LEIDOS HOLDINGS INC., $149.94, symbol LDOS on New York, provides software and technology services to three main groups: Defence and Intelligence; Civilian; and Health (commercial hospitals and the U.S. Department of Defense).

The company has four operating segments: National Security & Digital (45% of revenue), Health & Civil (30%), Commercial & International (13%), and Defense Systems (12%).

On June 13, 2024, Leidos announced a $738 million follow-on contract with the U.S....

HECLA MINING CO., $5.90, is a buy. The company (symbol HL on New York), explores for, mines and processes silver and gold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Most of Hecla’s silver output comes from three sites: the Greens Creek mine in Alaska; the Lucky Friday project in Idaho; and the Keno Hill mine in the Yukon....

BCE INC., $45.62, Toronto symbol BCE, is still a buy.

The company is Canada’s largest traditional telephone service provider. It has 1.98 million residential customers in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces. It also has 4.50 million high-speed Internet users and 2.08 million fibre-optic TV subscribers....

STATE STREET CORP., $84.52, New York symbol STT, remains a buy.

The company sells accounting and administrative services to operators of mutual funds and pension plans.

State Street also offers banking services, so it’s subject to the Fed’s stress test, which it passed.

Thanks to its strong capital position, the company will raise your quarterly dividend in the third quarter of 2024....

CGI INC., $145.45, Toronto symbol GIB.A, is your #1 Aggressive Buy for 2024.

The company is Canada’s largest provider of computer outsourcing services. It helps its clients automate certain routine functions like accounting and buying supplies....

Why we like spinoffs so much
We think that spinoffs are the closest thing you can find to a sure thing for two main reasons:


1) The management of a parent company will only hand out shares in a subsidiary to its own investors if it’s all but certain that business, and the parent, will be better off after the spinoff.


2) Spinoffs involve a lot of work and legal fees....

ARDENT HEALTH PARTNERS INC. has filed paperwork with U.S. regulators for an initial public offering (IPO) of common shares. The shares will trade on New York under the symbol ARDT.


The company is the fourth-largest privately held, for-profit operator of hospitals and care services in the U.S....

INTERNATIONAL PAPER CO. $46 is a hold. The company (New York symbol IP, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 347.3 million; Market cap: $16.0 billion; Dividend yield: 4.1%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.internationalpaper.com) is a global provider of fibre-based packaging and pulp and paper products....

In May 2016, cardboard maker WestRock spun off its Ingevity chemical business to create two pure-play firms. Shareholders received one Ingevity share for every six WestRock shares they held.


WestRock recently merged with Irish packaging firm Smurfit Kappa....

BELLRING BRANDS INC. $52 remains a spinoff buy. The company (New York symbol BRBR; Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 130.4 million; Market cap: $6.8 billion; No dividends paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.brellring.com) makes protein bars and shakes under the Premier Protein, Dymatize, and PowerBar brands.


In October 2019, Post Holdings Inc....