HOW TO PLAY IT

Wagering on society to keep churning out trash seems a safe bet—and unless we revert to tossing our refuse into the streets, garbage trucks have a secure future. Heil Environmental Industries has been one of the world’s largest makers of specialized sanitation vehicles since 1901. Workers at its factory in Fort Payne, Alabama, weld several tons of steel and machinery atop truck chassis and roll out the customized pieces of heavyduty compacting and carting equipment to trash haulers around the world. If you want a piece of Heil, you’ll have to buy shares of Dover Corp., the Illinois-based mini-conglomerate that bought into the garbage truck business in 1993. It’s also a big player in pumps, winches, hoists, commercial refrigerators and equipment for automotive repair. Revenue this year is expected to grow 8.3% to $8.6 billion, with earnings up 11%. Priced at 15 times earnings, Dover trades at a 22% discount to its five-year average P/E, and its dividend yield is 1.6%.