investment
An investment is an asset or property acquired to generate income or gain appreciation. Appreciation is the increase in the value of an asset over time. It requires the outlay of a resource today, like time, effort, and money, for a greater payoff in the future or for generating a profit.
An investment involves using capital in the present to increase an asset’s value over time.
Investments may include bonds, stocks, real estate, or alternative investments.
Investments can be diversified to reduce risk, though this may reduce the amount of earning potential.
In business contexts, investments are financial; however, consider how some people spend time to make higher incomes in the future (i.e. invest in a college education).
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Pennsylvania-based Vanguard Group is one of the world’s largest investment management companies. The group administers over $2 trillion U.S. in 170 mutual funds.
Vanguard, which went into business in 1975, offers low-fee index mutual funds. Generally speaking, Canadians can’t buy units of mutual funds that are registered in the U.S., because they aren’t registered with provincial securities commissions....
Vanguard, which went into business in 1975, offers low-fee index mutual funds. Generally speaking, Canadians can’t buy units of mutual funds that are registered in the U.S., because they aren’t registered with provincial securities commissions....
CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC., $549.29, symbol CMG on New York, is a Denver-based Mexican restaurant chain. In the three months ended December 31, 2013, Chipotle’s sales rose 20.7%, to $844.1 million from $699.2 million a year earlier. The company’s restaurants attracted more customers in the latest quarter, which pushed up same-restaurant sales by 9.3%. It also opened 56 new outlets, bringing its total to 1,595. For all of 2013, the company opened 185 restaurants. It plans to add 180 to 195 more this year. Earnings rose 29.6%, to $79.6 million from $61.6 million. Per-share earnings gained 31.1%, to $2.57 from $1.96, on fewer shares outstanding....
POWER CORP. $29.88 (Toronto symbol POW; Shares outstanding: 411.4 million; Market cap: $12.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Div. yield: 3.9%; www.powercorporation.com) is a diversified holding company. It holds its financial assets through 65.8%-owned Power Financial.
These financial assets include 68.1% of Great- West Lifeco, one of Canada’s largest life insurers (see column on page 9), and 58.7% of IGM Financial, a leading Canadian mutual fund provider.
Power Financial also owns 50% of holding company Parjointco, which holds 55.6% of Switzerland- listed Pargesa Holdings SA....
These financial assets include 68.1% of Great- West Lifeco, one of Canada’s largest life insurers (see column on page 9), and 58.7% of IGM Financial, a leading Canadian mutual fund provider.
Power Financial also owns 50% of holding company Parjointco, which holds 55.6% of Switzerland- listed Pargesa Holdings SA....
Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for specific investing advice as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle....
Northern Property REIT, $29.10, symbol NPR.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 31.9 million; Market cap: $928.3 million; www.npreit.com), is a real estate investment trust that focuses on managing multi-family residential properties, such as apartments and townhomes, in Canada’s north. The REIT gets 25% of its revenue from Nunavut and 25% from the Northwest Territories. Alberta is next, at 20%, followed by B.C. (16%) and Newfoundland (12%). Northern’s housing portfolio is divided into three segments: multi-family residential (including apartments, townhomes and single-family rental units), at 74% of revenue; “execu-suites” (furnished apartments for short-term lease), 9%; and commercial real estate, 17%....
INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC. (New York symbol IFF; www.iff.com) makes over 36,000 unique compounds that improve the taste of foods and the smell of a wide variety of consumer products. Major clients include Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Kraft, Unilever and General Mills....
AURICO GOLD (Toronto symbol AUQ; www.auricogold.com) operates the El Chanate gold mine in Mexico, which produced 71,864 ounces in 2013....
ALARMFORCE INDUSTRIES $10.75 (Toronto symbol AF; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (1-800- 267-2001; www.alarmforce.com; Shares outstanding: 12.0 million; Market cap: $128.6 million; Dividend yield: 0.9%) sells twoway voice-alarm systems and monitoring services in Canada and increasingly in the U.S.
In the quarter ended October 31, 2013, the company’s sales rose 10.8%, to $12.6 million from $11.4 million a year earlier. It earned $2.6 million, or $0.21 a share, up sharply from $708,539, or $0.06.
AlarmForce’s revenue rose along with its subscriber base. Earnings were sharply higher because it spent a lot less on marketing than a year ago, in the wake of the launch of its VideoRelay system. This service lets subscribers watch their homes through computers and smartphones. AlarmForce now has 6,600 VideoRelay subscribers, with 3,800 in Canada and 2,800 in the U.S.
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In the quarter ended October 31, 2013, the company’s sales rose 10.8%, to $12.6 million from $11.4 million a year earlier. It earned $2.6 million, or $0.21 a share, up sharply from $708,539, or $0.06.
AlarmForce’s revenue rose along with its subscriber base. Earnings were sharply higher because it spent a lot less on marketing than a year ago, in the wake of the launch of its VideoRelay system. This service lets subscribers watch their homes through computers and smartphones. AlarmForce now has 6,600 VideoRelay subscribers, with 3,800 in Canada and 2,800 in the U.S.
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