Telus Corp.
Toronto symbol T.A, provides local and long distance telephone service in B.C., Alberta and parts of Quebec, and wireless service across Canada.
Shaw Communications, $27.49, symbol SJR.B on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 464.7 million; Market cap: $13.0 billion; www.shaw.ca), is one of Canada’s largest cable TV operators. It has 1.9 million basic cable subscribers (mostly in Western Canada), as well as 854,389 satellite customers through its ownership of Shaw Direct. The company also provides high-speed Internet to 1.9 million clients and telephone services to 1.4 million. In September 2014, Shaw completed its $1.2-billion purchase of Colorado-based ViaWest, a privately held operator of data centres, cloud storage and information technology services. ViaWest has 27 data centres in the western U.S. In the three months ended February 28, 2015, Shaw’s revenue rose 4.9%, to $1.34 billion from $1.27 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share fell 26.1%, to $0.34 from $0.46, mostly due to one-time costs related to a restructuring of its customer service call centres that included cutting 1,600 employees. Cash flow per share fell 1.3%, to $0.77 from $0.78....
TELUS $42.07 (Toronto symbol T; Shares outstanding: 609.0 million; Market cap: $25.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.8%; www.telus.com) continues to expand its health care division, which helps doctors, pharmacies and hospitals convert patient records and other information to electronic formats.
The company recently paid an undisclosed sum for Quebec-based Medesync, a privately held maker of cloud-based software that lets doctors access patient data and other information from any computer or mobile device. Medesync’s software also makes it easier for doctors to schedule checkups, view test results and process billing.
As well, Medesync is linked to over 3,000 Quebec pharmacies, so doctors can submit a patient’s prescription directly.
...
The company recently paid an undisclosed sum for Quebec-based Medesync, a privately held maker of cloud-based software that lets doctors access patient data and other information from any computer or mobile device. Medesync’s software also makes it easier for doctors to schedule checkups, view test results and process billing.
As well, Medesync is linked to over 3,000 Quebec pharmacies, so doctors can submit a patient’s prescription directly.
...
TRANSCANADA CORP., $56.42, Toronto symbol TRP, has announced a new deal with Magellan Midstream Partners (New York symbol MMP). The two firms have formed a 50/50 partnership to build a pipeline connecting their oil-storage facilities in Houston, Texas. This will give TransCanada’s oil-shipping clients access to more refineries in the Houston area. The company’s share of the $50-million cost is $25 million. To put that in context, TransCanada earned $511 million, or $0.72 a share, in the three months ended December 31, 2014. The partners expect to complete this project in mid-2016....
TELUS $42.07 (Toronto symbol T; Shares outstanding: 609.0 million; Market cap: $25.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.8%; www.telus.com) continues to expand its health care division, which helps doctors, pharmacies and hospitals convert patient records and other information to electronic formats. The company recently paid an undisclosed sum for Quebec-based Medesync, a privately held maker of cloud-based software that lets doctors access patient data and other information from any computer or mobile device. Medesync’s software also makes it easier for doctors to schedule checkups, view test results and process billing. As well, Medesync is linked to over 3,000 Quebec pharmacies, so doctors can submit a patient’s prescription directly....
TELUS CORP. $42 (www.telus.com) is paying $1.5 billion for new radio frequencies (or spectrum) covering urban and rural areas in Western Canada, Ontario and Quebec. The price is slightly more than the $1.49 billion, or $2.41 a share, that Telus earned in 2014....
POTASH CORP. OF SASKATCHEWAN, $40.70, Toronto symbol POT, fell 2% this week after the Saskatchewan government said it would change the timing of certain tax breaks for new potash mines and expansion projects. The province is also reviewing how it taxes potash producers. Potash Corp. expects the new rules to cut its pre-tax earnings by $75 million to $100 million (Canadian) in 2015. To put that in context, Potash Corp. (which reports its results in U.S. dollars) earned $1.5 billion, or $1.82 a share, in 2014. The company expects to complete its current $6-billion U.S. expansion plan in 2016, so the new rules will have little impact on next year’s earnings....
TELUS CORP. $42 (www.telus.com) is paying $1.5 billion for new radio frequencies (or spectrum) covering urban and rural areas in Western Canada, Ontario and Quebec. The price is slightly more than the $1.49 billion, or $2.41 a share, that Telus earned in 2014. However, the company can use the extra spectrum to speed up its wireless networks. That will help it meet growing demand for wireless downloads, as 81% of its subscribers under long-term contracts now use smartphones. Buy. ENBRIDGE INC. $58 (www.enbridge.com) plans to increase the capacity of a proposed pipeline project that will pump crude from oil sands projects in Alberta. It will mainly do this by increasing the diameter of part of the pipeline and boosting another section’s pumping power. These moves will also cut the project’s overall cost by $400 million, from $3.0 billion to $2.6 billion. To put these figures in context, the company earned $1.6 billion, or $1.90 a share, in 2014. Buy. TRANSCANADA CORP. $54 (www.transcanada.com) has increased its quarterly dividend by 8.3%, to $0.52 a share from $0.48. The new annual rate of $2.08 yields 3.9%. TransCanada has raised its payout each year since 2000. Best Buy....
TELUS CORP. $44 (Toronto symbol T; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 611.7 million; Market cap: $26.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 3.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.telus.com) is Canada’s third-largest wireless carrier, after BCE and Rogers Communications, with 8.0 million subscribers. Wireless now supplies 54% of Telus’s revenue and 66% of its earnings.
The remaining 46% of revenue and 34% of earnings come from its wireline division, which mainly consists of 3.2 million traditional phone customers in B.C., Alberta and eastern Quebec. This business also includes 1.45 million Internet users and 888,000 TV customers.
Unlike BCE, which has expanded its media businesses in the past few years, Telus has concentrated on improving its wireless and high-speed Internet networks.
...
The remaining 46% of revenue and 34% of earnings come from its wireline division, which mainly consists of 3.2 million traditional phone customers in B.C., Alberta and eastern Quebec. This business also includes 1.45 million Internet users and 888,000 TV customers.
Unlike BCE, which has expanded its media businesses in the past few years, Telus has concentrated on improving its wireless and high-speed Internet networks.
...
Low interest rates continue to spur incomeseeking investors to buy high-yielding stocks, like these three telecoms. All three should keep benefiting as more people upgrade their wireless plans and mobile phones. New services, like Internet-based TV, are also fuelling their growth. But not all are buys right now. BCE INC. $56 (Toronto symbol BCE; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 840.3 million; Market cap: $47.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 4.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.bce.ca) is Canada’s largest telephone provider, with 5.0 million customers in Ontario and Quebec. It also has 2.3 million high-speed Internet users and 2.4 million TV subscribers. This business supplies 46% of BCE’s revenue. The company also sells wireless services (29% of revenue) to 8.1 million customers across Canada, and its Bell Media segment (13%) owns CTV Television, specialty channels and radio stations....
Telus continues to upgrade its wireless and Internet services, spending $2.2 billion on these improvements in 2014. That’s helping it attract more subscribers in a highly competitive market.
As well, last year the company bought $1.1 billion worth of wireless frequencies, or spectrum that should let it cover more of Canada, particularly smaller cities and rural areas.
TELUS (Toronto symbol T; www.telus.com) gets 55% of its revenue from its 8.0 million wireless subscribers across Canada. It also has 3.2 million phone customers, 1.5 million high-speed Internet users and 888,000 TV subscribers.
Telus also continues to expand its health care division, which helps doctors, pharmacies and hospitals convert patient records and other information to electronic formats.
In September 2014, the company paid an undisclosed sum for ZRx Prescriber, an app that lets doctors write prescriptions through their tablet computers and smartphones. The app can also access a patient’s drug-insurance information, which speeds up claims and cuts down on errors. Over 520 clinics in Ontario and Quebec use ZRx Prescriber to process 400,000 prescriptions a month.
...
As well, last year the company bought $1.1 billion worth of wireless frequencies, or spectrum that should let it cover more of Canada, particularly smaller cities and rural areas.
TELUS (Toronto symbol T; www.telus.com) gets 55% of its revenue from its 8.0 million wireless subscribers across Canada. It also has 3.2 million phone customers, 1.5 million high-speed Internet users and 888,000 TV subscribers.
Telus also continues to expand its health care division, which helps doctors, pharmacies and hospitals convert patient records and other information to electronic formats.
In September 2014, the company paid an undisclosed sum for ZRx Prescriber, an app that lets doctors write prescriptions through their tablet computers and smartphones. The app can also access a patient’s drug-insurance information, which speeds up claims and cuts down on errors. Over 520 clinics in Ontario and Quebec use ZRx Prescriber to process 400,000 prescriptions a month.
...