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DOMINO’S PIZZA $34.22 (New York symbol DPZ; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (734-930-3030; www.dominos.com; Shares outstanding: 56.7 million; Market cap: $1.9 billion; No dividends paid) is the world’s largest chain of pizza stores that offer takeout and delivery. It operates 9,924 outlets in the U.S. and over 70 in other countries. Franchisees run most of these stores.

In the quarter ended June 17, 2012, the company’s earnings per share rose 17.5%, to $0.47 from $0.40 a year earlier. Costs fell, including a 12% drop in cheese prices.

Sales declined 2.3%, to $376.1 million from $384.9 million. That’s mainly because of lower sales of ingredients, including cheese, to franchisees. Same-store sales rose 5.7% internationally and 1.7% in the U.S.

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SHERRITT INTERNATIONAL $4.54 (Toronto symbol S; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (1-800-704-6698; www.sherritt.com; Shares outstanding: 296.7 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; Dividend yield: 3.4%) reports that its revenue fell 2.5% in the three months ended June 30, 2012, to $487.9 million from $500.6 million a year earlier. Cash flow fell 10.7%, to $81.6 million, or $0.28 a share, from $91.4 million, or $0.31 a share.

Lower nickel prices and a drop in thermal coal sales were the main reasons for the declines.

The company is Cuba’s largest foreign investor; its Cuban operations account for the majority of its revenue and earnings. The country’s uncertain political and economic situation adds to the stock’s risk. However, Sherritt is diversifying away from Cuba by investing in other countries.

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ZARGON OIL & GAS $8.99 (Toronto symbol ZAR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-264-9992; www.zargon.ca; Shares outstanding: 29.6 million; Market cap: $266.1 million; Dividend yield: 8.0%) produces natural gas and oil in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Dakota. Its production is 65% oil and 35% gas.

In the three months ended June 30, 2012, Zargon produced 8,290 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down 4.6% from 8,686 barrels a year earlier. That’s because the company sold some less-important properties and cut back on natural gas drilling in light of low gas prices. The production drop pushed down Zargon’s cash flow per share by 12.5%, to $0.42 from $0.48 a year earlier.

The company continues to successfully drill horizontal wells in the Alberta Plains North area. Horizontal drilling involves drilling development wells sideways or at an angle to reach isolated pockets of gas or to follow a reservoir spread out in a narrow layer. Horizontal drilling can work well in places where conventional drilling is impossible or too expensive.

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BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY $7.00 (Toronto symbol BIR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-261-6401; www.birchcliffenergy.com; Units outstanding: 141.4 million; Market cap: $989.8 million; No dividends paid) develops, produces and explores for oil and natural gas, mainly in the Peace River Arch area near the Alberta/B.C. border. About 75% of Birchcliff’s production is natural gas. The remaining 25% is oil.

Prominent Toronto investor Seymour Schulich is the company’s largest shareholder; he owns about 28% of its outstanding shares.

In the three months ended June 30, 2012, Birchcliff’s production rose 27.2%, to 22,039 barrels of oil equivalent per day (including natural gas) from 17,324 barrels a year earlier.

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THE CHURCHILL CORP. $8.16 (Toronto symbol CUQ; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (780-454-3667; www.churchillcorporation.com; Shares outstanding: 24.4 million; Market cap: $199.1 million; Dividend yield: 5.9%) is down 32% from mid-July after it reported a $0.17-a-share loss in the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

The loss is mainly the result of project delays. Higher-than-expected rainfall slowed work on its Calgary Airport runway project and a housing development in Saskatoon. As well, construction of Winnipeg’s new football stadium was stalled because subcontractors failed to deliver steel structures on time.

Despite this setback, Churchill’s long-term prospects remain sound. Meanwhile, its dividend, which yields a high 5.9%, looks safe.

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ENERFLEX LTD., $12.39 (Toronto symbol EFX; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (403-387-6377; www.enerflex.com; Shares outstanding: 77.6 million; Market cap: $961.5 million; Dividend yield: 1.9%) rents and sells equipment and services for natural gas production, including compression and processing plants, refrigeration equipment and power generators.

The company has a strong position in three of the world’s fast-growing markets: U.S. and Canadian shale gas production; Australian natural gas from coal beds; and conventional Middle Eastern natural gas, which is converted to liquefied natural gas (LNG) for shipping. Natural gas prices are at 10-year lows, but companies continue to increase their drilling and production.

In the quarter ended June 30, 2012, Enerflex’s revenue jumped 43.9%, to $354.6 million from $246.5 million a year ago. Strong demand from customers in the southern U.S. and South America pushed sales higher.

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TOROMONT INDUSTRIES LTD. $21.10 (Toronto symbol TIH; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-667-5511; www.toromont.com; Shares outstanding: 76.4 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Dividend yield: 2.3%) distributes a broad range of industrial equipment, including machinery made by Caterpillar Inc. Toromont also makes refrigeration systems through its CIMCO division.

In July 2011, the company completed the spinoff of Enerflex Ltd. (see below). Shareholders received shares of the new Toromont and shares of Enerflex.

In the three months ended June 30, 2012, higher equipment sales and rentals, particularly to mining customers, pushed up Toromont’s revenue by 10.1%, to $379.6 million from $344.6 million a year earlier. Without one-time items, earnings per share rose 9.7% to $0.34 from $0.31, on the higher sales and improved profit margins.

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AEROPOSTALE INC. $13.63 (New York symbol ARO; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (646-485-5410; www.aeropostale.com; Shares outstanding: 81.3 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; No dividends paid) is down almost 32% since early August after it lowered its forecast for its fiscal 2012 second quarter.

The company now expects to break even, down from its previous forecast of a profit of $0.03 to $0.05 a share. Consensus estimates were for a $0.06-a-share profit.

Aeropostale operates in a highly competitive market. That means it has to constantly refresh its clothing lines with popular new colours and styles. It should be able to repeat its past success at attracting customers, but sales may remain weak in the near term.

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BMTC GROUP $16.90 (Toronto symbol GBT.A; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514-648-5757; No website; Shares outstanding: 47.5 million; Market cap: $802.8 million; Dividend yield: 1.4%) is one of Quebec’s largest retailers of furniture, electronics and household appliances. It sells these products through its two affiliates: Brault & Martineau Inc. and Ameublements Tanguay.

The company has 20 large stores in the Montreal, Quebec City, Repentigny, Laval, Saint-Georges, Chicoutimi, Sainte-Therese, Trois-Rivieres, Sherbrooke, Rimouski, Riviere-du-Loup and Gatineau areas. It also has six liquidation centres and six Sleep Gallery stores.

In July 2012, BMTC opened a new store in Levis to replace the old one. The company is also building a warehouse-style outlet in St-Hubert that will offer lower-priced products and operate under a new banner—EconoMax.

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LEON’S FURNITURE LTD. $11.50 (Toronto symbol LNF; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (416-243-7880; www.leons.ca; Shares outstanding: 70.0 million; Market cap: $805.0 million; Dividend yield: 3.5%) has built its chain of over 76 furniture stores on its four main strengths: a huge selection of furniture, appliances and electronics; a lowest-price guarantee; strong after-sales service; and aggressive TV, radio and print advertising.

In the three months ended June 30, 2012, Leon’s sales fell 1.1%, to $162.1 million from $163.9 million a year earlier. Weaker consumer spending and a drop in new-housing starts held back sales.

Earnings fell 19.8%, to $9.0 million, or $0.13 a share, from $11.2 million, or $0.16 a share. The slower sales were the main reason for the earnings decline. The company also spent more on advertising.

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ALARMFORCE INDUSTRIES $11.22 (Toronto symbol AF; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (1-800-267-2001; www.alarmforce.com; Shares outstanding: 12.2 million; Market cap: $136.9 million; Dividend yield: 0.9%) has jumped 26% since the start of August after it announced that it is launching a strategic review of its business, including a possible sale of the company.

AlarmForce is increasing its advertising as it expands into the U.S. It’s also investing more in its VideoRelay system, which it launched in October 2011.

VideoRelay lets subscribers watch their homes through their computers and smartphones. Users can either view live video or receive alerts when the system detects motion. It also lets them establish two-way voice communication through the camera.

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BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE ENERGY PARTNERS L.P. (Toronto symbol BEP.UN; brookfieldrenewable.com) owns 170 hydroelectric generating stations, seven wind farms and two natural-gas-fired plants. In all, it has 4,909 megawatts of generating capacity. Roughly 35% of Brookfield Renewable’s generating capacity is in Canada, with another 45% in the U.S. and 20% in Brazil. The company sells virtually all of its power under agreements that are an average of 24 years in length....

We developed our TSINetwork ratings to help investors quickly and easily identify stocks with the asset size and investment quality to weather market downturns and changing industry conditions. Stocks of this quality are the best investments for long-term profits. You will find our TSINetwork ratings (Highest Quality, Above Average, Average and Extra Risk) next to each stock we recommend in our newsletters. Obviously, we take a number of factors into account before we assign these ratings. Many involve a company’s financial profile....

Almost three months ago, on May 18, Facebook issued one of the most highly-publicized Initial Public Offerings (IPO) in the history of Wall Street. A week before, Pat McKeough had already issued his own investment advice on the stock. He advised investors to take a pass. Just as Pat predicted, Facebook shot up briefly, only to reverse course and head into a decline that hasn’t ended yet. This week it disappointed investors again with bad earnings (as did another Internet issue that has taken a beating, games specialist Zynga Inc.). There’s a cautionary message for investors in this and it relates directly to one of Pat’s core principles: Avoid stocks that bask in the broker/media limelight. Stocks like these can cause investor expectations to rise so high that downturns can be brutal—which is exactly what happened in this instance. Here is Pat’s original warning about Facebook from May 11....

Pat McKeough responds to many personal questions on specific stocks and other investment topics from the members of his Inner Circle. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. This week, one question from an Inner Circle member wanted Pat’s input on one of the Canadian commodity stocks that depends heavily on one metal, molybdenum. Thompson Creek has seen a drop-off in both molybdenum prices and its own shares, but it is just possible, Pat says, that this could make it an appealing acquisition for a larger firm. ...

Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” investing advice series. Whether you’re a new or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you our specific advice on successful investing. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental piece of investing advice and shows you how you can put it into practice right away. Tip of the week: “Short selling stocks may seem like a potential money-making opportunity, but there are pitfalls that don’t exist when you’re buying stocks.”...

While a high p/e ratio can be a sign that a stock is overvalued, it can also be a signal that investors recognize the company’s future earnings potential. One example of a well-established stock with a high p/e ratio is the world’s most recognizable fast-food chain. MCDONALD’S CORP. (New York symbol MCD; www.mcdonalds.com) is the world’s largest fast-food company by sales. Its 33,735 restaurants in 119 countries serve a wide variety of foods, but they are best known for their hamburgers and french fries....

ENCANA $20.75 (Toronto symbol ECA; Shares outstanding: 735.4 million; Market cap: $15.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 3.9%; www.encana.com) has come under fire over media reports that the company colluded with U.S.-based Chesapeake Energy Corp. (New York symbol CHK) with regard to various land deals in Michigan in 2009 and 2010.

The companies are alleged to have agreed to avoid bidding against each other in order to keep prices of this land low. Now, recent discoveries of shale gas in Michigan have spurred strong demand for these properties for exploration purposes. (Chesapeake Energy is a recommendation of Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter that focuses on aggressive investing.)

Encana is now investigating these allegations, which are also likely to spur a number of class-action lawsuits. However, anti-competitive lawsuits are often difficult to prove.

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CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY $75.81 (Toronto symbol CP; Shares outstanding: 171.2 million; Market cap: $13.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.9%; www.cpr.ca) has appointed Hunter Harrison as a director and its new chief executive officer.

Mr. Harrison is the former CEO of Canadian National Railway Co. (Toronto symbol CNR). He’s also the choice of prominent U.S.-based activist investment firm Pershing Square Capital Management, which owns 14.2% of CP.

The company believes Mr. Harrison will duplicate his success at CN, which included improving efficiency and speeding up deliveries. New trains and the recent drop in oil prices should also boost CP’s profits.

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ENERPLUS CORP. $13.84 (Toronto symbol ERF; Shares outstanding: 196.9 million; Market cap: $2.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 7.8%) produces an average of 79,190 barrels of oil equivalent per day (weighted 52% to natural gas and 48% to oil). Its properties are mainly in Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., North Dakota and Montana, as well as the Marcellus Shale, which passes through Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia.

In the three months ended March 31, 2012, Enerplus’s cash flow per share fell 4.4%, to $0.86 from $0.90. That’s mainly due to lower gas prices, which offset gains from a rise in oil prices.

Enerplus has cut its monthly dividend by 50%, to $0.09 a share from $0.18. It now yields 7.8%.

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ARC RESOURCES $22.70 (Toronto symbol ARX; Shares outstanding: 290.5 million; Market cap: $6.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; Dividend yield: 5.3%; www.arcresources.com) produces oil and natural gas in western Canada. Its average daily production of 94,970 barrels of oil equivalent is weighted 62% to gas and 38% to oil.

In the three months ended March 31, 2012, ARC’s cash flow per share fell 8.8%, to $0.62 from $0.68. Production rose 28.5%, but that was more than offset by 34.1% lower gas prices.

The company’s long-term debt is $838.8 million, or a low 12.7% of its market cap. ARC trades at 9.2 times its forecast 2012 cash flow of $2.46 a share.

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ISHARES AUSTRALIA INDEX FUND $22.18 (New York symbol EWA; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that holds the 73 largest Australian stocks. Its MER is 0.52%.

The fund’s top holdings include BHP Billiton, 12.2%; Commonwealth Bank of Australia, 10.1%; Westpac Banking Corp., 7.8%; Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, 7.0%; National Australia Bank, 6.4%; Woolworths, 4.0%; Rio Tinto, 3.0%; Westfield Group, 2.5%; and CSL Ltd., 2.5%.

Australia benefits from its stable banking and political systems. It is also rich in natural resources, and it’s close to key Asian markets, including India and China.

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TORSTAR CORP. $9.40 (Toronto symbol TS.B; Shares outstanding: 79.9 million; Market cap: $751.1 million; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.6 %; www.torstar.com) continues to expand its online operations.

This week, it agreed to buy a 14% stake in shop.ca, a new website that sells a wide variety of products from Canadian retailers. These sellers ship their products directly to customers who buy through the site, so shop.ca does not need to invest in costly distribution centres.

Torstar plans to increase its interest to 30% over the next 30 months. In all, Torstar will pay $6 million in cash and provide $12.4 million of promotional support, mainly free ads in its newspaper and on its websites.

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GREAT-WEST LIFECO $22.51 (Toronto symbol GWO; Shares outstanding: 949.8 million; Market cap: $21.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.5%) is Canada’s largest insurance company, with $523.0 billion in assets under administration. It also operates in the U.S. and Europe.

In the three months ended March 31, 2012, Great-West’s earnings rose 8.7%, to $451 million, or $0.48 a share. A year earlier, it earned $415 million, or $0.44 a share. Revenue rose 3.9%, to $6.5 billion from $6.3 billion.

The company’s balance sheet is strong. As well, Great-West trades at just 10.7 times the $2.11 a share that it is likely to earn in 2012. The shares yield a high 5.5%.

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ISHARES MSCI CHILE INVESTABLE MARKET INDEX FUND $62.32 (New York Exchange symbol ECH; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that aims to track the MSCI Chile Investable Market Index. This index consists of stocks that are mainly traded on the Santiago Stock Exchange.

The fund’s top holdings are LAN Airlines SA (Chilean national airline), 9.4%; Empresas Copec SA (conglomerate), 8.5%; Quimica y Minera de Chile (mining), 8.2%; Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (electric power), 6.8%; Cencosud SA (retailer), 6.5%; Banco Santander Chile (banking), 6.1%; Enersis AS (electric power), 5.9%; Empresas CMPC (pulp and paper), 4.8%; S.A.C.I. Falabella (retail), 4.7%; and CAP SA (iron mining and steel), 4.1%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Utilities, 23.7%; Industrials, 21.6%; Financials, 16.9%; Materials, 15.6%; Consumer Staples, 11.1%; Consumer Discretionary, 11.1%; Telecommunications, 3.3%; and Information Technology, 1.5%.

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