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.
Telus continues to upgrade its wireless and Internet services, with plans to spend $2.2 billion on these improvements this year. That’s helping it attract more subscribers in a highly competitive market. At the same time, the company is expanding its e-commerce operations....
Ottawa continues to impose new rules on Canada’s main wireless firms in an effort to encourage more competition. These measures include restricting the new radio frequencies (or spectrum) they can buy, cutting wireless contract terms from three years to two and capping roaming charges. Meanwhile, new rules will force TV providers to let subscribers buy the channels they want, instead of having to purchase a package....
MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES INC. $31 (Toronto symbol MBT; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 77.1 million; Market cap: $2.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.6; Dividend yield: 5.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mts.ca) gets around 55% of its revenue from its 1.3 million telephone and wireless customers in Manitoba.
The remaining 45% comes from Allstream, which sells integrated telephone, Internet and other communication services to businesses across Canada.
The company has suffered a couple of setbacks in the past few months. The first came late last year, when Ottawa blocked its plan to sell Allstream for $405 million to a private firm controlled by an Egyptian billionaire.
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The remaining 45% comes from Allstream, which sells integrated telephone, Internet and other communication services to businesses across Canada.
The company has suffered a couple of setbacks in the past few months. The first came late last year, when Ottawa blocked its plan to sell Allstream for $405 million to a private firm controlled by an Egyptian billionaire.
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TELUS CORP. $39 (Toronto symbol T; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 622.3 million; Market cap: $24.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.telus.com) gets 55% of its revenue from its 7.8 million wireless subscribers across Canada. It also has 3.3 million phone customers, 1.4 million high-speed Internet users and 815,000 TV subscribers.
The company continues to expand its wireless operations. In November 2013, it paid $229 million for Public Mobile, which had 220,000 customers. To put the price in context, Telus earned $1.4 billion, or $2.16 a share, before unusual items in 2013.
Telus is now offering $350 million for Mobilicity, which has 165,000 wireless customers. This is the company’s third attempt to buy Mobilicity, after Ottawa blocked the last two.
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The company continues to expand its wireless operations. In November 2013, it paid $229 million for Public Mobile, which had 220,000 customers. To put the price in context, Telus earned $1.4 billion, or $2.16 a share, before unusual items in 2013.
Telus is now offering $350 million for Mobilicity, which has 165,000 wireless customers. This is the company’s third attempt to buy Mobilicity, after Ottawa blocked the last two.
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Ottawa continues to impose new rules on Canada’s main wireless firms in an effort to encourage more competition. These measures include restricting the new radio frequencies (or spectrum) they can buy, cutting wireless contract terms from three years to two and capping roaming charges.
Meanwhile, new rules will force TV providers to let subscribers buy the channels they want, instead of having to purchase a package.
We feel these leading telecoms will adapt to the changes and keep increasing their earnings and dividends....
Meanwhile, new rules will force TV providers to let subscribers buy the channels they want, instead of having to purchase a package.
We feel these leading telecoms will adapt to the changes and keep increasing their earnings and dividends....
NEWMONT MINING $24.83 (New York symbol NEM; Shares outstanding: 497.9 million; Market cap: $12.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 0.4%; www.newmont.com) has broken off merger talks with Barrick Gold (Toronto symbol ABX) amid reports of personality conflicts and a failure to agree on key issues such as the location of a new head office and who would lead the combined company. Both Newmont and Barrick have large mining operations in Nevada, so a merger would have let them significantly cut their operating costs. That would have helped the combined firm cope with lower gold prices. Due to weak gold and copper prices, Newmont’s earnings fell 69.4% in the first quarter of 2014, to $108 million, or $0.22 a share. A year earlier, it earned $353 million, or $0.70 a share. Revenue declined 19.4%, to $1.8 billion from $2.2 billion....
CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD., $171.19, Toronto symbol CP, reported better-than-expected earnings this week, despite harsh winter weather that cut shipping volumes and slowed deliveries. In the three months ended March 31, 2014, CP’s earnings rose 17.1%, to $254 million from $217 million a year earlier. Per-share earnings increased at a slower pace of 16.1%, to $1.44 from $1.24, on more shares outstanding. That beat the consensus estimate of $1.41. Revenue rose 0.9%, to $1.51 billion from $1.50 billion. That’s mainly due to higher revenue from shipping consumer and industrial products (up 10.8%) and grain (up 4.1%). These gains offset declines in major areas like fertilizers (down 11.8%), automotive products (down 9.3%), forest products (down 9.4%) and coal (down 0.7%)....
TELUS $39.14 (Toronto symbol T; Shares outstanding: 623.4 million; Market cap: $24.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.7%; www.telus.com) has paid an undisclosed sum for Groupe Enode Inc., a privately held Quebec firm whose software protects databases from online intruders.
Enode’s expertise should help Telus attract more government and corporate clients and make its cloud computing services more secure....
Enode’s expertise should help Telus attract more government and corporate clients and make its cloud computing services more secure....
TELUS CORP. $39 (Toronto symbol T; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 623.4 million; Market cap: $24.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.telus.com) gets 54% of its revenue from its 7.8 million wireless subscribers across Canada. It also has 3.3 million phone customers, 1.4 million highspeed Internet users and 815,000 TV subscribers.
The company spent $1.14 billion on new spectrum in the recent auction. That will let it expand its high-speed wireless network to reach 97% of Canada’s population, up from 80% now.
Meanwhile, strong demand for wireless and high-speed Internet continues to offset weaker revenue from its land line business. Telus earned $1.4 billion in 2013, up 13.4% from $1.2 billion in 2012. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share gained 15.5%, to $2.16 from $1.87. Revenue rose 4.4%, to $11.4 billion from $10.9 billion.
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The company spent $1.14 billion on new spectrum in the recent auction. That will let it expand its high-speed wireless network to reach 97% of Canada’s population, up from 80% now.
Meanwhile, strong demand for wireless and high-speed Internet continues to offset weaker revenue from its land line business. Telus earned $1.4 billion in 2013, up 13.4% from $1.2 billion in 2012. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share gained 15.5%, to $2.16 from $1.87. Revenue rose 4.4%, to $11.4 billion from $10.9 billion.
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PRECISION DRILLING CORP., $12.89, Toronto symbol PD, announced two new contracts this week. The first is a multi-year deal with a client in the Middle East to build a Super Triple drilling rig, which can reach deeper pockets of oil and natural gas than Precision’s regular rigs. The company will deliver this rig in the fourth quarter of 2014. The second is a multi-year contract to supply six rigs to a project in Mexico....