Pfizer Inc.
PFIZER INC. $33 (New York symbol PFE; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 6.2 billion; Market cap: $204.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.1; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pfizer.com) has agreed to merge with Irish drug maker Allergan plc (New York symbol AGN). Allergan makes a variety of drugs, including treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, depression, dry eye, enlarged prostate, overactive bladder, cystic fibrosis and bacterial infections. It also makes the anti-wrinkle drug Botox. Under the deal, Allergan shareholders will receive 11.3 Pfizer shares for each share they hold. That will give them a 44% stake in the combined company, which will be the world’s biggest pharmaceutical maker....
PFIZER INC. $33 (New York symbol PFE; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 6.2 billion; Market cap: $204.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.1; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pfizer.com) has agreed to merge with Irish drug maker Allergan plc (New York symbol AGN).
Allergan makes a variety of drugs, including treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, depression, dry eye, enlarged prostate, overactive bladder, cystic fibrosis and bacterial infections. It also makes the anti-wrinkle drug Botox.
Under the deal, Allergan shareholders will receive 11.3 Pfizer shares for each share they hold. That will give them a 44% stake in the combined company, which will be the world’s biggest pharmaceutical maker.
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Allergan makes a variety of drugs, including treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, depression, dry eye, enlarged prostate, overactive bladder, cystic fibrosis and bacterial infections. It also makes the anti-wrinkle drug Botox.
Under the deal, Allergan shareholders will receive 11.3 Pfizer shares for each share they hold. That will give them a 44% stake in the combined company, which will be the world’s biggest pharmaceutical maker.
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One of our top U.S. dividend stocks, Procter & Gamble knows which products to keep and which to sell off for greater long-term profits.
APPLE INC., $119.50, Nasdaq symbol AAPL, reported better-than-expected results this week, thanks to strong demand for new models of its iPhone and Mac computers.
In its fiscal 2015 fourth quarter, which ended September 26, 2015, the company sold 48.0 million iPhones, up 22.3% from 39.3 million a year earlier, mainly due to strong demand in China. Even so, that missed the consensus forecast of 48.7 million.
Overall earnings jumped 31.4% to $11.1 billion from $8.5 billion. Per-share profits gained 38.0%, to $1.96 from $1.42, on fewer shares outstanding, beating the consensus estimate of $1.88.
Sales rose 22.3%, to $51.5 billion from $42.1 billion, also exceeding the consensus forecast of $51.1 billion.
In addition to strong demand for the iPhone (63% of total sales), sales of Mac computers (13%) gained 3.9%, while sales of software, music and movies (10%) rose 10.4%. The company bundles its new Apple Watch with other products, like iPods and Beats headphones. Sales in this category (6%) jumped 60.7%.
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In its fiscal 2015 fourth quarter, which ended September 26, 2015, the company sold 48.0 million iPhones, up 22.3% from 39.3 million a year earlier, mainly due to strong demand in China. Even so, that missed the consensus forecast of 48.7 million.
Overall earnings jumped 31.4% to $11.1 billion from $8.5 billion. Per-share profits gained 38.0%, to $1.96 from $1.42, on fewer shares outstanding, beating the consensus estimate of $1.88.
Sales rose 22.3%, to $51.5 billion from $42.1 billion, also exceeding the consensus forecast of $51.1 billion.
In addition to strong demand for the iPhone (63% of total sales), sales of Mac computers (13%) gained 3.9%, while sales of software, music and movies (10%) rose 10.4%. The company bundles its new Apple Watch with other products, like iPods and Beats headphones. Sales in this category (6%) jumped 60.7%.
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Scotia Global Dividend Fund is a mutual fund that invests in dividend-paying stocks worldwide.
Its top holdings are Citigroup, UBS Group AG, Wells Fargo & Company, Nestlé SA, Procter & Gamble, Roche Holdings AG, Novartis AG, Mondelez International, Apple and Bayer AG.
Scotia Global Dividend Fund’s geographic breakdown includes the U.S., 48.7%; Switzerland, 11.2%; Canada, 9.7%; the U.K., 9.0%; and Germany, 3.3%.
The fund’s MER is 2.64%. It yields 2.2%.
The Scotia Global Dividend Fund holds mostly large-capitalization multinational companies. We don’t see any particular advantage in investing solely in the world’s biggest stocks, and we have no reason to believe the fund’s managers can create any such advantage. With that in mind, we see little appeal in exposing yourself to a 2.64% MER, so we don’t recommend the Scotia Global Dividend Fund.
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Its top holdings are Citigroup, UBS Group AG, Wells Fargo & Company, Nestlé SA, Procter & Gamble, Roche Holdings AG, Novartis AG, Mondelez International, Apple and Bayer AG.
Scotia Global Dividend Fund’s geographic breakdown includes the U.S., 48.7%; Switzerland, 11.2%; Canada, 9.7%; the U.K., 9.0%; and Germany, 3.3%.
The fund’s MER is 2.64%. It yields 2.2%.
The Scotia Global Dividend Fund holds mostly large-capitalization multinational companies. We don’t see any particular advantage in investing solely in the world’s biggest stocks, and we have no reason to believe the fund’s managers can create any such advantage. With that in mind, we see little appeal in exposing yourself to a 2.64% MER, so we don’t recommend the Scotia Global Dividend Fund.
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iShares Core S&P 500 Hedged ETF (CAD-Hedged), $23.17, symbol XSP on Toronto (Units outstanding: 125.4 million; Market cap: $2.9 billion; www.blackrock.com), holds the stocks in the S&P 500 Index, which is comprised of 500 major U.S. stocks chosen by market size, liquidity and industry group.
The index’s 10 highest-weighted stocks are Exxon Mobil, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, General Electric, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Pfizer. It has a 1.6% dividend yield.
iShares Core S&P 500 Hedged ETF (CAD-Hedged) is hedged against movements of the U.S. dollar against the Canadian dollar. The fund’s Canadian-dollar value rises and falls solely with the movements of the stocks in its portfolio.
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The index’s 10 highest-weighted stocks are Exxon Mobil, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, General Electric, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Pfizer. It has a 1.6% dividend yield.
iShares Core S&P 500 Hedged ETF (CAD-Hedged) is hedged against movements of the U.S. dollar against the Canadian dollar. The fund’s Canadian-dollar value rises and falls solely with the movements of the stocks in its portfolio.
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In the complex drug industry, Pfizer’s effective growth strategies—such as biosimilar drugs—make it one of our top U.S. dividend stocks.
ALCOA INC., $9.52, New York symbol AA, plans to split itself into two separate firms. One will focus on Alcoa’s upstream operations, which include mining bauxite ore and refining it into bulk aluminum products. This business will be the world’s fourth-largest aluminum producer, with $13.2 billion of annual revenue and gross earnings of $2.8 billion. The other company will focus on engineered aluminum products, such as components for cars and jet engines. This firm has $14.5 billion of annual revenue and gross earnings of $2.2 billion....
Drug stocks operate under distinct negatives. For example, new drugs take years to win regulatory approval, if ever. As well, they face increasing litigation and aggressive competition from generics. However, we feel Pfizer will continue to overcome these challenges. Its high research spending is letting it replace drugs whose patents are expiring. The company also recently acquired Hospira, an innovative firm that’s successfully developing and selling a new class of drugs called biosimilars. These treatments give Pfizer a new source of growth to offset sales lost to generic drug makers. The stock is up 65.0% for us since we first recommended it in our July 2011 issue, but we feel it still has plenty of gains ahead....
PFIZER INC. $33 (New York symbol PFE; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 6.2 billion; Market cap: $204.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.1; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pfizer.com) started up in 1942 and is now one of the world’s leading makers of prescription drugs. Top-selling brands include Lyrica (epilepsy), Celebrex (arthritis pain), Prevnar (pneumonia) and Enbrel (rheumatoid arthritis).
The company is also the world’s fifth-largest maker of overthe- counter treatments, including| Advil (pain relief), Centrum (vitamins) and Robitussin (cough syrup).
Pfizer’s revenue fell 19.5%, from $61.6 billion in 2010 to $49.6 billion in 2014. That’s mainly because it sold its nutrition division, which makes formula and other products for children, to Switzerland-based Nestle S.A. for $11.9 billion in 2012. In 2013, Pfizer set up its animalhealth business as a separate firm called Zoetis Inc. (New York symbol ZTS).
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The company is also the world’s fifth-largest maker of overthe- counter treatments, including| Advil (pain relief), Centrum (vitamins) and Robitussin (cough syrup).
Pfizer’s revenue fell 19.5%, from $61.6 billion in 2010 to $49.6 billion in 2014. That’s mainly because it sold its nutrition division, which makes formula and other products for children, to Switzerland-based Nestle S.A. for $11.9 billion in 2012. In 2013, Pfizer set up its animalhealth business as a separate firm called Zoetis Inc. (New York symbol ZTS).
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