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AMAZON.COM $358.14 (Nasdaq symbol AMZN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (206-266-1000; www.amazon.com; Shares outstanding: 460.2 million; Market cap: $166.1 billion; No dividends paid) has enticed Babik Parviz, a key director at Google’s secretive Google X labs, to join the company. Parviz pioneered the development of Google Glass, a wearable computer that displays information on a small display attached to a pair of glasses. More recently, Parviz led the Google team working on contact lenses with embedded electronics. Amazon recently introduced its long-awaited Amazon Fire smartphone, which features a screen that can display seemingly 3-D images without the need for special glasses. This new technology—called Dynamic Perspective—uses retina-tracking technology embedded in four front-facing infrared cameras to make some images appear to be 3-D, similar to a hologram....

CALIAN TECHNOLOGIES LTD., $19.71, symbol CTY on Toronto, has acquired Ottawa-based DWP Solutions Inc. for an undisclosed amount. DWP has been in business for 18 years and helps government and defence customers secure their computer networks. The company’s annual revenue is around $6 million. To put that in context, Calian reported $51.2 million of revenue in the latest quarter. The purchase is small for Calian, but it will be a good fit with the company’s Business and Technology Services division, which supplies engineers, health care workers, information technology professionals and other personnel on a contract basis. Calian’s clients are asking for more cyber-security specialists, and DWP will help it meet that demand....

AIMIA INC. $18.95 (Toronto symbol AIM; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514-205-7315; www.aimia.com; Shares outstanding: 173.9 million; Market cap: $3.3 billion; Dividend yield: 3.8%) owns and operates Aeroplan, Canada’s largest loyalty program, with over 4.8 million members who collect Aeroplan miles from participating companies. Members can exchange their miles for flights, car rentals, hotel rooms and merchandise.

The company’s members can now earn and redeem points for travel on Air India, the Indian government’s flagship carrier. That brings Aeroplan’s total number of airline partners to 32.

The agreement will give Aeroplan members more choice on routes connecting North America, Europe, Asia and Australia via India.

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Knight Therapeutics, $5.45, symbol GUD on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 77.8 million; Market cap: $423.8 million; www.gud-knight.com), was handed out to Paladin Labs shareholders after that company was recently acquired by Endo Health Solutions plc. Knight began trading on the Toronto exchange on March 3, 2014. The company’s assets from the spinoff mostly consist of Impavido, for treating Leishmaniasis, a rare disease that is spread via bites from infected sand flies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Impavido on March 19, 2014. Knight Therapeutics has just raised $180.1 million by issuing special warrants for $5.25 each. These warrants can be converted into common shares by August 11, 2014. Earlier this year, the company raised an additional $75 million....

Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for specific advice on buying stocks as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle....

Starbucks Corp., $75.65, symbol SBUX on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 753.6 million; Market cap: $56.6 billion; www.starbucks.com), is a leading seller and roaster of specialty coffee. Starbucks has 8,078 company-operated stores and 5,415 licensed outlets in 62 countries. Stores in the Americas supply 74% of its sales, followed by Europe, the Middle East and Africa (8%), and China and the Asia-Pacific region (6%). It gets a further 6% of its sales by selling coffee and other beverages through supermarkets and 3% from other activities, like online sales. In its 2013 fiscal year, which ended September 29, 2013, Starbucks’ sales rose 12.7%, to $14.9 billion from $13.3 billion in fiscal 2012. That’s partly because the company opened 1,701 new stores during the year. On a same-store basis, sales rose 7%, reflecting a 5% increase in the number of transactions and a 2% rise in selling prices....

Usana Health Sciences, $43.73, symbol USNA on New York (Shares outstanding: 14.5 million; Market cap: $634.1 million; www.usana.com), is a Utah-based marketing company that produces various nutritional and skin-care products. Usana makes most of its products at its West Valley City, Utah, facility. It sells them in 16 international markets via a network of independent distributors (referred to as “associates”). These associates sell Usana’s goods through memberships. The company uses a multi-level marketing program, or “pyramid,” that encourages individuals to sell memberships and allows them to recruit and develop their own sales organizations....

Contrans Group, $9.52, symbol CSS on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 32.3 million; Market cap: $307.5 million; www.contrans.ca), is a Canadian company that ships freight via flatbed trailers, vans and tanker trailers. Contrans has terminals across the country. The company has about 1,000 employees. Its fleet consists of 2,200 trailers and 1,200 trucks, 700 of which are owned and operated by their drivers. Contrans continues to grow by acquisition. For example, in June 2012, it bought Peter Hodge Transport Limited, a Milton, Ontario, company with 92 trucks and 140 trailers, for an undisclosed amount....

We generally advise against investing in new issues, for one simple reason: new investments come to market when it’s a good time for the company or its insiders to sell, but that may not be a good time for you to buy. But after seven years as a public company, Aimia Inc., the former Groupe Aeroplan, has broadened its business foundation and strengthened its long-term prospects. AIMIA INC. $14.95 (Toronto symbol AIM; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514-205-7315; www.aimia.com; Shares outstanding: 172.2 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; Dividend yield: 4.3%) got its start as Air Canada’s frequent-flyer program in 1984. In 2005, the airline created the Aeroplan Income Fund and began selling units to the public....

AIMIA INC. $14.95 (Toronto symbol AIM; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514-205-7315; www.aimia.com; Shares outstanding: 172.2 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; Dividend yield: 4.3%) got its start as Air Canada’s frequent-flyer program in 1984. In 2005, the airline created the Aeroplan Income Fund and began selling units to the public.

The fund converted to a corporation under the Groupe Aeroplan name in 2008. In May 2012, it changed its name to Aimia.

Moving beyond Aeroplan

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