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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If you want to ensure a higher (and safer) rate of return for your retirement portfolio, then it’s important to know what not to invest in after retirement
Investor toolkit photo small
Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” series on TSI Network. Whether you’re a new or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you specific investment advice that will help you develop a successful approach to investing. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental tip and shows you how you can put it into practice right away. Today’s tip: “While many numbers and statistics frequently prove to be of limited value in judging stocks, there is one that is often undervalued: market cap.”...
Strong cash flow lets these two utilities boost spending, keep dividends high
BELL ALIANT INC. (Toronto symbol BA; www.aliant.ca) sells phone and Internet services to 2.5 million customers in Atlantic Canada and rural Ontario and Quebec. It also provides wireless services through an alliance with BCE, which owns 45% of Bell Aliant....
TRANSCANADA CORP. $49 (Toronto symbol TRP; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 707.4 million; Market cap: $34.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.8; Dividend yield: 3.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.transcanada.com) could begin work on its Keystone XL oil pipeline later this year after the U.S. State Department said it wouldn’t significantly harm the environment. However, the U.S. government will probably postpone a final decision until after the November mid-term elections. So far, TransCanada has spent $2 billion on Keystone XL. If the U.S. rejects the plan, TransCanada could use some of the steel pipe, valves and pumps on its other pipelines. That would limit any potential writedown. TransCanada is a buy.
IGM FINANCIAL INC. $55 (Toronto symbol IGM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 252.3 million; Market cap: $13.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.3; Dividend yield: 3.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www. igmfinancial.com) is Canada’s largest independent mutual fund company....
DIEBOLD INC. $39 (New York symbol DBD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 64.3 million; Market cap: $2.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.diebold.com) is a leading maker of automated teller machines (ATMs). It also makes safes, vaults and building-security systems. The company gets 52% of its revenue from overseas.

Diebold’s revenue rose 10.1%, from $2.7 billion in 2009 to $3.0 billion in 2012. That’s mainly because of pent-up ATM demand in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. As well, U.S. banks had to upgrade their ATMs to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, revenue in 2013 fell 4.5% to $2.9 billion, due to slowing sales of ATMs to regional U.S. banks and unfavourable currency rates.

The company earned $0.97 a share (or a total of $65 million) in 2009, but it lost $0.37 a share (or $25 million) in 2010 due to goodwill writedowns and other charges. Earnings rebounded to $2.21 a share (or $143 million) in 2011, but additional writedowns cut them to $1.20 a share (or $77 million) in 2012.
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IDEXX LABORATORIES INC. $122 (Nasdaq symbol IDXX; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 51.6 million; Market cap: $6.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.8; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. idexx.com) earned $3.58 a share in 2013, up 12.6% from $3.18 in 2012. Sales rose 6.5%, to $1.4 billion from $1.3 billion. These gains are mainly because veterinarians are buying more of Idexx’s equipment for detecting diseases in pets.

The company recently launched two new products that should increase this year’s sales by 7.5% to 8.5%. Its earnings should also rise to $3.85 a share. However, the stock has jumped 32% in the past year and now trades at a high 31.7 times the 2014 forecast.

Idexx is still a hold....
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. $193 (New York symbol IBM, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $193.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ibm.com) continues to expand its cloud-computing businesses.

It recently paid an undisclosed sum for Cloudant, a private firm that creates large databases on remote servers. IBM feels Cloudant’s technology will also enhance its analytics services, which help businesses analyze large amounts of data and improve their efficiency.

The company expects its cloud revenue to reach $7 billion in 2015. That’s equal to 7% of its overall 2013 revenue of $99.8 billion.
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3M COMPANY $133 (New York symbol MMM; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 662.7 million; Market cap: $88.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.0; Dividend yield: 2.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.3m.com) feels that rising pollution in China will spur demand for its face masks and water filters. As a result, the company now predicts that its Chinese revenue will rise 15% annually over the next five years. That’s much higher than 3M’s overall annual revenue growth rate of around 5%.

3M is a buy.


ALCOA INC. $12 (New York symbol AA; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $13.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 1.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.alcoa.com) is doubling production of aluminum truck wheels at its plant in Hungary. Demand for these wheels is strong, as they are much more resistant to rust and corrosion than steel wheels. Engineered products like these also cut Alcoa’s reliance on selling less-profitable bulk aluminum.

The company will spend $13 million to upgrade the facility. That’s equal to 4% of the $357 million, or $0.33 a share, that Alcoa earned in 2013. It expects to complete the project in early 2015.

Alcoa is a buy.
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