merger

CHOICE PROPERTIES REIT $14 (Toronto symbol CHP.UN; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units o/s: 668.2 million; Market cap: $9.4 billion; Dividend yield: 5.3%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.choicereit.ca) acquired Canadian REIT (old symbol REF.UN) on May 7, 2018....

NEWMONT MINING CORP. $36 (New York symbol NEM; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 532.7 million; Market cap: $19.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; Dividend yield: 1.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.newmont.com) is one of the world’s largest gold and copper producers....

MOLSON COORS CANADA INC. (Toronto symbols TPX.A $88 and TPX.B $89; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 215.8 million; Market cap: $19.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Divd. yield: 2.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.molsoncoors.com) is one of the world’s largest brewers of beer....

ENCANA CORP. $9.20 (Toronto symbol ECA; Shares outstanding: 963.1 million; Market cap: $8.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 0.9%; www.encana.com) recently agreed to acquire Newfield Exploration for $7.7 billion U.S. Newfield operates shale oil and natural gas wells in the Stack and Scoop fields of Oklahoma, the Bakken region of North Dakota and Utah’s Uinta basin.


Encana aims to complete the merger in February 2019....

PFIZER INC. $42 (New York symbol PFE; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.8 billion; Market cap: $243.6 billion; Dividend yield: 3.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.pfizer.com) is one of the world’s leading prescription drugmakers....

We’ve selected CIBC, Cisco Systems and Choice Properties REIT as our top dividend picks for 2019. All three stocks offer high yields, and will likely increase their dividends this year. What’s more, each trades at an attractive multiple to its projected earnings or cash flow.


CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $110 (Toronto symbol CM; Income-Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 442.9 million; Market cap: $48.7 billion; Dividend yield: 4.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.cibc.com) is the smallest of Canada’s big five banks, with assets of $597.1 billion.


It last raised its quarterly dividend with the October 2018 payment....

WESTROCK CO. $40 (New York symbol WRK; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 255.1 million; Market cap: $10.2 billion; Dividend yield: 4.5%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.westrock.com) is a leading provider of packaging materials and systems....

GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. $8.98 (New York symbol GE, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 8.7 billion; Market cap: $78.1 billion; Dividend yield: 0.5%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.ge.com) recently announced a major restructuring that will narrow its focus to three main businesses: aviation operations (jet engines and aircraft electronics); electrical power equipment (such as turbines and related equipment for gas-fired and nuclear power plants); and renewable power equipment (wind farms and hydroelectric plants).


As a result, GE will spin off its healthcare operations as a separate firm....

NUTRIEN LTD. $65 (Toronto symbol NTR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 612.7 million; Market cap: $39.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 2.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.nutrien.com) took its current form on January 1, 2018, through the merger of Agrium (old symbol AGU) and rival fertilizer producer Potash Corp....

INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC. $131 (www.iff.com) recently completed its acquisition of Frutarom, an Israeli firm that makes over 70,000 flavouring products for over 30,000 customers in 150 countries. About 75% of those products come from natural sources....