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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.
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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.
With other properties sold off, IAMGold is focused solely on its gold mines, which we think enhances its prospects for aggressive investors.
FAIR ISAAC CORP. $82.43 (New York symbol FICO; TSINetwork Rating: Average)(415-472-2211; www.fairisaac.com; Shares outstanding: 31.1 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; Dividend yield: 0.1%) makes FICO Scores, the program that dominates the market for software that businesses use to evaluate customer creditworthiness. Fair Isaac also profits by selling programs that help credit card issuers control fraud and analyze cardholders’ spending patterns.
In its fiscal 2015 third quarter, which ended June 30, 2015, Fair Isaac’s revenue rose 5.9%, to $209.3 million from $197.6 million a year earlier. Sales at its applications division (61% of the total) fell 2.1% on weaker demand for marketing and fraud detection software. However, sales of credit-scoring programs (27%) jumped 23.0%, while sales of analytics software (12%) gained 18.1%.
The company earned $32.3 million, up 10.3% from $29.2 million. Earnings per share rose 20.5%, to $1.00 from $0.83, on fewer shares outstanding. Fair Isaac spends around 12% of its revenue on research, which lets it produce innovative products that keep it ahead of the competition.
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In its fiscal 2015 third quarter, which ended June 30, 2015, Fair Isaac’s revenue rose 5.9%, to $209.3 million from $197.6 million a year earlier. Sales at its applications division (61% of the total) fell 2.1% on weaker demand for marketing and fraud detection software. However, sales of credit-scoring programs (27%) jumped 23.0%, while sales of analytics software (12%) gained 18.1%.
The company earned $32.3 million, up 10.3% from $29.2 million. Earnings per share rose 20.5%, to $1.00 from $0.83, on fewer shares outstanding. Fair Isaac spends around 12% of its revenue on research, which lets it produce innovative products that keep it ahead of the competition.
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SYMANTEC CORP. $19.95 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; TSINetwork Rating: Average)(650-527-8000;www.symantec.com; Shares outstanding: 684.2 million; Marketcap: $13.5 billion; Dividend yield: 3.0%) continues to strengthen its fast-growing cyber security business. It’salso selling off its Veritas Technologies division.
Corporations are spending more on cyber security following high-profile attacks on Sony, Target and Ashley Madison. Symantec is taking advantage of thisby hiring more programmers. It has also cancelled unprofitable contracts and simplified its product lines.
These moves cut the company’s profits by 12.1% in its fiscal 2016 first quarter, which ended July 3, 2015,to $275 million, or $0.40 a share, from $313 million,or $0.45. Sales fell 13.6%, to $1.50 billion from $1.74billion.
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Corporations are spending more on cyber security following high-profile attacks on Sony, Target and Ashley Madison. Symantec is taking advantage of thisby hiring more programmers. It has also cancelled unprofitable contracts and simplified its product lines.
These moves cut the company’s profits by 12.1% in its fiscal 2016 first quarter, which ended July 3, 2015,to $275 million, or $0.40 a share, from $313 million,or $0.45. Sales fell 13.6%, to $1.50 billion from $1.74billion.
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INTACT FINANCIAL $94.32 (Toronto symbol IFC; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (416-341- 1464; www.intactfc.com; Shares outstanding: 131.5 million; Market cap: $12.2 billion; Dividend yield: 2.3%) has reached a tentative deal to offer insurance to drivers with the Uber ride-sharing service, under which passengers use a smartphone app to hire drivers who use their own personal vehicles.
Intact won’t reveal further details until provincial insurance regulators sign off on the plan, but it did say it would offer the insurance under its two main brands: Intact Insurance and belairdirect.
Uber says its drivers are covered by a commercial policy for up to $5 million worth of injuries and property damage. However, under Canadian law, commercial drivers must have their own insurance to cover claims incurred while transporting a passenger for profit.
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Intact won’t reveal further details until provincial insurance regulators sign off on the plan, but it did say it would offer the insurance under its two main brands: Intact Insurance and belairdirect.
Uber says its drivers are covered by a commercial policy for up to $5 million worth of injuries and property damage. However, under Canadian law, commercial drivers must have their own insurance to cover claims incurred while transporting a passenger for profit.
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