Investment Q&A

Q: what do you think of this company for income and growth, and why is the stock moving up.

Q: Follow-up to Matthieu's question:
My layman's understanding of the car dealerships has always been that they make relatively little profit on actual car sales but rather on follow-up service and repairs. If that is the case, it would seem to me that any "temporary" (e.g. < 2 years)reduction in Alberta car sales should not have a drastic effect on dealership profitability. Consequently, I do not understand why ACQ stock is being hammered so severely in the current environment. On the contrary, it now seems to be a good buying opportunity.

I would appreciate your comments. Thanks!

Q: Congr for great results--29.3%(after 34.1% in 2013),which beat 10.4% for TSX Note you reduced weighting in AYA & used proceeds to add to WCP,BDI & FN.Why not BNS,which together with CM & NA were 3 of the most battered big 6 can.banks the last month.Repotedly,some funds in US was selling can banks today & lately.Thanks for your usual great advices & services.Peter,welcome back from your vacation.

Q: How can I find out how long are those accormodation contracts? Can customers terminate the contracts in 2015? Thx

Q: Would you add to HCG at today's prices? It appears to be dragged down along with other financials like the banks right now.

With regard to HCG, I am also trying to connect the dots on a couple of the guidelines that you have provided over the last couple of years, namely buy on upside strength and (generally) do not add to a losing position. Again, generally sell a stock when it drops 8-10%. I apologize if I am takinng anything out of context, but I am trying to make sense out this market. Case in point I have owned HCG for a couple of years, saw it drop and then recently start to reverse. So I added to my position on Monday and saw it drop 5% today! Ouch.

Hold and wait for a better time to buy or buy more now? (I am sure selling would not be a wise option for a quality company like HCG)

Thanks for helping me sort this out.

Q: I like the theme of seniors' care for the long term. I have a small position (<3%) of CSH.UN in my TFSA and it has done well over the last couple of years. Would you add to this or sell it and replace it with a different name in the same space. (I also have a bit of KMP and some D.Un in non-registered accounts, in case other REIT holdings might influence your comments.)

Thanks for your help - I've been with you since almost the beginning and I love your service!

Q: Hi Guys,

Could I get your opinion on GH at this time. I realize the price of oil has an affect on every stock in the world but has it affected GH more than it should?

You last did a report on GH in Sept 2013. Don't you think every company should be reviewed at least 1 time in the year? If you can't do this then may I suggest you are following too many stocks for the manpower you have and therefore should cut down you stock list. A second alternative would be to stop answering so many repetitive questions from members.

Thanks
John

Q: BDI seems to be settling down somewhat after recent severe weakness. Do you think it is advisable to dip a toe in the water on this name in a TFSA? Realizing that patience will be required and more volatility may follow of course.

Q: Yesterday, reports from different sources started coming out saying that canadian auto sales are doing great. Can we therefore expect their next quarter to be great? Or do you think that it is likely that the dealers that did well are those outside of Alberta and since the company has most of its dealers in Alberta, we might see little positive impact? I suppose it depends on how confident people in Alberta have been feeling about a rebound in oil and in the safety of their job.

Q: Hi team:
I made a small profit by investing in the above thanks to your advice
With the drop in crude oil prices, will it decrease the value of Bep.un ? thinking of taking some of the money off the table
like to hear your opinion, thanks

Q: I'd like to start a DRIP plan for my son
What is a good choice for a DRIP plan stock?

Q: A couple of questions on the financials. Your Jan/14 report showed $360 million in cash. The most recent quarter you noted shows $1.3biln ($14 cash per share).That's quite a jump for a company with a market cap of $700mil I am wondering where all the cash comes from?
Your report also mentioned $8 of book value. Equity as of the most recent quarter is $1.1biln with pref stock of $206mil. Does that mean $12.50 of book value?
The current ratio is just over 1, is that normal for this kind of business?
Finally you mention principal trading as a risk.Is this represented in the $1biln of short term investments?
Thanks
Mike

Q: In the event that CXI does not get its banking license, what are the implications for this company? Is the license approval imminent? Does anyone really have a timeframe on this or could it drag on for years? (I'm not certain how long a process, or how arduous, it is to be granted a banking license.) I was thinking of selling my Surge Energy and replacing it with CXI to see if I can inject a bit more torque into an account that has seen a 50% loss, but I don't want to be selling/buying a pig in a poke. (Any suggestions would be welcome, including a different company.)

Thanks for your advice! Happy New Year to all at 5i!

Q: A&W Food Services of Canada Inc filed an "Early Warning Report" this morning wrt A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund. The text is long; can you explain; what impact might this have on the current share price.

Q: I noticed your caveat about AYA with regards the ongoing insider trading investigation. As I recall (never having owned a stock that was under one) these investigations can take a remarkable long time to get to first base (if the "raid" is considered putting the ball in play)even. Surely months if not years. With the growth that AYA has displayed (a good Q4 expected) it seems likely(to me)that a recovery of the share price is a reasonable assumption. Would you comment around these observations for me please?

Q: We have a 1.5% position in WSP Global and 1.5% in Stantec (STN) and no holdings in the Transportation sector. Do you have a recommendation re adding to WSP versus buying Trimac (TMA) or Transforce (TFI), or other thoughts.

Q: Looking to add one stock to my TFSA.Which one would you choose between CXI and DHX.B?

Q: How secure is their dividend?

Q: I have a quarter position in Rifco that has not been working.
Would you trade this for Currency Exchange International(CXI)?
I would like to ensure my $ in the higher risk/higher growth portion of my portfolio are in the names that have the best chance of working.

Q: I hold two tech stocks at present, ESL and GIB.A. I would like to add a third and wonder which of the following you favour at this time: CSU, ET, OTC, SYZ. Thank you.