stanley

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are set up to mirror the performance of a stock market index or sub-index. They hold a more or less fixed selection of securities that represent the holdings that go into the calculation of the index or sub-index. ETFs trade on stock exchanges, just like stocks. That’s different from mutual funds, which you can only buy at the end of the day at a price that reflects the fund’s value at the close of trading. Prices of ETFs are quoted in newspaper stock tables and online. You pay brokerage commissions to buy and sell them, but their low management fees give them a cost advantage over most mutual funds....

STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $94 (New York symbol SWK; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 156.7 million; Market cap: $14.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.3; Dividend yield: 2.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.stanleyblack anddecker.com) earned $249.1 million in the third quarter of 2014, up 12.7% from $221.1 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 11.5% to $1.55 from $1.39, on more shares outstanding. Sales gained 5.2%, to $2.9 billion from $2.8 billion, as Stanley released new tools for consumers and industrial users. It also raised its prices. That offset lower sales of building-security systems, particularly in Europe, and the negative impact of currency exchange rates. Stanley Black & Decker is a buy....

STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $94 (New York symbol SWK; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 156.7 million; Market cap: $14.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.3; Dividend yield: 2.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.stanleyblack anddecker.com) earned $249.1 million in the third quarter of 2014, up 12.7% from $221.1 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 11.5% to $1.55 from $1.39, on more shares outstanding.

Sales gained 5.2%, to $2.9 billion from $2.8 billion, as Stanley released new tools for consumers and industrial users. It also raised its prices. That offset lower sales of building-security systems, particularly in Europe, and the negative impact of currency exchange rates.

Stanley Black & Decker is a buy.

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ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $11.76 (New York Exchange symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an ETF that tries to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan index.

The fund has now regained all of the ground it lost in the recent market downturn. Its latest rise came after the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan announced huge increases in their economic stimulus programs.

Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s so-called “Abenomics” strategy, the Bank of Japan has pumped money into the country’s economy. However, consumer spending has remained sluggish, especially after the government raised the sales tax to 8% from 5% on April 1, 2014.

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ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $11.76 (New York Exchange symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an ETF that tries to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan index. The fund has now regained all of the ground it lost in the recent market downturn. Its latest rise came after the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan announced huge increases in their economic stimulus programs. Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s so-called “Abenomics” strategy, the Bank of Japan has pumped money into the country’s economy. However, consumer spending has remained sluggish, especially after the government raised the sales tax to 8% from 5% on April 1, 2014....

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are set up to mirror the performance of a stock market index or sub-index. They hold a more or less fixed selection of securities that represent the holdings that go into the calculation of the index or sub-index. ETFs trade on stock exchanges, just like stocks. That’s different from mutual funds, which you can only buy at the end of the day, at a price that reflects the fund’s value at the close of trading. Prices of ETFs are quoted in newspaper stock tables and online. You pay brokerage commissions to buy and sell them, but their low management fees give them a cost advantage over most mutual funds....

ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $11.93 (New York Exchange symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an ETF that tries to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan index.

The fund’s top holdings include Toyota, 5.8%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, 2.8%; Softbank Corp., 2.4%; Honda Motor, 2.0%; Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, 1.9%; Mizuho Financial Group, 1.6%; Japan Tobacco, 1.4%; Hitachi, 1.4%; Canon, 1.4%; and Takeda Pharmaceutical, 1.3%.

The fund’s industry breakdown includes: Consumer Discretionary, 20.5%; Financials, 20.1%; Industrials, 19.9%; Information Technology, 10.9%; Consumer Staples, 6.8%; Health Care, 6.2%; Materials, 5.7%; Telecommunication Services, 5.6%; Utilities, 2.4%; and Energy, 1.3%.

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STANTEC INC. $72.86 (Toronto symbol STN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (780-917-7288; www.stantec.com; Shares outstanding: 46.8 million; Market cap: $3.4 billion; Dividend yield: 1.0%) plans to split its shares on a 2-for-1 basis, effective November 14, 2014. When a company’s share price goes up, it has an incentive to split the stock to make it seem cheaper to investors, who may then buy more. This can make the stock more liquid than if the firm refrained from splits and let its share price go to uncommonly high levels. Shares of Stantec are up 1,982% since we first recommended the company (then called Stanley Technology Group) at $3.50 in one of our first issues of Stock Pickers Digest in 1998....

SASOL LTD. (ADR), $56.09, symbol SSL on New York, has developed a technology to convert coal and natural gas into motor fuels. The company is the world’s largest producer of fuel from coal at its Secunda, South Africa, facility. It also makes synthetic fuels from natural gas at plants in Qatar and Nigeria. As well, Sasol produces chemicals, oil and gas in Africa. It’s also South Africa’s third-largest coal producer. In its 2014 fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2014, Sasol’s revenue rose 19.3%, to 202.7 billion South African rand (1 rand = $0.1039 U.S.) from 169.9 billion rand in fiscal 2013. Earnings per ADR rose 14.3%, to a record 60.16 rand from 52.62 rand. Oil prices were relatively flat, and chemical prices were higher. The U.S. dollar also rose against the rand, increasing the value of Sasol’s sales outside South Africa....

We think conservative investors could hold up to 10% of their portfolios in foreign stocks. One way to do that is to buy carefully chosen exchange traded funds (ETFs) that have an overseas focus. The best ETFs offer very low management fees and well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of highquality stocks. Here’s a look at six global ETFs:...