BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA, $71.81, is a buy. The lender (Toronto symbol BNS; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $86.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.9%; www.scotiabank.com) has completed the first stage of its plan to buy a 14.9% stake in U.S.-banking firm KeyCorp (New York symbol KEY) for $2.8 billion U.S.


Based in Cleveland, Ohio, KeyCorp provides a variety of financial services through 1,000 branches in 15 states.


Bank of Nova Scotia has now paid $800 million U.S....

The federal government recently stepped in to end a work stoppage by CPKC’s locomotive engineers, conductors, train and yard workers, and rail traffic controllers. The dispute will now go to binding arbitration, which will likely increase CPKC’s operating costs....

ResMed’s sales and profits got a boost during the pandemic with a sharp rise in demand for its ventilators and other respiration devices. Even as the pandemic eased, the gains continued as the company introduced more products and expanded its software offerings. Today, ResMed’s outlook remains attractive, and not just for its CPAP machines.

Those devices successfully treat sleep apnea, which gets far less media attention than other health issues such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, depression, stroke and heart problems....

BUTTERFLY NETWORK INC., $1.58, symbol BFLY on New York, is a Guilford, Connecticut-based company founded in 2011. It has created a portable, pocket-sized ultrasound device that plugs into a smartphone or tablet.

The Butterfly iQ uses patented, miniaturized computer-chip technology to replace expensive cart-mounted ultrasound devices....

MICROSOFT CORP., $428.02, Nasdaq symbol MSFT, remains a buy for aggressive investors.

The company is the world’s largest computer software firm. Its main product is the Windows operating system, which powers about 85% of the world’s personal computers....

PFIZER INC., $29.11, New York symbol PFE, remains your #1 Income Buy for 2024.

The company is one of the world’s largest makers of prescription drugs. Its top-selling brands include Enbrel (arthritis), Ibrance (breast cancer) and Prevnar (pneumonia).

With the March 2024 payment, Pfizer raised your quarterly dividend by 2.4%....

ELECTRONIC ARTS INC., $144.65, (symbol EA on Nasdaq), is a buy for aggressive investors. The company is a developer of video games for play on consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. Its hugely popular game franchises include Madden NFL, The Sims, Need for Speed, Battlefield, and Apex Legends.

Electronic Arts recently outlined plans for two of the company’s most important games: “The Sims” and “Battlefield.”

The company’s long-running The Sims franchise began as a virtual city-building game 24 years ago....

FORTIS INC., $61.57, Toronto symbol FTS, is a buy.

The company is the main supplier of electrical power in Newfoundland and PEI. Fortis also owns electrical utilities across Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean. In addition, the company distributes natural gas in British Columbia, Arizona and New York State.

Fortis is now raising your quarterly dividend by 4.2%....

H&R REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $11 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol HR.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 262.0 million; Market cap: $2.9 billion; Distribution yield: 5.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Average; www.hr-reit.com) owns 379 residential, industrial, office and some retail properties in Canada and the U.S....

You can’t fake a record of dividends....