The Globe and Mail - Number Cruncher

Rising dividends highlight a company's health

jheinzl — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:39 EDT

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?In yesterday's column, we screened for Canadian companies that are expected to have the strongest dividend growth rates over the next three years. Today, we'll do a similar search on the S[amp]amp;P 500.Why look for companies with rising dividends? The obvious answer is that they - Follow link to read full post

Refining the search for dividend growth stocks

sadams — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:24 EDT

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?One of our favourite exercises is to look for good dividend stocks. We've recently featured UBS strategist George Vasic's latest work on the best dividend growth companies in Canada. Today, we'll look for what could be the best dividend growth stories of the next three years using - Follow link to read full post

There's more to the story than dividend yield

jheinzl — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:49 EDT

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?Companies that raise their dividends regularly tend to beat the market, studies have shown. But dividend yield tells only part of the story. Today, we'll look at “true” yield, which is a useful complement to dividend growth.WHAT IS TRUE YIELD?There are two ways a company - Follow link to read full post

Our ‘magic formula' portfolio requires some patience

jheinzl — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:21 EDT

TODAY'S SCREENLast October, we created a hypothetical portfolio using Joel Greenblatt's The Little Book that Beats the Market. Let's check in to see how it's doing.THE BACKGROUNDMr. Greenblatt, founder of U.S. hedge fund Gotham Capital, developed a “magic formula” for identifying promising - Follow link to read full post

Down but not out: Bet on these for the long term

rcarrick — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:12 EDT

WHAT WE'RE UP TOAnother in a continuing series of Number Crunchers designed to present some opportunities for doing something that people don't do often enough, which is buy good mutual funds when they're down in price.TODAY'S SEARCHHow do we know a fund is a good product? Here, we'll judge by looking - Follow link to read full post

Cheap Canadian stocks that may have some pop

jheinzl — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:11 EDT

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?In yesterday's “Impatient Value” screen, we looked for U.S. stocks offering a combination of value and momentum. Today, we'll apply the same principles to the Canadian market.To recap, value investors look for stocks that are cheap based on various measures, while - Follow link to read full post

Bargain stocks that deliver gains faster

jheinzl — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:06 EDT

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?You don't normally think of value and momentum investing as having much in common.Value managers look for beaten-down stocks trading at attractive price-to-earnings or price-to-book multiples, while momentum investors focus on companies hitting new 52-week highs.Is there a way - Follow link to read full post

Outperforming growers outside the TSX 60

jheinzl — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:16 EDT

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?Most investors looking for stocks with rising dividends focus on the large-cap S[amp]amp;P/TSX 60 index. Today, with the help of UBS Securities Canada Inc. strategist George Vasic, we're searching for small and mid-cap stocks that aren't part of the S[amp]amp;P/TSX 60 but still - Follow link to read full post

Gibson becoming more bullish with Focus 15

sadams — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:50 EDT

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?Every few weeks we drop in on Peter Gibson, the strategist and vice-chairman at Desjardins Securities, to look at his Focus 10 list.This has been a list of 10 Canadian stocks that highlights Mr. Gibson's top picks. It beat the S[amp]amp;P/TSX composite the past few years, but - Follow link to read full post

ETFs: Top earners and bleeders of the year

swon — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:29 EDT

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?The stars and dogs among Canadian-listed exchanged-traded funds this year.ETFs, which are mutual funds that trade like stocks, have grown in popularity thanks to their low fees and ease of buying and selling.With the world's major stock markets in the red, it's interesting to - Follow link to read full post