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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IAMGold now holds over $1.1 billion U.S. in cash and gold bullion. That gives it lots of options to spur its share price. For example, it could raise exploration spending, make an acquisition or buy back shares.
IAMGold is still a buy.
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The stock was our Pick of the Month in the last issue (March 2012) of Stock Pickers Digest. At the time, it was trading at $10.09. That’s a 45.2% gain in one month.
Our view is that the company is well positioned to benefit from an expected rise in Canadian and Australian crop yields in 2012, as well as the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly on western Canadian wheat and barley sales. In addition, its Australian operations’ sales to Asia continue to rise.
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Shares outstanding: 296.7 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; Dividend yield: 2.7%) reports that its revenue rose 10.6% in the three months ended December 31, 2011, to $536.8 million from $485.2 million a year earlier.
Despite the higher revenue, earnings fell 34.2%, to $28.1 million, or $0.10 a share, from $42.7 million, or $0.15 a share. However, without one-time items, such as a charge for the early redemption of debentures, Sherritt would have earned $0.19 in the latest quarter.
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In the three months ended December 31, 2011, Trilogy produced 28,288 barrels of oil equivalent per day (including natural gas), up 31.3% from 21,544 barrels a year earlier. The higher production pushed up the company’s cash flow per share by 75.9%, to $0.51 from $0.29.
Trilogy drilled 68 wells in 2011, with a 98.5% success rate. That pushed up the company’s production and boosted its reserves by 13%, to 88.6 million barrels from 78.2 million. That’s enough for over 11 years of production.
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In the three months ended December 31, 2011, Zargon produced 9,278 barrels of oil equivalent per day. That’s down slightly from 9.317 barrels a year earlier. However, that was mainly because the company sold some less important properties. Higher oil prices pushed up Zargon’s cash flow per share by 7.4%, to $0.58 from $0.54 a year earlier.
The company continues to successfully drill horizontal wells in the Alberta Plains North area. Horizontal drilling involves drilling development wells sideways or at an angle to reach isolated pockets of gas or to follow a reservoir spread out in a narrow layer. This method works well in places where conventional drilling is impossible or too expensive.
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Even so, earnings rose 13.5%, to $18.2 million, or $1.30 a share, from $16.0 million, or $1.14 a share. Aastra’s research expenses fell 17.9%, to $14.8 million from $18.0 million, As well, the company narrowed its foreign exchange loss to $1.3 million from $2.6 million a year earlier.
Aastra needs a sustained economic recovery in Europe to raise its sales and further push up its earnings. Still, the stock trades at just 12.0 times the $1.76 a share that the company should earn in 2011. The shares yield a high 3.8%.
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In the three months ended January 1, 2012, Domino’s earnings per share rose 33.3%, to $0.52 from $0.39. The company paid more for food ingredients, but that was offset by lower costs for labour, rent and interest.
Sales rose 4.4%, to $501.7 million from $480.0 million. U.S. same-store sales jumped 6.8%. International same-store sales rose 4.7%.
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In the three months ended November 30, 2011, Ruby Tuesday’s sales rose 5.9%, to $307.5 million from $290.5 million a year earlier. However, same-restaurant sales fell 4.2%, mostly due to stiff competition from other chains, many of which spent heavily on TV advertising.
Ruby Tuesday’s overall sales were helped by its new menu items and specials, including its lunch offer of soup, a salad bowl or garden bar, and garlic cheese biscuits starting at $5.99 to $6.99. Even so, the company lost $0.03 a share, compared to a profit of $0.07 a share a year earlier.
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In the three months ended December 31, 2011, Dundee’s revenue jumped 73.2%, to $136.3 million from $78.7 million a year earlier. Most of the increase came from properties the trust recently purchased.
The best way to assess a real estate investment trust’s operating performance is to look at its cash flow, and Dundee’s cash flow rose 62.6% in the latest quarter, to $41.0 million from $25.2 million. Cash flow per unit rose 12.7%, to $0.62 from $0.55, due to more units outstanding (the trust issued new units to pay for the acquired properties).
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In the three months ended December 31, 2011, the company’s revenue rose 12.6%, to $432.0 million from $383.7 million a year earlier. Acquisitions were part of the reason for the gains. Stantec is also working on a number of new projects. Before one-time items, earnings rose 4.3%, to $24.3 million, or $0.53 a share, from $23.3 million, or $0.51 a share.
Stantec continues to grow by acquisition. In 2011, it bought five companies. Together, these firms added 725 staff to Stantec’s workforce.
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