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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.
Mountain Province Diamonds, $4.17, symbol MPV on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 159.0 million; Market cap: $665.9 million; www.mountainprovince.com), holds 49% of the Gahcho Kue joint venture in Canada’s Northwest Territories. De Beers Canada owns the other 51%. Gahcho Kue consists of a cluster of four kimberlites (see below for more on these rock formations), three of which have a combined probable mineral reserve of 35.4 million tonnes grading 1.57 carats per tonne, for a total diamond content of 49 million carats. The partners are now building Gahcho Kue, which will be the Northwest Territories’ fourth diamond mine. The $1.0-billion project is now over 62% complete and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2016; it’s forecast to produce 4.3 million carats annually over 12 years....
Carmanah Technologies, $5.47, symbol CMH on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 24.6 million; Market cap: $134.4 million; www.carmanah.com), sells solar-powered light emitting diode (LED) lighting and solar-power systems. The company contracts out most of its manufacturing. Carmanah’s solar-powered LED light beacons are used for marine navigation, as well as on runways and roads. Uses include school-zone flashers, transit stops and internally lit traffic signs. It also makes lighting for industrial users, including warning lights, equipment-marking lights and railway-track and bridge markers. The company consolidated its shares on a 1-for-10 basis in late 2014....
Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc., $4.95, symbol XSR on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 104.4 million; Market cap: $635.2 million; www.siriusxm.ca), sells satellite radio services to 2.6 million Canadian subscribers. The service includes up to 130 channels featuring a variety of musical genres, as well as stations devoted to news, sports, talk and entertainment. Most are commercial-free. The company licenses these channels from U.S.-based Sirius XM Holdings (symbol SIRI on Nasdaq), which gives it access to exclusive content by Howard Stern, Disney, Oprah Winfrey and Comedy Central. Sirius XM also has a 24.97% voting stake in the Canadian firm....
Twin Butte Energy, $0.39, symbol TBE on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 353.4 million; Market cap: $122.1 million; www.twinbutteenergy.com), produces oil and gas in Western Canada, with a focus on the greater Lloydminster area, along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. Its output is 88% oil and 12% gas. In the three months ended June 30, 2015, Twin Butte produced 17,351 barrels of oil equivalent a day, down 17.8% from 21,109 barrels a year earlier. But even with the lower output and falling oil and gas prices, Twin Butte’s cash flow rose 17.4%, to $57.0 million, or $0.16 a share, from $48.5 million, or $0.14. That’s because it realized a $25.3-million gain on its hedging strategy: for the second half of 2015, it has hedged about 6,000 barrels a day at $80 U.S. (compared to today’s market price of $42), and in 2016, it has hedged 1,000 barrels a day at $65....