Tuesday, Jun. 18, 2013 7:31PM EDT
24 producers priming for U.S. oil boom
MICHAEL BOWMAN
Mr. Bowman is a portfolio manager at Hamilton-based Wickham Investment Counsel Inc., an adviser to high net worth clients. michael@wickhaminvestments.com
What are we looking for?
According to the latest edition of BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy, U.S. oil production grew last year at the fastest pace since 1965. An increase in output of about a million barrels a day caused net oil imports to the United States to drop 36 per cent below their 2005 peak. My colleague Allan Meyer and I thought we would take a look at U.S. oil producers.
| Company | Symbol |
Market Cap ($-mil) |
Recent Price $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnum Hunter | MHR-N | 634 | 3.68 |
| Northern Oil | NOG-A | 865 | 13.63 |
| Sanchez Energy | SN-N | 757 | 21.69 |
All currencies U.S. Source: Wickham Investment Counsel Inc., Bloomberg
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Monday, Jun. 17, 2013 7:57PM EDT
20 stocks that satisfy hunger for dividend yield, taste for growth
Ian McGugan
What are we looking for?
Dividend stocks that can grow their bottom lines.
In this age of paltry returns from bonds, stocks with attractive yields have been selling like proverbial hotcakes. But dividend-paying stocks with a leavening of growth potential may be tastier yet, at least to discerning investors.
| Rank | Company | Symbol |
Expected Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. | COS-T | 7.10% |
| 2 | Crescent Point Energy | CPG-T | 7.69% |
| 3 | Magna Int'l Inc. | MG-T | 1.85% |
* n/c = non calculable due to no long-term debt. Grades relative to 100 stocks with highest average volume and greater than 1% yield (A = good; E = poor). Source: Morningstar Canada
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Sunday, Jun. 16, 2013 7:00PM EDT
Those exotic ‘alt’ funds can be profitable – but caution advised
JACQUELINE NELSON
What are we looking for?
The best performing non-traditional mutual fund investments in the past year.
The volatility of the Great Recession has receded, and some market watchers are predicting the mutual fund industry will see more alternative funds created in the coming years. Unlike other mutual fund categories, these funds may use complex trading strategies in their effort to eke out returns. Let’s see see how the top performers in the Alternative Strategies category have fared in the past year.
| Fund | MER |
Assets ($ mil.) |
1 Year to May 31/13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizons AlphaPro Enhanced Inc Gold | 0.8 | 38.2 | 40.87% |
| Venator Investment Trust-Cl A | 2 | 11.7 | 30.16% |
| Venator Founders-Cl A | 2 | 53 | 30.15% |
Source: Lipper
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Thursday, Jun. 13, 2013 8:18PM EDT
Eleven stocks that would make Warren Buffett proud
JOHN HEINZL
What are we looking for?
It’s been more than a year since we created a Canadian portfolio inspired by the stock-picking methodology of Warren Buffett. With markets taking it on the chin because of rising interest rates, let’s see how the portfolio is holding up.
The screen
We used Validea Canada’s “Patient Investor” screen, which is based on the book Buffettology by Mr. Buffett’s former daughter-in-law, Mary Buffett. Globe Investor has a joint venture with Validea.ca, a premium Canadian stock screen service. You can try it here.
| Company | Symbol |
No. of Shares/ Units |
Recent Price $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alimentation Couche-Tard | ATD.B-T | 257.60 | 57.00 |
| BMTC Group | GBT.A-T | 547.65 | 13.85 |
| Bank of Nova Scotia | BNS-T | 193.50 | 56.47 |
Prices as of June 12. Returns are from May 23, 2012, to June 12, 2013. Source: Globe Investor, Validea.ca
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Wednesday, Jun. 12, 2013 8:01PM EDT
20 Canadian stocks that mix momentum, profitability and value
Ian McGugan
What are we looking for?
Stocks that wear a triple crown – for strong momentum, impressive profitability, and cheapness relative to sales.
How we did it
Craig McGee, senior consultant at CPMS Morningstar Canada, filtered the CPMS Canadian database for the 20 stocks with the best combination of three factors:
| Rank | Company | Symbol |
Market Cap (Mil. $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AutoCanada Inc. | ACQ-T | 602 |
| 2 | Norbord Inc. | NBD-T | 1,851 |
| 3 | Ainsworth Lumber Co. | ANS-T | 898 |
Source: Morningstar Canada
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Tuesday, Jun. 11, 2013 8:03PM EDT
14 drilling stocks that tap into U.S. oil boom
MICHAEL BOWMAN
Mr. Bowman is a portfolio manager at Hamilton-based Wickham Investment Counsel Inc., an adviser to high net worth clients. michael@wickhaminvestments.com
What are we looking for?
Oil drillers. According to the International Energy Agency, the United States is on track to become the world’s largest oil producer by 2018. In North Dakota alone, production has doubled in two short years. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling will push the U.S. into oil self-sufficiency by 2030. My colleague Allan Meyer and I looked at a key sector that will benefit from this surging production.
| Name | Symbol | Market cap ($ bil.) | Recent price $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nabors Industries | NBR-N | 4.87 | 16.60 |
| Ensign Energy Services | ESI-T | 2.51 | 16.35 |
| Precision Drill | PD-T | 2.53 | 9.15 |
All prices in local currency. Source: Bloomberg
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Monday, Jun. 10, 2013 7:44PM EDT
The 13 best-performing equity funds investing in Asia
JACQUELINE NELSON
What are we looking for?
The top performing Asia-Pacific equity funds over the last three years. These funds try to offer investors a way to participate in Asia’s swiftly growing markets.
Pockets of Southeast Asia have been booming in recent years, and more recently Japanese equities have been bouncing around as the government seeks to put an end to nearly 20 years of deflation.
| Fund | MER |
Assets * (in $mil.) |
3 yrs to May 31/13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMO Asian Growth & Income - Advisor | 2.85 | 443.5 | 10.69% |
| CIBC Asia Pacific Index | 1.27 | 17.9 | 7.34% |
| TD Pacific Rim-I | 2.61 | 26.3 | 7.21% |
*Assets are as of April 30, 2013. Source: Lipper
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Thursday, Jun. 06, 2013 7:09PM EDT
Buying on the cheap, the Buffett way
Ian McGugan
What are we looking for?
Stocks that might appeal to Warren Buffett – or to anyone looking for a bargain.
How we did it
The Oracle of Omaha is known for preferring companies with high returns on equity (ROE). A strong ROE is a sign that companies are able to convert the money contributed by equity investors into profit – and that’s a fundamentally attractive characteristic for any business.
| Company | Symbol | ROE % | P/E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morguard N. Amer. REIT | MRG.UN-T | 76.1 | 1.6 |
| Chorus Aviation | CHR.B-T | 66.5 | 3.8 |
| Mandalay Resources | MND-T | 50.7 | 4.8 |
Source: Bloomberg
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Wednesday, Jun. 05, 2013 7:25PM EDT
13 automotive stocks with Street cred
Ian McGugan
What are we looking for?
In both Canada and the United States, car sales are climbing back from their post-crisis plunge. With that in mind, it’s a timely moment to look at stocks in the auto sector to see what values may be on offer.
How we did it
To keep things simple, we limited our search to auto-related stocks on either the Toronto or New York exchanges.
| Company | Symbol |
Recent Price $ |
Recent Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Zenix (ADR) | ZX-N | 2.60 | 5.0 |
| Lear Corp. | LEA-N | 59.44 | 4.6 |
| Tenneco Inc. | TEN-N | 44.59 | 4.6 |
All currencies local. Source: Bloomberg
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Tuesday, Jun. 04, 2013 6:57PM EDT
14 golf stocks teed up and ready to play
MICHAEL BOWMAN
Mr. Bowman is a portfolio manager at Hamilton-based Wickham Investment Counsel Inc., an adviser to high net worth clients. michael@wickhaminvestments.com
What are we looking for?
My foursome at the Dundas Valley Golf and Curling Club had been hounding me to highlight a golf stock portfolio in this column. Since the U.S. Open is starting next week, Allan Meyer and I thought we would have a look at the sector.
| Company | Symbol |
Market cap (mil. $) |
Price $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nike Inc. | NKE-N | 57,106 | 63.86 |
| Eaton Corp. | ETN-N | 32,359 | 68.41 |
| Bridgestone Corp. | 5108 JP | 27,180 | 33.43 |
All currencies U.S. Source: Wickham Investment Counsel, Bloomberg
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Monday, Jun. 03, 2013 8:01PM EDT
Twenty U.S. stocks with strong profits at attractive prices
Ian McGugan
What are we looking for?
Stocks with strong profits at a reasonable price.
As bond yields tick upward, fixed-income securities are providing more competition for equities, and stocks are wavering. So, it’s an opportune moment to search for U.S. companies with muscular earnings that are available for sale cheap. These stocks would seem well positioned to withstand economic gales.
| Rank | Company | Symbol | Market Cap ($ mil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seagate Technology | STX-Q | 15,446 |
| 2 | iGate Corp. | IGTE-Q | 836 |
| 3 | Hewlett-Packard Co. | HPQ-N | 47,473 |
Source: Morningstar Canada
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Sunday, Jun. 02, 2013 7:00PM EDT
How Canadian equity funds compare to ETFs
JACQUELINE NELSON
What are we looking for?
There are plenty of hot new ETFs floating around in the market, but few that have the kind of long-term track record needed to offer a comparison to seasoned mutual fund counterparts. How have the Canadian equity mutual funds compared to low-fee ETFs in the same category over the past decade?
| Fund | Symbol | MER | Assets (in $ mil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mawer Canadian Equity | 1.23 | 242.9 | |
| Leith Wheeler Canadian Equity B | 1.56 | 113.5 | |
| Beutel Goodman Canadian Equity D | 1.36 | 3,624.00 |
Source: Lipper
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Thursday, May. 30, 2013 7:32PM EDT
13 stocks satisfy pentathlete approach to value investing
Ian McGugan
What are we looking for?
The pentathletes of the value-investing world. These are stocks that excel not just in one category that appeals to bargain hunters, but in several.
Our search for stocks that can score well on several value tests is inspired by money manager James O’Shaughnessy. In the recent update to his classic What Works on Wall Street, he argues that any single value indicator is likely to go through periods when it doesn’t work. A more robust strategy, in his opinion, is to look for stocks that satisfy several criteria.
| Company | Symbol | P/B | Price-to-sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinidad Drilling | TDG-T | 0.96 | 1.01 |
| Barrick Gold Corp. | ABX-T | 0.93 | 1.47 |
| Akita Drilling | AKT.A-T | 0.91 | 0.96 |
Source: Bloomberg
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Wednesday, May. 29, 2013 7:39PM EDT
14 health care REITs gearing up for an aging population
MICHAEL BOWMAN
Mr. Bowman is a portfolio manager at Hamilton-based Wickham Investment Counsel Inc., an adviser to high net worth clients. michael@wickhaminvestments.com
What are we looking for?
Last week my colleague Rob Belanger and I examined health care corporations. This week we are taking a look at real estate investment trusts in the same sector. According to the Harvard Business Review, our aging population will lead to massive increases in the number of people suffering from chronic, expensive-to-treat diseases, which will put severe strain on the health care system.
| Name | Symbol |
Market Cap (in Billions $) |
Dvd Yld (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCP Inc. | HCP-N | 23.01 | 4 |
| Ventas Inc. | VTR-N | 22.35 | 3.32 |
| Health Care REIT | HCN-N | 20.74 | 4.08 |
All currencies U.S. Source: Wickham Investment Counsel, Bloomberg
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Tuesday, May. 28, 2013 7:27PM EDT
20 U.S. companies gushing with cash
Ian McGugan
What are we looking for?
U.S. companies that are showing an improving ability to produce gushers of cash – and put that cash to good use. Such firms are often attractive investments.
How we did it
Last week, our friend Craig McGee, senior consultant at CPMS Morningstar Canada, searched the Canadian stock market for companies that appeared to be boosting their operational efficiency. Today, he performs a similar search using the CPMS U.S. database.
| Rank | Company | Symbol |
Market Cap (US$ mil.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seagate Technology | STX-Q | 15,377 |
| 2 | Questcor Pharmaceutical | QCOR-Q | 2,041 |
| 3 | Sturm Ruger & Co Inc. | RGR-N | 983 |
Source: Morningstar Canada
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Monday, May. 27, 2013 7:48PM EDT
Eight Japanese stock funds ride ‘Abenomics’ wave
JACQUELINE NELSON
What are we looking for?
How Japanese stock funds are managing so far this year.
Japanese equity markets have been strong in 2013, but recent concerns over rising government bond yields and political uncertainty have caused plenty of volatility.
The screen
We looked at the year-to-date returns of Japanese equity funds to April 30. U.S. dollar and duplicate versions of funds were excluded.
| Fund | Symbol | MER % | Assets (in $ mil.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| iShares Japan Fundamental Idx C$ Hdg Com | CJP-T | 0.72 | 47.4 |
| Mackenzie Focus Japan Class | 2.65 | 10.6 | |
| TD Japanese Growth | 2.84 | 25.7 |
Source: Lipper
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Thursday, May. 23, 2013 7:42PM EDT
15 U.S. stocks emerge in selective hunt for bargains
KELLY BROWN
What are we looking for?
Companies that look cheap in comparison to their earnings. We performed a similar screen last month, with the results limited to Canadian companies. Today, we screen for U.S.-based companies.
Independent studies have demonstrated that selecting companies based on a value-oriented yardstick, such as a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, will result in a portfolio that is likely to outperform the market averages over the next 12 months.
| Company | Ticker |
US$ Close (May 22) |
Market Cap (US$-mil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golar LNG Ltd. | GLNG-Q | 36.2 | 2,914 |
| Lear Corp. | LEA-N | 60.58 | 5,601 |
| Platinum Underwriters Holdings Ltd. | PTP-N | 57.26 | 1,814 |
Source: Longview Asset Management Ltd., S&P Capital IQ
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Wednesday, May. 22, 2013 7:36PM EDT
Health care stocks: As boomers age, a booming sector emerges
MICHAEL BOWMAN
Mr. Bowman is a portfolio manager at Hamilton-based Wickham Investment Counsel Inc., an adviser to high net worth clients. michael@wickhaminvestments.com
What are we looking for?
For the next 18 years, 8,800 Americans will turn 65 every single day. According to the Health Care Cost Institute, they will each spend $142,000 (U.S.) in medical expenses over the next 20 years. My colleague Rob Belanger and I thought it was time to take a look at health care facility companies.
| Company | Ticker |
Market Cap ($-mil) |
Operating Profit Margin (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsurg Corp. | AMSG-Q | 1,150.27 | 30.57 |
| Medical Facilities | DR-T | 419.82 | 27.99 |
| HealthSouth Corp. | HLS-N | 2,619.28 | 21.30 |
All currencies in U.S. dollars. Source: Wickham Investment Counsel, Bloomberg
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Tuesday, May. 21, 2013 7:26PM EDT
20 TSX-listed stocks that are cash gushers
Ian McGugan
What are we looking for?
Companies that are showing an improving ability to produce gushers of cash – and put that cash to good use. Such firms can be good investments.
How we did it
Our friend Craig McGee, senior consultant at CPMS Morningstar Canada, searched the Canadian stock market for companies that met four major criteria:
| Rank | Company | Symbol |
Market Cap ($-Mil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ainsworth Lumber Co. | ANS-T | 932 |
| 2 | ShawCor Ltd. | SCL-T | 2,514 |
| 3 | Gluskin Sheff + Assoc. | GS-T | 315 |
Source: Morningstar Canada
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Monday, May. 20, 2013 7:00PM EDT
Leading North American fund loaded with 'big, boring' dividend stocks
SHIRLEY WON
What are we looking for?
How North American equity funds have fared over three years.
The screen
We ranked funds in this group by the best performers. U.S. dollar, segregated and duplicate versions of the funds were excluded.
What did we find?
A cash-heavy fund with some short bets leading the three-year pack.
| Fund | Sym |
3-yr % rtn (Apr. 30) |
1-yr % rtn (Apr. 30) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Hill Capital Growth | 18.4% | 11.5% | |
| Mackenzie Ivy Enterprise | 11.1% | 11.2% | |
| TD North American Dividend-I | 9.6% | 13.1% |
* Assets are as of March 31, 2013. Source: Lipper
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