Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat, what is your opinion of Canadian General Investments (CGI)? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

A: Canadian General Investments Ltd., $29.00, symbol CGI on Toronto (Units outstanding: 20.3 million; Market cap: $601.8 million; www.mmainvestments.com), is a closed-end fund that mainly invests in shares of Canadian companies that it sees as average or above-average in quality. Established in 1930, it is one of the oldest closed-end investment companies in North America. It has been managed since 1956 by Morgan Meighen & Associates Limited. The fund’s largest holdings are West Fraser Timber at 5.0%; Canadian Pacific Railway, 4.9%; TFI International, 4.2%; Franco-Nevada Corp., 4.1%; Apple Inc., 3.7%; First Quantum Minerals, 3.4%; WSP Global, 3.2%; Descartes Systems Group, 3.2%; Bank of Montreal, 2.9%; and Mastercard Inc., 2.9%. Following are Canadian General Investments’ holdings broken down by industry: Industrials, 21.3%; Materials, 18.0%; Information Technology, 17.3%; Consumer Discretionary, 12.2%; Financials, 11.3%; Energy, 11.0%; Real Estate, 5.2%; Communication Services, 2.4%; and Health Care, 1.0%. The fund’s units now trade at a 35.4% discount to its net asset value. It pays a regular quarterly dividend of…