price to sales ratio

TELUS CORP. $33 (Toronto symbol T; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 645.7 million; Market cap: $21.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.0; Dividend yield: 4.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.telus.com) moved up on news that U.S.-based Verizon Communications (New York symbol VZ) is buying the 45% of the Verizon Wireless joint venture that it does not already own from U.K.-based Vodafone Group (Nasdaq symbol VOD)....

CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $82 (Toronto symbol CM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 400.0 million; Market cap: $32.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.9; Dividend yield: 4.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cibc.com) earned a record $943 million in its fiscal 2013 third quarter, which ended July 31, 2013....

MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES INC. $33 (Toronto symbol MBT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 67.7 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 5.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mts.ca) recently agreed to sell its Allstream subsidiary to Accelero Capital Holdings, a private firm controlled by Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris.

In 2004, the company paid $1.6 billion for Allstream, which provides integrated telephone, Internet and other communication services to over 50,000 businesses across Canada.

The sale price is $520 million....

Acquisitions and new products have spurred strong gains in Molson Coors shares (up 23% in the past year) and Andrew Peller (up 36%). Even so, both stocks still trade at low multiples to earnings. They also have long histories of rising dividends.

MOLSON COORS CANADA INC....

TIM HORTONS INC. $58 (Toronto symbol THI; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 151.0 million; Market cap: $8.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.8; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.timhortons.com) has opened its first coffee-and-donut store in Kuwait under its franchise deal with Dubai-based Apparel Group....

GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $30 (Toronto symbol GWO; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $33.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 4.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.greatwestlifeco.com) earned $521 million in the three months ended June 30, 2013, up 6.8% from $488 million a year earlier....

ENBRIDGE INC. $42 (Toronto symbol ENB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $42.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 3.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.enbridge.com) has opened its first geothermal power plant....

METRO INC. $67 (Toronto symbol MRU; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 93.1 million; Market cap: $6.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.metro.ca) operates about 600 supermarkets in Quebec and Ontario....

A key part of our three-part investing approach is to downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight (the other two parts are invest mainly in well-established stocks and to spread your money out across the five main economic sectors).

Stanley is a good example of an out-of-the-limelight stock....

NEWELL RUBBERMAID INC. $25 (New York symbol NWL; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 288.0 million; Market cap: $7.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 2.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.newellrubbermaid.com), like Stanley (see left), is a good example of an out-of-the-limelight stock with long-term appeal.

Also like Stanley, Newell is selling its less profitable operations and focusing on products with greater growth potential, such as pens and tools for industrial users.

For example, it recently agreed to sell some of its hardware businesses, which make a variety of hooks, hinges, door knobs and paint brushes....