investment

H&R and Choice Properties continue to shed their less-important holdings. Focusing on their top properties helps supports their current distributions, and sets the stage for future increases.


H&R REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $13 is a top pick for 2022. The REIT (Toronto symbol HR.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 288.4 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; Distribution yield: 4.0%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Average; www.hr-reit.com) recently spun off most of its retail properties, including all of its enclosed shopping malls, to a new publicly traded REIT (called Primaris REIT, see box) that it created with the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP).


H&R unitholders received one unit of Primaris for every four H&R units they held....

BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS INC. $151 is a buy. The company (New York symbol BR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares o/s: 116.8 million; Market cap: $17.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.2; Divd. yield: 1.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.broadridge.com) serves the investment industry in three main areas: investor communications, securities processing and transaction clearing.


In its fiscal 2022 second quarter, ended December 31, 2021, revenue rose 19.4%, to $1.26 billion from $1.05 billion a year earlier....

In a miserable situation like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it’s rare to hear good news. This past week, Russia carried out terror bombings of orphanages, maternity wards, hospitals and homes for the elderly. Meanwhile, some NATO members refused to close off Ukrainian airspace, or allow Ukraine’s neighbours to lend it their MIG jets....

MCDONALD’S CORP., $238.92, New York symbol MCD, is still a buy.

The company is the world’s largest fast-food chain, with over 39,000 restaurants in 119 countries. It serves a wide variety of food but is best known for its hamburgers and french fries....

ELI LILLY & CO., $276.44, is a buy. The company (New York symbol LLY; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average) (www.lilly.com; Shares o/s: 952.3 million; Market cap: $262.3 billion; Dividend yield: 1.4%) has announced that it’s building a new RNA medicine centre in Boston for $700 million....

We continue to see attractive investment opportunities for our subscribers in top drug stocks—and that includes AbbVie Inc. Over the years, meanwhile, we’ve found that spinoffs are about as close as you can get to a sure thing in investing. It’s one key reason why we think AbbVie, itself a spinoff, has further gains ahead for investors. We recommend this stock as a Power Buy.


ABBVIE INC., $156.05, is a buy. The company (New York symbol ABBV; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average) (www.abbvie.com; Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $275.7 billion; Dividend yield: 3.6%) was formed on January 3, 2013, when Abbott Laboratories (symbol ABT on New York) split into two publicly traded companies.


Since its spinoff from Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie has depended heavily on its Humira drug to drive both its sales and earnings....

Activist investors seek out the same hidden assets we look for, including assets that can be sold or spun off. However, we don’t agree with their assessment of these two targets.


HARLEY-DAVIDSON INC. $39 is a hold. The company (New York symbol HOG; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 153.9 million; Market cap: $6.0 billion; Dividend yield: 1.7%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.harley-davidson.com) is an American manufacturer of motorcycles, parts, accessories, and merchandise.


The company has now entered into a co-operation agreement with investment firm H Partners Management, which owns roughly 8% of the shares....

A: My view is that you should only buy insurance to protect yourself against catastrophic, unforeseeable losses. That’s why it’s essential to have fire and liability insurance on your house, plus liability and possibly collision on your car. To stretch a point, you might want to add kidnapping/ransom insurance, depending on your travel plans.

For life insurance, I only recommend straight term insurance....

As many of our readers know, I had the good fortune to get introduced to the stock market early in life, at age 16, when I got an after-school job with an investment writer. I learned a lot about the stock market in that job. More important, I gradually acquired a hypothetical pair of stock-market-sensitive goggles....

B. RILEY FINANCIAL INC., $63.42, symbol RILY on New York, is a diversified provider of financial services, including investment banking, wealth management, venture capital, and many others. Its focus is on small- and mid-cap companies. Founded in 1997, it went public in 2014.

On January 18, 2022, B....