Sometime during last week, Comsec started showing an analyst...

Sometime during last week, Comsec started showing an analyst forecast for BSA from Ord Minnett
(see table below for forecast as at 17/9/2016).
The forecast resumption of a dividend, albeit modest, is a welcome sign.

Previously BSA was what I call a SWAF, a stock without analyst forecast.
It's a play on the word "swarf", which means the waste cuttings from a machining process, typically in metal, but not exclusively so, and which can be somewhat hazardous to handle unless one is careful.
A not entirely irrelevant description of some of the stocks in this category.

I don't know when Ord Minnett published their coverage, possibly a couple of weeks ago judging from the link below, but my systems tell me it wasn't shown on Comsec's site prior to last week.

Initiation of coverage by an analyst is generally a positive for a stock because it increases visibility and also because analysts don't  initiate published coverage unless they think the stock is a goer. The acquisition of the first analyst is generally more significant than subsequent ones. According to Comsec, Ord Minnett have it as a "strong buy".

	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
0		2016	2017	2018
1	EPS	2.9	3.0	3.0
2	DPS	0.0	1.0	1.0

http://www.4-traders.com/TELSTRA-CO...elstra-Ord-Minnett-rates-BSA-as-Buy-22973110/

You can read a paper about the effect of initiation of analyst coverage here.

http://home.ku.edu.tr/cdemiroglu/public_html/initiation.pdf

cheers