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
Value Stocks
Finning International Has a Surging Backlog Amid Mining and Infrastructure Boom
Finning Int’l Inc. has a bright outlook spurred by mining and infrastructure growth.
2 min read
Jim Bates
McDonald's Corp. plans to keep aggressively opening locations to continue to power its sales.
Blue Chip Stocks
McDonald’s Reports Higher Sales Despite Economic Headwinds
2 min read
Jim Bates
Dividend Stocks
T. Rowe Price Group Offers a High 4.8% Yield Enhanced by a Key New Strategic Alliance
1 min read
Jim Bates
Growth Stocks
Strong overseas growth pushed up this U.S. stock’s latest results
McCormick & Co., Inc., New York symbol MKC, makes spices, herbs, seasonings, specialty foods and flavours, and markets them to the food industry. McCormick is one of the companies we analyze in Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter for investing in U.S. stocks. In its second quarter, which ended May 31, 2011, McCormick’s earnings rose 11.2%, to $73.6 million from $66.2 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 12.2%, to $0.55 from $0.49, on fewer shares outstanding....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Growth Stocks
U.S.A. stock market: H&R Block earnings rise in fiscal 2011
H&R Block, symbol HRB on New York, is the world’s largest provider of income-tax-preparation services. The company is one of the investments we analyze in Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter for U.S.A. stock market investing. In its 2011 fiscal year, which ended April 30, 2011, H&R Block’s U.S. offices prepared 14.8 million tax returns, up 3.6% from fiscal 2010. The number of returns processed over the Internet jumped 28.7%....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Dividend Stocks
Income trusts: Chemtrade reports strong quarterly results
Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund, symbol CHE.UN on Toronto, is one of North America’s largest suppliers of sulphuric acid, sulphur, liquid sulphur oxide and sodium hydrosulphite. It also supplies sodium chlorate, phosphorous pentasulphide and zinc oxide. In addition to selling chemicals, Chemtrade processes spent acid. We analyze Chemtrade in Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter for aggressive investing. In the three months ended March 31, 2011, the income trust’s cash flow per share jumped 55.6%, to $0.84 from $0.54. Revenue rose 33.8%, to $169.6 million from $126.8 million. This was mostly due to a recovering economy and higher prices for sulphuric acid....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Wealth Management
Great stock picks: CriticalControl reports lower revenue, higher earnings
CriticalControl Solutions Corp., symbol CCZ on Toronto, sells services and software that help business better manage, access and store their information. CriticalControl gets about 60% of its revenue from clients in the oil and gas industry, followed by government (20%), health care (10%) and finance and retail (10%). CriticalControl is one of the stocks we analyze in Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter that helps you make great stock picks for the part of your portfolio you devote to aggressive investing. In the three months ended March 31, 2011, CriticalControl’s revenue fell 6.2%, to $12.2 million from $13.0 million a year earlier. Revenue at the Service Bureau Operations division rose 10%, while revenue at the Canadian Energy Services division was flat. Revenue at the U.S. Energy Services division fell 28.0%....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Wealth Management
Stock investing tips: Major Drilling reports sharply higher results
Major Drilling, symbol MDI on Toronto, is a large contract-drilling firm that mainly serves the mining industry. Major Drilling is one of the stocks we analyze in Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter that contains stock investing tips for the part of your portfolio you devote to aggressive investing. In the three months ended April 30, 2011, the company’s revenue jumped 41.0%, to $137.3 million from $97.4 million a year earlier. The gain came despite floods in North Dakota and Queensland, Australia, and severe winter weather in Canada. Earnings per share jumped 225.0%, to $0.13 from $0.04. During the quarter, the company expanded its workforce to 4,000 from 3,400. It also bought 25 new rigs and retired 21 as part of a modernization program. It added 15 of its new rigs to its Resource Drilling (Mozambique) operations, which it acquired on March 24, 2011....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Blue Chip Stocks
Large cap stocks: How to profit from the rising use of wireless devices
Demand for wireless services is rising sharply in North America. That’s partly because device makers continue to release new cellphones and other wireless devices, like the Kobo e-book reader and Apple iPad. As well, more customers are switching from traditional phones (or land lines) to wireless services. Smartphones, in particular, have become increasingly popular. Today’s top-selling smartphones are Apple’s iPhone, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry, and devices that run Internet search provider Google’s Android operating system....
3 min read
Jim Bates
Energy Stocks
Higher production and gas prices pushed up this natural gas stock’s cash flow
Delphi Energy, symbol DEE on Toronto, explores for oil and gas in Alberta and B.C. Natural gas makes up 74% of its daily output; the remaining 26% is oil. In the three months ended March 31, 2011, the natural gas stock’s production rose 8.0%, to an average of 8,259 barrels of oil equivalent (including natural gas) per day from 7,647 barrels a year earlier. Delphi’s cash flow rose 2.0%, to $15.1 million from $14.8 million. Higher production and oil prices were the main reason for the gain. The company’s operating costs also fell. Delphi sold 3.2 million shares to raise $9.0 million in the quarter. Due to more shares outstanding, cash flow per share fell 13.3%, to $0.13 a share from $0.15....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Growth Stocks
This tech stock’s earnings jumped in the latest quarter
Adobe Systems Inc., Nasdaq symbol ADBE, makes software that lets computer users create, edit and share documents in the popular PDF format. As well, graphic designers use the tech stock’s software to create print publications and web pages. The company also makes Adobe Flash, which lets web site developers make web pages more interactive by adding animation and video. The company reports that its earnings jumped 54.4% in its 2011 second quarter, which ended June 3, 3011, to $229.4 million from $148.6 million a year earlier. The tech stock’s earnings per share rose 60.7%, to $0.45 from $0.28, on fewer shares outstanding. If you exclude one-time items, such as restructuring charges and investment losses, the tech stock’s earnings per share would have risen 25.0%, to $0.55 from $0.44. On this basis, the latest earnings beat the consensus estimate of $0.51 a share....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Growth Stocks
Aggressive portfolio: Leon’s Furniture earnings decline in latest quarter
Leon’s Furniture Ltd., symbol LNF on Toronto, has built its chain of over 69 furniture stores in Canada on its four main strengths: a huge selection of furniture, appliances and electronics; a lowest-price guarantee; strong after-sales service; and aggressive TV, radio and print advertising. We analyze Leon’s in Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter that recommends stocks that may be appropriate for your aggressive portfolio. In the three months ended March 31, 2011, Leon’s sales fell 6.0 %, to $191.6 million from $203.8 million a year earlier. Weaker consumer spending and a drop in new-housing starts held back sales. The aggressive portfolio stock’s earnings fell 14.0%, to $9.8 million, or $0.14 a share, from $11.4 million, or $0.16 a share. The slower sales were the main reason for the earnings decline. The company also spent more on advertising....
1 min read
Jim Bates
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