acquisition

Valmont Industries Inc.’s earnings rose 53.5% as it completes an acquisition of a privately held AI company that specializes in agricultural monitoring services.

CENOVUS ENERGY, $25.70, remains a buy for long-term gains. The company (Toronto symbol CVE; Shares outstanding: 2.0 billion; Market cap: $49.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 1.6%; www.cenovus.com) completed its acquisition of rival oil producer Husky Energy in January 2021.


The combined firm is now Canada’s third-largest producer of oil and natural gas, and the country’s second-largest refiner.


Cenovus’s production in the three months ended March 31, 2022 rose 3.8%, to 798,600 barrels a day (82% oil, 18% natural gas) from 769,300....

A: Cummins Inc., $205.07, symbol CMI on New York (Shares outstanding: 142.1 million; Market cap: $27.7 billion; www.cummins.com) designs, manufactures, distributes, and services diesel, natural gas, electric and hybrid powertrains, and powertrain-related components including control & fuel systems, automated transmissions, batteries, electrified power systems, hydrogen production, and fuel cell systems.

Cummins serves customers in 190 countries through 500 company-owned and independent distributors and through 9,000 dealers.

The company announced in February 2022 that it is acquiring Meritor Inc....

A: WonderFi Technologies Inc., $1.08, symbol WNDR on the NEO Exchange (Shares outstanding: 161.5 million; Market cap: $176.5 million; www.wonder.fi), aims to provide consumers better access to digital assets, including cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

The NEO exchange, which is recognized by the Ontario Securities Commission, is owned by Aequitas Innovations, a company backed by a number of Canadian and international corporations including Royal Bank, IGM Financial and Barclays....

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD., $93.97, Toronto symbol CP, is your #1 Conservative Buy for 2022.

CP ships freight over a 23,700-kilometre rail network, mainly between Montreal and Vancouver. It also links to hubs in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast.

The company is now in the process of merging with U.S.-based railway Kansas City Southern....

GENERAC HOLDINGS INC., $219.38, symbol GNRC on New York, designs and manufactures a wide range of generators and other engine-powered products for the residential, light commercial, industrial, and construction markets. Its products are fuelled by natural gas, liquid propane and diesel.

Generac also pioneered the residential power washer category, putting the power to clean into the hands of homeowners....

Mondelez has held up well during the recent market turmoil. While the stock is down about 3% since the start of 2022, the S&P 500 Index has suffered a 12% drop.


We feel the stock remains a solid pick for conservative investors. Mondelez continues to launch more-healthful, premium-priced products....

Generally, a higher-than-usual dividend yield is a sign that the payout may exceed the company’s earning capacity. We feel, however, that the dividends from these two small-cap stocks are safe. That’s because they are leaders in their niche markets.


RUSSEL METALS INC....

The best way to take advantage of the shift to renewable energy is with well-established producers like Innergex and Brookfield. They sell most of their power under guaranteed contracts, which gives them plenty of room to keep raising their dividends.


INNERGEX RENEWABLE ENERGY INC....

STEINWAY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS HOLDINGS INC. has filed paperwork with U.S. regulators for an initial public offering (IPO) of common shares. The shares will trade on New York under the symbol STWY.

The company is planning to have two classes of shares with Class B shareholders entitled to 10 votes per share, versus the one vote for share assigned to Class A shareholders....