acquisition

A: Stella-Jones Inc., $38.24, symbol SJ on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 69.2 million; Market cap: $2.7 billion; www.stella-jones.com), makes pressure-treated wood products. They include: railway ties (36% of sales); utility poles (32%); treated lumber products for the residential market (21%); lumber for industrial uses such as construction timbers and highway guardrails (5%); and logs and lumber (6%).


The company gets most of its utility poles from the timberlands it leases in Quebec and B.C....

A: BSM Technologies Inc., $1.47, symbol GPS on Toronto (Shares outstanding: Shares outstanding: 82.6 million; Market cap: $123.9 million, www.bsmwireless.com) makes equipment and software that helps owners of truck, train and other fleets monitor their vehicles using global positioning systems (GPS).


Customers typically purchase the hardware upfront, and then enter into a long-term contract for software updates and monitoring services....

Dear Inner Circle Member,


If you take a university-level psychology or medical course, you run the risk of “medical student’s disease”. This happens when you read about disease symptoms, and get a sudden fear that they describe something you already suffer from.


A good teacher will tell you that many symptoms in your textbook are exaggerations of normal, everyday fluctuations in your health and vitality....

TRANSCANADA CORP. $62 (www.transcanada.com) has applied for a permit to build its proposed Keystone XL pipeline now that U.S. President Donald Trump has conditionally approved the project; Keystone XL would pump crude from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries on the U.S....

GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $37 (Toronto symbol GWO; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; s/o: 986.4 million; Market cap: $36.5 billion; p/s ratio: 1.9; Divd. Yield: 4.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is Canada’s second-largest insurance company, after Manulife Financial....

ENBRIDGE INC. $55.27 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 934.2 million; Market cap: $52.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.2%; www.enbridge.com) operates pipelines that pump oil and natural gas from Western Canada to eastern Canada and the U.S....

BCE INC. $57.82 (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares outstanding: 870.7 million; Market cap: $50.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 5.0%; www.bce.ca) has now received the final regulatory approvals for its acquisition of MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES INC., $39.21, Toronto symbol MBT.


Under the terms of the $3.9 billion deal, Manitoba Tel shareholders can choose either $40 in cash or 0.6756 shares of BCE for every MBT share they hold.


Manitoba Tel investors have until March 14, 2017, to make their selection....

Stanley and Newell have a long history of making new businesses they purchase more profitable. That cuts their risk of using acquisitions to expand.


STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $127 (New York symbol SWK; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 153.9 million; Market cap: $19.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.stanleyblackanddecker.com) is one of the world’s largest makers of hand and power tools for consumers....

CANON INC. ADRs $29 (New York symbol CAJ; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $31.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 4.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canon....

CEDAR FAIR L.P. $68 (New York symbol FUN; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Units outstanding: 56.1 million; Market cap: $3.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.0; Dividend yield: 5.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. cedarfair.com) owns 11 amusement parks, four water parks (one indoor) and five hotels.


For 2016, Cedar Fair reported record-high revenue of $1.29 billion....