5 Top Cleantech Stocks on the TSX Year-to-date

Cleantech Investing

Here, the Investing News Network looks at the top performing stocks on the TSX year-to-date.

The Canadian cleantech sector is having a massive year of growth–both with the Federal Government pledging nearly $1.4 billion into the industry over the next four years and individual provincial governments pledging to do the same–making now, more than ever, a prime time to invest. 
On the Toronto Stock Exchange, there are approximately 36 cleantech-related companies  that range from energy efficiency, low impact material and products, renewable energy equipment manufacturing and tech, renewable energy production and distribution, and waste reduction and water management.
With that in mind,  here the Investing News Network (INN)  looks at the top TSX cleantech stocks that have seen the largest share price increase year-to-date.  The companies listed below have market caps of less than $500 million but not less then $50 million, with data compiled from Google Finance. Read on to learn more about what these companies have been up to so far in 2017.

1. Westport Fuel Systems (TSX:WPRT)

Market cap: $422.83 million; year-to-date gain: 101.79 percent; current share price: $3.39
First on our top TSX cleantech stocks list is Westport Fuel Systems, who provides low-emission engine and fuel system technologies by way of gaseous fuels.  With headquarters in Vancouver, BC the company serves customers in over 70 countries with a range of global transportation and industrial application brands.
Some of the company’s big news of the year include its announcement in June that it had closed the closing of the sale of assets related to its Impco Mobile and Stationary Equipment business for $17.5 million. In August, Westport Fuel Systems reported its second quarter financial 2017 results, highlighting that its consolidated revenue for the quarter was $62.1 million, compared to $37.2 million from the previous year.

2. Village Farms International (TSX:VFF)

Market cap: $100.86 million; year-to-date gain: 90.37 percent; current share price: $2.57
Next is Village Farms, a company that produces greenhouse-grown tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers around North America. Based in Delta, BC the company  operates between two segments: the Produce and Energy businesses.  Village Farms owns and operates seven greenhouse facilities between British Columbia and Texas.
Highlights of the year Village Farms has had include: being named to the 2017 OTCQX Best 50 in February; and it, together with Emerald Health, signing a joint venture for  large-scale greenhouse cannabis production in June. In August, the company reported that its sales increased to $45.5 million, an increase from $44.4 million during the second quarter of 2016.

 3. Tembec (TSX:TMB)

Market cap: $456 million; year-to-date gain: 90 percent; current share price: $4.56
Middle of the pack on our top TSX cleantech stocks list is Tembec, a company that manufactures forest products such as lumber, paper pulp, and paper and speciality cellulose pulp. With operations across North America and France, Tembec has roughly 3,000 employees. In Canada, its main operations are in Ontario and Quebec.
Furthermore, the company manages roughly 9 million hecatres of Canadian forestlands.
That said, in July it was announced that the company’s shareholders approved the transaction with Rayonier Advanced Materials (NYSE:RYAM) whereby Rayonier would acquire all Tembec’s outstanding common shares. On September 21, the companies provided an update on the transaction, stating that it is expected to be completed in the second half of the fourth quarter of 2017.

4. Hydrogenics (TSX:HYG)

Market cap: $160 million; year-to-date gain: 82.26 percent; current share price: $10.48
Hydrogenics designs and manufactures hydrogen generation products based off of water electrolysis technology together with fuel cell products based on proton exchange membrane technology.
The company provides solutions in a range of applications, including: PEM and alkaline hydrogen generators for industrial processes and fueling stations; hydrogen fuel cells for electric vehicles such as urban transit buses, commercial fleets and utility vehicles and electric lift trucks, and fuel cell installations for freestanding electrical power plants, critical power and UPS systems, to name a few.
One of the company’s big announcements this year came in June, when it stated that it had closed a $21 million private placement of the company to Fuzhou Bonded Zone Hejli Equity Investment.

5.  5N Plus (TSX:VNP)

Market cap: $273.37 million; year-to-date gain: 81.56 percent; current share price: $3.25
Rounding out the 5 top cleantech TSX stocks list is 5N Plus, who previously topped the list earlier this year.
5N Plus produces speciality metal and chemical products used in the pharmaceutical, electronic and industrial industries. The company has two segments: the Electronic Materials and Eco-Friendly Materials, which manufacture, sell refined bismuth chemicals, low melting-point alloys, and refined selenium and selenium materials.
In August, 5N Plus released its financial results for the second quarter, highlighting revenue for the quarter totaled $56.2 million, a slight decrease from $57.4 from the same quarter the year prior, which the company states was impacted by selectivity based on “enlarging the value‐added portion as a percentage of revenue versus pass‐through portion resulting in gross margin expansion reaching 28.5% in Q2 2017 compared to 22.6% in Q2 2016, and year‐to date gross margin reaching 25.7% compared to 20.9% for the same period of last year. ”
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Technology for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Jocelyn Aspa, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.


** This article is updated quarterly. Please scroll to the top for the most recent information**

It’s been a good year so far for the cleantech sector in Canada; as the Federal Government plans invests nearly $1.4 billion into the sector over the next few years, there’s certainly no shortage of companies for investors to choose from. 
Already, there’s a wide range of cleantech stocks on Canadian exchanges, Canada is well positioned to be a force to be reckoned with in the industry. Case in point, the country has skyrocketed to fourth in a 2017 Global Cleantech Innovation Index, which scores countries on their cleantech funds, organizations and clusters, venture capital investment, and late-stage investment, to name a few.
With that in mind, here the Investing News Network (INN)  looks at the top TSX cleantech stocks that have seen the largest share price increase year-to-date.  The companies listed below have market caps of less than $650 million but not less then $50 million, with data compiled from Google Finance. Read on to learn more about what these companies have been up to so far in 2017.

1. 5N Plus (TSX:VNP)

Market cap: $245.52 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 68.72 percent; current share price: $3.02
First on our top TSX cleantech stocks list is 5N Plus, a company that produces speciality metal and chemical products used in the pharmaceutical, electronic and industrial industries. The company has two segments: the Electronic Materials and Eco-Friendly Materials, which manufacture, sell refined bismuth chemicals, low melting-point alloys, and refined selenium and selenium materials.
In late February, the company released its results for the fourth quarter and year-end of 2016, while in May it reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2017. The release highlighted the company’s net earnings for the first quarter reached $4.2 million, while net revenue totalled $60.09 million.

2. Ballard Power Systems (TSX:BLDP)

Market cap: $632.42 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 63.06 percent; current share price: $3.62
Ballard Power Systems provides proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel technology with a main focus on power product markets of heavy-duty motives–such as bus and tram applications–portable power, material handling and backup power, and even delivering technology solutions.
Ballard Power Systems has had a lot on the go in 2017, with highlights such as: a $25 million deal with Broad-Ocean, announced in February; an $11 million deal with Broad-Ocean, announced in April; and its most recent press release from mid-June stating its subsidiary, Protonex, received its first order for fuel cell systems to power commercial UAVs.

3. Village Farms (TSX:VFF)

Market cap: $82.91 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 60 percent; current share price: $2.16
Middle of the pack on our top TSX cleantech stocks list is Village Farms, a company that produces greenhouse-grown tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers around North America. Village Farms operates between two segments: the Produce and Energy businesses.
Village Farms’ energy business produces power that it sell for each long-term contract to its customers.
Highlights of the year Village Farms has had include: being named to the 2017 OTCQX Best 50 in February; and it, together with Emerald Health, signing a joint venture for  large-scale greenhouse cannabis production in June.

4. Ecosynthetix (TSX:ECO)

Market cap: $ 155.98 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 20.7 percent; current share price: $2.74
Next is Ecosynthetix, who is a renewable chemicals company that is involved in developing bio-based technologies as a replacement solutions for synthetic, petrochemical-based adhesives all around the world.  The company’s flagship products include: DuraBind and EcoSphere, which are used to make wood composites, paper and packing, and improve performances, economic benefits and sustainability.
In May, Ecosyntetix released its first quarter 2017 results, highlighting its net sales totalled $3.6 million–a 22 percent increase for the same period year-on-year.

5. Carmanah Technologies (TSX:CMH)

Market cap: $98.43 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 3.83 percent; current share price: $4.07
Closing out our top TSX cleantech stocks list is Carmanah Technologies. The company has been in the business for over 20 years, and develops and distributes renewable technologies, such as solar-power light emitting diode (LED) lighting and solar powered systems.
In April, the company announced the completion of sale of its solar power engineering, procurement and construction business. Then in May, Carmanah released its first quarter 2017 fiscal results, highlighting revenue of $11.1 million, a slight drop from $11.9 million for the same period year-on-year.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Technology for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Jocelyn Aspa, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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