Scott Clayton

Scott is an associate editor at TSI Network. He is the lead reporter and analyst for Dividend Advisor, Power Growth Investor and Canadian Wealth Advisor and a member of the Investment Planning Committee. Scott began his investment and financial career working with Pat McKeough at The Investment Reporter in the 1980s. Subsequently, he worked at the Financial Post Corporation Service for 10 years. He joined TSI Network in 1998. He is a Bachelor of Economics graduate of York University, and he also has an M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Business.

Posts by the author
How To Invest
5 Facts About Investing in Stocks You Should Know to Maximize Profits
Discover five facts about investing in stocks that will help you make better investment decisions over the long term. Learn more in this article now.
4 min read
Scott Clayton
Growth Stocks
Successful Investors Use These Key Tips to Find the Best Growth Companies to Invest In
4 min read
Scott Clayton
Growth Stocks
How to Find the Best Growth Stocks to Invest in Right Now
4 min read
Scott Clayton
Growth Stocks
Hot stock picks: AlarmForce continues U.S. expansion
AlarmForce Industries, symbol AF on Toronto, reported record quarterly revenue of $10.1 million in the three months ended April 30, 2011. That’s up 10.3% from $9.2 million a year earlier.

AlarmForce is one of the stocks we analyze in Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter that helps you make hot stock picks for the part of your portfolio you devote to aggressive investing.

Earnings fell 9.2%, to $949,000, or $0.08 a share, from $1.0 million, or $0.09 a share....
1 min read
Scott Clayton
How To Invest
Stock trading tips: Strong competition hurts La-Z-Boy’s earnings
La-Z-Boy (symbol LZB on New York) makes upholstered reclining chairs and sofas. It also imports wooden furniture, such as tables and entertainment centres. The company sells its products through both large department stores and 304 La-Z-Boy Furniture Gallery stores....
1 min read
Scott Clayton
How To Invest
Top stock picks: ConAgra earnings rise in latest fiscal year
ConAgra Foods Inc., symbol CAG on New York, makes a wide variety of packaged foods, including Chef Boyardee canned pasta, Hunt’s Tomato Sauce, Peter Pan peanut butter and Orville Redenbacher popcorn. The company’s consumer foods segment accounts for 63% of its sales, while the remaining 37% from its commercial foods business. ConAgra is one of the companies we analyze in Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter that helps you spot the top stock picks in the U.S. markets. Sales in the fiscal year ended May 29, 2011 rose 2.4%, to $12.3 billion from $12.0 billion in 2010. Revenue for the consumer food segment increased by 0.8%, as lower volumes offset higher selling prices for cooking oil, frozen foods and snacks. Sales of commercial foods rose 5.5%, mainly because the company increased prices for its flour in response to rising wheat costs....
1 min read
Scott Clayton
Growth Stocks
U.S. stocks: Nordstrom reports strong sales and earnings
Nordstrom Inc., symbol JWN on New York, mainly sells upscale clothing, accessories and footwear. The company owns and operates 212 outlets in the United States. It expects to open another nine stores this year. In March 2011, Nordstrom paid $180 million for HauteLook. The Los Angeles-based online retailer has more than 4 million members and annual sales of over $100 million. The acquisition will dilute Nordstrom’s earnings by about $0.20 per share in 2011. In its 2011 first quarter, which ended April 30, the U.S. stock’s earnings rose 25.0%, to $145 million, or $0.65 a share, from $116 million, or $0.52, a year earlier. The figures for the recent quarter include a $0.04 charge related to the acquisition of HauteLook....
1 min read
Scott Clayton
Daily Advice
Stock market news: Good quarter for General Mills
General Mills Inc., New York symbol GIS, is one of the world’s largest food makers. Its top brands include Big G (cereal), Green Giant (canned and frozen vegetables), Pillsbury (baking dough), Old El Paso (tacos) and Progresso (soups and sauces). General Mills is one of the stocks we analyze in Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter that gives you advice and stock market news for U.S. investing. In its 2011 fiscal year, which ended May 29, 2011, General Mills’ revenue rose 1.7%, to $14.9 billion from $14.6 billion in the previous year. Earnings rose 17.5%, to $1.8 billion from $1.5 billion. The company spent $1.2 billion on share buybacks in the latest fiscal year. Because of fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share rose 20.5%, to $2.70 from $2.24....
1 min read
Scott Clayton
Energy Stocks
Oil stocks: Mighty Imperial offers lower-risk profit
You may think oil is set to rise sharply, due to fast growth in India and China. Or you may think prices could be set to fall, because high oil prices could prompt users to switch to cheaper natural gas. The truth is, no one knows the future direction of oil prices. That’s why, instead of trying to predict the future direction of oil prices, we continue to recommend that you stick with well-established oil stocks with high-quality reserves and rising production. In addition, you should limit your investments in oil stocks to a portion of your portfolio’s Resource holdings.

Oil stocks: Imperial is looking to the oil sands for long-term growth

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2 min read
Scott Clayton
How To Invest
This Canadian stock’s earnings fell sharply in the latest quarter
Reitmans (Canada) Ltd., symbol RET.A on Toronto, owns 965 women’s clothing stores across Canada. These include 363 Reitmans, 160 Penningtons, 157 Smart Set, 122 Addition Elle, 73 Thyme Maternity, 67 RW & Co. and 23 Cassis stores. Reitmans continues to actively monitor its regional markets, and open and close stores as necessary. Reitmans is one of the Canadian stocks we analyze in Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter for aggressive investing. In the three months ended April 30, 2011, the Canadian stock’s earnings fell 98.3%, to $624,000 from $37.3 million a year earlier. Earnings per share fell 95.7%, to $0.01 from $0.23. Sales were down 7.0%, to $219.3 million from $235.7 million. Same-store sales declined 8.7%....
1 min read
Scott Clayton
Wealth Management
Stock market recommendations: Higher package volumes push up FedEx earnings
FedEx Corp., New York symbol FDX, delivers packages and documents in the U.S. and over 220 countries and territories. FedEx is one of the stocks we analyze in Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter that offers stock market recommendations for the U.S. markets. For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2011, FedEx’s revenue rose 13.2%, to $39.3 billion from $34.7 billion in 2010. The company earned $1.45 billion, or $4.57 a share, up 22.6% from $1.2 billion, or $3.76 a share. If you exclude unusual items, FedEx earned $4.90 a share in 2011. That matched the consensus estimate....
1 min read
Scott Clayton
How To Invest
E-book costs weigh on this Canadian stock pick’s earnings
Indigo Books & Music Inc., Toronto symbol IDG, is Canada’s largest bookseller. The company operates 97 superstores under the Chapters and Indigo banners. It also has 149 mall-based stores, and sells books, movies and music through its web site. Indigo is one of the Canadian stock picks we analyze in our Successful Investor newsletter. In its latest fiscal year, which ended April 2, 2011, the Canadian stock pick’s revenue rose 5.0% to $1.0 billion from $968.9 million in the prior year. Even so, earnings fell 67.5%, to $11.3 million, or $0.45 a share, from $34.9 million, or $1.39 a share....
1 min read
Scott Clayton
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