Jim Bates

Jim is an associate editor at TSI Network. He is the lead reporter and analyst for The Successful Investor and Wall Street Stock Forecaster and a member of the Investment Planning Committee. Jim has held the Chartered Financial Analyst designation since 1992 and spent more than a decade at the Financial Post DataGroup before joining TSI Network. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto.

Posts by the author

Growth Stocks

Baxter International’s Low Valuation Is Weighed Against Turnaround Potential by Investors

Baxter International Inc. has been under pressure from a skeptical market as it continues its turnaround strategy.

2 min read

Jim Bates

Dividend Stocks

J.P. Morgan Chase Extends Streak of Rising Revenues and Shareholder Payouts

2 min read

Jim Bates

Growth Stocks

Stantec Posts Double‑Digit Earnings Growth

2 min read

Jim Bates

How To Invest

Valeant aims at a huge target with hostile bid for Botox maker Allergan

Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for specific advice about stock picks as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle. This week an Inner Circle asked us about one of the few major pharmaceutical stocks based in Canada. Valeant Pharmaceuticals was purchased in 2010 by Biovail, then Canada’s largest pharmaceutical firm, and the new company adopted the Valeant name. Valeant is making headlines with its hostile takeover bid for U.S. drug maker Allergan, the maker of the cosmetic drug Botox. ...

4 min read

Jim Bates

How To Invest

Cutbacks could spur rebound for Thomson

THOMSON REUTERS CORP. (Toronto symbol TRI; www.thomsonreuters.com) gets 55% of its revenue by selling news and information to professionals in the banking industry. The remaining 45% comes from providing specialized information products to clients in the legal, accounting and scientific research fields. Thomson earned $137 million, or $0.16 a share, in 2013 (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). That’s down sharply from $2.0 billion, or $2.39 a share, in 2012....

2 min read

Jim Bates

investing for beginners stock market profits

Dividend Stocks

Successful Kraft spinoff Mondelez aims to keep share price rising

We’ve had great success with companies spun off from larger parent firms in the past few years. That’s mainly because spinoffs let both companies focus on their already well-established businesses. As well, a parent will only hand out a subsidiary’s shares to its own investors if it’s confident the spinoff will benefit both companies. Shares of this food producer we cover in Wall Street Stock Forecaster have jumped since it was spun off to become a separate firm. Here is our analysis of its future prospects....

2 min read

Jim Bates

How To Invest

Malaysian Airlines drama puts spotlight on Canadian stock’s flight systems

Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for specific advice and stock picks as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle. This week an Inner Circle member asked us about a Canadian stock whose products came into sharper focus following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Flyht Aerospace Solutions makes a number of products, but the two attracting the most attention are devices that collect and stream flight data and could have shed light on the fate of the Malaysian airliner as it disappeared. Pat examines the company’s business and assesses its prospects for growth in a highly competitive market. ...

3 min read

Jim Bates

Energy Stocks

Cenovus aims for big growth from its oil sands projects

CENOVUS ENERGY INC. (Toronto symbol CVE; www.cenovus.com) gets about 40% of its output from its oil sands projects in Alberta. Conventional oil and natural gas wells supply the other 60%. U.S.-based ConocoPhillips (New York symbol COP) owns 50% of Cenovus’s main Foster Creek and Christina Lake oil sands projects in Alberta. These properties produce heavy bitumen, which Cenovus ships to its 50%-owned refineries in Illinois and Texas. Phillips 66 (New York symbol PSX) owns the other 50% of these refineries. In 2013, refining accounted for 66% of Cenovus’s revenue and 40% of its earnings....

2 min read

Jim Bates

Canadian insurance giants aim for rising sales in Asia, less risk in U.S.

How To Invest

2 U.S. small cap manufacturers spur growth with new products, acquisitions

These two small-cap Manufacturing & Industry picks are riskier than most of the large-cap selections in that sector we cover in Wall Street Stock Forecaster. However, they are both market leaders that are investing in new products and making acquisitions. TENNANT CO. (New York symbol TNC; www.tennantco.com) makes industrial floor-cleaning equipment, including scrubbers, sweepers and polishers. It also manufactures cleaning gear for garages, stadiums, parking lots and city streets....

3 min read

Jim Bates

Blue Chip Stocks

Going beyond the banks for high-yielding financial stocks

In our flagship Canadian advisory, The Successful Investor, we recommend that when you select investments in the financial sector, you start by looking at Canada’s big-five banks. But we also recommend diversifying your holdings with non-bank finance stocks. Two weeks ago, we covered one such stock that more aggressive investors might consider, Home Capital (see the article here). Today we examine two conservative non-bank stocks....

2 min read

Jim Bates

Growth Stocks

Free of Obamacare, CGI Group adds new contracts

This Canadian technology firm is adapting to fast-changing markets by making acquisitions, aggressively cutting costs and eliminating slower-selling products. It is also adding to its backlog as it sheds a U.S. government contract that was plagued by political interference....

2 min read

Jim Bates

How To Invest

Speculation has Campbell Soup as takeover target

CAMPBELL SOUP CO. (New York symbol CPB; www.campbellsoupcompany.com) is the world’s largest maker of canned soups. It also makes Prego canned pasta and sauces, Pepperidge Farm cookies and V8 vegetable juices. Wal-Mart accounts for 19% of its sales....

2 min read

Jim Bates