price to sales ratio

NVIDIA CORP. $37 (Nasdaq symbol NVDA; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 544.6 million; Market cap: $20.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.9; Dividend yield: 1.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.nvidia .com) is a leading designer of 3D-capable video chips, which help video games run more smoothly and appear more lifelike. In the fiscal year ended January 31, 2016, Nvidia’s revenue rose 7.0%, to a record $5.0 billion from $4.7 billion a year earlier. Sales of its graphic video chips (84% of the total revenue) gained 9.1%. That’s because Nvidia is doing a good job developing chips for virtual reality devices, self-driving cars and data centres. However, sales of its Tegra chips for mobile devices (11%) fell 3.5%. Licensing revenues (5%) were flat. Nvidia earned $929 million in fiscal 2016. That’s up 16.0% from $801 million a year earlier. Per-share profits rose 17.6%, to $1.67 from $1.42, on fewer shares outstanding....

MICROSOFT CORP. $51 (Nasdaq symbol MSFT; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 7.9 billion; Market cap: $402.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.6; Dividend yield: 2.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.microsoft.com) is the world’s largest software company. Its Windows operating system powers about 90% of the world’s personal computers. Microsoft’s other main product— its Office suite, which includes a word processor (Word) and spreadsheet program (Excel)— controls 90% of its market. The company also makes computer-hardware products, including its Xbox video game console and Surface tablet computer. High U.S. dollar dampens results ...

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD. $192 (Toronto symbol CP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 153.0 million; Market cap: $29.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.2; Dividend yield: 0.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cpr.ca) has abandoned its plan to merge with U.S.-based railway Norfolk Southern Corp. (New York symbol NSC). The combination would have created North America’s largest railway. Norfolk rejected CP’s latest offer of about $30 billion U.S. in cash and shares. In addition, U.S. transportation regulators probably would have blocked any deal no matter how CP structured the transaction. CP’s shares gained 5% on the news. That’s because big acquisitions like this usually come with substantial risk. In addition, investors feel that CP will now use some of the cash it had for the takeover to buy back shares....

EMERA INC. $47 (Toronto symbol EMA; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 148.2 million; Market cap: $7.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 4.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.emera.com) owns 100% of Nova Scotia Power, that province’s main electricity supplier. It also owns or invests in power plants and natural gas pipelines in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Emera recently agreed to purchase TECO Energy (New York symbol TE). It supplies electricity and natural gas to 1.05 million customers in Tampa Bay, Florida. A separate subsidiary distributes gas to 510,000 clients in New Mexico. The company will pay $10.4 billion U.S., including TECO’s debt. Emera will probably sell new shares to help pay off the short-term loans it needs to finance the deal....

FORTIS INC. $40 (Toronto symbol FTS; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 283.1 million; Market cap: $11.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend yield 3.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.fortisinc.com) owns electrical utilities across Canada and in the U.S. and Caribbean. It also distributes natural gas in British Columbia. In February 2016, Fortis agreed to buy ITC Holdings Corp. (New York symbol ITC), which owns 25,100 kilometres of high-voltage power lines in the U.S. Midwest. Fortis is paying $6.9 billion U.S. in cash and shares; ITC shareholders will own 27% of the combined company. Fortis will also list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange; its shares will continue to trade in Toronto....

CANADIAN UTILITIES LTD. (Toronto symbols CU [class A non-voting] $35 and CU.X [class B voting] $35; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 267.0 million; Market cap: $9.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.8; Dividend yield: 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadianutilities.com) distributes electricity and natural gas in Alberta and Australia. It also operates 15 power plants in Canada (13) and Australia (2). ATCO Ltd. (see right) owns 53.1% of the company. Due to lower power prices in Alberta and the sale of its information technology subsidiary, the company’s earnings in 2015 dropped 50.5%, to $352 million from $711 million in 2014. Per-share earnings fell 56.0%, to $1.11 from $2.52 on more shares outstanding. Without unusual items, earnings fell 16.0%. Revenue declined 9.3%, to $3.3 billion from $3.6 billion. In December 2015, the company completed and started operating a 485-kilometre power line in eastern Alberta. This is the longest transmission line in Alberta’s history. Other new projects include a gas pipeline and power plant in Mexico, and four underground gas-storage facilities in Alberta....

ATCO LTD. (Toronto symbols ACO.X [class I non-voting] $39 and ACO.Y [class II voting] $39; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 115.0 million; Market cap: $4.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.atco.com) gets most of its earnings from its 53.1% stake in Canadian Utilities (see page 44). It also owns 75.5% of ATCO Structures & Logistics, which makes temporary buildings for construction, mining and energy exploration firms; Canadian Utilities owns the other 24.5%. In December 2015, the company sold its ATCO Emissions Management subsidiary for $60 million. This business helps producers of oil, gas and electricity reduce air and noise pollution....

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $40 (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $33.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 1.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.imperialoil.ca) plans to expand its oil sands operations in the Cold Lake area of northern Alberta. In 2015, Cold Lake supplied 158,000 barrels a day, or 43% of Imperial’s average daily production of 366,000 barrels a day. This expansion will cost $2 billion. It should produce an additional 50,000 barrels a day by 2022. Imperial’s expertise with solvent assisted, steam-assisted gravity drainage technology should help cut its operating costs. That process also creates fewer greenhouse gasses than conventional extraction methods. Imperial Oil is a buy.

CENOVUS ENERGY INC. $18 (Toronto symbol CVE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 833.2 million; Market cap: $15.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 1.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cenovus.com) owns oil sands projects and conventional wells in Western Canada. It ships its oil to its 50%-owned refineries in Illinois and Texas. Due to low oil prices, Cenovus has shrunk its workforce by 31% since the start of 2015. These cuts should save it $200 million this year; it lost $403 million, or $0.49 a share, in 2015. The cuts should also help Cenovus quickly expand profits when oil prices recover. Cenovus is still a buy.

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD. $192 (Toronto symbol CP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 153.0 million; Market cap: $29.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.2; Dividend yield: 0.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cpr.ca) has abandoned its plan to merge with U.S.-based railway Norfolk Southern Corp. (New York symbol NSC). The combination would have created North America’s largest railway. Norfolk rejected CP’s latest offer of about $30 billion U.S. in cash and shares. In addition, U.S. transportation regulators probably would have blocked any deal no matter how CP structured the transaction. CP’s shares gained 5% on the news. That’s because big acquisitions like this usually come with substantial risk. In addition, investors feel that CP will now use some of the cash it had for the takeover to buy back shares....