dividends paid

LOJACK CORP. $5.18 (Nasdaq symbol LOJN; SI Rating: Speculative) (www.lojack.com; 781-326-4700; Shares outstanding: 18.5 million; Market cap: $95.8 million; No dividends paid) reported 6.6% higher revenue in the three months ended September 30, 2010, to $38.5 million from $36.1 million a year earlier. It earned $0.15 a share in the latest quarter, compared to a loss of $0.78 a share. Sales fell 6.9% at the company’s North American division, to $24.4 million from $26.2 million. International sales jumped 47.3%, to $13.4 million from $9.1 million. The U.S. still accounts for over 65% of LoJack’s revenue. As a result, the company will need a further rebound in American new-car sales to show substantial growth. In the meantime, it will benefit from its efforts to find new uses for its locator technology....

AEROPOSTALE INC. $25.34 (New York symbol ARO; SI Rating: Extra Risk) (646-485-5410; www.aeropostale.com; Shares outstanding: 92.5 million; Market cap: $2.3 billion; No dividends paid) (all figures reflect a 3-for-2 split on March 5, 2010) is a mall-based retailer of casual clothing and accessories. The company, which now has 907 stores, mainly targets 14- to 17-year-old women and men. Its active-oriented clothing has a reputation for high quality and low prices. Aeropostale also has 46 “P.S. from Aeropostale” stores, which are aimed at seven-to-12-year-old elementary-school students. In the quarter ended July 31, 2010, sales rose 9.2%, to $494.7 million from $453 million a year earlier. Earnings rose 13%, to $43.6 million from $38.6 million. Earnings per share jumped 23.7%, to $0.47 from $0.38, on fewer shares outstanding....

CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL $230.96 (New York symbol CMG; SI Rating: Speculative) (303-595-4000; www.chipotle.com; Shares outstanding: 30.9 million; Market cap: $7.1 billion; No dividends paid) reports that its earnings per share climbed 42.3% in the three months ended September 30, 2010, to $1.55 from $1.09 a year earlier. Sales rose 23%, to $476.9 million from $387.6 million. The company opened 22 new restaurants during the quarter. It also saw an 11.4% rise in same-restaurant sales, and more customer visits. Chipotle trades at over 44 times its forecast 2010 earnings of $5.15 a share. However, the company plans to keep increasing its sales by opening 135 to 145 new restaurants next year. A continued economic recovery, and rising consumer confidence, would add to Chipotle’s appeal....

EUROPEAN GOLDFIELDS $14.36 (Toronto symbol EGU; SI Rating: Speculative) (44 (20) 7408 9534; www.egoldfields.com; Shares outstanding: 182.4 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; No dividends paid) holds a 95% interest in Hellas Gold. Hellas owns three gold and base-metal deposits in Greece: the Stratoni zinc/lead/silver property, the Olympias gold/zinc/lead/silver project and the Skouries copper/gold property. In the three months ended September 30, 2010, European Goldfields’ revenue fell 46%, to $9.2 million from $17 million a year earlier on lower production at the Stratoni mine. (All figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars.) The company lost $0.01 a share in the latest quarter, compared to a loss of $0.02 share. It holds cash of $82.8 million, or $0.45 a share, and has no debt. European Goldfields started production at Stratoni in September 2005, and the mine continues to generate revenue. But it’s the company’s development projects that give it appeal. European Goldfields has now won preliminary approval to build mines at both the Skouries and Olympias projects. Final approval could come later this year....

CANALASKA URANIUM $1.16 (Toronto symbol CVV; SI Rating: Start-up) (1-800-667-1870; www.canalaska.com; Shares outstanding: 17.2 million; Market cap: $20.0 million; No dividends paid) has completed its 1-for-10 share consolidation. That lowered its shares outstanding from 171.9 million to 17.2 million. Consolidations, or reverse stock splits, sometimes hurt investor confidence. In CanAlaska’s case, it had little effect. Its shares shot up to $1.57 on November 8, before moving down to today’s price. The price jump followed a big move upward in uranium prices. In March of this year, uranium traded as low as $40 U.S. a pound, well below its peak of $140 in 2007. Prices recently shot up to as high as $58.50....

CALIAN TECHNOLOGIES $18.40 (Toronto symbol CTY; SI Rating: Speculative) (613-599-8600; www.calian.com; Shares outstanding: 7.7 million; Market cap: $141.7 million Dividend yield: 4.8%) operates in two areas: The business and technology services division accounts for 67% of Calian’s revenue and provides engineers, health-care workers and other skilled professionals to clients on a contract basis. The systems-engineering division contributes the remaining 33% of revenue and sells hardware and software that is used for testing, operating and managing satellite and other communication systems. In the three months ended September 30, 2010, Calian’s revenue fell 2.7%, to $52.9 million from $54.4 million a year earlier. Earnings fell 6.1%, to $3.2 million, or $0.42 a share, from $3.4 million, or $0.45 a share. Calian saw less demand for contract workers; that was the main reason for the lower results. Calian’s order backlog stands at $924 million. It holds cash of $29.1 million, or $3.78 a share, and has no debt. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 10%, to $0.22 from $0.20, with the September 2010 payment. The shares now yield 4.8%....

20-20 TECHNOLOGIES INC. $3.55 (Toronto symbol TWT; SI Rating: Speculative) (514-332-4112; www.2020technologies.com; Shares outstanding: 18.9 million; Market cap: $67.1 million; No dividends paid) has scheduled a special shareholders meeting for December 21 to vote on proposals from a group of 20-20 shareholders led by U.S.-based private-equity firm Crescendo Partners. Together, these investors own 16% of 20-20’s shares. They want to replace three of 20/20’s ten directors with their nominees. 20/20 now says that its four largest shareholders, which together hold 58% of the company’s shares, will vote against Crescendo’s proposals. The board nominations will likely fail, but Crescendo has a history of helping small technology companies unlock value. It should press 20/20 to keep improving its results. That’s a positive for the company....

TOROMONT INDUSTRIES LTD. $29.84 (Toronto symbol TIH; SI Rating: Extra Risk) (416-667-5511; www.toromont.com; Shares outstanding: 76.9 million; Market cap: $2.3 billion; Dividend yield: 2.1%) plans to break itself up into two publicly traded companies: Toromont, a distributor of Caterpillar and industrial equipment; and Enerflex, a supplier of natural-gas production and processing equipment. Under the proposed breakup, Enerflex will apply for its own listing on the Toronto exchange. Existing Toromont shareholders will then exchange each of their current Toromont shares for shares in both the new Toromont and Enerflex. As well, investors will not have to pay capital-gains taxes until they sell their new shares. After the breakup, the two companies will pay dividends that combined will equal the current annual rate of $0.64 per share paid by Toromont. That gives the shares a 2.1% yield. Toromont intends to seek shareholder approval for the transaction in the spring or early summer of 2011....

BAFFINLAND IRON MINES $1.16 (Toronto symbol BIM; SI Rating: Start-up) (416-364-8820; www.baffinland.com; Shares outstanding: 343.1 million; Market cap: $398.0 million; No dividends paid) has received a friendly $1.10 a share takeover offer from Luxembourg-based Arcelor-Mittal, the world’s largest steelmaker. Baffinland recently rejected a hostile, $0.80-per-share takeover offer from Nunavut Iron Ore Acquisition. Baffinland’s board of directors has recommended that its shareholders accept the $1.10-per-share offer from ArcelorMittal. All of Baffinland’s board members and management have agreed to tender their shares to the offer. As well, Baffinland’s largest shareholder, Resource Capital Funds, has entered into an agreement to tender its 23% stake. Baffinland is now trading at $1.16, or 5.5% above ArcelorMittal’s bid. This indicates that investors expect a higher bid from ArcelorMittal or another buyer....

DUNDEE CORP. $17 (Toronto symbol DC.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 73.8 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.dundeecorp.com) is a holding company with subsidiaries in three main areas: wealth management, real estate and resources. The company’s main asset is its 49% stake (61% voting interest) in DundeeWealth Inc. (Toronto symbol DW), which provides investment-management, securities-brokerage, financial-planning and investment-advisory services. DundeeWealth also owns the Dynamic family of mutual funds. In the three months ended September 30, 2010, Dundee- Wealth’s earnings jumped 104.7% from a year earlier. That’s mainly because rising stock markets have increased the value of its assets under management by 26.8%; DundeeWealth’s fee income varies with the value of these assets. Rising mutual-fund sales are also fuelling this subsidiary’s earnings. Dundee Corp. is a buy.