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CGI Inc. investors continue to benefit from organic growth and accretive acquisitions, with a downside cushion from a contract‑driven, government‑heavy base.
Top pick Walmart Inc.’s earnings are projected to grow by double digits in 2027 while the stock boasts a “quality premium” to reflect its successful tech pivot.
Intact Financial Corp. is a #1 Power Buy for 2026 as it continues to demonstrate excellence in its field as Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer.
Telus Corp. offers an exceptional 9.0% yield as it seeks to pay down debt while pursuing attractive value-unlock ventures including AI datacentres.
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LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD. $71 (Toronto symbol L; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 410.1 million; Market cap: $29.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 1.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.loblaw.ca) purchased the Shoppers Drug Mart chain in March 2014 for $12.3 billion in cash and shares. The company now operates over 1,100 supermarkets and 1,300 drug stores across Canada. Thanks to its purchase of Shoppers, Loblaw’s sales have jumped 45.3%, from $31.3 billion in 2011 to $45.4 billion in 2015. Earnings fell 13.9%, from $2.88 a share (or a total of $811 million) in 2011 to $2.48 a share (or $696 million) in 2013. With the addition of Shoppers, earnings rose to $3.06 a share (or $1.2 billion) in 2014 and $3.46 a share (or $1.4 billion) in 2015....
THOMSON REUTERS INC. $50 (www.thomsonreuters.com) plans to sell its intellectual property and science information businesses. It would probably apply the expected proceeds of $3 billion—equal to 8% of its $38.2-billion market cap—on share repurchases. Buy.
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CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $96 (www.cibc.com) earned $2.55 a share in the quarter ended January 31, 2016. That’s up 8.1% from $2.36 a year earlier. Strong gains at the bank’s main personal and business banking operations offset weaker earnings from wealth management and securities trading. CIBC also increased its dividend by 2.6%; the new annual rate of $4.72 a share yields 4.9%. Buy. ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $73 (www.rbc.com) recently completed its $7.1-billion acquisition of Los Angeles-based City National Bank. This business added $53 million to its latest quarterly profits. Even so, Royal’s overall earnings fell 0.4%, to $2.45 billion from $2.46 billion a year earlier; earnings per share fell 4.2%, to $1.58 from $1.65, on more shares outstanding. These declines are mainly due to weaker results from its insurance and securities trading operations. Even so, Royal boosted its dividend by 2.5%; the new annual rate of $3.24 a share yields 4.4%. Buy. THOMSON REUTERS INC. $50 (www.thomsonreuters.com) plans to sell its intellectual property and science information businesses. It would probably apply the expected proceeds of $3 billion—equal to 8% of its $38.2-billion market cap—on share repurchases. Buy....