Latest Stock Advice
It is important to note that some types of investments provide more security than others. Investors seeking safe investment options should look for well-established companies with hidden assets among other key characteristics.
Sun Life Financial Inc. and Manulife Financial Corp. each offers a combination of solid earnings growth, ongoing share repurchases, and impressive dividend yields.
Top pick Yum Brands Inc. gives you sales growth, steady EPS growth, and a solid dividend
Nutrien Ltd. offers exposure to potash and nitrogen prices, a stable retail base and strong profitability.
Become a Successful Investor
Tax shelters in Canada aim to reduce or eliminate your tax liability, they are great ways for Canadian investors to cut their tax bills.
In some ways, stock buyback benefits are better than dividends. In particular, they give you a tax-deferral option that you don’t get with cash dividends.
Consumers are increasingly switching to higher priced wines and beers. That’s good news for Molson Coors and Andrew Peller (see box), as these premium brands are more profitable than their regular products. That gives both companies plenty of room to keep raising their dividends. MOLSON COORS CANADA INC. (Toronto symbols TPX.A $91 and TPX.B $91; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 185.0 million; Market cap: $16.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.0; Dividend yield: 2.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.molson coors.com) merged its U.S. brewing operations with those of rival SABMiller in July 2008 to form MillerCoors. Each company has a 50% voting interest in this joint venture, but Miller gets 58% of the profits, while Molson Coors gets 42%. Since the merger, MillerCoors has saved roughly $1 billion by combining plants and distribution networks (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars)....
ANDREW PELLER LTD. $18 (Toronto symbol ADW.A; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 14.3 million; Market cap: $257.4 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.andrewpeller.com) is Canada’s second-largest producer of wines, after Constellation Brands. The company continues to successfully launch new premium priced brands. In the first quarter of its 2016 fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2015, Peller’s sales rose 4.5%, to $83.1 million from $79.5 million a year earlier. Earnings jumped 67.5%, to $6.7 million, or $0.48 a share, from $4.0 million, or $0.29. Without unusual items, such as losses on hedging contracts Peller uses to lock in foreign exchange rates, earnings gained 40.3%....
MAPLE LEAF FOODS INC. $22 (Toronto symbol MFI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 140.8 million; Market cap: $3.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mapleleaf.ca) gets 8% of its revenue by exporting packaged meats to the U.S., and the lower Canadian dollar makes these products cheaper to American buyers. The weak dollar also makes imported meats more expensive in Canada. These benefits come while Maple Leaf takes steps to improve its long-term outlook, including a major restructuring involving closing older plants and shifting their operations to newer facilities. However, it could take a year or more before the company realizes the plan’s full benefits. Maple Leaf Foods is a hold....
CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $94 (Toronto symbol CM; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 397.2 million; Market cap: $37.3 billion;Price-to-sales ratio: 3.0; Dividend yield: 4.8%; TSINetwork Rating:Above Average; www.cibc.com) earned $990 million in its fiscal2015 third quarter, which ended July 31, 2015, up 9.0% from $908million a year earlier. Earnings per share gained 9.9%, to $2.45from $2.23, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue improved 4.9%,to $3.5 billion from $3.4 billion. CIBC’s main Canadian retail banking operations (61% of the total) reported 8.0% higher profits after approving more loans and setting aside less money to cover potential defaults. Earnings from securities trading (26%) fell 4.3%, as higher employee salaries offset improving trading volumes. Wealth management earnings(13%) gained 15.7%, thanks to rising stock markets, which increased the value of the assets this business administers. Loan-loss provisions fell 3.1%, to $189 million from $195 million ayear earlier, mainly due to better results from CIBC’s credit card portfolio....