The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, Dec. 17, edition that RBC Dominion Securities analyst Sam Crittenden has reaffirmed his "outperform" call for Major Drilling Group International. The Globe's David Leeder writes that Mr. Crittenden jacked his share target up by $3 to $17. Analysts on average target the shares a $15. Mr. Crittenden says in a note: "Global budgets for gold and copper exploration have stabilized and are beginning to rise as producers look to rebuild depleted reserves given the current commodities pricing environment. In our view, operators will likely prioritize brownfield assets and resource expansion around existing assets, which should be constructive for rig and drilling equipment demand. Additionally, each incremental dollar should result in a meaningful uplift to margins as the fixed costs are relatively stable, and incremental metres drilled yield a higher profit margin. We view Major Drilling as well-positioned to benefit from this structural upcycle given the company's global footprint, industry-leading fleet, and specialized drilling capabilities which supports Major Drilling's competitive positioning as new mineral deposits become increasingly more geographically complex."