and 25% to Henry Hub natural gas) is the long-term price incorporated into our collective net asset value analysis, which Franz Hargo Muljo, CA (Associate) 416 842 8588; franz.muljo@rbccm.com All values in USD unless otherwise noted. So what WTIE price are the large caps discounting? 9 equates current share prices for our group to a P/NAV ratio of 100%. This analysis incorporates an 8.5% after-tax discount rate. Please refer to Exhibit 1 for our WTI equivalent price analysis. Al Stanton (Analyst) +44 131 222 3638; al.stanton@rbccm.com Nathan Piper (Analyst) +44 131 222 3649; nathan.piper@rbccm.com Victoria McCulloch, CA (Analyst) +44 131 222 4909; victoria.mcculloch@rbccm.com Haydn Rodgers, CA (Associate) +44 131 222 4911; haydn.rodgers@rbccm.com All values in USD unless otherwise noted. Stephen D. Walker (Analyst) (416) 842-4120; stephen.walker@rbccm.com Fraser Phillips, P.Eng. (Analyst) (416) 842-7859; fraser.phillips@rbccm.com International E&P Scorecard • The pullback in Brent and WTI crude oil prices has spurred inquiries regarding just what our 2015 earnings/cash flow estimates—and balance sheets—would look like across our global producer universe under a lower pricing scenario of $89/bbl Brent and $80/bbl WTI. • Our note Running a Downside Pricing Scenario published yesterday, we believe, highlighted our International E&P universe performing well when compared to US and Canadian Intermediate peers. On both Net Debt/Cash flow and EV/DACF metric International E&Ps begin to look attractive. We will look for a recovery once oil prices stabilize. Q4/14 Global Mining Best Ideas Portfolio • We are publishing our weekly update to our Global Mining Best Ideas portfolio. • For the quarter-to-date, the Q4/14 Global Mining Best Ideas List is down 5% compared to the MSCI World Metals & Mining Index, which is down 5%. Sam Crittenden, P.Eng., CFA (Analyst) (416) 842-7886; sam.crittenden@rbccm.com Dan Rollins, CFA (Analyst) (416) 842-9893; dan.rollins@rbccm.com Des Kilalea (Analyst) +44 20 7653 4538; des.kilalea@rbccm.com Timothy Huff (Analyst) +44 20 7653 4866; timothy.huff@rbccm.com Jonathan Guy (Analyst) +44 20 7653 4603; jonathan.guy@rbccm.com Chris Drew, CFA (Analyst) +61 2 9033 3060; chris.drew@rbccm.com Andrew D. Wong (Analyst) (416) 842-7830; andrew.d.wong@rbccm.com All values in USD unless otherwise noted. Walter Spracklin, CFA (Analyst) (416) 842-7877; walter.spracklin@rbccm.com RBC Compass John Barnes (Analyst) (804) 782-4020; john.barnes@rbccm.com • CP overture may prompt regulator decision on mergers. Media reports over the weekend unveiled that CP has made a merger / acquisition proposal to CSX, which was subsequently rejected by CSX. While meaningful in and of itself, the key question (and focus of this report) is not whether CP and CSX will merge, instead it is whether the regulators will allow mergers between major Class 1 railroads at all. Key is that it is very unlikely any major merger decisions will be made until that question is answered and once answered, CP and CSX will be only one of many merger options to be considered and entertained. • Conclusion: East-West U.S. rail combinations are most likely if go-ahead is received. In Exhibit 1, we outline the merger scenarios that we consider to be most likely based on several key criteria (size, competition, etc.). If the regulator permits large mergers, we believe it is most likely that each of the two Western U.S. carriers (BNSF and UNP) acquires one of the two Eastern U.S. carriers (CSX and NSC). We also view CP as acquiring KSU in this scenario. • Investment strategy. As indicated, we expect (at this stage) that the regulator will not provide full support for Class 1 rail mergers. As a result, we continue to favour Outperform-rated CNR, UNP and KSU. In the event full merger support is provided, investors might consider gravitating toward the likely targets: CSX, NSC and KSU. Erin Lytollis, CFA (Associate) (416) 842-7862; erin.lytollis@rbccm.com Mike Fountaine (Associate) (804) 782-4013; mike.fountaine@rbccm.com All values in CAD unless otherwise noted. What Rail Merger Scenarios are Most Likely if Regulator Gives the Green Light 10 Nathan Piper (Analyst) +44 131 222 3649; nathan.piper@rbccm.com RBC International E&P Daily Al Stanton (Analyst) +44 131 222 3638; al.stanton@rbccm.com • DNO.OL: Updates operations; Swing states - How Libya and Nigeria could control the marginal barrel; WZR.V: Pricing ahead of rights issue; PMO.L: Huntington production restricted as expected; PRE.TO: ALFA's CFO expresses interest in deepening PRE investment; RBC International E&P Scorecard Victoria McCulloch, CA (Analyst) +44 131 222 4909; victoria.mcculloch@rbccm.com DNO; WZR; PMO; PRE Haydn Rodgers, CA (Associate) +44 131 222 4911; haydn.rodgers@rbccm.com All values in USD unless otherwise noted. Fraser Phillips, P.Eng. (Analyst) (416) 842-7859; fraser.phillips@rbccm.com Uranium Weekly Steve Bristo, CFA (Associate) (416) 842-7826; steve.bristo@rbccm.com • Ux spot price indicator was unchanged at $35.65/lb and TradeTech was up $0.20 to $35.50/lb. • Ux term price indicator was unchanged at $45.00/lb, and TradeTech was unchanged at $45.00/lb (quoted monthly at month-end). • Uranium Participation Corp. (UPC) traded down 1.0% over the past week to close at C$5.02 per share (vs. S&P/TSX -3.5%). • We estimate UPC is discounting a uranium price of $33.58/lb, a 5.8% discount to spot. Last week we estimated that UPC discounted a uranium price of $34.16/lb, a 4.2% discount to the then-prevailing spot price. • We rate Uranium Participation Corp. Outperform with a target price of C$5.75 per share. Thomas Klein (Associate) 416 842 5339; thomas.klein@rbccm.com All values in USD unless otherwise noted. Ux spot price unchanged at $35.65/lb; TradeTech up $0.20 to $35.50/lb Investment Strategy Research Helima Croft (Analyst) helima.croft@rbccm.com Swing States Jay Govender, CMT (Analyst) 212 618 3539; jay.govender@rbccm.com • Saudi Arabia currently shows no signs of taking an active role in stabilizing Brent prices • Our focus thus turns to Libya and Nigeria as potential candidates to help break the fall in oil prices • Both countries have seen significant increases in oil production in recent months that could be quickly reversed due to intractable political and security challenges How Libya and Nigeria could control the marginal barrel Quantitative Research Chad McAlpine, CFA (Analyst) (416) 842-7869; chad.mcalpine@rbccm.com Bish Koziol (Associate) (416) 842-7866; bish.koziol@rbccm.com Benchmarks • At the beginning of each week, this report summarizes the recent performance of the most commonly tracked North American benchmark indices. • Also presented are the returns of the sectors and major industry groups of the S&P/TSX Composite over the same periods. • To better understand the relative performance of different investment strategies over time, RBC has created and maintains style-specific composite indices. Chad McAlpine, CFA (Analyst) (416) 842-7869; chad.mcalpine@rbccm.com QuaDS Score Model Portfolios Bish Koziol (Associate) (416) 842-7866; bish.koziol@rbccm.com Methodology Top “Consistent Quality” S&P/TSX Composite Index Stocks • We first screened the S&P/TSX Composite and included only the stocks that ranked in the top four deciles of the index based on our Predictability model. Our aim was to remove names with lower-quality earnings and those that have exhibited higher volatility historically. Once screened for Predictability, we refined our strategy and ranked the list using ROE (Trailing 12-Month), Indicated Dividend Yield, 5-Year Dividend Growth, and Total Return Stability. 11 These four factors were weighted equally when deriving our list of higherquality companies. In addition, only the index constituents with positive dividend growth, ROE greater than 15%, and a dividend yield higher than 1% were included in an attempt to narrow the list further. 12 Required disclosures Non-U.S. analyst disclosure Mark Sue;Dillon Culhane;Franz Hargo Muljo;Al Stanton;Nathan Piper;Victoria McCulloch;Haydn Rodgers;Robert Kwan;Nelson Ng;Kelsey Roste;Michelle Zuliani;Chad McAlpine;Bish Koziol;Fraser Phillips;Melissa Oliphant;Chris Drew;Ken Tham;Paul C. Quinn;Hamir Patel;Dan Rollins;Shailender Randhawa;Mark Mihaljevic;Walter Spracklin;Erin Lytollis;Timothy Huff;Des Kilalea;Steve Bristo;Thomas Klein;Jonathan Guy;Richard Hatch;Sam Crittenden;Andrew D. Wong (i) are not registered/qualified as research analysts with the NYSE and/or FINRA and (ii) may not be associated persons of the RBC Capital Markets, LLC and therefore may not be subject to FINRA Rule 2711 and NYSE Rule 472 restrictions on communications with a subject company, public appearances and trading securities held by a research analyst account. Conflicts disclosures This product constitutes a compendium report (covers six or more subject companies). As such, RBC Capital Markets chooses to provide specific disclosures for the subject companies by reference. To access current disclosures for the subject companies, clients should refer to https://www.rbccm.com/GLDisclosure/PublicWeb/DisclosureLookup.aspx?entityId=1 or send a request to RBC CM Research Publishing, P.O. Box 50, 200 Bay Street, Royal Bank Plaza, 29th Floor, South Tower, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2W7. Please note that current conflicts disclosures may differ from those as of the publication date on, and as set forth in, this report. The analyst(s) responsible for preparing this research report received compensation that is based upon various factors, including total revenues of the member companies of RBC Capital Markets and its affiliates, a portion of which are or have been generated by investment banking activities of the member companies of RBC Capital Markets and its affiliates. Distribution of ratings For the purpose of ratings distributions, regulatory rules require member firms to assign ratings to one of three rating categories - Buy, Hold/Neutral, or Sell - regardless of a firm's own rating categories. Although RBC Capital Markets' ratings of Top Pick(TP)/ Outperform (O), Sector Perform (SP), and Underperform (U) most closely correspond to Buy, Hold/Neutral and Sell, respectively, the meanings are not the same because our ratings are determined on a relative basis (as described below). Distribution of ratings RBC Capital Markets, Equity Research As of 30-Sep-2014 Rating BUY [Top Pick & Outperform] HOLD [Sector Perform] SELL [Underperform] Count 858 683 98 Percent 52.35 41.67 5.98 Investment Banking Serv./Past 12 Mos. Count Percent 308 35.90 151 22.11 8 8.16 Conflicts policy RBC Capital Markets Policy for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Relation to Investment Research is available from us on request. To access our current policy, clients should refer to https://www.rbccm.com/global/file-414164.pdf or send a request to RBC Capital Markets Research Publishing, P.O. Box 50, 200 Bay Street, Royal Bank Plaza, 29th Floor, South Tower, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2W7. We reserve the right to amend or supplement this policy at any time. Dissemination of research and short-term trade ideas RBC Capital Markets endeavours to make all reasonable efforts to provide research simultaneously to all eligible clients, having regard to local time zones in overseas jurisdictions. Subject to any applicable regulatory considerations, "eligible clients" may include RBC Capital Markets institutional clients globally, the retail divisions of RBC Dominion Securities Inc. and RBC Capital Markets LLC, and affiliates. RBC Capital Markets' equity research is posted to our proprietary websites to ensure eligible clients receive coverage initiations and changes in rating, targets and opinions in a timely manner. Additional distribution may be done by the sales personnel via email, fax or regular mail. Clients may also receive our research via third party vendors. Please contact your investment advisor or institutional salesperson for more information regarding RBC Capital Markets research. RBC Capital 13 Markets also provides eligible clients with access to SPARC on its proprietary INSIGHT website. SPARC contains market color and commentary, and may also contain Short-Term Trade Ideas regarding the securities of subject companies discussed in this or other research reports. SPARC may be accessed via the following hyperlink: https://www.rbcinsight.com. A Short-Term Trade Idea reflects the research analyst's directional view regarding the price of the security of a subject company in the coming days or weeks, based on market and trading events. A Short-Term Trade Idea may differ from the price targets and/or recommendations in our published research reports reflecting the research analyst's views of the longer-term (one year) prospects of the subject company, as a result of the differing time horizons, methodologies and/or other factors. Thus, it is possible that the security of a subject company that is considered a long-term 'Sector Perform' or even an 'Underperform' might be a short-term buying opportunity as a result of temporary selling pressure in the market; conversely, the security of a subject company that is rated a long-term 'Outperform' could be considered susceptible to a short-term downward price correction. Short-Term Trade Ideas are not ratings, nor are they part of any ratings system, and RBC Capital Markets generally does not intend, nor undertakes any obligation, to maintain or update Short-Term Trade Ideas. Short-Term Trade Ideas discussed in SPARC may not be suitable for all investors and have not been tailored to individual investor circumstances and objectives, and investors should make their own independent decisions regarding any Short-Term Trade Ideas discussed therein. Analyst certification All of the views expressed in this report accurately reflect the personal views of the responsible analyst(s) about any and all of the subject securities or issuers. No part of the compensation of the responsible analyst(s) named herein is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed by the responsible analyst(s) in this report. Disclaimer RBC Capital Markets is the business name used by certain branches and subsidiaries of the Royal Bank of Canada, including RBC Dominion Securities Inc., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, RBC Europe Limited, RBC Capital Markets (Hong Kong) Limited, Royal Bank of Canada, Hong Kong Branch and Royal Bank of Canada, Sydney Branch. The information contained in this report has been compiled by RBC Capital Markets from sources believed to be reliable, but no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Royal Bank of Canada, RBC Capital Markets, its affiliates or any other person as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness. All opinions and estimates contained in this report constitute RBC Capital Markets' judgement as of the date of this report, are subject to change without notice and are provided in good faith but without legal responsibility. Nothing in this report constitutes legal, accounting or tax advice or individually tailored investment advice. This material is prepared for general circulation to clients and has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it. The investments or services contained in this report may not be suitable for you and it is recommended that you consult an independent investment advisor if you are in doubt about the suitability of such investments or services. This report is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Past performance is not a guide to future performance, future returns are not guaranteed, and a loss of original capital may occur. RBC Capital Markets research analyst compensation is based in part on the overall profitability of RBC Capital Markets, which includes profits attributable to investment banking revenues. Every province in Canada, state in the U.S., and most countries throughout the world have their own laws regulating the types of securities and other investment products which may be offered to their residents, as well as the process for doing so. As a result, the securities discussed in this report may not be eligible for sale in some jurisdictions. RBC Capital Markets may be restricted from publishing research reports, from time to time, due to regulatory restrictions and/ or internal compliance policies. If this is the case, the latest published research reports available to clients may not reflect recent material changes in the applicable industry and/or applicable subject companies. RBC Capital Markets research reports are current only as of the date set forth on the research reports. This report is not, and under no circumstances should be construed as, a solicitation to act as securities broker or dealer in any jurisdiction by any person or company that is not legally permitted to carry on the business of a securities broker or dealer in that jurisdiction. To the full extent permitted by law neither RBC Capital Markets nor any of its affiliates, nor any other person, accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this report or the information contained herein. No matter contained in this document may be reproduced or copied by any means without the prior consent of RBC Capital Markets. Additional information is available on request. To U.S. Residents: This publication has been approved by RBC Capital Markets, LLC (member FINRA, NYSE, SIPC), which is a U.S. registered broker-dealer and which accepts responsibility for this report and its dissemination in the United States. Any U.S. recipient of this report that is not a registered broker-dealer or a bank acting in a broker or dealer capacity and that wishes further information regarding, or to effect any transaction in, any of the securities discussed in this report, should contact and place orders with RBC Capital Markets, LLC. To Canadian Residents: This publication has been approved by RBC Dominion Securities Inc.(member IIROC). Any Canadian recipient of this report that is not a Designated Institution in Ontario, an Accredited Investor in British Columbia or Alberta or a Sophisticated Purchaser in Quebec (or similar permitted purchaser in any other province) and that wishes further information regarding, or to effect any transaction in, any of the securities discussed in this report should contact and place orders with RBC Dominion Securities Inc., which, without in any way limiting the foregoing, accepts responsibility for this report and its dissemination in Canada. To U.K. Residents: This publication has been approved by RBC Europe Limited ('RBCEL') which is authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ('FCA') and the Prudential Regulation Authority, in connection with its distribution in the United Kingdom. This material is not for general distribution in the United Kingdom to retail clients, as defined under the rules of the FCA. However, targeted distribution may be made to selected retail clients of RBC and its affiliates. RBCEL accepts responsibility for this report and its dissemination in the United Kingdom. To Persons Receiving This Advice in Australia: This material has been distributed in Australia by Royal Bank of Canada - Sydney Branch (ABN 86 076 940 880, AFSL No. 246521). This material has been prepared for general circulation and does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any recipient. Accordingly, any recipient should, before acting on 14 this material, consider the appropriateness of this material having regard to their objectives, financial situation and needs. If this material relates to the acquisition or possible acquisition of a particular financial product, a recipient in Australia should obtain any relevant disclosure document prepared in respect of that product and consider that document before making any decision about whether to acquire the product. This research report is not for retail investors as defined in section 761G of the Corporations Act. To Hong Kong Residents: This publication is distributed in Hong Kong by RBC Capital Markets (Hong Kong) Limited and Royal Bank of Canada, Hong Kong Branch (both entities regulated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Securities and Futures Commission ('SFC')). Financial Services provided to Australia: Financial services may be provided in Australia in accordance with applicable law. Financial services provided by the Royal Bank of Canada, Hong Kong Branch are provided pursuant to the Royal Bank of Canada's Australian Financial Services Licence ('AFSL') (No. 246521). RBC Capital Markets (Hong Kong) Limited is exempt from the requirement to hold an AFSL under the Corporations Act 2001 in respect of the provision of such financial services. RBC Capital Markets (Hong Kong) Limited is regulated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the SFC under the laws of Hong Kong, which differ from Australian laws. To Singapore Residents: This publication is distributed in Singapore by the Royal Bank of Canada, Singapore Branch and Royal Bank of Canada (Asia) Limited, registered entities granted offshore bank and merchant bank status by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, respectively. This material has been prepared for general circulation and does not take into account the objectives, financial situation, or needs of any recipient. You are advised to seek independent advice from a financial adviser before purchasing any product. If you do not obtain independent advice, you should consider whether the product is suitable for you. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. If you have any questions related to this publication, please contact the Royal Bank of Canada, Singapore Branch or Royal Bank of Canada (Asia) Limited. To Japanese Residents: Unless otherwise exempted by Japanese law, this publication is distributed in Japan by or through RBC Capital Markets (Japan) Ltd., a registered type one financial instruments firm and/or Royal Bank of Canada, Tokyo Branch, a licensed foreign bank. .® Registered trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC Capital Markets is a trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under license. Copyright © RBC Capital Markets, LLC 2014 - Member SIPC Copyright © RBC Dominion Securities Inc. 2014 - Member CIPF Copyright © RBC Europe Limited 2014 Copyright © Royal Bank of Canada 2014 All rights reserved 15