Growth Stocks

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:

  1. Invest mainly in well-established companies;
  2. Spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; Consumer; Finance; Utilities);
  3. Downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight.

Make better stock picks when you read this FREE Special Report, Canadian Growth Stocks: WestJet Stock, RioCan Stock and More.

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DREAM OFFICE REIT $29.07 (Toronto symbol D.UN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-365-3535; www.dundeereit.com; Units outstanding: 104.6 million; Market cap: $3.1 billion; Dividend yield: 7.7%) (formerly Dundee REIT) owns and manages 24.5 million square feet of office and retail space in major cities across Canada.

In the quarter ended June 30, 2014, Dream’s revenue rose 3.1%, to $204.4 million from $198.2 million a year earlier. The trust continues to renew expiring leases at higher rates.

Cash flow gained 2.7%, to $61.0 million from $59.4 million, while cash flow per unit rose 4.9%, to $0.64 from $0.61, on more units outstanding.

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MITEL NETWORKS $10.83 (Toronto symbol MNW; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (613-592-2122; www.mitel.ca; Shares outstanding: 99.4 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; No dividends paid) has reported its second quarter of results that include Aastra Technologies, a Stock Pickers Digest recommendation Mitel acquired in a friendly takeover on January 31, 2014. Aastra shareholders received cash and Mitel shares.

During the quarter, Mitel’s revenue rose 96.9%, to $288.7 million from $146.6 million a year ago (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars). Most of the increase came from Aastra.

Without one-time items, earnings jumped 124.2%, to $22.2 million from $9.9 million. However, earnings per share rose just 16.7%, to $0.21 from $0.18, as the company issued new shares to pay for Aastra Technologies.

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STUART OLSON INC. $10.01 (Toronto symbol SOX; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (780-454-3667; www.stuartolson.com; Shares outstanding: 24.9 million; Market cap: $270.0 million; Dividend yield: 4.8%) (formerly The Churchill Corp.) provides building-construction, commercial and industrial electrical contracting, earthmoving and industrial insulation services to government and private sector clients. It mainly operates in Western Canada.

In the three months ended June 30, 2014, the company earned $1.4 million, or $0.06 a share, excluding one-time items. A year earlier, it made just $485,000, or $0.02 a share.

Revenue rose 20.2%, to $334.0 million from $277.8 million, thanks to rising construction activity in Western Canada.

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TIM HORTONS $66.99 (Toronto symbol THI; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (905-845-6511; www.timhortons.com; Shares outstanding: 134.3 million; Market cap: $9.1 billion; Dividend yield: 1.9%) is up 11%, near all-time highs, since reporting better-than-expected quarterly results on August 6.

In the three months ended June 29, 2014, Tim Hortons’ revenue rose 9.3%, to $874.3 million from $800.1 million a year earlier. That beat the consensus forecast of $843.3 million.

Same-store sales rose 2.6% at its Canadian locations and 5.9% in the U.S. These gains were mainly due to successful new menu items.

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RUSSEL METALS $37.45 (Toronto symbol RUS; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (905-819-7777; www.russelmetals.com; Shares outstanding: 61.4 million; Market cap: $2.3 billion; Dividend yield: 4.1%) is one of North America’s largest metal distributors. It serves 39,000 clients at 53 locations in Canada and 12 in the U.S.

In the quarter ended June 30, 2014, Russel’s revenue rose 17.8%, to $893.3 million from $758.1 million a year earlier. Higher demand and selling prices pushed up revenue at its metal services business by 11%. The energy tubular products division, which supplies pipes for oil and gas exploration and development, saw its revenue rise 17%.

Earnings gained 53.3%, to $30.5 million, or $0.50 a share. A year earlier, the company earned $19.9 million, or $0.33. Russel has invested in new plants and processing equipment over the past three years, which has cut its costs and improved its efficiency. That’s paying off with higher profits.

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DEVON ENERGY CORP. $78.50 (New York symbol DVN; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (405-235- 3611; www.dvn.com; Shares outstanding: 407.9 million; Market cap: $31.9 billion; Dividend yield: 1.2%) is one of the largest U.S.-based oil and natural gas explorers and producers. Its production mix is 53% gas and 47% oil.

In 2011, Devon sold all of its international and Gulf of Mexico properties, which it saw as risky and expensive to develop.

The company is narrowing its focus even further with its recent agreement to sell some of its properties to Linn Energy LLC for $2.3 billion. The sale includes Devon’s holdings in the Rockies, the onshore Gulf Coast and the Mid-Continent region (which includes Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas).

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Tech Stocks
YUNUS ARAKON
Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for advice on specific stocks, as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week we offer you a report on one of the stocks profiled in these Q&A sessions. We give you Pat’s buy-hold-sell recommendation as well as his analysis of the stock. This is part of our new approach offering you regular and specific buy, hold and sell advice in our daily posts. Every week you’ll get “A Stock to Sell” on Monday, “Best Canadian Stocks” on Tuesday, and “Our Top U.S. Stocks” on Thursday. This week an Inner Circle member asked us about one of the top tech stocks competing for market share in online search and content. Two years ago, Yahoo hired a new president and CEO away from rival Google to help the company make up lost ground against Google and Facebook. Pat examines the measures Marissa Mayer has taken to improve Yahoo’s competitive position. He also discusses Yahoo’s big stake in Alibaba, the Chinese “Amazon.com”, and the impact that company’s upcoming IPO will have on Yahoo’s prospects. Q: I would like your evaluation on the prospects for Yahoo. Thank you....
tech stocks
DragonWave Inc. (symbol DWI on Toronto; www.dragonwaveinc.com) makes equipment that wirelessly transmits broadband voice, video and other data. That lets customers send and receive data in places that fibre optic networks haven’t yet reached. The company’s clients are mainly high-speed Internet and wireless providers. It also sells to organizations that operate their own networks, such as universities, hospitals, cities and businesses. DragonWave prefers to focus on product design and support; it outsources most of its manufacturing to other firms....
BHP BILLITON LTD. ADRs $72 (New York symbol BHP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; ADRs outstanding: 1.6 billion; Market cap: $115.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.9; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. bhpbilliton.com) is the world’s largest mining company, with major operations in Australia, South Africa, the U.S. and the U.K.

BHP’s main products include iron ore (31% of revenue; 43% of earnings), oil and potash (20%; 32%), copper (18%; 16%), coal (17%; 6%), and aluminum, manganese and nickel (14%; 3%). BHP cuts its risk by focusing on projects with high-quality, long-lasting reserves.

Oil and gas expansion spurred results

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VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. $52 (New York symbol VZ, Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 4.1 billion; Market cap: $213.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.3; Dividend yield: 4.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.verizon.com) recently completed its $130-billion purchase of the 45% of Verizon Wireless that it didn’t already own from U.K.-based Vodafone Group.

The company now owns 100% of Verizon Wireless, which sells wireless services to 104.6 million subscribers in the U.S. Wireless now supplies 68% of Verizon’s revenue. The remaining 32% comes from its 20.4 million regular phone customers and 16.2 million high-speed Internet and digital TV subscribers. Thanks mainly to the Verizon Wireless purchase, the company’s earnings per share jumped 24.7% in the three months ended June 30, 2014, to $0.91 from $0.73 a year earlier. Revenue gained 5.7%, to $31.5 billion from $29.8 billion.

The company should earn $3.54 a share in 2014, and the stock trades at 14.7 times that forecast. The $2.12 dividend yields 4.1%.

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