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
RTX Keeps Adding to Its Strong Backlog
RTX Corp. (formerly Raytheon Technologies Corp.) hits new all-time highs on unprecedented global demand.
4 min read
Jim Bates
Value Stocks
Finning International Has a Surging Backlog Amid Mining and Infrastructure Boom
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
Growth Stocks
This tech stock’s earnings rose in the latest quarter
Mosaid Technologies, symbol MSD on Toronto, mainly licenses patented semiconductor (computer chip) and telecommunications technology, including patents for technology used in smartphones and laptops. The company complements this business by developing its own memory and other technologies. In total, Mosaid holds 2,647 patents and applications. The company licenses patents based on its own innovations. It also buys patents, and has secured licensing rights to others....
1 min read
Jim Bates
How To Invest
This small cap stock’s earnings soared in the latest quarter
RuggedCom, symbol RCM on Toronto, makes computer networking equipment that is used in harsh environments. The small cap stock’s products include ethernet switches, network routers, wireless devices, and software. The company’s products are designed to reliably operate under high levels of electromagnetic interference. They can also cope with wide variations in temperature and humidity, as well as vibration and exposure to dust. They also work while exposed to such things as corrosive gases and water. In the three months ended December 31, 2010, RuggedCom’s revenue was $25.6 million. That’s up 24.2% from $20.6 million a year earlier. Sales to clients in the transportation industry jumped 76%, and sales to the electric-power market rose 32%....
1 min read
Jim Bates
How To Invest
Canadian stocks: Transcontinental’s earnings rise on new printing contracts
Transcontinental Inc., symbol TCL.A on Toronto, is the largest commercial printer in Canada and Mexico, and the fourth-largest in North America. It also publishes newspapers and magazines. Transcontinental also has over 250 web sites. These web sites will become more important to the Canadian stock’s growth in the next few years, as advertisers spend more on the Internet than print products. In the three months ended January 31, 2011, Transcontinental earned $29.9 million, or $0.37 a share. That’s up 10.3% from $27.1 million, or $0.34 a share, a year earlier. These figures exclude writedowns and other non-recurring items. On this basis, the Canadian stock’s latest earnings beat the consensus estimate of $0.36 a share. Revenue rose 3.6%, to $530.1 million from $511.6 million....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Growth Stocks
Rising Chinese pork demand pushed up this world stock market investment’s earnings
Zhongpin Inc., symbol HOGS on Nasdaq, is a China-based company that processes meat and other foods. Zhongpin is one of the world stock market investments we analyze in our Stock Pickers Digest newsletter. Zhongpin specializes in pork and pork products, as well as fruit and vegetables. It sells 358 meat products, including chilled pork, frozen pork and prepared meats, as well as 34 fruit and vegetable products. Zhongpin focuses on prepared meat, with its higher profit margins, rather than bulk pork....
1 min read
Jim Bates
How To Invest
U.S. stock picks: J.C. Penney’s earnings rose in 2010
J.C. Penney, symbol JCP on New York, operates 1,100 department stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. It also sells its goods over the Internet. In its 2010 fiscal year, which ended January 29, 2011, the U.S. stock pick’s sales rose 1.2%, to $17.8 billion from $17.6 billion in 2009. Its same-store sales increased 2.5%. The company launched a number of new brands in 2010. As well, online sales rose 4.4%, to $1.5 billion from $1.3 billion. The stock pick’s earnings per share jumped 48.6%, to $1.59 from $1.07 in 2009. Penney is doing a good job of managing its inventories. That cuts the need for costly clearance sales. It is also renovating about a third of its stores, including building more in-store boutiques devoted to specific brands....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Daily Advice
Higher sales, cost controls pushed up this stock market investment’s earnings
Macy’s Inc., symbol M on New York, operates 850 Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s department stores in 45 states, as well as in District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. It also sells goods over the Internet. Macy’s is one of the U.S. stock market investments we analyze in our Wall Street Stock Forecaster newsletter. Macy’s makes a point of tailoring its lines to regional tastes. It also emphasizes its exclusive brands, which account for 43% of its sales....
1 min read
Jim Bates
How To Invest
Rising demand pushed up this small cap stock pick’s revenue in the latest quarter
Computer Modelling Group, symbol CMG on Toronto, sells software to clients in the oil and gas industry. It also provides consulting services. The company is one of the small cap stock picks we analyze in our Stock Pickers Digest newsletter. Computer Modelling’s software and services help its clients generate more cash flow by getting as much oil as possible from their existing wells. The company makes mostly recurring revenue from software licences and consulting contracts. That gives it long-term stability....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Wealth Management
Aggressive investing: Weak European economy weighs on Aastra’s results
Aastra Technologies, symbol AAH on Toronto, develops and markets products and systems for accessing communication networks, including the Internet. The aggressive investing stock’s technology is centred around business telephone systems, and includes products that integrate traditional and mobile phones. In the three months ended December 31, 2010, Aastra’s sales fell 0.8%, to $216.0 million from $217.8 million a year earlier. If you exclude the negative impact of exchange rates, sales would have risen 8.7%. The weaker sales pushed down Aastra’s earnings by 6.1%, to $14.4 million from $15.3 million a year earlier. Earnings per share declined 8.1%, to $1.02 from $1.11, on more shares outstanding. The company gets three quarters of its sales from Europe. The weaker European economy has hurt demand for the aggressive investing stock’s products, and forced it to cut its prices. It needs a sustained European economic recovery to show a sustained rise in sales and earnings....
1 min read
Jim Bates
Growth Stocks
U.S. stocks: Higher park attendance pushed up Cedar Fair’s revenue in 2010
Cedar Fair L.P., symbol FUN on New York, owns and operates 11 amusement parks including Knott’s Berry Farm in California and Canada’s Wonderland, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels. For 2010, the U.S. stock’s revenue jumped 6.7%, to $977.6 million from $916.1 million in 2009. Park attendance rose 7.8%, and revenue from the company’s hotels rose 6.1%. Per-guest spending slipped less than 1% despite higher sales of season passes, which typically decrease the amount spent per visit. Even so, the partnership lost $31.6 million, or $0.57 a unit, in 2010, compared to earnings of $35.4 million, or $0.63 a unit, in 2009....
1 min read
Jim Bates
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