BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $70.50 - Toronto symbol BNS

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $70.50 (Toronto symbol BNS; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $85.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.6%, www.scotiabank.com) has agreed to buy 20% of the credit card division of Canadian Tire Corp. (Toronto symbol CTC.A and a recommendation of The Successful Investor).

This business is Canada’s eighth-largest credit card issuer, with 1.8 million clients and $4.4 billion in outstanding loans. Its cardholders spend $1.2 billion annually.

The bank will pay $500 million for this stake, and Canadian Tire has an option to sell an additional 29% to Bank of Nova Scotia over the next 10 years.

Bank of Nova Scotia is our #1 safety-conscious buy for 2014.

A professional investment analyst for more than 30 years, Pat has developed a stock-selection technique that has proven reliable in both bull and bear markets. His proprietary ValuVesting System™ focuses on stocks that provide exceptional quality at relatively low prices. Many savvy investors and industry leaders consider it the most powerful stock-picking method ever created.