Acquisitions lift revenue

FIRSTSERVICE CORP. $221 is a buy for aggressive investors. The company (Toronto symbol FSV; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 44.6 million; Market cap: $9.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend yield: 0.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.firstservice.com) has two main businesses: FirstService Brands (54% of revenue)… Read More

Royal Bank has a bright future

Royal Bank now plans to complete its acquisition of HSBC’s Canadian operations in March 2024. That $13.5-billion purchase enhances Royal’s domestic operations. Moreover, costs savings from the elimination of overlapping operations should also spur earnings.
Banking regulators have toughened lending standards and mortgage stress-test levels in… Read More

Chile offers gains for aggressive investors

The Chilean economy will likely emerge from recession in 2024, further reducing joblessness and lifting wages. Consumer purchasing power will improve as inflation falls. Longer-term, as the world transitions to greener technologies, the global demand for copper, lithium, and renewable energy should rise. That represents… Read More

Three small-cap ETFs for Canadian investors

Smaller firms can sometimes generate higher returns than their larger counterparts, but they are often riskier, less liquid, and may underperform for long periods. One way to offset some of the risk is to focus on ETFs that hold top-quality small-capitalization companies.
Here’s a look at… Read More

We like this ETF’s holdings—but not its ‘capping’

BMO S&P/TSX CAPPED COMPOSITE INDEX ETF $28.09 (Toronto symbol ZCN; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Conservative; Market cap: $7.3 billion) tracks the S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index. The index includes over 200 top-ranked Canadian stocks, which represent more than 90% of the Canadian equity market. Individual stock weights are capped… Read More

U.S. home builders lift your prospects

The U.S. housing construction and improvement markets have recovered strongly from the lows they hit at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. In fact, they have gone on to new highs.
That growth includes a big jump in late 2023. That rise was spurred… Read More

Enbridge sells some assets

ENBRIDGE, $47.74, is a buy. The firm (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 2.1 billion; Market cap: $102.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 7.7%; www.enbridge.com) has agreed to sell its stakes in two joint ventures to its partner Pembina Pipeline.
Specifically, Pembina will acquire an additional 50.0% of… Read More

Key updates on your safety-conscious stocks

MANULIFE FINANCIAL, $29.72, is a buy. This safety-conscious blue-chip company (Toronto symbol MFC; Shares o/s: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $53.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 4.9%; www.manulife.ca) is one of Canada’s largest life insurers. The company also sells other forms of insurance including health, dental and travel plans;… Read More

TRP plans a power project

TC ENERGY INC., $53.07, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol TRP; Shares o/s: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $55.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 7.0%; www.tcenergy.com) is making progress with its plan to build a new pumped storage hydro power project near Meaford, Ontario.
The system would… Read More