Topic: How To Invest

Stock Pickers Digest Hotline – Friday, February 9, 2018

Article Excerpt

FIRSTSERVICE CORP., $85.41, symbol FSV on Toronto, set up its commercial real estate business, Colliers International Group, as a separate company on June 2, 2015. With the spinoff completed, FirstService has carried on with its residential property management and its commercial and residential property improvement services. In the three months ended December 31, 2017, the company’s revenue rose 15.0%, to $438.1 million from $381.1 million a year earlier (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars). Excluding one-time items, earnings per share for the quarter climbed 24.4%, to $0.51 from $0.41 a year earlier. The big gain was the result of cost savings as well as the higher revenue. With the April 2018 payment, FirstService raised its quarterly dividend by 10.2%, to $0.135 U.S. from $0.1225 U.S. The stock yields 0.8%. The company’s outlook remains strong. However, FirstService trades at a high 28.1 times the $2.41 U.S. a share the company will likely earn in 2018. OUR RECOMMENDATION: FirstService is a hold. FirstService recent coverage December 2017…