dividends paid

BLACKBERRY LTD. $13 (Toronto symbol BB; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 528.8 million; Market cap: $6.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; www.blackberry.com) plans to launch four new smartphones in 2015, including the Leap, which features a five-inch high-definition touch-screen display. The Leap features the company’s latest encryption technology, which should appeal to BlackBerry’s corporate and government clients.

The company has also extended its partnership with Samsung Electronics. Under the deal, Samsung will integrate BlackBerry’s mobile security software into its smartphones and tablets.

BlackBerry is a hold.

...

SIERRA WIRELESS $43.46 (Toronto symbol SW; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (604-231-1100; www.sierrawireless.com; Shares outstanding: 31.9 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; No dividends paid) makes modules that connect products to the Internet. This is known as machine-to-machine (M2M), or more generally as the Internet of Things. Web-connected products can be remotely monitored—and potentially fixed—before they cause a breakdown. For example, makers of smart electricity meters, such as Itron, use the company’s modules to connect their products to the web. Sierra’s technology can also warn carmakers of possible defects developing in vehicles. The company has grown quickly over the last five years, with revenue rising 53.2%, from $358.0 million in 2010 to $548.5 million in 2014 (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). It made $0.63 a share in 2014, up sharply from $0.23 in 2013....

AMERIGO RESOURCES $0.34 (Toronto symbol ARG; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (604-681-2802; www.amerigoresources.com; Shares outstanding: 173.7 million; Market cap: $59.0 million; No dividends paid) processes copper and molybdenum from waste rock at Chile’s El Teniente, the world’s largest underground copper mine. This rock comes from the mine’s current production and tailings from the nearby Colihues deposit. This contract runs at least through 2037. Amerigo gets 94% of its revenue by processing copper. The remaining 6% comes from molybdenum. In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Amerigo’s copper production fell 7.4%, to 11.35 million pounds from 12.25 million a year earlier. Molybdenum output declined 11.8%, to 160,107 pounds from 181,464....

ACI WORLDWIDE $21.09 (Nasdaq symbol ACIW; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (402-334-5101; www.tsainc.com; Shares outstanding: 114.9 million; Market cap: $2.4 billion; No dividends paid) makes software for processing transactions involving credit cards, debit cards, automated teller machines, point-of-sale terminals and interbank payments. The company’s products also help cut fraud. Clients include leading global retailers, plus two-thirds of the world’s 100 largest banks. ACI’s industry-leading products continue to attract prominent clients. For example, the company provides the technology behind Apple Inc.’s new mobile payment system, called Apple Pay. ACI’s revenue rose 17.5% in 2014 to $1.02 billion from $864.9 million in 2013. That was mainly due to contributions from acquisitions, including the purchase in August 2014 of Retail Decisions (ReD) for $205 million....

BCE INC. $53 (Toronto symbol BCE; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 840.5 million; Market cap: $44.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.1; Dividend yield: 4.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.bce.ca) has signed a new deal with Sun Life Financial (Toronto symbol SLF) that will cut some of the risk in its Bell Canada employees’ pension plan. Retired employees currently receive a monthly payment for the rest of their lives. However, many of these pensioners are living longer than expected, which is increasing BCE’s pension obligations. Under this new deal, BCE will pay monthly premiums to Sun Life, which will then make monthly payments into the plan for the lifetime of existing pensioners....

IDEXX LABORATORIES INC. $150 (Nasdaq symbol IDXX; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 47.1 million; Market cap: $7.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.8; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.idexx.com) earned $3.99 a share in 2014, up 14.7% from $3.48 in 2013. Sales rose 7.9%, to $1.5 billion from $1.4 billion.

These gains are mainly because veterinarians are buying more of Idexx’s equipment for detecting diseases in pets. That’s also spurring more demand for products vets must continuously replenish.

The company now sells its products in the U.S. directs to veterinarians instead of through distributors. That hurts its short-term growth, but should expand its future profit margins. However, the stock is expensive at 34.2 times the $4.38 a share that Idexx will probably earn in 2015.

...

TERADATA CORP. $43 (New York symbol TDC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 147.9 million; Market cap: $6.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.3; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.teradata .com) makes computers and software that capture and store large amounts of a business’s data. It then analyzes this information and identifies buying habits and other trends.

In 2014, Teradata’s earnings fell 1.5%, to $452 million from $459 million in 2013. But per-share earnings rose 3.6%, to $2.86 from $2.76, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue gained 1.5%, to $2.73 billion from $2.69 billion.

Strong competition from bigger firms, like IBM and Oracle, will likely cut Teradata’s 2015 earnings to $2.60 a share. The stock trades at a somewhat high 16.5 times that forecast.

...

KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES INC. $37 (New York symbol KEYS; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 168.0 million; Market cap: $6.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.keysight.com) makes gear for testing electronics.

The company sells its products to industrial clients, including computer chipmakers (43% of total revenue), communications equipment suppliers (34%) and aerospace and defence firms (23%).

In its fiscal 2015 first quarter, which ended January 31, 2015, Keysight’s revenue gained 4.5%, to $701 million from $671 million a year earlier. Without the negative impact of exchange rates, revenue rose 7%.

...

MITEL NETWORKS $12.87 (Toronto symbol MNW; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk)(613-592-2122; www.mitel.ca; Shares outstanding: 100.1 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; No dividends paid) develops and markets products centred on business telephone systems. This includes products that integrate land lines and mobile phones. The company also offers call centre and video conferencing products.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Mitel’s revenue jumped 108.1%, to $301.4 million from $144.8 million a year ago (all figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Most of the increase came from Aastra Technologies, which Mitel acquired in January 2014. Earnings per share rose 89.5%, to $0.36 from $0.19.

Mitel recently agreed to buy Mavenir Systems (symbol MVNR on New York) for $560 million U.S.

...

ACI WORLDWIDE $21.09 (Nasdaq symbol ACIW; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative)(402-334-5101; www.tsainc.com; Shares outstanding: 114.9 million; Market cap: $2.4 billion; No dividends paid) makes software for processing transactions involving credit cards, debit cards, automated teller machines, point-of-sale terminals and interbank payments. The company’s products also help cut fraud. Clients include leading global retailers, plus two-thirds of the world’s 100 largest banks.

ACI’s industry-leading products continue to attract prominent clients. For example, the company provides the technology behind Apple Inc.’s new mobile payment system, called Apple Pay.

ACI’s revenue rose 17.5% in 2014 to $1.02 billion from $864.9 million in 2013. That was mainly due to contributions from acquisitions, including the purchase in August 2014 of Retail Decisions (ReD) for $205 million.

...