IGM writes down Wealthsimple

Article Excerpt

IGM FINANCIAL INC. $36 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol IGM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 239.7 million; Market cap: $8.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 6.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.igmfinancial.com) is Canada’s largest independent mutual-fund provider. Power Corp. owns 61.9% of the fund provider. IGM also owns 23% of robo-advisor Wealthsimple. Generally, robo-advisors provide portfolios composed of ETFs tailored to different investor goals. Partly due to the recent stock market volatility, IGM has reduced the carrying value of its Wealthsimple holding by 19.8%, from $1.15 billion at the end of 2021 to $925 million as of March 31, 2022. Even so, IGM will continue to benefit from this investment, particularly as Wealthsimple helps it attract younger clients. The company could also unlock more value by selling shares in Wealthsimple to the public. IGM Financial is a buy. buy…