Updating TD Bank, Telus, and Encana

Article Excerpt

TD BANK $54.16 (Toronto symbol TD; Shares outstanding: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $100.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.8%; www.td.com) is seeing slowing loan demand, especially in Western Canada, where the oil-price drop has forced producers to postpone projects and lay off workers. At the same time, low interest rates are cutting the interest income TD earns on its loans, and more of its customers are banking online instead of in bank branches. All of these factors have prompted the bank to look for ways to cut costs and boost efficiency at its Canadian and U.S. operations. That will probably lead to several hundred job cuts. Excluding unusual costs, TD will likely earn $4.59 a share in its 2015 fiscal year, which ends October 31, 2015, up 7.5% from $4.27 in 2014. The stock trades at a moderate 11.8 times that forecast. TD is our #1 safety-conscious buy for 2015. TELUS $43.71 (Toronto symbol T; Shares outstanding: 605.0…