acquisition

CARGOJET INC., $165.12, symbol CJT on Toronto, is a provider of time-sensitive, premium overnight air cargo services across North America. Its fleet of 31 cargo aircraft currently moves more than 25 million pounds of cargo every week.

The company has three main segments: it operates a domestic air cargo network between 16 major Canadian cities; it provides dedicated aircraft to customers on an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (“ACMI”) basis, operating between points in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Europe; and it operates scheduled international routes for multiple cargo customers between the U.S....
ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, $136.66, Toronto symbol RY, is a buy.

Royal raised your quarterly dividend by 11.1% with the February 2022 payment. Investors now receive $1.20 a share instead of $1.08. The new annual rate of $4.80 yields 3.5%. The bank also plans to repurchase roughly 3.16% of its common shares over the next year.

The bank has now agreed to buy U.K.-based wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin Holdings Plc....
CENOVUS ENERGY INC., $22.12, Toronto symbol CVE, remains a buy for long-term gains.

On January 1, 2021, the company completed its acquisition of rival oil producer Husky Energy Inc. (Toronto symbol HSE) in a friendly all-stock takeover.

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

Cenovus announced this week that it would end its oil hedging program, which it uses to pre-sell its future production at a set price....
Computer outsourcing firm CGI recently announced a new acquisition in Europe, its first major deal since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While using acquisitions to expand adds risk, this new purchase should help fuel the company’s growth, particularly as businesses increase their spending on cloud computing and cybersecurity.


CGI INC....
Canada’s top banks continue to rebound from their pandemic lows, as an expected surge in loan writeoffs failed to materialize. The recent increase in the Bank of Canada’s benchmark lending rate, as well as more hikes likely this year, will also lift their earnings....
A: FactSet Research Systems Inc., $439.92, symbol FDS on New York (Shares outstanding: 37.8 million; Market cap: $16.4 billion; www.factset.com), is a leading provider of financial data and portfolio analytics to investment firms worldwide.

On December 27, 2021, FactSet announced that it would acquire CUSIP Global Services for $1.93 billion in cash....
UPSTART HOLDINGS INC., $109.03, symbol UPST on Nasdaq, is a California-based artificial intelligence (AI) lending platform that aims to help its bank partners make better credit decisions resulting in more loans at lower risk. The company also operates Upstart Auto Retail, a platform that aims to help auto dealers close more sales.

Upstart’s platform connects consumers looking for loans with its network of Upstart AI-enabled bank partners....
PFIZER INC., $51.57, New York symbol PFE, is your #1 Income Buy for 2022.

The company is one of the world’s largest makers of prescription drugs. Its top-selling brands include Eliquis (stroke), Ibrance (breast cancer) and Prevnar (pneumonia).

Pfizer has increased its dividend rate each year since 2011....
BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY LTD., $8.67, is a buy for aggressive investors. The company (symbol BIR on Toronto) develops and produces oil and gas, mainly in the Peace River Arch area of both Alberta and B.C. Its average output of 78,716 barrels of oil equivalent per day is 80% natural gas and 20% oil.

Cash flow in the quarter ended December 31, 2021, jumped sharply, to $0.73 a share from $0.25 a year earlier....
ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, $137.32, Toronto symbol RY, is a buy.

The bank will now purchase U.K.-based wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin Holdings Plc. Its assets under management totalled 59 billion British pounds (roughly $101 billion Canadian) as of December 31, 2021.

Royal will pay $2.6 billion for Brewin Dolphin....