recent acquisitions

BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS INC., $214.47, is a buy. The company, symbol BR on New York, serves the investment industry in three main areas: investor communications, securities processing, and transaction clearing.

Broadridge is best known for processing and distributing proxies and regulatory filings for nearly every publicly traded U.S....

Sales of drug maker AbbVie’s main product, Humira, have suffered lately due to competition from generic versions. However, recent acquisitions have strengthened the pharmaceutical giant’s development portfolio; that bodes well for more dividend increases.


ABBVIE INC....

The outcome of CNN’s June 27 debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden seems to have set off a political firestorm in the U.S., and not just between Republicans and Democrats. The debate also seems to have set off a secondary firestorm within the Democratic party, between members who claim the other side of the party should have known about or revealed Biden’s cognitive failings, and those who say his condition is not as bad as it looks.

My advice: don’t waste your time with the endless sniping now underway in the media....

Pandemic lockdowns provided Electronic Arts and Warner Music with a big boost. Electronic Arts has mostly held onto those gains, while Warner Music has given some of them back. Either way, we like their prospects for growth despite their competitive markets. Plus, each is priced for new buying.


ELECTRONIC ARTS, $138.13, is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol EA; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (www.ea.com; Shares outstanding: 265.7 million; Market cap: $36.7 billion; Dividend yield: 0.6%) is a developer of video games for play on consoles, PCs, and mobile devices....

MERCK & CO. INC., $125.54, is a buy. The drugmaker (symbol MRK on New York) is a pharmaceutical leader in oncology, acute-care and animal health drugs as well as vaccines.

Merck has just agreed to acquire privately held biotech EyeBio for as much as $3 billion....

EDGEWELL PERSONAL CARE CO., $38.95, symbol EPC on New York, is a leading consumer products company whose brands include Schick, Wilkinson Sword, Edge, Playtex, Wet Ones, Banana Boat, and Hawaiian Tropic. It generates 59% of its revenue in the U.S. and 41% internationally.

Energizer Holdings Inc....

3M COMPANY, $105.26, New York symbol MMM, is still a buy for long-term gains.

The company makes over 55,000 consumer and industrial goods. Its main brands include Post-it notes, Scotch tape, Scotch-Brite cleaning products, Scotchguard protection and Thinsulate insulation.

On April 1, 2024, 3M completed its plan to spin off its Health Care division as an independent firm called SOLVENTUM CORP., $62.38, New York symbol SOLV, which is a hold. That business makes products to treat and prevent infection in wounds, dental filling materials, and filtration and purification products.

Shareholders received one share of Solventum for every four shares they held....

TWILIO INC., $60.10, symbol TWLO on Nasdaq, is a buy. The company offers a key service to software developers who create mobile apps. Specifically, its own software is used to connect apps to essential functions elsewhere on a device, including dealing with phone calls and messaging.

In the quarter ended March 31, 2024, revenue rose 4.0%, to $1.05 billion from $1.01 billion....

MCDONALD’S CORP., $270.31, New York symbol MCD, is your #1 Conservative Buy for 2024.

The company is the world’s largest fast-food chain with over 40,000 restaurants in 119 countries. It serves a wide variety of food but is best known for its hamburgers and french fries.

McDonald’s continues to benefit from its recent price hikes, which help offset rising labour and other operating costs....

Medical device maker Enovis (formerly called Colfax) spun off its non-medical businesses in 2022 as a separate firm called ESAB.


So far, the former parent is down 19% while the new firm is up an impressive 113%. We feel Enovis will turn around given it benefits from the aging population....