acquisition

As expected, the war in Europe is rattling investors, and the media are milking it for attention from readers, viewers and, indirectly, advertisers. Needless to say, they are doing so the old-fashioned way—accentuating the negative. That was easier to do before the Russians invaded....

ACI WORLDWIDE INC., $32.09, is a buy. The company (symbol ACIW on Nasdaq) is the leading software provider for processing transactions by credit cards, debit cards, automated teller machines, point-of-sale terminals and interbank systems. Its products also work to cut fraud.

The company’s more than 5,100 customers include 1,000 global financial institutions and thousands of retail giants....

CENTERRA GOLD INC., $12.64, symbol CG on Toronto, is a Canadian gold mining and exploration company. It has three mines: one each in British Columbia, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Turkey. Centerra also owns the Kemess underground project in B.C., and operates a molybdenum business in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the company still owns the Kumtor Mine in the Kyrgyz Republic....

INNERGEX RENEWABLE ENERGY, $18.39, is a buy. The power generator (Toronto symbol INE; Shares ooutstanding: 192.8 million; Market cap: $3.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 3.9%; www.innergex.com) operates 40 hydroelectric plants, 32 wind farms and seven solar power fields....

Business—both in Canada and internationally—remains strong for our two top Canadian insurance recommendations. These two stocks largely recovered all of the ground they lost in March 2020 with onset of the pandemic. We think they are now poised to move even higher....

Oil and gas stocks have moved up as the U.S. and other economies recover. The war in Ukraine has also driven up prices. We recommend that most investors maintain exposure to the oil and gas industry as part of a balanced portfolio. But to cut risk, you should stick with producers with positive cash flow even at low energy prices....

TD Bank was as well prepared—and well capitalized—to handle the COVID-19 pandemic as it was the 2008-2009 financial crisis. We still see TD Bank as a top pick, especially given its expanding and profitable U.S. businesses (including its just-announced acquisition of Memphis-based bank First Horizon Corp....

A: Parkland Corp., $33.01, symbol PKI on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 152.2 million; Market cap: $5.1 billion; www.parkland.ca), is a Calgary-based marketer, distributor, and refiner of fuel and petroleum products in Canada, the U.S....

VICI PROPERTIES INC., $28.07, symbol VICI on New York, owns a major real-estate portfolio of gaming, hospitality and entertainment destinations. Its portfolio consists of 28 gaming facilities, and approximately 17,800 hotel rooms and more than 200 restaurants, bars, nightclubs and sportsbooks.

The company’s properties are leased to major gaming and hospitality operators, including Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Hard Rock International, JACK Entertainment LLC and Penn National Gaming.

Vici also has an investment in the Chelsea Piers development in New York City and owns four championship golf courses and 34 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip.

On August 4, 2021, the REIT announced an acquisition that would see it acquire MGM Growth Properties LLC (symbol MGP on New York) for $17.2 billion....

MCDONALD’S CORP., $249.45, New York symbol MCD, is your #1 Conservative Buy for 2022.

The company is the world’s largest fast-food chain, with over 39,000 restaurants in 119 countries. It serves a wide variety of food but is best known for its hamburgers and french fries....