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TORSTAR CORP. $7.11 (Toronto symbol TS.B; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 80.1 million; Market cap: $569.5 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 7.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.torstar.com) publishes the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest daily newspaper by circulation. It also publishes three other daily papers and over 100 weeklies.

The slow economy continues to hurt advertising sales at Torstar’s newspapers. In the quarter ended June 30, 2014, the company’s revenue fell 7.4%, to $225.6 million from $243.6 million a year earlier.

Earnings jumped 44.2%, to $18.1 million, or $0.23 a share, from $12.6 million, or $0.16 a share. However, if you disregard restructuring costs and other unusual items, earnings per share fell 4.8%, to $0.20 from $0.21.

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METRO INC. $75 (Toronto symbol MRU; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 85.1 million; Market cap: $6.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 1.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.metro.ca) operates 600 grocery stores and 250 drugstores in Quebec and Ontario.

In its fiscal 2014 third quarter, which ended July 5, 2014, Metro earned $144.5 million, unchanged from a year earlier. The company spent $147.2 million on share buybacks in the latest quarter. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share gained 9.4%, to $1.63 from $1.49. Sales rose 1.4%, to $3.62 billion from $3.57 billion. Same-store sales gained 1.0%.

The company continues to benefit from the recent reorganization of its Ontario operations, including converting certain Metro outlets to the discount Food Basics banner.

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LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD. $56 (Toronto symbol L; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 413.5 million; Market cap: $23.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.loblaw.ca) is Canada’s largest food retailer, with about 1,200 stores. Its banners include Loblaws, Provigo, Fortinos, Real Canadian Superstore and No Frills.

In March 2014, Loblaw bought the 1,250-store Shoppers Drug Mart chain for $12.3 billion in cash and stock.

Thanks to Shoppers, Loblaw’s sales jumped 37.1%, to $10.3 billion, in the second quarter of its 2014 fiscal year, which ended June 14. It earned $7.5 billion a year earlier.

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TRANSCANADA CORP. $56 (Toronto symbol TRP; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 707.9 million; Market cap: $39.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.8; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.transcanada.com) recently completed the purchase of three more Ontario solar power plants from Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq symbol CSIQ).

TransCanada now owns seven of the nine solar farms it agreed to buy from Canadian Solar in 2011. It will probably take possession of the remaining two in 2015. In all, it will pay about $500 million. To put that in context, TransCanada earned $332 million, or $0.47 a share, in the three months ended June 30, 2014.

The company has 20-year deals to sell the power from these solar farms, which cuts this investment’s risk.

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MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES INC. $29 (Toronto symbol MBT; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 77.8 million; Market cap: $2.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 5.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mts.ca) gets 60% of its revenue from its MTS division, which has 1.3 million telephone and wireless clients in Manitoba. The other 40% comes from Allstream, which sells telephone, Internet and other communication services to businesses across Canada.

In the three months ended June 30, 2014, the company’s revenue fell 1.7%, to $403.3 million from $410.1 million a year earlier.

The MTS division’s revenue rose 1.1%, as strong demand for high-speed Internet and TV services offset lower revenue from traditional telephones. Wireless revenue also fell 4.8%, as smaller carriers continue to develop their own networks, which cuts the roaming fees they pay Manitoba Telecom.

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BCE INC. $48 (Toronto symbol BCE; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 827.7 million; Market cap: $39.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 5.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.bce.ca) is Canada’s largest provider of telephone services, with 5.0 million customers in Ontario and Quebec. It also has 2.2 million high-speed Internet customers and 2.3 million TV subscribers.

BCE also sells wireless services to 7.8 million customers across Canada, and its Bell Media segment owns CTV Television, specialty channels and radio stations.

The company recently offered to buy the 56% of Bell Aliant (Toronto symbol BA) that it doesn’t already own. Bell Aliant sells phone and Internet services to 2.3 million clients in Atlantic Canada and rural Ontario and Quebec. It also provides wireless services through an alliance with BCE.

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FORTIS INC. $35 (Toronto symbol FTS; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 215.4 million; Market cap: $7.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.6; Dividend yield 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.fortis.ca) is the main electricity supplier in Newfoundland and P.E.I. It also distributes natural gas in B.C. and operates power plants in other parts of Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean.

The company recently completed its purchase of UNS Energy Corp., which operates power plants and distributes electricity and natural gas to 657,000 customers in Arizona.

Fortis paid $4.5 billion U.S., which includes assuming $2.0 billion U.S. of UNS’s debt. The new operations will add $1.5 billion U.S. to Fortis’s annual revenue of $4.7 billion (Canadian). The purchase also lowers Fortis’s reliance on Atlantic Canada.

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TELUS CORP. $39 (Toronto symbol T; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 615.5 million; Market cap: $24.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.1; Dividend yield: 3.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.telus.com) is Canada’s second-largest wireless carrier, after Rogers Communications, with 7.9 million subscribers. Wireless now supplies 54% of Telus’s revenue and 66% of its earnings.

The remaining 46% of revenue and 34% of earnings come from its wireline division, which mainly consists of 3.2 million traditional phone customers in B.C., Alberta and eastern Quebec. This business also includes 1.4 million Internet users and 865,000 TV customers.

Telus’s revenue rose 18.7%, from $9.6 billion in 2009 to $11.4 billion in 2013. Revenue will probably improve to $12.0 billion in 2014.

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IMPERIAL OIL $52.18 (Toronto symbol IMO; Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $44.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Div. yield: 1.0%; www.imperialoil.ca) has begun converting its 95-year-old refinery in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, into a storage facility for refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel and home heating oil....

ALGONQUIN POWER & UTILITIES CORP. $8.77 (Toronto symbol AQN; Shares outstanding: 208.0 million; Market cap: $2.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 4.4%; www.algonquinpower.com) has agreed to buy Park Water Company for $327 million U.S. Algonquin will make the purchase through its Liberty Utilities subsidiary.

Park Water owns and operates three regulated water utilities that produce, treat, store, distribute and sell water in southern California and western Montana. The three utilities collectively serve 74,000 customers and have more than 1,000 miles of distribution pipelines.

Algonquin is also buying the Odell project, a 200-megawatt wind farm in the U.S. that’s currently under construction. The project, which spans Minnesota’s Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin and Watonwan Counties, will cost an estimated $313.5 million U.S. to complete.

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LOBLAW COMPANIES $55.80 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 413.6 million; Market cap: $23.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.8%; www.loblaw.ca) is testing a smaller version of its discount No Frills supermarkets. These stores, which operate under the Box banner, are cheaper to build than full-sized outlets and can fit in smaller strip malls. That lowers their rental costs.

The new Box stores could also help Loblaw compete with Wal-Mart, which may start opening smaller locations in Canada following successful trials in the U.S.

Loblaw is a buy.

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CENOVUS ENERGY $29.31 (Toronto symbol CVE; Shares outstanding: 757.0 million; Market cap: $22.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 3.6%; www.cenovus.com) has opened the latest phase of its 50%-owned Foster Creek oil sands project in Alberta.

U.S.-based ConocoPhillips (New York symbol COP) owns 50% of both Cenovus’s Foster Creek and Christina Lake projects.

Foster Creek produced an average of 119,000 barrels a day in August 2014. This latest phase should add 30,000 barrels when it reaches fullcapacity in the next 12 to 18 months.

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BONAVISTA ENERGY $12.54 (Toronto symbol BNP; Shares outstanding: 201.9 million; Market cap: $2.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 6.7%; www.bonavistaenergy.com) explores for oil and natural gas in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Its production is 67% gas and 33% oil.

In the three months ended June 30, 2014, Bonavista’s cash flow per share gained 6.3%, to $0.67 from $0.63 a year earlier. Production rose just 2.4%, to 74,272 barrels of oil equivalent a day from 72,554. However, that’s because Bonavista sold 2,700 barrels a day of heavy-oil production, which is less of a focus for the company. Bonavista’s realized gas price increased 17.9%, to an average of $4.29 per thousand cubic feet from $3.64. Oil prices fell 1.3%, to $79.34 a barrel from $80.42.

Bonavista plans to spend $580 million to $600 million on exploration and development in 2014. Its plans include drilling 130 to 135 wells, which will let it raise its production to as high as 86,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day at the end of 2014. For all of 2013, Bonavista spent $460 million to drill 126 wells.

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PEYTO EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT CORP. $34.95 (Toronto symbol PEY; Shares outstanding: 153.7 million; Market cap: $5.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 3.4%; www.peyto.com) produces and explores for oil and natural gas in Alberta. Its average daily production of 72,302 barrels of oil equivalent is 90% gas and 10% oil.

In the quarter ended June 30, 2014, Peyto’s cash flow rose 41.9%, to $1.05 a share from $0.74 a year earlier. That’s because the company raised its production by 26.1%. Gas prices also gained 17.5%, to an average of $4.37 per thousand cubic feet from $3.72, while oil prices rose 14.0%, to $77.30 a barrel from $67.82.

Peyto plans to spend $625 million on exploration and development in all of 2014, which will let it drill 110 to 125 wells. To put that in context, the company spent $578 million to drill 99 wells in 2013. This year’s spending should let it finish 2014 with production of over 81,500 barrels a day. The stock trades at 7.4 times Peyto’s forecast 2014 cash flow of $4.73 a share. The company’s long-term debt of $825 million is a low 15.3% of its $5.4-billion market cap.

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ENBRIDGE INC. $53.00 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 846.2 million; Market cap: $45.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yeield:2.6%; www.enbridge.com) plans to transfer its 66.7% stake in the U.S. portion of the Alberta Clipper pipeline to its American affiliate, Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (New York symbol EEP).

The 1,600-kilometre Alberta Clipper pipeline moves crude from Alberta’s oil sands to Superior, Wisconsin.

Enbridge will receive $300 million U.S. in cash and $600 million U.S. worth of Enbridge Energy Partners units. The $900-million U.S. total is equal to 2% of Enbridge’s $45.4-billion (Canadian) market cap.

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TRANSCANADA CORP. $56.86 (Toronto symbol TRP; Shares outstanding: 708.0 million; Market cap: $40.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.4%; www.transcanada.com) is facing pressure from U.S.-based activist investors to unlock some of its value by selling or spinning off its electrical
power plants.

These investors also want the company to place more of its U.S. natural gas pipelines into a master limited partnership, which is similar to a Canadian income trust.

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POWERSHARES QQQ ETF $97.21 (Nasdaq symbol QQQQ; buy or sell through brokers; www.invescopowershares.com), formerly called Nasdaq 100 Trust Shares, holds stocks that represent the Nasdaq 100 Index, which consists of the 100 largest shares on the Nasdaq exchange, based on market cap.

The Nasdaq 100 Index contains shares of companies in a number of major industries, including computer hardware and software, telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade and biotechnology. It does not contain financial companies. The fund’s expenses are about 0.20% of its assets.

The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel, Amazon.com, Gilead Sciences, Comcast Corp. and Facebook.

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Every Thursday we bring you “Best U.S. Stocks.” 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, from coverage in our newsletter on U.S. investing, Wall Street Stock Forecaster.

Tennant has risen steadily over the past few years. But even though it fell back slightly during the recent market slump, the outlook remains very positive for its environmentally friendly products.

TENNANT CO. (New York symbol TNC; www.tennantco.com) makes industrial floor-cleaning equipment, including scrubbers, sweepers and polishers. It also manufactures cleaning gear for garages, stadiums, parking lots and city streets.

In 2008, the company started selling equipment featuring its ec-H20 technology, which uses electricity to turn tap water into a chemical-free cleaning solution. This helps cut the machine’s operating costs.

Strong demand for this equipment increased the company’s sales by 9.4% in the three months ended June 30, 2014, to a record $219.1 million from $200.2 million a year earlier. Sales of ec-H2O gear rose 7.6% and account for about 20% of Tennant’s overall revenue.

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SPDR S&P 500 ETF $194.35 (New York symbol SPY; buy or sell through brokers; www.spdrs.com) holds the stocks in the S&P 500 Index, which consists of 500 major U.S. companies that are chosen based on their market cap, liquidity and industry group.

The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, J.P. Morgan Chase, Chevron, General Electric, Berkshire Hathaway, Wells Fargo, IBM, Pfizer, Verizon and AT&T. The fund’s expenses are just 0.10% of its assets.

If you want exposure to the S&P 500 Index, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF is a buy.

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DIVIDEND INDEX FUND $25.38 (Toronto symbol XDV; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds 30 of the highest-yielding Canadian stocks. Its selections are based on dividend growth, yield and payout ratio. The weight of any one stock is limited to 10% of its assets. The fund’s MER is 0.55%. It yields 3.8%.

The fund’s top holdings are CIBC, 7.4%; National Bank, 6.9%; TD Bank, 6.7%; Bank of Montreal, 6.0%; Bonterra Energy, 6.0%; Royal Bank, 5.3%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 4.6%; BCE, 4.1%; Trans- Canada, 3.9%; and Laurentian Bank, 3.8%.

The ETF holds 53.0% of its assets in financial stocks. The top Canadian finance stocks have sound prospects. However, if you invest in this ETF, be sure to adjust the rest of your portfolio so it won’t be overly concentrated in the financial sector.

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ISHARES S&P/TSX 60 INDEX FUND $21.54 (Toronto symbol XIU; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) is a good low-fee way to buy the top stocks on the TSX. The units are made up of stocks that represent the S&P/TSX 60 Index, which consists of the 60 largest, most heavily traded stocks on the exchange....

TELUS $38.35 (Toronto symbol T; Shares outstanding: 615.0 million; Market cap: $23.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.0%; www.telus.com) continues to expand its health care division, which helps doctors, pharmacies and hospitals convert patient records and other information to
electronic formats.

The company recently paid an undisclosed sum for ZRx Prescriber, an app that lets doctors write prescriptions through their tablet computers and smartphones. The app can also access a patient’s drug-insurance information, which speeds up claims and cuts down on errors.

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H&R REIT $21.86 (Toronto symbol HR.UN; Units outstanding: 272.4 million; Market cap: $6.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 6.2%; www.hr-reit.com) owns stakes in 41 office buildings, 112 industrial properties and 168 shopping malls across Canada.

In March 2013, H&R finished building the Bow, a $1.33-billion, two-million-square-foot office complex in Calgary. Encana Corp. has leased the entire building for 25 years.

In April 2013, H&R completed a $3.1-billion purchase of 27 properties from Primaris REIT. These assets include the 567,000-square-foot Dufferin Mall in Toronto’s west end.

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RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $25.67 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 306.7 million; Market cap: $7.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.5%; www.riocan.com) is Canada’s largest real estate investment trust (REIT), with interests in 340 shopping malls containing over 81 million square feet of leasable area. That total includes 47 U.S. malls with over 13 million square feet.

In the three months ended June 30, 2014, RioCan’s revenue increased 8.5%, to $295 million from $272 million a year earlier. Cash flow per unit rose 5.0%, to $0.42 from $0.40.

RioCan continues to see growth opportunities in Canada and the U.S. In 2013, it spent $849 million on 32 properties. In the first half of 2014, it added four more for a total of $45 million.

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ENCANA CORP. $23.88 (Toronto symbol ECA; Shares outstanding: 741.0 million; Market cap: $17.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.3%; www.encana.com) has agreed to buy Athlon Energy (New York symbol ATHL) for $7.1 billion U.S.

Athlon produces 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent (80% oil and 20% natural gas) a day from 1,138 wells in Texas’s Midland Basin. To put that in context, Encana produces 491,700 barrels (86% gas, 14% oil) a day.

Encana recently completed the sale of its remaining 54% stake in PrairieSky Royalty (Toronto symbol PSK) for $2.6 billion. The cash from this sale will help it pay for Athlon.

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