Alesco Corporation (ASX:ALS) is a marketer and distributor of industrial brands to niche markets in Australia and New Zealand.

ALS’s customers include businesses involved in building and renovations, mining and construction and water management.

On 26 July, ALS reported a FY11 net profit of $13.6 million, up from the prior year’s loss of $124.3 million.

Core EBIT rose 9% to $36.5 million, with the garage doors division (EBIT up 23%) driving the result.

However, revenue fell 3% amid a weak housing market and natural disasters in Queensland and New Zealand.

A final dividend of 7 cents was declared, plus a special dividend of 5.5 cents.

ALS warned that trading conditions are likely to remain tough in FY12 due to a forecast decline in consumer confidence and Australia’s housing market.

As such, it is questionable whether ALS can maintain its recent gains, therefore it will be one of the stocks to watch in coming months.

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Equinox Minerals (EQN) is an international mining company that is dual listed in Canada and Australia, focused primarily on copper but with some small exposure to other resources (such as uranium and gold).

EQN boasts operations in Western Australia and Peru but the company’s main project is the development of its 100%-owned Lumwana Project (Zambia), one of the largest new copper mines to be developed globally over the last decade.

On 4 April, EQN received a takeover offer from Hong-Kong based Minmetals.

The $6.99 per share offer represents a 33% premium to the 20 day trade value weighted average price of EQN’s shares.

The all-cash bid is conditional on EQN terminating its proposed offer for Canadian-based Lundin Mining.

EQN was one of the hot shares in the day’s share market action, surging almost 30% on the news.

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Fortescue Metals (FMG) is an iron ore miner, with operations located in the lucrative Pilbara iron ore province in Western Australia.

FMG was one of the market’s hot shares last year when it doubled its share price after bottoming out near $3.50 in May.

On 25 March, FMG downgraded its 1Q11 production guidance due to the wet weather events at the beginning of the year.

FMG now expects quarterly production to be at the lower end of its previous guidance of 8.5 – 9.0 million tonnes of iron ore.

However, Fortescue Metals said that operations are now back to normal and that its Christmas Creek ore processing, stockpile and train loading facility has now commenced.

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Murchison Metals (MMX) is an emerging iron ore and infrastructure group focused on Western Australia.

According to news reports, Murchison Metals (MMX) and Mitsubishi Corp have suffered a cost blowout at their Oakajee port and rail JV in WA.

The Australian said that capital costs at the project are estimated to have blown out to $6.7 billion, from $4.4 billion.

In response, MMX admitted that capital costs at Oakajee were likely to increase although estimates were indicative and subject to review.

MMX slumped 6.7% on the day, making it the worst performer on the stock market (ASX 200).

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Gindalbie Metals (GBG) is junior iron-ore miner, based in WA.

On 16 March, GBG announced a $125 million cost blowout at its Karara iron-ore project.

GBG now expects construction costs to total around $2.63 billion due to soaring labour, fuel and materials costs.

The company brought forward the ramp-up of the project to avoid what it expects to be a more damaging inflationary environment.

The expected cost savings saw GBG rocket 9.5% on the day, making it one of the best performing stocks in the share market.

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Equinox Minerals (EQN) is an international mining company that is dual listed in Canada and Australia, focused primarily on copper but with some small exposure to other resources (such as uranium and gold).

EQN boasts operations in Western Australia and Peru but the company’s main project is the development of its 100%-owned Lumwana Project (Zambia), one of the largest new copper mines to be developed globally over the last decade.

EQN was hit hard yesterday after it made a takeover offer for Canadian-based Lundin Mining the previous night.

The C$4.8 billion offer is an attempt by EQN to derail a planned friendly merger between Lundin and fellow Canadian miner Inmet.

EQN said its bid would make it one of the top 10 copper producers in the world by 2016.  EQN would return to a net cash position in four years, with the deal expected to generate bumper cash flows.

EQN’s part cash/part scrip offer represents a 26% premium to Lundin and Inmet’s share exchange offer, which has no premium.

EQN slumped 6.1% on the day, making it one of the worst performers in the Australian share market.

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