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General Electric’s willingness to adjust keeps it a top blue chip stock, as it cuts its losses in finance and focuses on its strengths.

Investing in high quality stocks rewards you when you have the discipline to keep only the stocks in which you have the most confidence.

BMO S&P/TSX Laddered Preferred Share Index ETF holds floating-rate preferred shares that fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Our view.

Finning International is a value stock that we see rising when commodities rebound, as it rewards investors with a high dividend yield.

Pink sheet stocks are the Wild West of U.S.-based stocks and for investors looking for high-risk investments.

Companies that trade on the U.S. over-the-counter market are said to trade as “pink sheet stocks,” a holdover from the days when the quotes for these stocks were printed on pink paper....

Beware of penny stock promoters. They are usually more interested in boosting their stocks than building their business.

Penny stock promoters love to make deals with major, household name companies. They find it far, far easier to sell stock to the public if Goldcorp, BHP Billiton or some other major mining company has agreed to finance exploration of their mining claims, or if Apple or Intel or some other household-name multinational has agreed to evaluate their revolutionary software or “cloud” application....

Investors often under-estimate the hidden risks of company that acquires growth by acquisition.

A growth by acquisition strategy is inherently risky....

With four producing gold mines and a fifth in the works, we view New Gold as a mining stock with appeal for more aggressive investors.

ENCANA CORP. $9.24 (www.encana.com) is selling its Haynesville natural gas properties in northern Louisiana. These assets account for 9% of the company’s production but less than 3% of its cash flow. Selling them will let Encana focus on its more profitable properties (two in Canada and two in the U.S.), which produce large amounts of oil and natural gas liquids, such as propane and butane....

BCE INC. $54 (www.bce.ca) recently started offering tri-band LTE advanced (LTE-A) service, which is 1.9 times faster than its main LTE network, in Halifax, Hamilton, Oakville and Toronto. Faster wireless service should prompt more of its subscribers to upgrade to smartphones, which generate higher profits than regular cellphones....

CAE INC. $14 (www.cae.com) has won several contracts for flight simulators and related equipment from airlines in China, South Korea, Russia and the U.S. In all, these deals are worth $130million, or 6% of the company’s $2.2 billion of annual revenue....

FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC. $22 (Toronto symbol FTT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding:171.4 million; Market cap: $3.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.finning.com) started up in1933 and is now the world’s largest dealer of tractors, bulldozers and trucks made by Caterpillar Inc. (New York symbol CAT). It also sells heavy equipment made by other firms. Finning’s clients are mainly in the mining, forest products and construction industries.

Western Canada (B.C., Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and parts of Nunavut) supplied 53%of Finning’s revenue in 2014, followed by South America (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia),which contributed 32%, and the U.K. and Ireland(15%).

Big growth in services

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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.

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BOMBARDIER INC. (Toronto symbols BBD.A $1.53 and BBD.B $1.46; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 2.2 billion; Market cap: $3.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend suspended in February 2015; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.bombardier.com) owns 50% of a joint venture in China that has won an order to build 15 high speed passenger trains for that country’s rail system. The company’s share of the $381- million U.S. contract is $190.5 million U.S., or 1% of its annual revenue.

Deals like this enhance the prospects of the railcar division as Bombardier prepares to sell part of it in an initial public offering later this year.

Bombardier is still a hold.

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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.

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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%.

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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).

In the quarter ended June 30, 2015, lower raw material, packaging and fuel costs increased the company’s share of earnings from MillerCoors by 9.3% from a year earlier. However, unfavourable currency rates cut its Canadian earnings by 5.5% and its European profits by 21.5%. A restructuring in China also increased losses at its international operations by 56.8%.

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PRECISION DRILLING CORP. $5.43 (Toronto symbol PD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resource sector; Shares outstanding: 292.9 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 5.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.precisiondrilling.com) provides contract drilling services to land-based oil and gas producers, mainly in North America, through 329 rigs.

Even though low oil and gas prices have slowed drilling activity, demand for Precision’s Super Series rigs remains strong. That’s because these rigs can reach deeper pockets of oil than regular rigs.

The company recently received a order for a new Super Series rig. As a result, it now plans to spend $546 million on new rigs and other upgrades in 2015, up 7.9% from its previous estimate of $506 million.

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BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $59 (Toronto symbol BNS; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $70.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 4.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.scotiabank.com) earned $1.85 billion in its fiscal 2015 third quarter, which ended July 31, 2015, up 2.8% from $1.80 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 3.6%, to $1.45 from $1.40, on fewer shares outstanding.

However, revenue fell 5.6%, to $6.1 billion from $6.5 billion, mainly because the bank sold most of its shares in mutual fund provider CI Financial (Toronto symbol CIX) in 2014.

Earnings at the Canadian banking division (49% of total profits) rose 14.9% on improving loan and deposit growth. The international division (30%) saw its earnings rise 10.5%, thanks to strong loan demand in Latin America and favourable currency exchange rates.

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TECK RESOURCES LTD. $9.15 (Toronto symbol TCK.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 576.2 million; Market cap: $5.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.teck.com) and Goldcorp Inc. (Toronto symbol G) have agreed to merge their copper projects in Chile into a new 50/50 joint venture by the end of 2015.

The new venture will hold Teck’s proposed Relincho mine and Goldcorp’s El Morro project. The two properties are just 40 kilometres apart, so there are plenty of opportunities to cut overlapping costs. For example, the partners plan to transport ore from El Morro to Relincho for processing.

It would cost $3.5 billion U.S. to build these mines and related infrastructure (Teck’s share is $1.75 billion U.S.). However, their combined reserves would last 32 years.

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CANADIAN TIRE CORP. $121 (Toronto symbol CTC.A; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 72.8 million; Market cap: $8.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 1.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadiantire.ca) owns 495 Canadian Tire stores, which sell automotive, household and sporting goods. Franchisees run most of these outlets. Other operations include 297 gas stations and 91 PartSource auto parts stores. Canadian Tire has acquired a number of specialty retailers in the past few years.

These chains include Mark’s Work Wearhouse (since shortened to Mark’s), which sells casual and work clothing through 378 stores, and the Forzani Group, which sells sporting goods and athletic clothing through 433 stores, mainly under the Sport Chek and Sports Experts banners.

As part of a new growth plan, Canadian Tire is upgrading its stores and growing online. It plans to spend $575 million a year on these initiatives from 2015 to 2017.

The cost of these upgrades, plus higher wages, cut the company’s earnings by 2.3% in the three months ended July 4, 2015, to $166.0 million from $169.9 million a year earlier. Earnings per share gained 1.3%, to $2.15 from $2.12, on fewer shares outstanding.

The latest quarter also included just 80% of the company’s financial services division after it sold a 20% stake to Bank of Nova Scotia (Toronto symbol BNS) last year. The deal cut $0.18 a share from Canadian Tire’s latest earnings.

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METRO INC. $35 (Toronto symbol MRU; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 245.5 million; Market cap: $8.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 1.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.metro.ca) operates 600 grocery stores and 250 drugstores in Quebec and Ontario.

The company is benefiting from the 75% of privately held bakery Première Moisson it bought last year. Metro paid $101.6 million for its stake in this business, which has 23 stores and three plants in Quebec. Rising food prices are also boosting its sales and earnings.

In its fiscal 2015 third quarter, which ended July 4, 2015, Metro’s earnings gained 13.1%, to $163.5 million from $144.5 million a year earlier. It spent $203.0 million on share buybacks in the quarter, causing earnings per share to rise at a faster pace of 18.5%, to $0.64 from $0.54.

Sales rose 6.1%, to $3.8 billion from $3.6 billion. Same store sales gained 4.3%. Metro also owns 5.7% of Alimentation Couche-Tard (Toronto symbol ATD.B), which operates convenience stores in North America, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe and is a recommendation of Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter for aggressive investing. Due to a special charge, Metro’s share of Couche-Tard’s earnings fell to $8.7 million in the latest quarter from $9.1 million a year earlier.

The company is in a strong position to keep making acquisitions and buying back shares. Its long-term debt of $1.1 billion is a low 13% of its market cap, and it holds cash of $5.1 million. The stock trades at 17.2 times the $2.03 a share Metro will likely earn in fiscal 2015. The $0.47 dividend yields 1.3%.

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LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD. $69 (Toronto symbol L; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 412.7 million; Market cap: $28.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 1.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.loblaw.ca) plans to close 52 less profitable stores in the next year, including supermarkets, gas bars and stand-alone Joe Fresh clothing outlets. Following these closures, it will operate 2,400 stores, including the 1,250 Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies it bought for $12.3 billion in cash and shares in March 2014.

The move will cut $300 million from Loblaw’s yearly sales, but it should add $35 million to $40 million to its annual gross profits. Loblaw also expects to save $200 million this year by merging its warehouses and other operations with Shoppers.

Excluding store-closure costs, Loblaw earned $350 million in the three months ended June 20, 2015, up 17.8% from $297 million a year earlier. Earnings per share gained 14.9%, to $0.85 from $0.74, on more shares outstanding.

Sales rose 2.2%, to $10.5 billion from $10.3 billion. Excluding gasoline, same-store sales rose 4.2% at Loblaw’s supermarkets, while Shoppers’ same-store sales gained 3.8%. Savings from the Shoppers acquisition are helping Loblaw repay the money it borrowed to complete the purchase. The company ended the latest quarter with total debt of $11.1 billion (or 39% of its market cap), down from $11.4 billion at the end of 2014. It also held cash of $1.3 billion.

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EMERA INC. $42 (Toronto symbol EMA; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 145.3 million; Market cap: $6.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 4.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. emera.com) is buying Teco Energy (New York symbol TE), which supplies electricity and natural gas to 1.05 million customers in Tampa Bay, Florida and surrounding areas. A separate subsidiary distributes gas to 510,000 customers in New Mexico. This a big purchase for Emera, which will pay $6.5 billion U.S. in cash. If you include Teco’s debt, the deal is worth $10.4 billion U.S., or 2.3 times Emera’s current market cap.

After Emera completes the purchase in mid-2016, it will have $20 billion U.S. of assets (56% in Florida, 23% in Canada, 10% in New England, 6% in New Mexico and 5% in the Caribbean).

Regulated utilities will provide 80% of the combined company’s earnings.

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CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD. $190 (Toronto symbol CP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 161.3 million; Market cap: $30.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.5; Dividend yield: 0.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cpr.ca) transports freight over a 22,000-kilometre rail network between Montreal and Vancouver, as well as hubs in the U.S....