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:
- 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.
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Stronger sales and earnings will help Leon’s Furniture Ltd. take over Sears Home locations in B.C. and build on its acquisition of The Brick.
EBAY INC. $24 (Nasdaq symbol EBAY; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $28.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ebay.com) operates online auction websites in over 30 countries....
PAYPAL HOLDINGS INC. $41 (Nasdaq symbol PYPL; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $49.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.4; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www. paypal.com) processes online transactions, including purchases made through eBay’s auction websites. In the past few years, it has expanded into retail stores and mobile payments. On July 20, 2015, eBay investors received one Pay- Pal share for each eBay share they held. They only become liable for capital gains taxes when they sell their new shares. Operating as a separate firm allows PayPal to pursue alliances with more retailers and cut its reliance on eBay. For example, it recently expanded its deal with Chinese online retailer Alibaba to include business-to- business transactions....
ALPHABET INC. (Nasdaq symbols GOOG $741 [class C: non-voting] and GOOGL $760 [class A: one vote per share]; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 688.3 million; Market cap: $517.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.8; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.abc.xyz) is the new holding company for Google’s Internet search business and its smaller, riskier operations....
AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. $40 (New York symbol A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 327.8 million; Market cap: $13.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.2; Dividend yield: 1.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.agilent.com) makes testing equipment for medical research labs. In November 2015, the company paid $242 million for Seahorse Bioscience. This firm makes equipment that lab researchers use to measure cellular response to new drugs. That helps pharmaceutical firms develop new treatments for cancer and infectious diseases. The company also enhanced its product line by purchasing Cartagenia, a Belgian firm that makes software for Agilent’s medical-testing equipment. It paid $60 million euros for this business....
KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES INC. $28 (New York symbol KEYS; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 171.3 million; Market cap: $4.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.keysight.com) makes software for testing wireless equipment. Its clients include makers of computer chips (44% of total revenue) and communications gear (33%), as well as aerospace and defence firms (23%). Agilent (see page 33) spun off Keysight as a separate firm on November 1, 2014; shareholders received one Keysight share for every two shares they held. In August 2015, Keysight paid $588 million for U.K.-based Anite. This firm makes wireless equipment testing software. That should improve the performance of Keysight’s testing equipment....
MTS SYSTEMS CORP. $59 (Nasdaq symbol MTSC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 14.8 million; Market cap: $873.2 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mts.com) makes equipment and software that manufacturers use to test the behaviour of materials, machines and structures. This helps its clients reduce errors and costs. The company also makes sensors for industrial equipment. MTS’s strong reputation continues to help it win new orders: in its fiscal 2016 first quarter, which ended January 2, 2016, new orders totaled $168.2 million. That’s up 24.3% from $135.3 million a year earlier. However, MTS’s sales declined 1.5%, to $140.5 million from $142.6 million a year earlier. If you exclude currency rates, sales increased 2.8%....
MCKESSON CORP. $157 (New York symbol MCK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 229.0 million; Market cap: $36.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend yield: 0.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mckesson .com) is buying the Rexall chain of 470 drug stores in Canada for $2.2 billion. The company expects to complete the purchase by the end of 2016. McKesson already distributes prescription drugs and other products to Rexall, and this familiarity helps cut the risk of an unpleasant surprise. Excluding integration charges and currency exchange rates, the company expects the new operations will add to its earnings in the first year. McKesson is a hold.
APACHE CORP. $50 (New York symbol APA; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 378.3 million; Market cap: $18.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.0; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.apachecorp.com) continues to sell overseas properties to focus on its less-risky onshore oil and gas operations here in North America. As a result, its production in 2015 fell 9.9%, to 486,775 barrels a day from 540,212 in 2014. Due to lower oil and gas prices, it lost $130 million, or $0.34 a share, in 2015 compared to a profit of $2.0 billion, or $5.21. The company plans to spend $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion on capital projects in 2016, down from $4.7 billion in 2015. That should let it continue to pay quarterly dividends of $0.25 a share, for an annualized yield of 2.0%. In 2015, dividend payments totaled $377 million....
DIAGEO PLC ADRs $107 (New York symbol DEO; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; ADRs outstanding: 630.0 million; Market cap: $67.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.4; Dividend yield: 3.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.diageo.com) is the world’s largest premium alcoholic beverage company. Its major brands include Guinness stout, Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker whisky and Captain Morgan rum. Diageo recently sold its wine operations in Australia and its Jamaican brewing operations. That freed up cash it can use to expand its main spirits businesses. They include its upcoming deal to buy Australian whisky maker Starward. In the six months ended December 31, 2015, Diageo’s sales fell 5.0% to 5.6 billion pounds from 5.9 billion a year earlier (1 pound=$1.85 Canadian). If you exclude the brands that Diageo recently sold and the negative impact of currency exchange rates, sales gained 1.8%. Earnings per ADR fell 4.7%, to 2.05 pounds from 2.15. (Each American Depositary Receipt represents four common shares.)...