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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Hi, Could you please comment on CCL earnings release. CC just ended and there was this constant chatter about every single raw material price going higher and impacting profitability. Innovia seems to have taken the most impact with $35 mln in the hole. Price increases to Innovia customers may only happen in 2019. Silver Line :CEO did mention that profitability of the company still fairly reasonable in H1, even with high raw material costs, any price increases will bode strongly for the results in H2 and beyond. Thanks
Read Answer Asked by rajeev on August 10, 2018
Q: Can I get you to comment on CCL.b's earnings and grade it on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the best).

Can I get you to comment on Andrew Peller's earnings and assess their growth profile and debt on the balance sheet?

Thanks.

John
Read Answer Asked by john on August 10, 2018
Q: What are your plans regarding the takeover of ECI...selling or waiting it out? Sold all of mine and bought or topped up positions in TCL, PBH. Thinking about topping up CGX...we'll see what it's quarter looks like tomorrow.

What are your plans regarding the 6.67% cash position in the Income portfolio? In the past you have indicated you are not keen on having large cash positions.

Thanks...Steve
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on August 10, 2018
Q: Just to clarify a recent Q&A regarding Parkland that someone mentioned that they almost sold PKI because "Andrew McCreath was shorting it at about $33, except for your reassuring comments.". In his monthly update, McCreath mentions "Parkland has been among the fund's largest positions this year and remains a core holding." Believe it is still worth holding for further upside. Thought it would be helpful if there was any confusion. Of course, as you mentioned, fund managers can change their view at any time and one should not solely invest one managers bullish/bearish viewpoint.
Read Answer Asked by Zach on August 09, 2018
Q: hello 5i:
I'm interested in PLC (should never lack for business), BUT I notice the company has a so-so record of meeting Operating Earnings, and a dismal record of meeting Operating Cash Flow projections. This doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the company, and so provides me with a bit of a quandry. Can you comment? Do YOU think the company will be able to achieve or beat projections in the future, as they haven't in the past? Why?
Paul L
Read Answer Asked by Paul on August 09, 2018
Q: Hi Peter, Ryan & Co.,
I bought PKI about 5 yrs ago, and it's done very well for me. I am a bit disappointed, however, with the rather slow dividend growth (this is the reason I bought it). As you noted, it's payout ratio is only 35%. So now I'm debating whether or not I should sell my position and invest in something else with a higher, growing yield, or wait in the hopes that PKI will be a bit more generous to its shareholders. What do think? Is the company hoarding cash for a specific purpose, or can I expect dividend increases in the future? Thanks,
Brian
Read Answer Asked by Brian on August 09, 2018
Q: I want to make sure that I am not overrating SJ. I try to buy quality companies and I have owned this one for several years because of the many positives you and other analysts have given it. One of those positives was management and with a new CEO and the selling out by Stella Jones International I am wondering if management may have regressed.

The latest results seemed solid in that guidance was maintained while sales and margins increased. I am thinking that it is the decrease in profit is what is weighing on the stock. Management says that the decrease is due to the transitioning of a Class 1 railroad company from a treating services only contract to a full service "black-tie" program and they go on further to say that they bought untreated ties from the Class 1 company and once they treated these ties they didn't make as much money due to higher costs. If I remember correctly, this is the same problem they said they had last quarter.

First, do you know what this program is all about? It seems to me that the Class 1 company is moving to a full-service on-going type of contract rather than a bare-bones contract to contract scenario. Ongoing regular revenues are usually better for a supplier so why is this one costing them money? Short-term pain for long-term gain? Or a management snafu?

The second drag is operating costs in the US southeast. Again, did management make a mistake or is this just one of the integration hiccups that come with takeovers? So I am back to my earlier comment about whether management is not what it once was or are these just growing pains. SJ has always been a lumpy stock mover and should I just view it as being out of the limelight for the time being with better things to come?

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on August 09, 2018
Q: In May and July, a couple of members wondered if it was time to move on from STN (and go to WSP) due to non-performance and you suggested it was. do you see anything in this earnings report to suggest a turnaround? I admit to a bit of emotion on this one as STN was once of the first stocks I ever bought. But continuing problems with "legacy" contracts has me questioning management. Time to give up the ghost on this one?

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on August 09, 2018
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