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A: Mission Produce Inc., $11.75, symbol AVO on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 70.7 million; Market cap: $821.2 million; www.missionproduce.com), is a California-based fresh avocado distributor....
From time to time, Inner Circle Members ask what we mean when we say a stock is “okay to hold”. Some come right out and ask if we really mean it’s a “sell”?

The short answer here is ‘no’, but it comes with an explanation.

In addition to looking at stocks that members ask about, we also continually sift through the Canadian and U.S....
IAMGOLD CORP., $3.34, is a buy. The company (symbol IMG on Toronto) owns 41% of the Sadiola gold mine in Mali; 90% of the Essakane mine in Burkina Faso; 100% of the Westwood mine in Quebec; and 95% of the Rosebel mine in Suriname.

IAMGold continues to make moves to secure the financing it needs for the ongoing construction of a mine at its flagship Cote gold project....
BANK OF MONTREAL, $122.61, Toronto symbol BMO, remains a buy.

With the February 2023 payment, Bank of Montreal will raise your quarterly dividend by 2.9%, to $1.43 a share from $1.39. The new annual rate of $5.72 yields a high 4.7%.

In December 2021, the bank agreed to acquire California-based Bank of the West from France’s BNP Paribas for $16.3 billion U.S.

Bank of the West provides a variety of retail and commercial banking services to over 1.8 million customers through 514 branches in 24 states, mainly in the Western and Midwestern regions of the U.S....
MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES INC., $51.78, symbol MAXR on New York, changed its name from MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates in October 2017.

The company remains a global provider of communications systems, high-resolution earth-imagery products and services, and information systems for the surveillance/intelligence and communications markets....
FEDEX CORP., $176.54, New York symbol FDX, remains a buy for your long-term gains.

The company delivers packages in the U.S. and 220 other countries.

In its fiscal 2023 second quarter, ended November 30, 2022, FedEx’s revenue declined 2.8%, to $22.81 billion from $23.47 billion a year earlier....
IMPERIAL OIL LTD., $65.26, Toronto symbol IMO, is a buy.

This company gets about 90% of its production from oil sands operations in Alberta. Imperial also has conventional oil and natural gas operations in the West and holds stakes in offshore projects in Atlantic Canada.

Its other operations include three refineries (one in Alberta, two in Ontario) and a petrochemical plant in Sarnia, Ontario.

Imperial plans to spend $1.7 billion on capital upgrades and exploration in 2023....
CALIAN GROUP LTD. $66 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol CGY; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 11.4 million; Market cap: $752.4 million; Dividend yield: 1.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.calian.com) provides business services to the healthcare, defence, security, aerospace, engineering, agriculture and technology industries.


Calian pays a quarterly dividend of $0.28 a share; the annual rate of $1.12 yields 1.7%....
Shares of Verizon are down 28% in the past year, mainly due to concerns that rising inflation and interest rates are making it harder to sign up new subscribers. However, the company’s new 5G systems should help it win new customers. A new cost-cutting plan will also support its dividend.


VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC....
SAPUTO INC. $33 is still a hold. The dairy producer (Toronto symbol SAP; High-Growth Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 418.1 million; Market cap: $13.8 billion; Dividend yield: 2.2%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.saputo.com) last raised its quarterly dividend by 2.9% with the September 2021 payment....