acquisition

Growth by acquisition adds risk, but WELL Health aims to cut that risk by buying complementary businesses. As well, the Canadian health-care sector is a government-backed, recession-resilient industry.


WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES, $6.25, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol WELL; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (www.well.company; Shares outstanding: 249.9 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; No dividend paid) completed seven acquisitions in 2024....

DraftKings shares surged on the release of the company’s latest results. They show a continuing rise in the numbers of bettors joining the DraftKings’ platforms. Indeed, with its industry-leading technology, the company is well positioned to keep expanding its market share as the industry further grows....

After many years of expanding through acquisitions—20 purchases since 2020—medical device maker Becton Dickinson is now narrowing its focus through spinoffs.


In April 2022, the company spun off its Diabetes Care business as embecta (see page 19)....

Finning International’s shares have gained over 197% since the COVID-19 pandemic, as governments invested in new public infrastructure projects. That has increased demand for its construction equipment. New mining projects in Canada and South America have also spurred its growth.

The company’s customers operate in cyclical industries, which adds to its risk....

INTACT FINANCIAL CORP., $288.21, is a buy. The stock (symbol IFC on Toronto) offers investors exposure to Canada’s largest provider of property and casualty insurance. Intact insures more than five million individuals and businesses. Its major brands are Intact Insurance, Canada BrokerLink and belairdirect.

In a bid to add value for investors, the company acquired OneBeacon Insurance Group for $1.7 billion U.S....

MCDONALD’S CORP., $308.55, New York symbol MCD, is a buy.

This fast-food giant is the world’s largest fast-food chain with over 43,000 restaurants in 119 countries. It serves a wide variety of food but is best known for its hamburgers and french fries.

The company reported lower-than-expected revenue for its latest quarter, mainly due to a drop in traffic at its U.S....

CISCO SYSTEMS INC., $64.87, Nasdaq symbol CSCO, is a top pick for 2025.

Through their shares, investors tap a global producer of hardware and software that links and manages computer networks.

With the April 2025 payment, Cisco will raise your quarterly dividend by 2.5%....

Traditional telecommunications service providers, such as Telus and BCE, are trading at substantially lower valuations compared to other “infrastructure” type companies. This is not only true for Canadian companies, but also for U.S. and other similar companies in Europe.


Growth and profitability: Railways in the lead


In order to compare the various infrastructure groups, we selected the main Canadian and U.S....

ENBRIDGE INC. $64 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol ENB; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 2.2 billion; Market cap: $140.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.9; Dividend yield: 5.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.enbridge.com) operates pipelines that pump oil and natural gas from Western Canada to eastern Canada and the U.S....

We feel railway operator CPKC is in a good position to withstand the negative impact of a potential 25% U.S. tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico. About a third of its freight volumes are necessary goods, such as grains and fertilizers, so tariffs aren’t likely to significantly impact those volumes.


Moreover, the company continues to realize the benefits of its 2023 acquisition of U.S....