Not all activist targets are buys

The broad stock market drop this year has prompted activists to seek out companies perceived as particularly undervalued, such as the two we analyze below. However, their immediate prospects don’t inspire our confidence.
TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE INC. $123 is a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol TTWO; Consumer sector;… Read More

Utilities: Stable growth adds to their appeal

As a group, higher-yielding stocks, such as utilities, have lagged the broader indexes over the past decade. Part of that was due a preference by many investors for faster growing tech stocks such as Netflix, Apple, Alphabet, Facebook and so on.
Moreover, utilities and other other… Read More

CANADIAN TIRE CORP. $45 – Toronto symbol CTC.A

CANADIAN TIRE CORP. $45 (Toronto symbol CTC.A; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 81.5 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; SI Rating: Above Average) operates 475 stores that sell automotive, household and sporting goods. It also operates 86 PartSource auto-parts stores, 372… Read More

IGM FINANCIAL INC. $33 – Toronto symbol IGM

IGM FINANCIAL INC. $33 (Toronto symbol IGM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 262.4 million; Market cap: $8.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.2; SI Rating: Above Average) is Canada’s largest mutual fund company. It manages $98.8 billion of assets. Power Corp. owns 56.4% of IGM.

IGM… Read More

Look beyond banks for Finance growth

We continue to recommend that all investors own at least two of Canada’s big-five banks. But these should not be the extent of your financial holdings. Other types of financial investments, such as high-quality insurance companies, should play a role in your portfolio, as well.

Here… Read More