transcontinental

Toronto symbol TCL.A, provides direct marketing services, commercial printing services, and publishes magazines and newspapers, primarily in eastern Canada.

TRANSCONTINENTAL INC. $18 (Toronto symbol TCL.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 78.1 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 4.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.tctranscontinental.com) is Canada’s leading printer of flyers, magazines, newspapers and books....
ANDREW PELLER LTD., $26.93, Toronto symbol ADW.A, is Canada’s second-largest producer of wines, after Constellation Brands.

In the 2016 fiscal year, ended March 31, 2016, revenue increased 5.9%, to $334.3 million from $315.7 million in 2015. That’s mainly due to strong sales of Peller’s premium-priced brands....
IMPERIAL OIL LTD., $44.40, Toronto symbol IMO, is selling its 497 company-owned Esso gas stations to independent operators for $2.8 billion. Following the sale, franchisees will operate all of its 1,700 Esso stations across Canada. The buyers include Alimentation Couche-Tard (Toronto symbol ATD.B). It is purchasing 279 stations in Ontario and Quebec. (Alimentation Couche-Tard is a recommendation of Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter that focuses on aggressive investments.) In addition, 7-Eleven Canada is getting 148 stations in Alberta and British Columbia. Parkland Fuel (Toronto symbol PKI), will buy 17 stations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba....
BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA, $59.50, Toronto symbol BNS, reported better-than-expected results this week. It also raised its dividend.

For the fiscal 2016 first quarter, earnings rose 5.1%, to $1.8 billion from $1.7 billion a year earlier. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share gained 5.9%, to $1.43 from $1.35. That beat the consensus estimate of $1.42.

The bank’s revenue also beat the consensus forecast, of $6.3 billion. It rose 8.6%, to $6.4 billion from $5.9 billion.

Earnings at its Canadian banking division (49% of the total) rose 7.4%. That’s partly due to a $1.7 billion deal with J.P. Morgan Chase to buy its Canadian credit card operations. This includes MasterCard and Sears Canada credit card accounts.

The international division (31% of earnings) reported 20.9% higher profits, thanks to strong loan demand in Latin America and favourable currency rates. However, earnings at the securities-trading division (20%) fell 9.4% on higher loan-loss provisions.

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TORSTAR $2.21 (Toronto symbol TS.B; Shares outstanding: 79.9 million; Market cap: $182.1 million; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 11.8%; www.torstar.com) will close its money-losing printing plant in Vaughan, Ontario, just north of Toronto, in July 2016. It will then transfer printing of The Toronto Star newspaper to Transcontinental Inc. Torstar will also sell the Vaughan plant and land. This will help offset its closing costs. It will also give it more cash for Star Touch, the tablet-newspaper app it launched in October. So far, more than 200,000 users have downloaded Star Touch, which uses technology licensed from Montreal’s La Presse newspaper. The app should help Torstar attract younger readers and sell more online ads....
TORSTAR $2.21 (Toronto symbol TS.B; Shares outstanding: 79.9 million; Market cap: $182.1 million; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 11.8%; www.torstar.com) will close its money-losing printing plant in Vaughan, Ontario, just north of Toronto, in July 2016. It will then transfer printing of The Toronto Star newspaper to Transcontinental Inc. Torstar will also sell the Vaughan plant and land. This will help offset its closing costs. It will also give it more cash for Star Touch, the tablet-newspaper app it launched in October. So far, more than 200,000 users have downloaded Star Touch, which uses technology licensed from Montreal’s La Presse newspaper. The app should help Torstar attract younger readers and sell more online ads....
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Leading Canadian insurer and value stock Intact Financial hikes its dividend on growth fuelled by smart acquisitions. We look at whether it can keep prospering
CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD., $169.77, Toronto symbol CP, has revised its takeover offer for U.S.-based railway Norfolk Southern Corp. (New York symbol NSC). The combined firm would be North America’s largest railway, with more than 56,000 kilometres of track. Buying Norfolk would also give CP greater access to ports on the U.S. Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean. Under the new deal, Norfolk shareholders would receive more stock and less cash: $32.86 U.S. a share in cash plus 0.451 of a CP share for each Norfolk share held. That would give them 47% of the combined company, compared to 41% under the original offer....
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