holding company
GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. $29 (New York symbol GE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 10.0 billion; Market cap: $290.0 billion; WSSF Rating: Above average) is one of the world’s largest industrial companies. It operates in six main segments: Infrastructure (33% of 2007 revenue, 37% of profit); Commercial Finance (20%, 21%); Consumer finance (18%, 14%); Healthcare (10%, 11%); Industrial (10%, 6%); and Media (9%, 11%). The company now plans to shed some of its slowgrowing businesses, and focus on its more promising operations. Consequently, GE will spin off its Consumer & Industrial division to its stockholders as a separate company next year. These businesses make household appliances, light bulbs and electrical equipment. The spinoff should help GE unlock value, and reduce its holding-company discount....
DUNDEE CORP. $14 (Toronto symbol DC.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 75.6 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; SI Rating: Average) is a holding company with subsidiaries in three main areas: wealth management, real estate and resources. Its main asset is its 45% stake (59% voting interest) in DundeeWealth Inc., which offers wealth management services and owns the Dynamic family of mutual funds. Dundee recently reorganized its wealth management operations. It sold Dundee Bank of Canada, a Schedule I Chartered Bank, to Bank of Nova Scotia for $260 million. Scotiabank also purchased $348.3 million of non-voting shares in DundeeWealth, which gave it an 18% economic interest. Thanks mainly to gains from asset sales, Dundee’s earnings from continuing operations in 2007 jumped to $3.49 a share (total $277.6 million) from $1.19 a share ($98.6 million) in 2006. Revenue rose 27.3%, to $1.4 billion from $1.1 billion. The market value of the company’s investment portfolio, excluding its consolidated subsidiaries, was $5.33 per Dundee share at December 31, 2007....
We think it’s a good idea to diversify your Finance sector holdings with non-bank financial stocks, such Home Capital and Dundee Corp. These two are much more aggressive than the big five banks. However, Home Capital’s growth prospects and Dundee’s value help offset their risk. HOME CAPITAL GROUP INC. $41 (Toronto symbol HCG; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 34.5 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; SI Rating: Extra risk) is the parent company of Home Trust Company, a federally regulated trust company that specializes in residential first mortgages to small business owners, the self-employed and others who don’t meet the stricter criteria of larger, traditional lenders. The stock fell to $30 in January 2008, mostly due to the ongoing writedowns of U.S. subprime residential mortgages by other lenders. However, Home Capital has no exposure to the U.S. Its conservative lending policies have also helped keep its credit losses down....
FORDING CANADIAN COAL TRUST $71 (Toronto symbol FDG.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Units outstanding: 148.7 million; Market cap: $10.6 billion; SI Rating: Average) is one of the world’s leading producers of metallurgical coal, a key ingredient in steelmaking. It came into existence as part of the break-up in October 2001 of the old Canadian Pacific holding company, rather than a new issue from a broker. Fording’s reserves should last 25 years at current production rates. Fording’s main asset is its 60% stake in the Elk Valley Coal Partnership, which operates six coal mines in British Columbia and Alberta. Teck Cominco owns the remaining 40% of Elk Valley, and operates the partnership. Teck also owns 19.95% of Fording’s units, which gives it an effective 52% stake in Elk Valley. In the first quarter of 2008, Fording’s earnings before unusual items fell 45.8%, to $0.26 a unit from $0.48 a year earlier. Cash flow per share fell 28.3%, to $0.38 from $0.53. Sales fell 5.3%, to $332.0 million from $350.5 million. Lower coal prices offset a 22% jump in production. Fording sells its coal in U.S. dollars, so it’s also vulnerable to the rising Canadian dollar....
The main drawback to most income and royalty trusts is that many of them contain low quality assets. We aim to zero in on trusts with high quality assets that provide stable cash flows and distributions. Even the best trusts, such as these three, are still highly cyclical. However, we feel they will continue to pay above-average yields, even after Ottawa starts taxing trust distributions in 2011. Investors should limit their income trust holdings to no more than 15% of their overall portfolio....
POWER CORPORATION $34.10 (Toronto symbol POW; SI Rating: Above average) is a diversified holding company. Power Corp. controls one of Canada’s largest mutual-fund companies, IGM Financial, and Great-West Lifeco, one of the largest life insurers. Power Financial, 66.4% held, is a holding company for Power Corp.'s financial assets, including 72.9% of Great-West Lifeco and 58.4% of IGM Financial. As well, Power Financial holds 50% of Parjointco, which in turn owns a 54.3% interest in Swiss-listed Pargesa Holdings SA. Pargesa has 95% of its assets in five large European companies: Imerys (minerals processing), Total SA (world’s fourthlargest oil firm), Pernod Ricard (wine and spirits), Suez (energy, water and waste services) and Lafarge SA (cement and building materials). Power Corp. also owns 100% of Gesca Ltée, which publishes Montreal’s La Presse and six other daily newspapers. In the three months ended December 31, 2007, Power Corp.'s earnings rose 21.1%, to $350 million or $0.70 a share, from $289 million or $0.57 a share. Great-West Lifeco contributed $250 million to Power Corp.'s earnings and IGM Financial contributed $87 million....
Power Corp. has moved down this year along with most financial services related stocks. But both of its major holdings are leaders in their fields, are now cheap in relation to earnings and have long histories of rising dividends. POWER CORPORATION $34.10 (Toronto symbol POW; SI Rating: Above average) is a diversified holding company. Power Corp. controls one of Canada’s largest mutual-fund companies, IGM Financial, and Great-West Lifeco, one of the largest life insurers. Power Financial, 66.4% held, is a holding company for Power Corp.'s financial assets, including 72.9% of Great-West Lifeco and 58.4% of IGM Financial. As well, Power Financial holds 50% of Parjointco, which in turn owns a 54.3% interest in Swiss-listed Pargesa Holdings SA. Pargesa has 95% of its assets in five large European companies: Imerys (minerals processing), Total SA (world’s fourthlargest oil firm), Pernod Ricard (wine and spirits), Suez (energy, water and waste services) and Lafarge SA (cement and building materials). Power Corp. also owns 100% of Gesca Ltée, which publishes Montreal’s La Presse and six other daily newspapers....
POWER CORPORATION $40.52 (Toronto symbol POW; SI Rating: Above average) is a diversified holding company. Power Corp., founded in the 1920s to develop hydroelectric power, now controls one of Canada’s largest mutual-fund companies, IGM Financial, and Great- West Lifeco, one of the largest life insurers. Power Financial, 66.4% held, is a holding company for Power Corp.'s financial assets, including 72.9% of Great-West Lifeco and 58.4% of IGM Financial. As well, Power Financial holds 50% of Parjointco, which in turn owns a 54.3% interest in Swiss-listed Pargesa Holdings SA. Pargesa has 95% of its assets in five large European companies: Imerys (minerals processing), Total SA (world’s fourth-largest oil firm), Pernod Ricard (wine and spirits), Suez (energy, water and waste services) and Lafarge SA (cement and building materials.) Power Corp. also owns 100% of Gesca Ltée, which publishes Montreal’s La Presse and six other daily newspapers....
As a holding company, Power Corp. trades at an estimated 15% discount to the break-up value of its assets. But even without a reorganization or restructuring, Power Corp. has considerable investment appeal. POWER CORPORATION $40.52 (Toronto symbol POW; SI Rating: Above average) is a diversified holding company. Power Corp., founded in the 1920s to develop hydroelectric power, now controls one of Canada’s largest mutual-fund companies, IGM Financial, and Great- West Lifeco, one of the largest life insurers. Power Financial, 66.4% held, is a holding company for Power Corp.'s financial assets, including 72.9% of Great-West Lifeco and 58.4% of IGM Financial. As well, Power Financial holds 50% of Parjointco, which in turn owns a 54.3% interest in Swiss-listed Pargesa Holdings SA. Pargesa has 95% of its assets in five large European companies: Imerys (minerals processing), Total SA (world’s fourth-largest oil firm), Pernod Ricard (wine and spirits), Suez (energy, water and waste services) and Lafarge SA (cement and building materials.)...
SHERMAG INC. $1.74 (Toronto symbol SMG; SI Rating: Speculative) (819-566-1515; www.shermag.com; Shares outstanding: 13.3 million; Market cap: $23.7 million) has suffered the past few years from the strength of the Canadian dollar, which raises its export prices to the U.S. market, and from high production expenses. Shermag has started to close plants and shift production to China to cut costs. However, it’s still losing money. Shermag reported 31% lower sales in its fiscal first quarter ended June 29, 2007, to $29.3 million from $42.5 million. The company lost $0.29 a share, compared to a loss $0.33 a share a year earlier. Last year it lost $1.30 a share, and the year before $2.39 a share.