acquisition
Integrated oil producers, like the three we analyze below, are the best way for conservative investors to get oil exposure while shielding themselves from slumping crude prices. That’s because cheaper oil makes these companies’ refineries more profitable. We continue to see all three as buys for long-term gains. SUNCOR ENERGY INC. $30 (Toronto symbol SU; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $42.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 3.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. suncor.com) is Canada’s largest oil producer. It also operates four refineries and 1,500 Petro-Canada gas stations, which supply 63% of its revenue. The company produced an average of 577,800 barrels of oil equivalent a day in 2015, up 8.0% from 534,900 barrels in 2014. Suncor’s oil sands projects accounted for 80% of its output....
ALPHABET INC., Nasdaq symbols GOOG (class C non-voting), $683.57, and GOOGL (class A voting), $703.76, is the new holding company for Google’s Internet search business and its smaller, riskier operations. These smaller businesses, which the company calls “Other Bets,” sell home thermostats and high-speed Internet and digital TV services. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, Alphabet’s revenue rose 17.8%, to $21.3 billion from $18.1 billion a year earlier, beating the consensus forecast of $20.8 billion. The main search engine business accounted for 99% of the total. That division’s revenue gained 17.7%. The number of paid clicks on advertisers’ ads jumped 31%, helping offset a 13% drop in the average amount advertisers paid per click. More people are using mobile devices to access the Internet, but advertisers pay lower rates for mobile ads because they’re harder to see on smaller screens. Revenue from Other Bets (1% of revenue) jumped 42.5%....
WESTJET AIRLINES LTD., $16.29, symbol WJA on Toronto, reported lower revenue and profits in the latest quarter. Weakness in the Alberta market offset the benefit of 25% lower fuel prices. Fuel typically accounts for a third of the airline’s operating expenses. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, WestJet’s revenue fell 3.6%, to $958.7 million from $994.4 million a year earlier. Earnings fell 30.1%, to $63.4 million, or $0.51 a share. A year earlier, they were $90.7 million, or $0.71 a share. Aside from the revenue drop, higher costs, including maintenance and salaries, contributed to the earnings decline. The latest quarter also included a pre-tax foreign exchange loss of $10.0 million. Since the end of the quarter, though, the company’s load factor has improved—it rose to 80.1% in January 2016 from 79.5% in January 2015. (Load factor is the percentage of seats occupied by paying passengers.)...
BCE INC., $58.16, Toronto symbol BCE, continues to benefit from strong demand for its wireless, high-speed Internet and Fibe TV services. That’s offsetting weaker revenue from traditional telephone services. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, the company’s earnings rose 0.8%, to $615 million from $610 million a year earlier. Per-share profits were unchanged at $0.72 on more shares outstanding. These figures exclude unusual items, such as costs related to acquisitions and early debt repayments. On that basis, the latest earnings matched the consensus estimate....
GREAT-WEST LIFECO $34.22 (Toronto symbol GWO; Shares outstanding: 993.4 million; Market cap: $34.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 3.8%; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is one of Canada’s largest insurance firms. It also offers mutual funds and wealth management. Power Financial owns 67.2% of Great-West. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Great-West’s earnings rose 4.3%, to $0.72 a share from $0.69 a year earlier. The company continues to benefit from two recent acquisitions. In 2013, it paid $1.75 billion for Irish Life, Ireland’s largest pension manager and life insurance provider. In 2015, it paid an undisclosed sum for the Irish operations of Legal & General Group plc, which provides investment and taxplanning services to wealthy individuals....
GREAT-WEST LIFECO $34.22 (Toronto symbol GWO; Shares outstanding: 993.4 million; Market cap: $34.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 3.8%; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is one of Canada’s largest insurance firms. It also offers mutual funds and wealth management. Power Financial owns 67.2% of Great-West. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Great-West’s earnings rose 4.3%, to $0.72 a share from $0.69 a year earlier. The company continues to benefit from two recent acquisitions. In 2013, it paid $1.75 billion for Irish Life, Ireland’s largest pension manager and life insurance provider. In 2015, it paid an undisclosed sum for the Irish operations of Legal & General Group plc, which provides investment and taxplanning services to wealthy individuals....
Student Transportation Inc., $4.88, symbol STB on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 96.5 million; Market cap: $479.4 million; www.ridesta.com), is North America’s third-largest school bus operator, with almost 13,000 vehicles in Canada and the U.S. In its fiscal 2016 first quarter, which ended September 30, 2015, Student Transportation’s revenue rose 5.5%, to $93.4 million from $88.5 million a year earlier (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). The company lost $9.5 million, or $0.10 a share, compared to a year-earlier loss of $8.8 million, or $0.11 a share. Student Transportation typically loses money in its fiscal first quarter because it includes the summer break. The stock yields a high 11.9%. Student Transportation has paid dividends for 135 consecutive months, and while there are no guarantees, its payout appears safe for now....
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Broadridge Financial Solutions boosts earnings through acquisition and niche investment services.
Stag Industrial Inc., $17.07, symbol STAG on New York (Shares outstanding: 68.1 million; market cap: $1.2 billion; www.stagindustrial.com) is a Boston-based real estate investment trust that focuses on single-tenant industrial properties throughout the U.S. Stag holds 281 properties, including 210 warehouses and distribution centres, 50 light-manufacturing plants and 21 office and mixed-use properties. In all, these holdings contain 52.1 million square feet of leasable space. Stag’s occupancy rate is 95.7%. The trust first sold shares to the public on April 15, 2011, for $13.00 each....