GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. $88 remains a hold. The conglomerate (New York symbol GE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $96.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.3; Dividend yield: 0.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ge.com) plans to break itself up into three separate companies: GE HealthCare (X-ray equipment, MRI and ultrasound scanners); GE Vernova (renewable energy and power); and GE Aerospace (jet engines and aircraft electronics)....

FEDEX CORP. $176 is still a buy for long-term gains. The company (New York symbol FDX; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 260.2 million; Market cap: $45.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 2.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.fedex.com) delivers packages and documents in the U.S....

These three leading foodmakers continue to post strong sales gains, mainly because they are increasing their selling prices as they cope with higher costs for ingredients, labour and fuel.


So far, thanks to their strong brands, the higher prices have not significantly hurt their volumes....

KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES INC. $176 is a buy for aggressive investors. The company (New York symbol KEYS; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 178.5 million; Market cap: $31.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.9; No dividend paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.keysight.com) makes an array of devices for testing electronic equipment.


Keysight’s revenue in its fiscal 2022 fourth quarter, ended October 31, 2022, rose 11.5%, to $1.44 billion from $1.29 billion a year earlier, on rising demand from makers of computer chips, automobiles and high-speed telecommunications equipment....

Chevron rebounded strongly as re-opening of the global economy lifted crude oil prices—the stock is up 62% in the past year compared to the 14% drop for the S&P 500 Index.


While oil prices could suffer if the economy weakens, higher profits from Chevron’s refining operations (which need crude oil) would help offset that decline....

A: Ag Growth International Inc., $43.27, symbol AFN on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 18.9 million; Market cap: $814.3 million; www.aggrowth.com), is a manufacturer of custom-designed farm and commercial systems for storage and conditioning, handling, structures, processing, and control applications....

A: Chase Corporation, $94.80, symbol CCF on New York (Shares outstanding: 9.5 million; Market cap: $894.7 million; Manufacturing sector; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk www.chasecorp.com), manufactures protective materials for high-reliability applications.

The company’s three operating segments are Adhesives, Sealants & Additives (43% of sales); Industrial Tapes (41%); and Corrosion Protection and Waterproofing (16%).

Chase’s offerings include insulating and conducting materials, moisture protective coatings, laminated durable papers, pulling and detection tapes, and wind energy composite materials and elements....

A: FMC Corp., $127.93, symbol FMC on New York (Shares outstanding: 126.0 million; Market cap: $16.0 billion; Manufacturing sector; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk www.fmc.com), is a leading provider of agricultural chemicals....

Here are a couple of questions I’ve heard from a number of portfolio management clients and Inner Circle members in the past couple of weeks:

“Pat, what do you think about the results of the mid-term U.S. elections?”

You could write a shelf-load of doctoral theses about this subject....

TMX GROUP LTD., $135.65, symbol X on Toronto, is an operator of public trading platforms and a provider of ancillary services. The company owns Canada’s two primary stock exchanges, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Montreal Exchange, as well as clearing entities for domestic Canadian markets (CDS and CDCC)....