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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: Dear Peter and team,
I am considering selling my shares in Covidien (cov) (1% of portfolio) because of the recent jump due to the Medtronic takeover. I don't think Medtronic has as good of a track record or management as Covidien. Would you recommend holding onto Covidien at this time or selling?

Other healthcare stocks in my portfolio are Gilead (gild) (2.5%), Baxter (bax) (1.25%), JNJ (1.5%) and Novartis (nvn) (1.5%).

If I sell Covidien and stay in the healthcare sector, I am considering McKesson (mck), WellPoint (wlp), CVS Caremark (cvs), Amgen (amgn), Cerner (cern), Catamaran (cct) or Concordia (cxr). And possibly 2 others that I don't know much about Cipher Pharma (?) and Biosyent (rx). Would you mind giving me your opinion on the above stocks or at least indicate which you feel would be the top 3.

If you think that there is a better healthcare stock than those listed above I would love to hear about it.

Thank you very much.

Brian
Read Answer Asked by Brian on June 20, 2014
Q: Badger (BAD): Recent comments by guests on BNN refer to Badger as 2 men and a truck and sell Badger - it is fully valued ($36.00). Your opinion overrules any other one.

What about RKN? Is it safe to buy?

QUESTOR - QUEST - In two days went up 20% then fell 18%. I am curious what would cause this - bad news or profit taking - your opinion?

Dennis
Read Answer Asked by Dennis on June 20, 2014
Q: Hello,

I have invested in your stock portfolio (thank you) plus I added CAM and EFN (5% each similar with the others in the portfolio).
I have around 150k more to invest. Do yo suggest adding to the existing portfolio or adding new ones?

I was thinking about SGY, AVO, CXI, EH, CFN, WCP are they worth an entry point at their current prices or I should hold and hope for a dip? Do you have any other suggestions? I'm looking for growth, my biggest challenge is knowing when to sell.
BTW this is a non registered account.

Thank you for all your good work and patience
Marios
Read Answer Asked by Marios on June 19, 2014
Q: At the beginning of the year my childrens TFSA's were invested in ACQ,AYA,CGX,and ESL.ACQis up 115% and AYA 155% (thankyou for that). Would you recommend taking some of the gains and investing elsewhere or let the winners ride. If the former given the current stocks held what companies would you suggest?
Many Thanks Mike
p.s. the kids send their thanks too!
Read Answer Asked by michael on June 19, 2014
Q: BAM.A has been a very popular stock for some time. Yesterday a Financial Post report on Canadian companies listed BAM.A as the most indebted Canadian company in 2013. The debt was approximately 50 000 000 followed by Hydro-Quebec with 43 000 000 followed by Export Development Canada with25 000 000. Should one be concerned about BAM.A's debt?
Read Answer Asked by Bruce on June 19, 2014
Q: Good morning!
I’m wondering if there are any relatively solid income stocks that would be correlated to the Canadian housing market. Ideally such a stock would have a reasonable dividend, the higher the better, perhaps in the 4% range as a minimum to at least match mortgage payments. If housing prices went up, it would rise accordingly. In theory, this would be a hedge for someone deciding to rent instead of owning a house, and the renter would then not lose ground against a higher housing market.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on June 19, 2014
Q: Hi Peter & Team
Do you consider the oil sector too volatile to be in a RRIF portfolio? I have done well with SU & COS (12% of my RRIF portfolio) and wonder if this is good time to bail out oil and replace them with a few from your income portfolio. Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Karl on June 19, 2014
Q: I have yet to put this years TFSA contribution to work. Can you provide a high growth non speculative name to invest, considering I have 20+ yrs before I need to access this money.
Read Answer Asked by Rob on June 18, 2014
Q: Good Morning Peter,Ryan and staff

I hold most of the stocks in your Model Portfolio and have had a tremendous 2 years following you advice, thank you. My question is regarding three half positions I have in Input Capital IFA, Aurora Spine ASG and Ifabric IFA. I realize they are risky investments and feel only Input is now starting to gain some traction.I remain under water on the other two. I have watched both Home Capital and Boyd for some time and regret not getting in sooner. Would you endorse a switch or should I remain patient?
Read Answer Asked by Marty on June 18, 2014
Q: Hi Peter and staff. May I please have your take on XSR. It has been steadily sliding from 10+ down to 7. Valuation seems crazy stretched and I don't understand borrowing to pay a special dividend, if I have that right. I'm still in the black but thinking of moving on.

Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Kim on June 18, 2014
Q: 5i
I've been hearing good things about Westport Innovations in terms of expected rapid growth in sales and earnings . What can you tell me about this one ? Worth the risk ?
Thanks
Bill
Read Answer Asked by Bill on June 18, 2014
Q: I have positions in AVO, BYD, BAD, CGX, CNR, ESL, SGY, SLF, STN, T, XGD and ZLB. I am 50% in cash and want to either add two or three positions or just increase the current positions. Would you please suggest a course of action,including any changes to my current positions. I am 67 and mildly risk tolerant. Thank you for the wonderful service.
Read Answer Asked by Richard on June 18, 2014
Q: Hi: In the Tech sector I currently have CSU and MDA at 3% each, and ESL,GIB,OTC and DH at 1.5% each or 12% of my total portfolio in Tech stocks. I am thinking of selling one to reduce the number of stocks, while buying more of some of the remaining stocks. Perhaps to increase my overall tech exposure as well.
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Also, do you consider AYA to be a Tech stock or a Consumer stock assuming the acquisition goes through.
Read Answer Asked by David on June 17, 2014
Q: I know this is very speculative, but do you see any stocks you think are strong takeover targets? I'm ideally looking for those with strong fundamentals as well.
Read Answer Asked by Mike on June 17, 2014
Q: I am thinking of selling MDI and buying TOU and PET. MDI has done nothing since I bought it in Nov 2012 and I am looking for a more exciting and hopefully profitable stock(s). What do you think of the move in a balanced portfolio?

Thanks for the great service; best money I have ever spent!!
Read Answer Asked by Sandy on June 17, 2014
Q: My no-so-smart advisor (whom I'm leaving) got me to buy $115K worth of US stocks for my Can. open/non-registered account. (At the time, I didn't know any better.)The $115K is 30% of my open account. In addition, he sold me about $30K of US stocks for my RSP; the balance being Can. stocks. This is the opposite of what should be. Can. stocks belong in the open account, to be able to take advantage of the dividend tax credit. Some of the US stocks are "keepers"; good companies I'd like to continue to own, such as AT&T, Pepsico, GE, etc. The question is what to do now? Just sell and buy Can. stocks for the open account, and US stocks for the RSP?
Read Answer Asked by Helen on June 16, 2014