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Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” series on TSI Network. Whether you’re a beginning or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you specific investment tips and stock market advice. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental piece of investment advice, and shows you how you can put it into practice right away.

Today’s tip: “Investor shorthand can provide a useful guide to investment information, but it can also oversimplify analysis and events and steer investors into bad decisions.”

Investor shorthand can help you think about and talk about large blocks of investment information. But it may also lead you to make associations and come to conclusions that can cost you money.

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Prompted by an increase in smartphone contracts and success with Fibe TV and Crave TV, BCE Inc. hikes its dividend by 5.3%.

MCCOY GLOBAL $3.71 (Toronto symbol MCB; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative)(780-453-8451; www.mccoyglobal.com; Shares outstanding: 27.7 million; Market cap: $102.7 million; Dividend yield: 5.4%) sold its heavy-duty truck-trailer unit last year and is now focused on its Energy Products and Services segment, which sells hydraulic gear, including power tongs, for drilling rigs worldwide. (Power tongs are large wrench-like tools that tighten and loosen the pipe in the drill hole.)

In 2013, this division opened its first two international sales and service centres. One is in Aberdeen, Scotland, and supports customers in the North Sea area. The other is in Singapore and serves clients in the Asia-Pacific region. McCoy recently opened another centre, in Dubai, to supply the Middle East.

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WAJAX CORP. $24.10 (Toronto symbol WJX; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (905-212-3300; www.wajax.ca; Shares outstanding:16.8 million; Market cap: $404.4 million; Dividend yield: 4.2%) sells and services cranes, forklifts and other heavy equipment. It also provides related parts (such as bearings, motors, hoses and fittings) and power systems (including diesel engines and transmissions).

The company’s customers are in the natural resource, construction, manufacturing and transportation industries.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Wajax’s revenue fell 1.4%, to $386.1 million from $391.7 million a year earlier. The decline was mostly due to lower sales to mining companies and oil and gas customers.

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RUSSEL METALS $24.16 (Toronto symbol RUS; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative)(905- 819-7777; www.russelmetals.com; Shares outstanding: 61.7 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; Dividend yield: 6.3%) reported stronger results in the latest quarter.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Russel’s revenue rose 24.9%, to $1.01 billion from $811.1 million a year earlier.

Earnings gained 36.4%, to $31.1 million, or $0.50 a share. A year earlier, the company earned $22.8 million, or $0.37. Russel has invested in new plants and processing equipment in the past three years, which has cut its costs and improved its efficiency. That’s paying off with higher profit margins.

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NISSAN MOTOR (ADR) $21.20 (Nasdaq symbol NSANY; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average) (310-771- 3111; www.nissan-global.com; Shares outstanding: 2.3 billion; Market cap: $48.1 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%) is Japan’s second-largest automaker, after Toyota.

The company’s sales declined 45% in Russia in February 2015, to 9,447 vehicles. Mass-market brands like Nissan and GM were down the most among automakers in a month that saw overall Russian car and truck sales plunge 38%, to 128,298.

The decline was the result of the weakening Russian economy and the sharply lower ruble. Overall, Russian vehicle sales were down just 10% in 2014, but volumes were helped by a surge in December sales from Russians buying vehicles to make the most of their rapidly devaluing rubles.

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CALIAN TECHNOLOGIES $18.50 (Toronto symbol CTY; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (613- 599-8600; www.calian.com; Shares outstanding: 7.4 million; Market cap: $136.1 million; Dividend yield: 6.1%) operates in two areas: the Business and Technology Services division (70% of revenue) supplies engineers, health care workers and other professionals on a contract basis. The Systems Engineering division (30%) sells hardware and software for testing and operating satellite and other communication systems.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Calian’s revenue rose 8.1%, to $56.0 million from $51.8 million a year earlier.

Even with the higher revenue, earnings fell 1.4%, to $2.74 million, or $0.37 a share, from $2.78 million, or $0.38. That was mostly because Calian added workers to fulfill new contracts.

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LEON’S FURNITURE $15.50 (Toronto symbol LNF; TSINetwork Rating: Average)(416-243-7880; www.leons.ca; Shares outstanding: 71.1 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; Dividend yield: 2.6%) reported sales of $649.4 million in the three months ended December 31, 2014. That’s up 2.5% from revenue of $633.8 million a year earlier.

Earnings gained 11.4%, to $29.9 million, or $0.38 a share. A year earlier, Leon’s earned $26.3 million, or $0.34 a share. Earnings rose more than sales because the company sold more high-profit-margin furniture rather than appliances and electronics.

Leon’s is a buy.

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WESTJET AIRLINES $30.27 (Toronto symbol WJA; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk)(1- 877-493-7853; www.westjet.com; Shares outstanding: 127.8 million; Market cap: $3.9 billion; Dividend yield: 1.9%) has taken delivery of its first Boeing 767 wide-body aircraft and says the plane will begin flights between Alberta and Hawaii in December 2015.

WestJet has ordered three more 767s for delivery later this year. The bigger planes will offer greater range than the company’s current fleet of Boeing 737s and let it compete with Air Canada on international routes.

Right now, WestJet flies to Dublin, Ireland, at the maximum range of its 737s. The new 767s will let it serve additional European cities, as well as South America or Asia.

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DOMINO’S PIZZA $102.17 (New York symbol DPZ; TSINetwork Rating: Average)(734-930-3030; www.dominos.com; Shares outstanding: 55.6 million; Market cap: $5.7 billion; Dividend yield: 1.2%) is the world’s largest chain of pizza stores that offer takeout and delivery. It operates 11,600 outlets in the U.S. and over 75 other countries. Franchisees run most of these stores.

In the three months ended December 28, 2014, the company’s earnings per share jumped 16.7%, to $0.91 from $0.78 a year earlier.

Overall sales gained 13.5%, to $643.0 million from $566.5 million. Same-store sales rose 6.1% internationally, but more important, they increased 11.1% in the U.S., which is home to most of the company’s stores.

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GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO. $26.05 (Nasdaq symbol GT; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (330-796-2122; www.goodyear.com; Shares outstanding: 269.6 million; Market cap: $7.0 billion; Dividend yield: 0.9%) is the world’s largest tire maker, with 52 plants in 22 countries.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Goodyear’s sales fell 9.1%, to $4.36 billion from $4.80 billion a year earlier. The rising U.S. dollar hurt the contribution of foreign sales, and Europe experienced one of the warmest winters on record, cutting winter tire demand.

Excluding one-time items, earnings fell 20.6%, to $166.0 million, or $0.59 a share, but that was still ahead of the consensus estimate of $0.58. A year earlier, Goodyear earned $209.0 million, or $0.74 a share.

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SASOL LTD. (ADR) $33.44 (New York symbol SSL; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk)(082- 883-9697; www.sasol.com; ADRs outstanding: 650.9 million; Market cap: $21.6 billion; Dividend yield: 3.4%) is a South Africa-based company that converts coal and natural gas into motor fuels, produces oil and gas and mines coal.

In its fiscal 2015 first half, which ended December 31, 2014, Sasol’s sales rose 1.6%, to 99.8 billion South African rand from 98.2 billion rand a year earlier (1 rand = $0.1099 U.S.). Earnings per ADR gained 6.0%, to 32.00 rand from 30.19. The U.S. dollar rose against the rand, increasing the value of Sasol’s foreign sales. That offset a 19% decline in realized oil prices.

Despite the improved results, Sasol now plans to bring in an aggressive plan to conserve cash, including layoffs, lower spending on oil and gas exploration and development, and a 12.5% dividend cut. The ADRs yield 3.4%, based on the lower rate.

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DREAM OFFICE REIT $25.82 (Toronto symbol D.UN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-365-3535; www.dream.ca/office; Units outstanding: 107.9 million; Market cap: $2.8 billion; Dividend yield: 8.7%) (formerly Dundee REIT) owns and manages 24.3 million square feet of office and retail space in major cities across Canada.

In Western Canada, the real estate investment trust has 16% of its total square footage in Calgary and 20% elsewhere. In Eastern Canada, it holds 23% of its square footage in downtown Toronto, 17% in suburban Toronto and 24% elsewhere. Its occupancy rate is 93.0%.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Dream Office’s revenue fell 1.6%, to $205.2 million from $208.4 million a year earlier. The trust sold four properties to Dream Industrial REIT (symbol DIR.UN on Toronto) for $33.0 million in September 2014. Dream Office owns 24.2% of Dream Industrial.

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CHEMTRADE LOGISTICS INCOME FUND $21.38 (Toronto symbol CHE.UN; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (416-496-5856; www.chemtradelogistics .com; Units outstanding: 68.5 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; Dividend yield: 5.6%) 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.

The company’s revenue rose 55.4% in the three months ended December 31, 2014, to $313.3 million from $201.6 million a year earlier.

That’s largely due to General Chemical, which Chemtrade bought for $900 million U.S. in January 2014. General makes a range of chemicals, including aluminum sulphate, aluminum chlorohydrate and ferric sulphate (all of which are used in water treatment), as well as ingredients for prescription drugs, nutritional supplements and veterinary products.

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MAJOR DRILLING $7.07 (Toronto symbol MDI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative)(1-866- 264-3986; www.majordrilling.com; Shares outstanding: 80.1 million; Market cap: $566.6 million; Dividend yield: 0.6%) reports that its revenue fell 2.8% in the three months ended January 31, 2015, to $69.8 million from $71.8 million a year earlier. The company lost $0.24 a share, compared to a year-ago loss of $0.16 a share.

In the latest quarter, Major’s profit margins fell sharply because it performed less highpriced specialized exploration drilling and more production-related drilling.

To conserve cash until commodity prices start to rebound and its customers increase their drilling, Major is cutting its semi-annual dividend to $0.02 a share from $0.10. That gives the stock a 0.6% yield.

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MITEL NETWORKS $12.87 (Toronto symbol MNW; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk)(613-592-2122; www.mitel.ca; Shares outstanding: 100.1 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; No dividends paid) develops and markets products centred on business telephone systems. This includes products that integrate land lines and mobile phones. The company also offers call centre and video conferencing products.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Mitel’s revenue jumped 108.1%, to $301.4 million from $144.8 million a year ago (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Most of the increase came from Aastra Technologies, which Mitel acquired in January 2014. Earnings per share rose 89.5%, to $0.36 from $0.19.

Mitel recently agreed to buy Mavenir Systems (symbol MVNR on New York) for $560 million U.S.

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ACI WORLDWIDE $21.09 (Nasdaq symbol ACIW; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative)(402-334-5101; www.tsainc.com; Shares outstanding: 114.9 million; Market cap: $2.4 billion; No dividends paid) makes software for processing transactions involving credit cards, debit cards, automated teller machines, point-of-sale terminals and interbank payments. The company’s products also help cut fraud. Clients include leading global retailers, plus two-thirds of the world’s 100 largest banks.

ACI’s industry-leading products continue to attract prominent clients. For example, the company provides the technology behind Apple Inc.’s new mobile payment system, called Apple Pay.

ACI’s revenue rose 17.5% in 2014 to $1.02 billion from $864.9 million in 2013. That was mainly due to contributions from acquisitions, including the purchase in August 2014 of Retail Decisions (ReD) for $205 million.

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CIMAREX ENERGY $110.58 (New York symbol XEC; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (303-295-3995; www.cimarex.com; Shares outstanding: 87.6 million; Market cap: $9.7 billion; Yield: 0.6%) plans to spend $900 million to $1.1 billion on exploration and development in 2015, down sharply from $1.9 billion in 2014.

The company has cut back its spending plans in response to lower oil and gas prices. It aims to fund its 2015 spending from cash flow and the $406 million of cash it holds. That way it can avoid taking on debt, even though its long-term debt of $1.5 billion is a low 15.5% of its market cap.

Even with the lower spending, Cimarex expects its production to rise between 3% and 8% over 2014 levels this year. If oil and gas prices rise later in 2015, it has the flexibility to increase its spending, which would also boost its production and cash flow.

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AURICO GOLD $3.67 (Toronto symbol AUQ; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative)(604-681-2802; www.auricogold.com; Shares outstanding: 249.6 million; Market cap: $917.4 million; Dividend yield: 2.5%) operates the El Chanate gold mine in Mexico and the Young- Davidson gold project in northern Ontario. Young- Davidson started up in 2013, and will reach full production in 2016.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, AuRico’s production jumped 23.0%, to 56,583 ounces from 46,017 ounces a year earlier. That increased its revenue by 40.2%, to $71.2 million from $50.8 million.

Cash flow per share was unchanged at $0.07 (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). The company’s costs rose as it moved from open pit to underground mining at Young-Davidson. However, those costs should fall as it completes the mine’s new infrastructure.

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AMERIGO RESOURCES $0.34 (Toronto symbol ARG; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (604-681-2802; www.amerigoresources.com; Shares outstanding: 173.7 million; Market cap: $59.0 million; No dividends paid) processes copper and molybdenum from waste rock at Chile’s El Teniente, the world’s largest underground copper mine. This rock comes from the mine’s current production and tailings from the nearby Colihues deposit. This contract runs at least through 2037.

Amerigo gets 94% of its revenue by processing copper. The remaining 6% comes from molybdenum.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Amerigo’s copper production fell 7.4%, to 11.35 million pounds from 12.25 million a year earlier. Molybdenum output declined 11.8%, to 160,107 pounds from 181,464.

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SIERRA WIRELESS $43.46 (Toronto symbol SW; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk)(604-231-1100; www.sierrawireless.com; Shares outstanding: 31.9 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; No dividends paid) makes modules that connect products to the Internet. This is known as machine-to-machine (M2M), or more generally as the Internet of Things.

Web-connected products can be remotely monitored—and potentially fixed—before they cause a breakdown. For example, makers of smart electricity meters, such as Itron, use the company’s modules to connect their products to the web. Sierra’s technology can also warn carmakers of possible defects developing in vehicles.

The company has grown quickly over the last five years, with revenue rising 53.2%, from $358.0 million in 2010 to $548.5 million in 2014 (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). It made $0.63 a share in 2014, up sharply from $0.23 in 2013.

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Promoting clean, environmentally sound solutions for office design, DIRTT has a respected CEO but may struggle against strong competition.

Old enough to have helped Thomas Edison with the light bulb, Corning glassworks keeps expanding operations with many high-tech applications.

Every Thursday we bring you one of our best U.S. stock picks. You get our specific recommendation on the stocks we profile, with a full explanation of how we arrived at our opinion. You will read about stocks making moves you should know about, most often from coverage in our newsletter on U.S. investing, Wall Street Stock Forecaster.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to bring in new rules forcing power plants to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.

Alliant is upgrading its facilities in response. Regulators will probably let it pass along most of the extra costs to customers in the form of higher rates. We feel Alliant is in a good position to handle the new regulations.

ALLIANT ENERGY CORP. (New York symbol LNT; www.alliantenergy.com) sells electricity and natural gas to 1.4 million customers in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota.

The company has earmarked $5.2 billion for plant upgrades and replacing older transmission lines and pipelines between 2014 and 2018. These funds include $750 million for a gas-fired plant that should replace some of its older coal facilities (coal accounts for about half of Alliant’s electricity production).

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Transcontinental’s ability to keep the right assets in the fast-changing publishing industry makes it one of our top stocks to buy.