Pat McKeough

A professional investment analyst for more than 30 years, Pat has developed a stock-selection technique that has proven reliable in both bull and bear markets. His proprietary ValuVesting System™ focuses on stocks that provide exceptional quality at relatively low prices. Many savvy investors and industry leaders consider it the most powerful stock-picking method ever created.

As early as 1980, Pat was recognized as #1 in the world of published investment advice by the Washington, DC–based Newsletter Publishers Association, and he was the first multi-year winner of The Globe and Mail’s stock picking contest.

Both CBS MarketWatch and The Hulbert Financial Digest recognized Pat as one of North America’s top stock analysts. The Wall Street Journal called him “one of only four investment newsletter advisors who have managed to serve their readers well over the long haul.”

A best-selling Canadian author, he wrote Riding the Bull, his 1993 book that predicted the stock-market boom of the last half of that decade. Through his many television appearances, he is well-known to investors for his insightful analysis and his candid, unpretentious style.

Bottom line: Pat’s conservative, reduced-risk strategy is a proven approach to safe investing.

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What does a diversified portfolio look like? A well-diversified portfolio balances risk by spreading investment holdings out by industry sector and other factors
BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY $3.62 (Toronto symbol BIR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-261-6401; www.birchcliffenergy.com; Shares outstanding: 152.3 million; Market cap: $542.2 million; No dividends paid) develops, produces and explores for oil and gas, mainly in the Peace River Arch area near the Alberta/B.C. border. About 87% of its output is gas. The remaining 13% is oil. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Birchcliff’s cash flow per share dropped 42.0%, to $0.29 from $0.50 a year earlier. Sharply lower oil and gas prices offset a 12.3% rise in daily production. The company continues to support its cash flow with cost cuts. As well, in response to low prices, Birchcliff cut back on exploration and development spending for 2015. It will likely spend $249 million during the full year, down 45.0% from $451 million in 2014. It hasn’t yet announced its 2016 spending plans....
BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS $54.44 New York symbol BR; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (201-714-3000; www.broadridge.com; Shares outstanding: 118.6 million; Market cap: $6.4 billion; Dividend yield: 2.2%) serves the investment industry in three main areas: investor communications, securities processing and transaction clearing. The company processes 90% of all proxy votes in the U.S. and Canada. Without one-time items, Broadridge earned $39.6 million in its fiscal 2016 first quarter, which ended September 30, 2015. That’s up 7.9% from $36.7 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 10.0%, to $0.33 from $0.30, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue gained 7.0%, to $594.7 million from $555.8 million. The company continues to add new clients and is doing a good job of holding onto existing ones. Recurring fee revenue rose 10.0% in the latest quarter and accounted for 66% of the total....
FAIR ISAAC CORP. $92.85 (New York symbol FICO; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (415-472-2211; www.fairisaac.com; Shares outstanding: 31.1 million; Market cap: $2.8 billion; Dividend yield: 0.1%) makes FICO Scores, the program that dominates the market for software that businesses use to evaluate customer creditworthiness. Fair Isaac also profits by selling programs that help credit card issuers control fraud and analyze cardholders’ spending patterns. In its fiscal 2015 third quarter, which ended September 30, 2015, Fair Isaac’s revenue rose 5.0%, to $232.8 million from $221.6 million a year earlier. Sales at the company’s applications division (64% of the total) fell 1.6% on weaker demand for marketing and fraud-detection software. However, sales of creditscoring programs (25%) jumped 24.5%, while sales of analytics software (11%) gained 8.7%....
REITMANS (CANADA) LTD. $4.07 (Toronto symbol RET.A; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514-384- 1140; www.reitmans.com; Shares outstanding: 64.6 million; Market cap: $254.5 million; Dividend yield: 4.9%) owns 775 women’s clothing stores across Canada. The chain consists of 332 Reitmans, 136 Penningtons, 107 Addition Elle, 83 RW & Co., 68 Thyme Maternity, 17 HYBA and 32 Smart Set outlets. It also has 21 Thyme Maternity boutiques in Canadian Babies “R” Us stores. On October 8, 2015, the company opened its 17 new HYBA women’s activewear stores across Canada. Activewear is one of the country’s fastest growing clothing categories....
LEON’S FURNITURE LTD. $14.05 (Toronto symbol LNF; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (416-243-7880; www.leons.ca; Shares outstanding: 71.4 million; Market cap: $1.0 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%) has steadily opened new stores, growing from 27 in 2003 to 80 today. The company more than quadrupled in size overnight with its March 2013 purchase of its main rival, The Brick, for $700 million. The Brick has 221 locations across Canada; the chains continue to operate separately. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, the company’s sales rose 1.2%, to $538.1 million from $531.7 million a year earlier. On a same-store basis, sales gained 1.1%. Earnings rose just slightly, to $27.34 million, or $0.38 a share, from $27.29 million, or $0.38. The company increased its sales with promotional prices, but that cut into its profit margins....
ENERFLEX LTD. $13.10 (Toronto symbol EFX; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (403-387-6377; www.enerflex.com; Shares outstanding: 79.1 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; Dividend yield: 2.6%) rents and sells equipment and services for natural gas production, including compression and processing plants, refrigeration gear and power generators. On June 30, 2014, Enerflex closed its $431-million U.S. acquisition of two businesses owned by privately held Axip Energy Services: an international contract compression and processing subsidiary and a division that provides aftermarket services. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, the company’s revenue fell 5.7%, to $425.2 million from $451.1 million a year earlier. Earnings per share were unchanged at $0.40....
TOROMONT INDUSTRIES LTD. $31.62 (Toronto symbol TIH; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-667- 5511; www.toromont.com; Shares outstanding: 77.9 million; Market cap: $2.4 billion; Dividend yield: 2.2%) distributes a broad range of industrial equipment, including machinery made by Caterpillar Inc. It also makes refrigeration systems through its CIMCO division. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Toromont’s sales rose 8.2%, to $505.6 million from $467.4 million a year earlier. Earnings per share 11.5%, to $0.58 from $0.52. Toromont saw stronger demand from customers in construction and agriculture than a year ago, which offset continued weak mining sales. It also cut costs....
DOMINO’S PIZZA $109.22 (New York symbol DPZ; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (734-930-3008; www.dominos.com; Shares outstanding: 54.6 million; Market cap: $6.0 billion; Dividend yield: 1.1%) has opened its first store in Belarus, in the city of Minsk. The outlet’s master franchisee, DPEU Franchising, plans to open more outlets across the country. This new “pizza theatre” store features an openconcept design that lets customers watch their pizzas being made and baked. Belarus is the company’s sixth new market this year. Domino’s now operates in over 80 countries; its international stores supply over half of its sales and about a third of its earnings. The company still has considerable room to grow internationally....
PASON SYSTEMS $19.46 (Toronto symbol PSI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-301-3400; www.pason.com; Shares outstanding: 83.6 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Dividend yield: 3.5%) rents equipment for monitoring and managing land-based oil rigs. It also provides communication systems that clients use to remotely collect data from their drilling operations. Pason reduced its capital spending by 46.3% this year, to $65 million from $121 million in 2014. It has also cut its staff by 20%. Meanwhile, the company’s balance sheet remains strong, with cash of $198.1 million, or $2.37 a share, and no debt. The stock yields a high 3.5%, and the dividend appears sustainable....