price to sales ratio

EMERA INC. $42 (Toronto symbol EMA; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 145.3 million; Market cap: $6.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 4.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. emera.com) is buying Teco Energy (New York symbol TE), which supplies electricity and natural gas to 1.05 million customers in Tampa Bay, Florida and surrounding areas. A separate subsidiary distributes gas to 510,000 customers in New Mexico. This a big purchase for Emera, which will pay $6.5 billion U.S. in cash. If you include Teco’s debt, the deal is worth $10.4 billion U.S., or 2.3 times Emera’s current market cap. After Emera completes the purchase in mid-2016, it will have $20 billion U.S. of assets (56% in Florida, 23% in Canada, 10% in New England, 6% in New Mexico and 5% in the Caribbean). Regulated utilities will provide 80% of the combined company’s earnings....

As part of our three-prong approach to investing, we recommend investors spread their money out across the five main economic sectors: Manufacturing, Resources, Consumer Goods, Finance and Utilities. We also advise investing mainly in well-established companies, and downplaying stocks in the broker/media limelight. Due to recent stock market turmoil, investor interest in one of the less-volatile sectors—Consumer Goods—is rising. That includes the three Canadian retailers we analyze below. All are profiting from recent acquisitions, while their upgraded stores are attracting more shoppers. They’re also rolling out effective loyalty programs that spur repeat visits....

TECK RESOURCES LTD. $9.15 (Toronto symbol TCK.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 576.2 million; Market cap: $5.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.teck.com) and Goldcorp Inc. (Toronto symbol G) have agreed to merge their copper projects in Chile into a new 50/50 joint venture by the end of 2015. The new venture will hold Teck’s proposed Relincho mine and Goldcorp’s El Morro project. The two properties are just 40 kilometres apart, so there are plenty of opportunities to cut overlapping costs. For example, the partners plan to transport ore from El Morro to Relincho for processing. It would cost $3.5 billion U.S. to build these mines and related infrastructure (Teck’s share is $1.75 billion U.S.). However, their combined reserves would last 32 years....

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $59 (Toronto symbol BNS; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $70.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 4.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.scotiabank.com) earned $1.85 billion in its fiscal 2015 third quarter, which ended July 31, 2015, up 2.8% from $1.80 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 3.6%, to $1.45 from $1.40, on fewer shares outstanding. However, revenue fell 5.6%, to $6.1 billion from $6.5 billion, mainly because the bank sold most of its shares in mutual fund provider CI Financial (Toronto symbol CIX) in 2014. Earnings at the Canadian banking division (49% of total profits) rose 14.9% on improving loan and deposit growth. The international division (30%) saw its earnings rise 10.5%, thanks to strong loan demand in Latin America and favourable currency exchange rates....

PRECISION DRILLING CORP. $5.43 (Toronto symbol PD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resource sector; Shares outstanding: 292.9 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 5.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.precisiondrilling.com) provides contract drilling services to land-based oil and gas producers, mainly in North America, through 329 rigs. Even though low oil and gas prices have slowed drilling activity, demand for Precision’s Super Series rigs remains strong. That’s because these rigs can reach deeper pockets of oil than regular rigs. The company recently received a order for a new Super Series rig. As a result, it now plans to spend $546 million on new rigs and other upgrades in 2015, up 7.9% from its previous estimate of $506 million....

Consumers are increasingly switching to higher priced wines and beers. That’s good news for Molson Coors and Andrew Peller (see box), as these premium brands are more profitable than their regular products. That gives both companies plenty of room to keep raising their dividends. MOLSON COORS CANADA INC. (Toronto symbols TPX.A $91 and TPX.B $91; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 185.0 million; Market cap: $16.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.0; Dividend yield: 2.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.molson coors.com) merged its U.S. brewing operations with those of rival SABMiller in July 2008 to form MillerCoors. Each company has a 50% voting interest in this joint venture, but Miller gets 58% of the profits, while Molson Coors gets 42%. Since the merger, MillerCoors has saved roughly $1 billion by combining plants and distribution networks (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars)....

ANDREW PELLER LTD. $18 (Toronto symbol ADW.A; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 14.3 million; Market cap: $257.4 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.andrewpeller.com) is Canada’s second-largest producer of wines, after Constellation Brands. The company continues to successfully launch new premium priced brands. In the first quarter of its 2016 fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2015, Peller’s sales rose 4.5%, to $83.1 million from $79.5 million a year earlier. Earnings jumped 67.5%, to $6.7 million, or $0.48 a share, from $4.0 million, or $0.29. Without unusual items, such as losses on hedging contracts Peller uses to lock in foreign exchange rates, earnings gained 40.3%....

MAPLE LEAF FOODS INC. $22 (Toronto symbol MFI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 140.8 million; Market cap: $3.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mapleleaf.ca) gets 8% of its revenue by exporting packaged meats to the U.S., and the lower Canadian dollar makes these products cheaper to American buyers. The weak dollar also makes imported meats more expensive in Canada. These benefits come while Maple Leaf takes steps to improve its long-term outlook, including a major restructuring involving closing older plants and shifting their operations to newer facilities. However, it could take a year or more before the company realizes the plan’s full benefits. Maple Leaf Foods is a hold....

CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $94 (Toronto symbol CM; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 397.2 million; Market cap: $37.3 billion;Price-to-sales ratio: 3.0; Dividend yield: 4.8%; TSINetwork Rating:Above Average; www.cibc.com) earned $990 million in its fiscal2015 third quarter, which ended July 31, 2015, up 9.0% from $908million a year earlier. Earnings per share gained 9.9%, to $2.45from $2.23, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue improved 4.9%,to $3.5 billion from $3.4 billion. CIBC’s main Canadian retail banking operations (61% of the total) reported 8.0% higher profits after approving more loans and setting aside less money to cover potential defaults. Earnings from securities trading (26%) fell 4.3%, as higher employee salaries offset improving trading volumes. Wealth management earnings(13%) gained 15.7%, thanks to rising stock markets, which increased the value of the assets this business administers. Loan-loss provisions fell 3.1%, to $189 million from $195 million ayear earlier, mainly due to better results from CIBC’s credit card portfolio....

CEDAR FAIR L.P. $53 (New York symbol FUN; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Units outstanding: 56.0 million; Market cap: $3.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; Dividend yield: 5.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cedarfair.com) began operating in 1987 and is now one the world’s largest amusement park operators. Its parks attracted more than 23.3 million visitors in 2014.

Its flagship park is Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio, which was first developed as a recreational area in 1870. Other major parks include Knott’s Berry Farm near Los Angeles, Kings Island in Cincinnati, Dorney Park in Pennsylvania and Adventure in central Michigan. In 2006, Cedar Fair expanded outside the U.S. for the first time when it purchased Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto.

In all, it owns 11 amusement parks, three outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels.

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