Ag Growth International (STAR)
AFN - TSX
I’ve always dreamed of buying a farm and growing my own food. But driving to the grocery store is so much more convenient. Plus, there’s no need to invest in grain silos and fertilizer handling equipment. Fortunately for Ag Growth, there’s still plenty of demand for that kind of stuff. Shares of the Winnipeg-based agriculture infrastructure company rose after it posted record fourth-quarter sales and issued a bullish 2023 outlook, as farmers in Canada, the United States and abroad spent more on storage and handling systems for their crops. With Ag also making progress on deleveraging its balance sheet, the stock could have more room to, well, grow.
Pollard Banknote (STAR)
PBL - TSX
If you’ve been playing the lottery for years without any luck, let me pass along some advice a wise old man once gave me: You need to buy more tickets. Alternatively, you could improve your chances of winning by investing in the company that makes lottery tickets. Shares of Pollard Banknote posted double-digit gains after fourth-quarter revenue and earnings topped expectations, as growth in online lotteries and charitable gaming helped to offset inflationary cost increases for paper, ink and freight in its instant ticket business. With revenue climbing 8.9 per cent to a fourth-quarter record of $126.9-million, Pollard investors have the odds on their side – unlike the chumps who play the games.
Stella-Jones (STAR)
SJ - TSX
It’s time to give thanks to utility poles. They support our power, cable and telephone lines, provide an ideal place to put street lights, and offer a convenient way to advertise neighbourhood garage sales and lemonade stands. Nobody needs to remind Stella-Jones shareholders about the wonderful attributes of utility poles. Helped by higher prices for its pressure-treated wood products – including poles, railway ties and residential lumber – the company posted a 22-per-cent increase in sales for the fourth quarter. That raccoon your dog tries to attack every time you go out for a walk? He likes utility poles, too.
Tesla (DOG)
TSLA - Nasdaq
Is this what Tesla meant by “hands-free driving”? Shares of the electric vehicle maker sank after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received two complaints that the steering wheel fell off while people were driving their 2023 Model Y vehicles. “Both vehicles were delivered to the owners missing the retaining bolt which attaches the steering wheel to the steering column,” the NHTSA said. Even before the agency announced its investigation, Tesla’s stock was already under pressure following its recent vehicle price cuts and an investor day that failed to provide details about when the company plans to launch a new, lower-priced model. Let’s hope it doesn’t have the self-detaching steering wheel option.
Maple Leaf Foods (DOG)
MFI - TSX
“Send us 10,000 kilograms of Black Forest ham or we will release all of your sensitive data.” It’s not clear what demands cybercriminals made when they hacked into Maple Leaf Foods’ computer systems in November. But we do know the meat processor refused to pay the ransomware attackers – in cash or cold cuts – and subsequently took a hit of at least $23-million in costs as it worked to restore its IT systems. With the cyberattack adding to headwinds Maple Leaf was already facing from inflation, labour shortages and weak pork markets, the company swung to a fourth-quarter loss of $41.5-million. No wonder investors are losing their appetites for the shares.
John Heinzl