Latest Stock Advice
Sun Life Financial Inc. and Manulife Financial Corp. each offers a combination of solid earnings growth, ongoing share repurchases, and impressive dividend yields.
Groupe Dynamite Inc. is a high‑quality specialty retailer with gains ahead.
Teck Resources Ltd. is a solid bet on higher copper prices with its big merger winning approvals
Toromont Industries Ltd. should see continued earnings growth thanks to its leading market share and Canada’s plan to increase spending on infrastructure projects.
Become a Successful Investor
When investing in rare earth metals, you need to look at the unique geographical and political environment the mining company produces in.
There will always be stocks you’ll wish you bought, especially after you see their growth. Here’s what to look for so you won’t miss out.
Canadian Utilities and its parent company, ATCO (see box), are both down 10% since the start of 2015. That’s mainly because lower oil prices have prompted companies that produce and explore for crude to put off new projects, hurting electricity demand in Alberta. However, both firms are in the midst of expansions that will spur their earnings as oil prices recover. That will give them more room to increase their dividends. CANADIAN UTILITIES LTD. (Toronto symbols CU [class A non-voting] $37 and CU.X [class B voting] $37; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 265.2 million; Market cap: $9.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.9; Dividend yield: 3.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadian utilities.com) distributes electricity and natural gas in Alberta and Australia. It also operates 18 power plants in Canada, Australia and the U.K. ATCO Ltd. owns 53.2% of the company....
ATCO LTD. (Toronto symbols ACO.X [class I non-voting] $40 and ACO.Y [class II voting] $40; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 115.1 million; Market cap: $4.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.atco.com) holds 53.2% of Canadian Utilities and 75.5% of ATCO Structures & Logistics, which makes temporary buildings for construction, mining and energy-exploration firms. Canadian Utilities owns the other 24.5%. In the three months ended June 30, 2015, ATCO earned $8 million, or $0.06 a share, down 87.9% from $66 million, or $0.57. Revenue declined 15.0%, to $947 million from $1.1 billion. Excluding unusual items, earnings were flat at $57 million. Based on current prices, you can buy an ATCO share for $40 and get roughly $45 worth of Canadian Utilities. You might say this means you get the structures business, which provides around 20% of ATCO’s earnings, for free....
FORTIS INC. $38 (Toronto symbol FTS; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 279.9 million; Market cap: $10.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend yield 3.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.fortisinc.com) owns electrical utilities across Canada and in the U.S. and Caribbean. It also distributes natural gas in British Columbia. The company recently raised its quarterly dividend by 10.3%, to $0.375 a share from $0.34. The new annual rate of $1.50 yields 3.9%. Fortis has raised its payout every year for the past 43 years. The company also plans to increase the payout by around 6% each year through 2020. Fortis is a buy....
BOMBARDIER INC. (Toronto symbols BBD.A $1.75 and BBD.B $1.70; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.7 billion; Market cap: $2.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend suspended in February 2015; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.bombardier.com) recently ended talks with European aircraft maker Airbus that would have given that company a controlling stake in Bombardier’s new CSeries passenger jet. In exchange, Airbus would have helped Bombardier pay for the new plane’s development costs. The company still plans to begin delivering the CSeries in 2016: it has firm orders for 243 planes worth roughly $16 billion U.S. However, ongoing delays have halted new orders. Bombardier is still a hold.