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Carla Pasternak's Premiere Issue of High-Yield International Just Released
Income expert Carla Pasternak's debut issue of High-Yield International covers a Taiwanese manufacturer yielding 9.5%... a rare Mexican monopoly yielding 13.4%... and other top-performing investments yielding up to 19.0%.
 

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China's Leading Oil Company is a Foreign Growth and Value Play

 

By Nathan Slaughter
Editor, Half-Priced Stocks

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Published:  June 27, 2007

China Petroleum & Chemical (NYSE: SNP), commonly referred to as "Sinopec," is China's leading integrated oil company. The Beijing-based firm is involved in all facets of the oil business, from exploration and production all the way to retail marketing.

At the end of last year, Sinopec had proven reserves of around 3.3 billion barrels of oil, which produced a steady stream of 900,000 barrels every day. And in late May, the company announced a major new find -- an oil field in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China with oil reserves of up to 1.5 billion barrels.

Sinopec is also the top petrochemical refiner in all of Asia, operating more than two dozen refineries with a combined capacity of 3.6 million barrels per day. And after it has been refined and processed, much of the finished product is eventually sold throughout the company's extensive chain of 30,000 retail gas stations. Last year, operating income generated from these outlets soared +61%.

Aside from its oil & gas operations, the firm is also a major producer of ethylene, synthetic resin and rubber, fertilizers, and other chemicals for a wide variety of industrial uses. Last year, it sold nearly 30 million tons of chemical products.

Combined, these business segments account for almost $135 billion in annual revenues, a figure that has more than tripled over the past five years. Meanwhile, profits have been climbing at roughly the same pace during that stretch, soaring from $1.9 billion in 2001 to almost $7 billion last year -- a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around +30%.

While that pace is tough to sustain, Sinopec should have the wind at its back for years. Demand for gasoline and energy is a constant, and the company is an established leader in one the world's most energy-hungry nations. Sinopec's home turf spreads throughout the southern and eastern areas of the country, where growth has been the most brisk. As the Chinese economy continues to expand, so too will disposable incomes, meaning more and more consumers will be buying cars -- leading to even stronger demand for fuel.

Of course, while the upside is compelling, investing in China also carries unique risks. For example, the government has imposed price controls that have taken a toll on the firm's refining business. However, Sinopec has a key advantage over its competitors -- the firm is partially state-owned, and the government holds three-fourths of the outstanding shares.

This cozy relationship has its perks. For instance, while China is actively boosting domestic oil exploration to reduce its reliance on foreign sources, the government has also worked with oil-rich countries in Africa and the Middle East to boost Sinopec's foreign oil reserves.

Looking forward, the continued growth of the Chinese economy is expected to power earnings ahead at an impressive +20% annual clip. A new 20-year partnership agreement with McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), where drive-thru outlets will be installed at many of Sinopec's gas stations, could also prove to be highly lucrative.

Yet, for all this, the stock trades at just eight times cash flows and carries a rock-bottom PEG ratio of just 0.5 -- one of the lowest we have ever come across. Even with a rather high discount rate of 12% (well above what we would typically use for a stable blue-chip industry leader with more than $100 billion in revenues) we still calculate a conservative fair value of $126.

While the shares have surged over the past five years, our fair value estimate represents a discount of about 12%. However, given the volatility of both the Chinese markets and the price of crude oil, we would demand at least a 20% discount before buying.

Good investing!




Nathan Slaughter
Editor
Half-Priced Stocks, The ETF Authority

To receive in-depth guidance on today's leading value opportunities, plus educational guidance, please subscribe to Nathan Slaughter's premium value investing newsletter -- Half-Priced Stocks
 

 

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