Although growth stock picks can be highly volatile, they can make good long-term investments. They may be well-known stars or quiet gems, but they do share one common attribute—they are growing at a higher-than-average rate within their industry, or within the market as a whole, and could keep growing for years or decades.
And keep in mind that we focus on growth stocks, which have a good long-term history and favourable prospects. We downplay momentum stocks that tend to attract many investors simply because they are moving faster than the market averages, but are liable to fall sharply when their momentum fades.
There’s room for growth stock investing in your portfolio, but make sure you follow our TSI Network three-part Successful Investor strategy for your overall portfolio:
- Invest mainly in well-established companies;
- Spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; Consumer; Finance; Utilities);
- Downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight.
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One will keep the Symantec name and focus on antivirus and security software and services. The other will consist of its information management (IM) operations, which include data backup and recovery software.
Symantec aims to hand out shares in the IM business by the end of 2015.
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In the three months ended June 30, 2014, Dorel’s sales rose 9.2%, to $655.8 million from $600.4 million a year earlier (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Sales rose 20.2% at the recreational segment and 3.2% at the juvenile products division. Home furnishing sales fell slightly.
Earnings per share rose 14.6%, to $0.47 from $0.41. Sales of its highly profitable Cannondale and Pacific Cycle premium bikes remain strong. That offset a small loss from Dorel’s 70% stake in Caloi, which it bought for an undisclosed amount last year.
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The company now has 923 stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico that mainly target 14- to 17-yearold women and men. Its 147 P.S. from Aeropostale stores in the U.S. are aimed at seven- to 12-year-old children.
In the three months ended August 2, 2014, Aeropostale’s sales fell 12.7%, to $396.2 million from $454.0 million a year earlier. Same-store sales declined 13%, compared to a 15% decline a year ago.
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But 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 222 locations across Canada. The chains continue to operate separately.
In the quarter ended June 30, 2014, the company’s sales fell 1.3%, to $474.5 million from $480.6 million a year earlier. The year-ago quarter included the first full three months of sales from The Brick. On a samestore basis, sales declined 1.3%.
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A major holding is 50% of the Alliance gas line, which runs 3,000 kilometres between Chicago and Fort St. John, B.C. Veresen also owns the Alberta Ethane Gathering System, 42.7% of the Aux Sable NGL plant, and the Hythe/Steeprock natural gas gathering and processing complex in the Cutbank Ridge region of Alberta and B.C. To diversify, the company is expanding into power generation, including hydroelectric facilities, wind farms and natural gas-fired plants.
Veresen continues to move ahead with its plan to ship gas from Canada to its proposed $6.8-billion Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas plant in Oregon for export to Asia. If regulators give final approval, the project could start up in 2019.
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Sales rose 9.8%, from $12.1 billion in 2010 to $13.3 billion in 2012 (fiscal years end May 31).
Ralcorp acquisition boosted results
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Without unusual items, such as gains and losses on hedging contracts, earnings per share declined 12.9%, to $0.61 from $0.70. The company launched over 250 new products in the quarter, which increased its operating and advertising costs. Sales fell 2.4%, to $4.3 billion from $4.4 billion, mainly due to weak demand for breakfast cereal in the U.S.
The company expects its new products to boost its sales by 5% in fiscal 2015. General Mills also estimates that a new cost-cutting plan, which includes closing plants, will save it $400 million in the current fiscal year. In the longer term, streamlining its other operations should cut its yearly costs by $152 million by 2017.
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Earnings rose 13.3%, to $291.4 million from $257.3 million. Per-share earnings gained 19.5%, to $2.94 from $2.46, on fewer shares outstanding.
The company will likely earn $8.64 a share in 2014, up 15.4% from 2013, but the stock trades at a high 25.6 times that forecast.
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