monthly dividend

RUBY TUESDAY INC., $7.10, symbol RT on New York, reports that its revenue rose 0.8% in the three months ended September 4, 2012, to $332.9 million from $330.3 million a year earlier. Revenue rose even though the company closed 27 less-profitable restaurants. Same-restaurant sales rose 1.9%. Excluding one-time items, the company earned $0.05 a share in the latest quarter, unchanged from a year earlier. That matched the consensus estimate. The company owns 712 of its U.S. restaurants; franchisees operate 78 outlets in the U.S. and overseas....

CARFINCO FINANCIAL GROUP $9.98 (Toronto symbol CFN; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (1-888- 486-4356; www.carfinco.com; Shares outstanding: 24.6 million; Market cap: $245.5 million; Dividend yield: 4.8%) provides car loans to consumers who aren’t able to meet the criteria of traditional lenders, like banks.

The company offers its loans through 1,459 car dealers across Canada. About 60% of its loan portfolio is in western Canada, and 40% is in eastern Canada. The company recently entered the Quebec market.

In the three months ended June 30, 2012, Carfinco’s revenue rose 22.9%, to $17.7 million from $14.4 million a year earlier. The company loaned a record $36.8 million in the latest quarter, up 31.4% from $28.0 million.

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Natural gas prices have moved up to $3.22 per thousand cubic feet. That’s after dropping below $2 U.S. earlier this year, a 10-year low. Many producers cut back on exploration and development earlier this year when prices dropped. That’s now pushing up gas prices. But despite the jump, gas prices will remain volatile. Gas held in storage is still very high, and slow economic growth in the U.S. and Europe is holding back demand. But even so, the long-term outlook for natural gas prices, and for both Peyto and Bonavista, remains positive....

PEMBINA PIPELINE $26.86 (Toronto symbol PPL; Shares outstanding: 288.7 million; Market cap: $7.8 billion; TSI Network Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 6.0%; www.pembina.com) owns pipeline systems that transport half of Alberta’s conventional oil production, 30% of the natural gas liquids (NGLs) produced in Western Canada and virtually all of B.C.’s conventional oil output.

In the three months ended June 30, 2012, revenue rose 70.0%, to $870.9 million from $512.4 million a year earlier. In January 2012, it bought rival Provident Energy, which extracts, transports and stores NGLs, for $3.2 billion. Provident’s contribution was the main reason for the higher revenue.

Cash flow rose 9.4%, to $89.5 million from $81.8 million. However, cash flow per share fell 36.7%, to $0.31 from $0.49, because the company issued more shares to pay for Provident. Lower NGL prices held back Provident’s cash flow in the latest quarter. But over the longer term, the company should be a good fit with Pembina because it diversifies its business and provides additional growth prospects.

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Liquor Stores N.A. Ltd., $18.73, symbol LIQ on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 22.9 million; Market cap: $428.9 million; www.liquorstoresna.com), is North America’s largest private liquor store operator, with 242 outlets. Of that total, 176 are in Alberta, 35 are in B.C., 20 are in Alaska and 11 are in Kentucky. Liquor Stores’ banners include Liquor Depot, Liquor Barn and Brown Jug. Alberta privatized retail liquor sales in 1993, prompting Irv Kipnes to found Liquor Depot and Henry Bereznicki to start Liquor World that year. Kipnes and Bereznicki, both Edmonton-based real estate developers, merged their companies and founded Liquor Stores Income Fund in 2004. The fund first sold units to the public at $10 and began trading on Toronto in September 2004. Liquor Stores Income Fund converted to a regular corporation on December 31, 2010, in response to Ottawa’s income trust tax....

Growth by acquisition can be risky. Newly purchased companies may develop unforeseen problems, especially in an unsettled economy. But Pembina has cut that risk by buying a rival in a business it’s already a leader in — and Veresen focuses on adding plants with long-term sales contracts already in place. PEMBINA PIPELINE $26.86 (Toronto symbol PPL; Shares outstanding: 288.7 million; Market cap: $7.8 billion; TSI Network Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 6.0%; www.pembina.com) owns pipeline systems that transport half of Alberta’s conventional oil production, 30% of the natural gas liquids (NGLs) produced in Western Canada and virtually all of B.C.’s conventional oil output. In the three months ended June 30, 2012, revenue rose 70.0%, to $870.9 million from $512.4 million a year earlier. In January 2012, it bought rival Provident Energy, which extracts, transports and stores NGLs, for $3.2 billion. Provident’s contribution was the main reason for the higher revenue....

PENGROWTH ENERGY $6.44 (Toronto symbol PGF; Shares outstanding: 498.5 million; Market cap: $3.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 7.5%; www.pengrowth.com) has cut its monthly dividend by 42.9%, to $0.04 a share from $0.07. With the cut, the new annual dividend rate of $0.48 a share yields 7.5%.

The company’s selling prices for oil and natural gas have fallen, and it wants to conserve cash for potential acquisitions and investments in promising new projects, such as its Lindbergh oil sands development in Alberta.

The savings will also help Pengrowth integrate oil producer NAL Energy Corp., which it recently purchased.

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BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY $7.00 (Toronto symbol BIR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-261-6401; www.birchcliffenergy.com; Units outstanding: 141.4 million; Market cap: $989.8 million; No dividends paid) develops, produces and explores for oil and natural gas, mainly in the Peace River Arch area near the Alberta/B.C. border. About 75% of Birchcliff’s production is natural gas. The remaining 25% is oil. Prominent Toronto investor Seymour Schulich is the company’s largest shareholder; he owns about 28% of its outstanding shares. In the three months ended June 30, 2012, Birchcliff’s production rose 27.2%, to 22,039 barrels of oil equivalent per day (including natural gas) from 17,324 barrels a year earlier....

WAJAX CORP. $45.65 (Toronto symbol WJX; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (905-212-3300; www.wajax.ca; Shares outstanding:16.7 million; Market cap: $762.3 million; Dividend yield: 7.1%) sells and services heavy equipment, including cranes and forklifts. It also sells related parts (such as bearings, motors, hoses and fittings) and power systems (including diesel engines and transmissions). Wajax operates through 117 dealerships across Canada. Its customers are in the natural resource, construction, manufacturing, industrial processing and transportation industries. In the three months ended June 30, 2012, the company’s revenue rose 15.7%, to $386.6 million from $334.1 million a year earlier. That was largely due to increased sales of mining equipment and record sales of Hitachi construction excavators in western Canada. Those gains offset lower sales of power systems to western Canadian oil and gas drillers....

WAJAX CORP. $45.65 (Toronto symbol WJX; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (905-212-3300; www.wajax.ca; Shares outstanding:16.7 million; Market cap: $762.3 million; Dividend yield: 7.1%) sells and services heavy equipment, including cranes and forklifts. It also sells related parts (such as bearings, motors, hoses and fittings) and power systems (including diesel engines and transmissions).

Wajax operates through 117 dealerships across Canada. Its customers are in the natural resource, construction, manufacturing, industrial processing and transportation industries.

In the three months ended June 30, 2012, the company’s revenue rose 15.7%, to $386.6 million from $334.1 million a year earlier. That was largely due to increased sales of mining equipment and record sales of Hitachi construction excavators in western Canada. Those gains offset lower sales of power systems to western Canadian oil and gas drillers.

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