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.
Make better stock picks when you read this FREE Special Report, Canadian Growth Stocks: WestJet Stock, RioCan Stock and More.
In the three months ended June 30, 2013, Tim Hortons’ sales rose 1.9%, to $800.1 million from $785.6 million a year earlier. Same-store sales increased 1.5% at its Canadian outlets and 1.4% in the U.S. Earnings per share rose 17.4%, to $0.81 from $0.69.
The company continues to benefit from new menu items it has recently introduced, such as panini sandwiches. It also raised its prices to cover higher ingredient costs.
...
The company launched its latest plane, the 787 Dreamliner, in 2011. The 787 uses advanced materials that are lighter than aluminum. That makes it 20% more fuel efficient than comparable planes. It also features state-of-the-art jet engines and electronics.
...
The stock has jumped 46% since the start of 2013. That’s largely due to speculation that the company is looking to sell itself.
Meanwhile, in response to slowing sales, Jones plans to close 170 of its 574 stores and cut its workforce by 8%. This should lower its annual costs by $40 million when it completes the plan in 2014. To put that in context, Jones earned $10.8 million, or $0.15 a share, before restructuring costs in the first quarter of 2013.
...
The company aims to sell $4 billion of its less important assets in 2013. It will use half of the proceeds to buy back shares and the other half to pay down its $11.5-billion long-term debt.
Apache is a hold....
Diageo paid 594.4 million British pounds for this additional stake (1 British pound = $1.58 Canadian). To put that in context, the company earned 1.5 billion pounds, or 2.44 pounds per ADR, in the six months ended December 31, 2012. (Each American Depositary Receipt represents four Diageo common shares.)
The purchase will help Diageo profit from rising demand for premium spirits in India. However, it will take at least a year before the new operations add to the company’s earnings.
...
Sales rose 1.9%, to $1.0 billion from $984.0 million. Sales to consumers (59% of the total) rose 3.9%, mainly because the company launched successful new products and improved its marketing. It also raised its prices. However, sales to businesses (41% of the total) fell 0.9%, mainly due to fewer orders from fast-food restaurants in the U.S.
McCormick is a buy.
...
This new outlet will face strong competition from other U.S. fast food chains, such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Subway, that already operate in the country. However, the population is young and eager to embrace foreign brands. Moreover, the son-in-law of Vietnam’s prime minister will own and operate this franchise. That cuts the risk of this expansion.
McDonald’s is a buy....
These savings helped raise Morgan’s earnings by 31.0% in the quarter, to $6.5 billion from $5.0 billion a year ago. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share rose 32.2%, to $1.60 from $1.21. Revenue gained 13.7%, to $25.2 billion from $22.2 billion. That’s mainly due to higher fees from its wealth management division and gains from trading securities.
An unexpected $6-billion loss at Morgan’s trading division caused the stock to fall to $32 in June 2012, but it has rebounded strongly. It now trades at 9.7 times Morgan’s likely 2013 earnings of $5.89 a share. The $1.52-a-share dividend yields 2.7%.
...