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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L BRANDS INC. $79 (www.lb.com) owns several home and apparel retail chains, including the Victoria’s Secret lingerie stores. As part of a new strategy, it will reorganize this business into three divisions: Victoria’s Secret Lingerie, Pink (aimed at younger shoppers), and Victoria’s Secret Beauty....
Andrew Peller Ltd. is expanding its Niagara wine facilities after Gretzky wines drove sales and earnings growth over the holiday season.
BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS $60.43 New York symbol BR; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (201-714-3000; www.broadridge.com; Shares outstanding: 118.8 million; Market cap: $7.2 billion; Dividend yield: 2.0%) serves the investment industry in two main areas: investor communications, and securities processing and transaction clearing. It processes 90% of all proxy votes in the U.S. and Canada. Excluding one-time items, Broadridge earned $46.5 million in its fiscal 2016 first quarter, which ended December 31, 2015. That’s up 16.5% from $39.9 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 18.8%, to $0.38 from $0.32, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue gained 11.1%, to $638.9 million from $574.6 million. Investor communications makes up 72% of Broadridge’s revenues. Back-office securities processing and transaction clearing make up the remaining 28%; they also provide the company with strong long-term growth prospects in the U.S. and globally....
STANTEC INC. $33.78 (Toronto symbol STN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (780-917-7288; www.stantec.com; Shares outstanding: 93.9 million; Market cap: $3.1 billion; Dividend yield: 1.3%) sells a range of consulting, project-delivery, design and technology services. Stantec has made a big acquisition that will give it a major global presence in the water infrastructure industry. It’s paying $795 million U.S. to buy MWH Global. The infrastructure firm has 187 offices in 26 countries. MWH Global works on a number of large water infrastructure projects around the world, including the Panama Canal Third Set of Locks project. It also develops dams, hydroelectric power plants, water treatment facilities, coastal restoration and environmental assessment programs....
PASON SYSTEMS $17.91 (Toronto symbol PSI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-301-3400; www.pason.com; Shares outstanding: 84.1 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Dividend yield: 3.8%) serves the drilling contractors of oil and gas firms in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Argentina. The company provides them with rental equipment for monitoring and managing landbased oil rigs. Its systems also let clients remotely collect data from their drilling operations. For the three months ended December 31, 2015, Pason’s revenue fell 56.7%, to $59.8 million from $138.2 million a year earlier. A rise in the U.S. dollar partially offset the slowdown in oil and gas drilling. The company lost $841,000, or $0.01 a share, compared to a profit of $47.2 million, or $0.57, a year ago. The lower revenue was the main reason for the decline. Cash flow per share was positive, though it was down sharply, to $0.21 from $0.72....
COMPUTER MODELLING GROUP $10.24 (Toronto symbol CMG; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-531-1300; www.cmgl.ca; Shares outstanding: 78.8 million; Market cap: $806.5 million; Dividend yield: 3.9%) sells software and services that help conventional oil and gas producers create 3D models of reservoirs. That lets them squeeze more out of those deposits by injecting steam or chemicals. Without the technology, they typically recover only 25% to 30% of the oil and gas. Producers using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, methods also use Computer Modelling’s software to determine the best drilling locations and depths. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, the company’s revenue fell 15.8%, to $21.2 million from $25.2 million a year earlier. Software licensing revenue (94% of the total) fell 13.8%, while consulting and professional services revenue (6%) fell 40.0%....
SASOL LTD. (ADR) $32.23 (New York symbol SSL; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (082- 883-9697; www.sasol.com; ADRs outstanding: 651.4 million; Market cap: $21.3 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%) is a South Africa-based company that converts coal and natural gas into motor fuels. It also produces oil and gas and mines coal. Sasol now plans to delay the completion of its $8.9 billion plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Production will now start in 2019, rather than 2018. When finished, the facility will convert natural gas, or ethane, into ethylene— a chemical used to make plastics and other consumer products. The new plant should triple Sasol’s U.S. production. It should also help to offset some of the currency and political risks of operating in South Africa....
ALARMFORCE INDUSTRIES $10.57 (Toronto symbol AF; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-267 -2001; www.alarmforce. com; Shares outstanding: 11.6 million; Market cap: $122.7 million; Dividend yield: 1.7%) sells twoway voice-alarm systems and monitoring services in Canada and in the U.S. In the three months ended January 31, 2016, the company’s sales rose 6.8%, to $14.5 million from $13.6 million. Earnings per share rose 5.0%, to $0.21 from $0.20, on more shares outstanding. AlarmForce offers a range of extra services that boosts revenue from subscribers to its home alarm service. They include: AlarmForce Connect, which lets subscribers control their home-security systems from a smartphone or tablet; and VideoRelay, which lets users watch their homes through mobile devices....
DOREL INDUSTRIES $28.28 (Toronto symbol DII.B; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514-934-3034; www.dorel.com; Shares outstanding: 32.3 million; Market cap: $923.8 million; Dividend yield: 5.8%) makes a range of items: ready-to-assemble home and office furniture; juvenile products such as car seats, strollers, high chairs, toddler beds and cribs; and bicycles and other sporting goods. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, Dorel’s sales fell 4.6%, to $668.9 million from $701.0 million (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars). Sales of juvenile products fell 12.5%; sales of sporting goods dropped 2.5%. Those declines offset a 6.9% gain in home furnishings. Factoring out the effects of a higher U.S. dollar, overall sales rose 4.0%. Excluding one-time items, earnings per share in the latest quarter rose 26.5%, to $0.43 a share from $0.34. That came despite the fact that Dorel gets half of its sales from outside of the U.S. The high U.S. dollar cut the company’s earnings per share by $0.28....
FIRSTSERVICE CORP. $55.15 (Toronto symbol FSV; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-960-9500; www.firstservice.com; Shares outstanding: 34.6 million; Market cap: $2.0 billion; Dividend yield: 1.1%) has bought Century Fire Protection, one of the largest full-service fire protection companies in the Southeastern U.S. Century installs, maintains and repairs the fire protection systems that it creates for commercial and residential clients. It employs 600 workers, operating from 12 offices throughout Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. FirstService will be able to sell Century’s services to its existing property management clients....