They lose $4.6 million in the 3rd quarter, make $ 4.7 million in the 4th quarter, and the yearly earnings in 2012 are $.14 a share compared to $1.94 a share in 2011, yet they pay a quarterly dividend of $.05 a share. Which would be $.20 a year, if that’s what was paid every quarter. Looks to me like the shareholders are close to living on their company’s Capital, not on its Income. Maybe not the best place to put one’s money, or count on that being around forever.

So while you are badmouthing Canfor and suggesting people not invest in Canfor shares…..

I dont suppose you have given one seconds thought to all the jobs Canfor is providing, and what that means to the economy of our area….oh and how about all the charities and causes Canfor supports in our area as a grade “A” corporate citizen?????

Rather than your negfative rant, you should be praising Canfor for the investments they have made over the last 20 years to ensure that they can remain competitive and viable in the extremely tough global pulp and paper economy. While other companies have refused to upgrade their technologies and have lost their market position….and shutting down, Canfor has been a leader and deserves applause…and lots of it!

The Major shareholders would be Jim Pattison, some US Investment firm, the Quebec Teachers Association, and the Bently family. After that not much left.

If they are not complaining then I guess things must be good.???

Does that include the $140,000,000.00 of free taxpayers money they were given.

Dragonmaster, don’t forget to mention all of those very well paid union jobs that still exist because of the free taxpayer’s money given to Canfor. looks like I’m paying taxes to support government workers AND Canfor workers.

Palopu…You can still buy Canfor shares anytime you want….

Dragonmaster….You seem to forget that as a result of that 140 million it made their competitive position rock solid with new technology….it also dramatically reduced their emissions AND the smell..have you noticed??

Here comes the good part…because of the investment made by the govt and Canfor put up mega millions as well…because it strengthened their market position, it gave a huge stability to hundreds of Canfor workers already in the job…AND added about 2-300 more jobs in the overall Canfor area operations. Not a bad investment of taxpayers money I would think…..oh did you notice that our unemployment rate in the area is under 5% which is about 2 points below the national average…..or does that not matter to you??

Oh and Hart Guy….dont you think that everyone benefits when the economy is rockin’ along…think about it and I bet even you can find a good reason for government and business to partner invest to solidify jobs and the economy

gimmeabreak,
nothing wrong with having a positive outlook on life, but Canfor is not quite the cheery influence on PG that you make it out to be. When the plywood plant went up in smoke, where did Canfor invest the insurance money? Not here. I also seem remember Rustaad and Upper Fraser mills that were shut down in favour of super mills like Houston that still have a hard time earning a profit. Corporations are in it for themselves, as soon as you forget that you are living in a Gordon Campbell dreamworld.

gimmeabreak, my comment was tongue and cheek. I fully understand why tax dollars were invested in Canfor and I don’t have a problem with it. We need business and the jobs that come with business. I just wish that sometimes those highly paid union members would realize that many of us have a hand in them having their very good pay and benefits, even though we don’t enjoy those same wages and benefits. So, in short, quit your bitchin cause you got things a lot better than many of the rest of us! Be happy that Canfor is making money because if they weren’t, the employee’s paycheques might bounce!!

But in spite of what the taxpayers have invested is Canfor Pulp making ‘enough’ money to sustain itself long-term? Or are we looking at another potential Columbia Cellulose and successors type situation here, only with nominally ‘free-enterprise’ governments dumping taxpayer money into another hot-house industry like the NDP did with that one? One that’ll only end up folding once the stimulus funds dry-up, and the shareholders look for better returns elsewhere, (or is it ‘unit holders’ in this case ~ weren’t Canfor’s pulp mills hived off into a “limited partnership” some time ago ?).

The money that Canfor received from the Federal Govt. (along with other pulp and paper companies in Canada) was to enable them to compete with USA Pulp and Paper Co’s that were receiving a huge subsidy from the US Government.

The money received by Canfor had a condition attached that it had to be spent on improving greenhouse gas emissions

Not getting some money from the Feds would have put them in a somewhat less competitive position with the USA.

True enough, but when you look at their earnings….. They aren’t exactly impressive, and the dividend paid out, if that’s a quarterly amount, is more per share than what they earned. Last company I remember regularly paying out dividends under that scenario was Pope and Talbot, and look what happened to them.

There are a few posters on here that need to educate themselves on corporate finance and stocks before making such outlandish comments. CFX cut the dividend all together for the last couple quarters when they were in the red and using capital to improve operations. The dividend was just now reinstated now they are turning a profit. When some companies slash the dividend they aren’t too quick to bring it back like this which shows they are bullish and have confidence in the future of their operations. I will be seriously looking at adding some CFX to my holdings. Cheers.

I hope you do well with any purchase you make, northman. And that Canfor Pulp’s bullishness and confidence is well founded, and it does far better in the future than in 2012. It seems to me be somewhat of a troubled industry, overall, though, and the ‘bloom seems to be off the rose’ compared to the days of yore. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Or lost either.

Thank you socredible.

CFX is definitly something that goes on the “watch” list. A bit of risk.. but not worth putting the house and the retirment savings on.. Now if only Canfor CFP would pay a dividend..

Well, CFP is the largest lumber producer in North America now, but that title has always seemed to be a poor indicator of actual profitablity. Tremendous potential, but seemingly often difficult to realise when it comes to the bottom line. Other outfits that have held it, on both sides of the border, ended up in dire straits. If I were looking to invest in any forest products enterprise these days, I think I’d watch Stella-Jones very closely.

Sooner or later…hopefully sooner THAN later, the US housing market will come back…when it does, Canfor will be in a most favouired position to take advantage of the upswing in the market. Thats when stockholders (me included) will be rewarded for having the confidence to buy and hold Canfor shares. Meanwhile considering all the challenges theat the forest industry has been confronted with…Canfor has done its transformation in a most impressive fashion, and have hedged their traditional US market by making some huge inroads in China. Good for Canfor and I personally think they have been an excellent corporate citizen of Prince George and other communities that they are in.

I personally hope that your confidence is well rewarded, gimmeabreak. Though I’m highly skeptical it will be. I have a feeling that Canfor’s bankers will lose patience long before the potential earnings ever rebound and remain high enough, long enough to repay its borrowings. Size can certainly work for them, but it can also work against them.

When it comes down to the financial side, even if a company has been the best corporate citizen imaginable, sentiment won’t be a consideration. And already some other companies, ones which made substantial re-investments in modernising facilities,too, and had great potentialities for earnings IF the markets would just appear as projected, have simply disappeared. Hope it doesn’t happen, but I wouldn’t want to discount the possibility either.