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TORSTAR CORP. $1.82 (Toronto symbol TS.B; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 80.5 million; Market cap: $146.5 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend yield: 14.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. torstar.com) launched a digital version of The Toronto Star, its flagship newspaper, for tablet computers in September 2015. In addition to newspaper content, this free app, called Star Touch, gives users quick access to related information like photos, maps and videos. So far, Star Touch has attracted over 65,000 weekly and 26,000 daily users. The company spent $14 million in 2015 to set up Star Touch, and maintaining and updating it will cost a further $10 million this year. It expects Star Touch will break even in 2017....

POTASH CORP. OF SASKATCHEWAN $25 (Toronto symbol POT; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 836.6 million; Market cap: $20.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.5; Dividend yield: 5.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.potashcorp.com) continues to see weak demand and prices for its potash and other fertilizers. In response, the company will suspend production at two of its Saskatchewan mines for one month. That will reduce its 2016 output by 400,000 tonnes; in 2015, it sold 8.8 million tonnes. These latest closures are in addition to the company’s recent decision to shut down its potash mine in Picadilly, New Brunswick. Potash Corp. is still a hold.

SHAWCOR LTD. $28 (Toronto symbol SCL; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 64.5 million; Market cap: $1.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.shawcor.com) makes sealants and coatings that keep oil and gas pipelines from rusting. It also makes electrical wire and protective sheaths. In 2015, its revenue fell 4.2%, to $1.8 billion from the $1.9 billion in 2014. That’s because weaker demand for its pipeline coating services offset the benefit of the low Canadian dollar. Favourable exchange rates added $106.5 million to ShawCor’s revenue in 2015. Earnings rose 3.6%, to $98.2 million from $94.9 million, thanks to fewer losses from its joint ventures. Due to more shares outstanding, per-share profits fell 0.7%, to $1.52 from $1.53. ShawCor’s backlog was $452 million at the end of 2015. Currently, it has $900 million worth of bids outstanding on new jobs. It also expects to bid on an additional $500 million worth of contracts. ShawCor’s strong reputation should continue to help it win bids....

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....

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....

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....

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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BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $57.75 (Toronto symbol BNS; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $69.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.0%, www.scotiabank.com) is the third-largest of Canada’s five big banks. In the three months ended January 31, 2016, the bank earned $1.81 billion. That is up 5.1% from $1.73 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share increased 5.9%, to $1.44 from $1.36, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue rose 8.6%, to $6.4 billion from $5.9 billion. Earnings at the Canadian banking division (50% of the total) rose 7.4%, mostly due to higher fee income and steady loan and deposit growth. The international division (30% of earnings) reported 21.0% higher profits, thanks to strong loan, deposit and fee growth in Latin America. However, earnings at the securities-trading division (20%) fell 9.4% on lower earnings at its U.S. investment-banking operations....

BCE INC. $57.77 (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares outstanding: 865.4 million; Market cap: $50.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.7%; www.bce.ca) continues to benefit from strong demand for its wireless, high-speed Internet and Fibe TV services. That’s offsetting weaker revenue from traditional telephone services. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, the company’s revenue rose 1.4%, to $5.60 billion from $5.53 billion. Per-share profits were unchanged at $0.72. During the quarter, the company added 91,308 wireless subscribers under long-term contracts. That’s down from 118,120 a year earlier, mainly due to strong competition over the winter holiday. However, smartphone users now account for 78% of these customers, up from 76% a year earlier. That’s good news, as smartphones generate higher monthly fees than regular cellphones....

BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE ENERGY PARTNERS L.P. $37.27 (Toronto symbol BEP.UN; Units outstanding: 265.2 million; Market cap: $10.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 6.6%; www.brookfieldrenewable.com) owns 207 hydroelectric generating stations, 37 wind farms and five natural gas-fired plants. In all, it has over 7,284 megawatts of generating capacity. Roughly 24% of that capacity is in Canada, with another 50% in the U.S., 13% in Latin America and 8% in Europe. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Brookfield’s cash flow per share rose 2.2%, to $0.46 from $0.45 a year earlier....

INNERGEX RENEWABLE ENERGY $12.84 (Toronto symbol INE; Shares outstanding: 103.9 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield 5.0%; www.innergex.com) operates 27 hydroelectric plants, six wind farms and one solar power facility in Quebec, Ontario, B.C. and Idaho. The company gets 77% of its power from hydroelectric plants, 22% from wind and 1% from solar. In contrast to Brookfield, Innergex is growing slowly, mostly by building its own hydroelectric and wind facilities, rather than through acquisitions. Right now, the company has four projects under construction. But like Brookfield, Innergex makes sure it has firm long-term power-purchase contracts in place before it starts building new plants....

ENBRIDGE INC. $46.75 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 867.6 million; Market cap: $40.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 4.5%; www.enbridge.com) has agreed to sell 56.6 million common shares at $40.70 a share to several major brokerage firms to raise $2.3 billion. Enbridge will put that cash toward $18.2 billion in spending on new pipelines, wind farms and other projects between 2016 and 2019. The company has already secured shipping commitments from oil producers and other clients. That should cut the risk for these new projects. The extra cash flow from the new operations will allow Enbridge to increase its dividend by 10% to 12% a year through 2019; the current annual rate of $2.12 a share yields 4.5%. However, the stock is somewhat expensive at 21.0 times its projected 2016 earnings of $2.23 a share....

IBM $136.30 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 970.1 million; Market cap: $130.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.8%; www.ibm.com) will buy Truven Health Analytics, a private firm that provides hospitals and pharmaceutical companies with analytic data services. Truven will become part of IBM’s Watson Health business. It uses advanced artificialintelligence technology to process and analyze large volumes of data, including patient records, drug information and insurance claims. That helps hospitals and clinics reduce errors and cut their costs. IBM will pay $2.6 billion for Truven when it completes the purchase later this year....

PENGROWTH ENERGY $1.18 (Toronto symbol PGF; Shares outstanding: 543.0 million; Market cap: $564.8 million; TSINetwork Rating: Average; No dividends paid; www.pengrowth.com) produces oil and natural gas, mostly in Western Canada. This includes its Lindbergh oil sands project in Alberta. Pengrowth has suspended its $0.01-a-share quarterly dividend in response to the sharp decline in oil prices. It will also reduce its capital spending to between $60 million to $70 million in 2016, from $184 million in 2015. The company also laid off workers. That should save it $25 million in 2016. In addition, Pengrowth aims to sell $600 million of less important properties. These funds will probably go toward paying down its $2.1 billion debt. That’s now 3.7 times its depressed market cap....

ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX FUND $31.82 (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The fund’s geographic breakdown includes China, 24.0%; South Korea, 15.3%; Taiwan, 12.8%; India, 8.0%; South Africa, 6.4%; Brazil, 5.7%; Mexico, 4.6%; Russia, 3.7%; Malaysia, 3.5%; Indonesia, 3.0%; Thailand, 2.3%; and Turkey, 1.5%. Its top holdings are Samsung Electronics (South Korea), 3.8%; Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips), 3.4%; Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 2.9%; China Mobile, 2.0%; China Construction Bank, 1.5%; Naspers (South Africa: media and Internet), 1.5%; Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, 1.1%; and Hon Hai Precision (Taiwan), 1.0%....