Search

Sell stocks in a way that consistently improves your portfolio without predicting when to “buy low and sell high.”

If you let share price fluctuations dictate your buying and selling, you’re almost certain to lose money.

An ETF investment can be a great low-fee way to hold shares in multiple companies with a single investment.

WESTJET AIRLINES $18.52 (Toronto symbol WJA; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-877-493-7853; www.westjet.com; Shares outstanding: 123.3 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; Dividend yield: 3.0%) serves 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Its fleet of 108 modern Boeing 737s are 30% more fuel efficient than older jets. In June 2013, the company launched WestJet Encore, its Canadian regional airline. This business now operates 23 Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop planes, which seat 78 passengers. The Canadian airline market remains highly competitive, especially with Air Canada expanding its Rouge budget airline to serve more leisure destinations in Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and the U.S....

SYMANTEC CORP. $18.82 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (650-527-8000; www.symantec.com; Shares outstanding: 675.5 million; Market cap: $12.9 billion; Dividend yield: 3.2%) continues to strengthen its fast-growing cybersecurity business. It’s also selling its data backup and recovery operation. In its fiscal 2016 second quarter, which ended October 2, 2015, Symantec’s earnings fell 9.3%, to $301 million, or $0.44 a share, from $332 million, or $0.48. Sales declined 7.4%, to $1.5 billion from $1.6 billion. Businesses continue to spend heavily to protect their data from online intruders. However, sales to consumers fell as the company shifts users to a cloudbased service. That will make it easier for them to receive security updates and encourage them to renew their subscriptions. Symantec expects to complete these conversions in mid-2016....

AGT FOOD & INGREDIENTS $36.50 (Toronto symbol AGT; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (604-231-1100; www.agtfoods.com; Shares outstanding: 23.8 million; Market cap: $862.3 million; Dividend yield: 1.6%) buys and processes a range of pulses—which include peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas—as well as other specialty crops.

Saskatchewan-based AGT owns 13 processing plants in Canada, nine in Turkey, four in Australia, two in the U.S., one in China and one in South Africa.

In the three months ended September 30, 2015, AGT earned $0.51 a share, up 10.9% from $0.46 a year earlier....

BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY $3.35 (Toronto symbol BIR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-261-6401; www.birchcliffenergy.com; Shares outstanding: 152.3 million; Market cap: $461.5 million; No dividends paid) develops, produces and explores for oil and gas in Western Canada. In the quarter ended September 30, 2015, Birchcliff’s cash flow per share dropped 42.0%, to $0.29 from $0.50 a year earlier. Sharply lower oil and gas prices offset a 12.3% production rise. Now more than ever, it’s crucial for oil and gas producers to have sound balance sheets that can weather a long downturn....

NISSAN MOTOR (ADR) $18.07 (Nasdaq symbol NSANY; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average) (310-771-3111; www.nissan-global.com; ADRs outstanding 2.3 billion; Market cap: $42.8 billion; Yield: 3.3%) is Japan’s second-largest automaker, after Toyota and ahead of Honda. In December 2015, the company sold a record 139,300 vehicles in the U.S., up 18.7% from 117,318 in December 2014. Sales of crossovers, trucks and SUVs (46% of the total) jumped 43.9%, thanks to new models such as its updated Rogue (up 78.0%) and Murano (up 62.2%)....

COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL GROUP $58.39 (Toronto symbol CIG ; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-202-695-4200; www.colliers.com; Shares o/s: 36.7 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; Divd. yield: 0.2%) is one of the world’s top three commercial real estate firms, offering a range of services in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Latin America. The company has 16,300 employees operating from 502 offices in 67 countries. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Colliers’ revenue rose 12.8%, to $420.3 million from $372.6 million a year earlier (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). If you exclude one-time items, the company’s earnings jumped 57.7%, to $20.0 million from $12.7 million. Per-share profits rose 48.6%, to $0.52 from $0.35, on more shares outstanding....

FIRSTSERVICE CORP. $50.53 (Toronto symbol FSV; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-960-9500; www.firstservice.com; Shares outstanding: 34.7 million; Market cap: $1.8 billion; Dividend yield: 1.1%) spun off its Colliers International subsidiary (see below) on June 2, 2015, when it handed out Colliers shares to its investors. Shareholders are only liable for capital gains taxes on the transaction when they sell their FirstService or Colliers shares. Now that the spinoff is complete, FirstService is carrying on with its residential property management and property-improvement businesses. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, the company’s revenue gained 12.0%, to $349.5 million from $312.0 million a year earlier (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). If you set aside one-time items, earnings per share jumped 28.2%, to $0.50 from $0.39. The second and third quarters are FirstService’s busiest....

CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL $465.50 (New York symbol CMG; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (303-595-4000; www.chipotle.com; Shares outstanding: 31.2 million; Market cap: $14.6 billion; No dividends paid) continues to suffer as it copes with food-safety concerns at its restaurants. In October and November 2015, E. coli infections sickened 52 customers at Chipotle locations in nine states and forced the company to temporarily close some outlets. Recent norovirus outbreaks at restaurants in California and Massachusetts have added to the bad publicity. Norovirus, which causes stomach problems, is highly infectious, though not fatal. Chipotle now believes these problems cut its same-restaurant sales by 14.6% in the fourth quarter of 2015. It also expects to spend $14.0 million to $16.0 million to test and replace food and improve its food-safety procedures....

ADOBE SYSTEMS INC. $87.94 (Nasdaq symbol ADBE; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (408-536-6000; www.adobe.com; Shares outstanding: 498.8 million; Market cap: $44.4 billion; No dividends paid) makes software that lets computer users create, edit and share documents in the popular PDF format. Graphic designers also use its programs to create print publications and web pages. In its fiscal 2015 fourth quarter, which ended November 27, 2015, Adobe earned $0.62 a share, up 59.0% from $0.39 a year earlier. Revenue jumped 21.7%, to a record $1.31 billion from $1.07 billion. In the latest quarter, the company added 833,000 Creative Cloud subscribers (net of cancellations). This service now has 6.2 million users, up 78.6% from a year ago. Adobe is also seeing strong demand for its newer cloud-based offerings, including Document Cloud, which lets users create, manage and sign online documents for a monthly fee....

ACI WORLDWIDE $18.83 (Nasdaq symbol ACIW; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (402-390-7600; www.aciworldwide.com; Shares outstanding: 118.3 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; No dividends paid) makes software for processing transactions involving credit cards, debit cards, automated teller machines, point-of-sale terminals and interbank payments. Its products also help cut fraud. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, ACI’s revenue fell 4.3% to $238.7 million from $249.6 million a year earlier. Earnings declined 6.1%, to $14.8 million, or $0.13 a share, from $15.7 million, or $0.14. The higher U.S. dollar cut revenue and earnings at the company’s international operations. ACI is benefiting from the shift to chip-and-PIN debit and credit cards. That migration is the result of a liability shift for the EMV (EuroPay, MaterCard and VISA) payment networks, which came into effect in October 2015....

FAIR ISAAC CORP. $85.25 (New York symbol FICO; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (415-472-2211; www.fairisaac.com; Shares outstanding: 31.1 million; Market cap: $2.7 billion; Dividend yield: 0.1%) spends around 12% of its revenue on research, which lets it keep ahead of the competition. For example, it recently incorporated new data into its software. Previously, FICO Scores didn’t distinguish between people who carry balances on their credit cards (higher credit risk) and those who’ve never had a credit card but pay their cable, cellphone, electric, water and other bills every month (lower risk). In addition, the company plans to add information people publicly share on social media websites like Facebook. Both moves should make FICO Scores more accurate....

IAMGOLD $1.84 (Toronto symbol IMG; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (1-888-464-9999; www.iamgold.com; Shares outstanding: 391.4 million; Market cap: $660.9 million; No dividends paid) owns 41% of the Sadiola mine and 40% of the Yatela mine, both located in Mali; 90% of the Essakane gold mine in Burkina Faso; 100% of the Doyon mine in Quebec; and 95% of the Rosebel mine in Suriname, South America. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, IAMGold’s revenue fell 27.6%, to $207.6 million from $286.7 million a year earlier. Cash flow per share dropped to $0.09 from $0.24. Lower gold prices and production caused the declines. IAMGold’s long-term production outlook is positive. Meantime, the company holds a high $730.2 million U.S. in cash and gold bullion. A large part of that cash came from the $500-million sale of its Niobec niobium mine in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region in early 2015. When used as an additive, niobium makes steel stronger, more heat-resistant and easier to weld....

YAMANA GOLD $2.13 (Toronto symbol YRI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (416-815-0220; www. yamana.com; Shares outstanding: 946.6 million; Market cap: $1.9 billion; Dividend yield: 1.0%) owns eight operating gold mines in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. It also holds a 12.5% stake in the Alumbrera copper/gold mine in Argentina and has a number of other properties in advanced stages of development. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, the company’s gold production fell 1.9%, to 325,897 ounces from 332,344 a year earlier. The decline mainly resulted from lower ore grades at two of its mines. Gold prices fell 12.1% in the latest quarter. That, plus the lower production, cut Yamana’s cash flow by 25.9%, to $133.9 million from $180.7 million. Cash flow per share declined 39.1%, to $0.14 from $0.23, on more shares outstanding....

ALAMOS GOLD $3.40 (Toronto symbol AGI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (604-681- 2802; www.alamosgold.com; Shares outstanding: 255.5 million; Market cap: $921.0 million; No dividends paid) took its current form in July 2015, when Alamos Gold merged with Stock Pickers Digest recommendation AuRico Gold. The combined firm owns the Mulatos mine in Mexico and the Young-Davidson project in northern Ontario, which holds as much as 5.6 million ounces of gold. Young- Davidson started up in 2013 and will reach full production this year. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, Alamos’s gold production rose 5.7%, to a record 104,734 ounces from 99,083 a year earlier. The company holds cash of $320.8 million U.S., which it will use to complete Young-Davidson and increase its gold output from 380,000 ounces in 2015 to over 400,000 this year....

REITMANS (CANADA) LTD. $3.63 (Toronto symbol RET.A; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514- 384-1140; www.reitmans.com; Shares outstanding: 64.6 million; Market cap: $230.3 million; Dividend yield: 5.5%) owns 773 women’s clothing stores across Canada. The chain consists of 332 Reitmans, 135 Penningtons, 107 Addition Elle, 83 RW & Co., 68 Thyme Maternity, 17 Hyba (yoga clothing) and 31 Smart Set outlets. It also has 21 Thyme Maternity boutiques in Canadian Babies “R” Us stores. In December 2015, the company’s sales fell 2.5% from December 2014. That’s mainly because it closed 65 stores in the past year. Sales rose 4.8% on a samestore basis, while online sales jumped 40.0%....

CAMECO CORP. $15.75 (Toronto symbol CCO; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (306-956-6200; www.cameco.com; Shares outstanding: 395.8 million; Market cap: $6.3 billion; Dividend yield 2.5%) officially opened its Cigar Lake mine in northern Saskatchewan in September 2015 after a series of technical problems, including an underground flood in 2006 that put construction several years behind schedule. The $2.6-billion project is tapping into one of the world’s largest high-grade uranium deposits. The company now expects Cigar Lake to produce 16 million pounds (8 million to Cameco) of uranium in 2016. The mine should reach its full capacity of 18 million pounds a year in 2018. Cameco is still a hold.

GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO. $27.93 (Nasdaq symbol GT; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (330-796-2122; www.goodyear.com; Shares outstanding: 268.9 million; Market cap: $7.4 billion; Dividend yield: 1.0%) has just won a contract with the Boeing Co. (symbol BA on New York and a recommendation of Wall Street Stock Forecaster) to supply main nose and landing gear tires for Boeing’s new 777X aircraft, which is scheduled for delivery in 2019. So far, the 777X program has received orders and commitments for 306 planes. The airliner will use Goodyear’s Flight radial tire, which is lighter than earlier models and includes rigid tread belts and enhanced rubber that offer greater stability, a longer life and more resistance to cuts. The deal reinforces Goodyear’s strong position in the growing aircraft-tire market....

SHERRITT INTERNATIONAL $0.65 (Toronto symbol S; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (1-800-704-6698; www.sherritt.com; Shares outstanding: 293.9 million; Market cap: $199.8 million; No dividends paid) owns 40% of the Ambatovy nickel mine on the island nation of Madagascar, off Africa’s east coast. The $5.3-billion U.S. project started up in 2015. However, nickel prices have fallen sharply, from $12.00 U.S. a pound in January 2011 to $3.87 today. To reflect the lower value of the mine’s reserves, Sherritt will now take a $1.6-billion after-tax writedown on the value of its Ambatovy stake. The charge will show up in its 2015 fourth-quarter results....

DREAM OFFICE REIT $14.31 (Toronto symbol D.UN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-365-3535; www.dream.ca/office; Units outstanding: 107.7 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; Dividend yield: 15.7%) owns and manages 174 properties comprising 23.3 million square feet of office space in major Canadian cities. In Western Canada, the trust has 17% of its total square footage in Calgary and 20% elsewhere. In Eastern Canada, it holds 23% of its square footage in downtown Toronto, 18% in suburban Toronto and 22% elsewhere. Its occupancy rate is 91.6%. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Dream’s revenue rose just slightly, to $202.4 million from $201.7 million a year earlier. Cash flow gained 2.5%, to $69.7 million from $68.1 million, while cash flow per unit fell 3.2%, to $0.61 from $0.64, on more units outstanding....

CHEMTRADE LOGISTICS INCOME FUND $14.83 (Toronto symbol CHE.UN; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (416-496-5856; www.chemtradelogistics .com; Units outstanding: 69.1 million; Market cap: $1.0 billion; Dividend yield: 8.1%) is one of North America’s largest providers of removal services for resource firms, such as oil refineries and base metal processors, whose operations create sulphur, acid and other by-products. Chemtrade converts these substances into useful chemicals, like sulphuric acid. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, the trust’s revenue rose 16.1%, to $364.4 million from $314.0 million a year earlier. The gain mainly came from the lower Canadian dollar, which increased the value of Chemtrade’s sales in the U.S. Overall cash flow rose 4.4%, to $67.2 million from $64.4 million, but cash flow per share declined 7.6%, to $0.97 from $1.05, on more shares outstanding....

We examine the future of Trican Well Service as upcoming debt payments and low oil prices weigh on this penny stock.

LOBLAW COMPANIES $62.24 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 412.8 million; Market cap: $25.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.6%; www.loblaw.ca) continues to benefit from sales of other products beyond food. For example, in 2006 it launched its popular Joe Fresh line of clothing, shoes and accessories. In 2009, Loblaw launched the Joe Fresh Beauty cosmetics line.

Joe Mimran, who co-founded the Club Monaco chain and helped launch the Alfred Sung brand, created the Joe Fresh line.

Loblaw sells these goods in over 330 of its supermarkets and through 17 stand-alone stores in the U.S. and Canada. It plans to open 140 more Joe Fresh stores outside of North America in the next four years.

...