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TOROMONT INDUSTRIES LTD. $20.51 (Toronto symbol TIH; SI Rating: Extra Risk) (416-667-5511; www.toromont.com; Shares outstanding: 64.6 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion) operates in two business segments: the equipment group and the compression group.
The equipment group’s Caterpillar dealership, which covers Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland, and most of Labrador and Nunavut, is one of the world’s largest. It also includes rental operations. Also …read more »
KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES $2.90 (Toronto symbol KFS; SI Rating: Speculative) (905-629 -7888; www.kingsway-financial.com; Shares outstanding: 55.1 million; Market cap: $159.7 million) dropped recently after it announced that it expects to post a 2008 fourth-quarter loss of between $5.88 and $6.24 a share. (All figures except share price in U.S. dollars.) The expected loss is mainly the result of underwriting losses …read more »
AEROPOSTALE INC. $21.34 (New York symbol ARO; SI Rating: Extra Risk) (646-485- 5410; www.aeropostale.com; Shares outstanding: 66.8 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion) was one of the few major U.S. apparel chains to post higher sales in January.
Same-store sales rose 11%, and sales of women’s and men’s clothing were strong. By comparison, same-store sales fell 20% at competitor Abercrombie & Fitch …read more »
EUROPEAN GOLDFIELDS $3.53 (Toronto symbol EGU; SI Rating: Speculative) (44 (20) 7408 9534; www.egoldfields.com; Shares outstanding: 179.4 million; Market cap: $633.2 million) holds a 95% interest in Hellas Gold.
Hellas owns three gold and base-metal deposits in northern Greece: the Stratoni zinc/ lead/silver property, the Olympias gold/zinc/lead/silver project and the Skouries copper/gold property.
Production at Stratoni started in September 2005. Permits to …read more »
Gold is now at $978 U.S. an ounce, up 36% since November 2008. That’s mainly because investors fear that low interest rates and government stimulus spending will spur inflation. Gold should also continue to gain as the credit crisis makes it harder for gold companies to fund new projects and increase production.
We still think the best way to participate in …read more »
TEMPUR-PEDIC $6.97 (New York symbol TPX; SI Rating: Speculative)(800-878-8889; www.tempurpedic.com; Shares outstanding: 74.9 million; Market cap: $522 million) reports that in the three months ended December 31, 2008, its earnings fell 68.2%, to $12.7 million, or $0.17 a share, from $39.9 million, or $0.52 a share, a year earlier. Sales fell 34.6%, to $189.1 million from $289 million.
Tempur-Pedic needs an …read more »
CALIAN TECHNOLOGIES $12.70 (Toronto symbol CTY; SI Rating: Speculative) (613-599-8600; www.calian.com; Shares outstanding: 7.8 million; Market cap: $99.1 million) operates in two areas: The business and technology services (BTS) division provides engineering, health care and other skilled professional personnel to clients on a contract basis, and generates 64% of Calian’s revenues. The systems engineering division (SED) offers a range of …read more »
IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $39 (Toronto symbol IMO) plans to increase capital spending by 60% in 2009. Most of the extra spending is for its proposed Kearl Lake oil-sands project in northern Alberta. Imperial owns 70% of Kearl, while parent company ExxonMobil Corp. owns the rest. Kearl’s reserves should last 40 years, and moving ahead with it makes sense for Imperial …read more »
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO. $44 (Toronto symbol CNR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 464.9 million; Market cap: $20.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; SI Rating: Above Average) operates the largest freight-rail network in Canada, and serves 16 U.S. states. It hauls consumer and industrial goods, which accounted for 21% of its 2008 revenue, forest products (19%), grain …read more »
TIM HORTONS INC. $29 (Toronto symbol THI; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 181.6 million; Market cap: $5.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.9; SI Rating: Average) aims to spur traffic at its coffee-and-donut stores in the United States with a new alliance with the Cold Stone Creamery chain of upscale ice-cream parlours. Tim Hortons will start selling Cold Stone Creamery …read more »
