Time to speculate in new investment crops

摘要

The mercurial economic conditions affecting international forestry investment have driven two well-known listed Australian forestry conpanies to see how attracted their'investor growers' are to alternative crops such as olives, mangos and avocados. Recent stokc market performance's indicate they have found and successfuly backed some winners. MELBOURNE-BASED Timbercorp Limited and Great Southern Plantations, headquartered in Perth, have bold expansion plans in the agribusiness sector that are expected to drive a resurgence of investor interest and a change in sentiment already appears to be reflected in the on-market share price. Shares in Great Southern were sought at the beginning of this year at A3.17 dollar while last year the price had rangedfrom A 2.66 dollar to A 5.03 dollar. The company paid a fully - imputed dividend of 14c for a yield of 4.4%. Earnings per share were 45.Ic. Timbercorp shares began the year at A 2.86 dollar with last year's price ranging from A1.70 dollar to A2.95 dollar. Earnings per share were 24.78c and a fully franked dividend of 7.75c yielded 2.7%. As this issue of Inwood went to press, Great Southern shares were changing hands at A 3.74 dollar and Timbercorp at A 3.27 dollar.