Investment Q&A

Q: In relation to the question i just posted regarding portfolio construction, i have another question. In two different answers you give quite different percentages for asset allocation. I am surprised that there is such a difference in the two. One for "an average investor" gives this breakdown:
For the average investor, based against the TSX sectors, we would suggest these allocations; 
Consumer Staples  5%
Consumer Discretionary 10%
Energy  10%
Info Tech  15%
Materials  10%
Industrials (with some US) 15%
Healthcare  10% (with some US) 
Financials  10%
Telecom  10%
Utilities   5%
Enbridge and IPL do behave more like utilities, but the TSX includes them in the energy sector, so we do as well. Badger has 55% of its business in the oil and gas sector, but the TSX classifies it in Industrial Products. 

In the may 2014 post i cited earlier, which is for a "middle aged conservative" investor, it is like this:

May 05, 2014 (asked by paul)
Question: What sector weightings would you recommend for a conservative middle age investor, with a balanced focus on capital gains and dividends. Thanks
5i Research Answer:
On average, we would suggest a portfolio similar to this:
Utilities 15%; Financials 15%; Energy 10%; Materials 5%; Telecom 10%, Industrials 10%; Healthcare 5%; Info Tech 10%; Cons. Discretionary 5%; Consumers Staples 15%.

Q: hello 5i:
not a question; a comment. I often see people, when asking Peter a question, quote how many analysts are advising buy,etc. Peter hasn't held back on his opinion of this, so here's more ammo:
Concerning equities, an analysis by Bespoke Investment Group recently showed 48.3% of the 12,122 ratings on S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY) stocks were "Buy" (or equivalent) ratings, 44.9% of ratings were a "Hold," and just 6.67% of ratings were a "Sell,"
need I say more?
thanks
Paul L

Q: Hello Peter & Co,
It seems that a few investors are taking some profit today in Health/Pharma & Info Tech; that's healthy as they had gained significantly lately. No need to panic and stay the course, right?
Have a good weekend,
Antoine

Q: Could you please send me the details on the Oceania cruise.Thankyou

Q: CBC will air investigation of EH loan procedures and it appears to be very unflattering, if last nite's National teaser is any indication (loan rates at 57% annualized); stock is off today; short-term or long-term impact?

Q: Could you please tell me what you see when you 'screen' MTGE? When I look at the fundamental data and ratios on the TD Direct Markets & Research screen, they seem fine. I'm no pro, so am I missing something here? 14% yield. 84% payout ratio. $1B market cap. Besides using a service such as 5i, what else can a retail investor do to determine if a stock is "decent" or "junk".
Thank you

Q: I own a small position in Ritchie Bros (RBA). I am requesting your comments on its quarterly results released last night.
Thanks, Tim.

Q: What happened

Q: Could you please comment on today's drop in the stock? Is there reason for concern? Is this a potential buying opportunity. They have had a history of increasing dividends.

Thanks,

OV

Q: Hi Team,
Could you recommend some mid to large cap stocks with a good combination of metrics such as: high ROE, low debt, generates good free cash flow and has the ability to diversify globally. In other words the "perfect" stock lol.
Thanks, you continue to impress and should be very proud of the 5i brand!!

Q: I have a comment and question. Comment: I appreciated hearing 5i recommending the purchase of Enbridge ENB for a U.S. investment. I don't feel confident about any company in the way I feel confident about the top 5i recommendations. Canadian-based companies that I believe are viewed highly by 5i and that trade on the U.S. exchanges include OTC, STN, BAM, BEP, ENB, FSV, BNS, SLF, GIL, Telus, DSG, Goldcorp, and more. A list can be found at http://www.superstockpicker.com/canadian_US_stock_symbols.html

Question: The one U.S. company I feel a personal connection with is Macerich MAC, as I knew the founder and remember in the early 80s when he was complaining that Wall Street gave him no respect! That's since changed. But I knew he was a good guy and I feel confident about the culture of the company. They own shopping centers. Do you have a comment on MAC? Thank you.

Q: I do not own, but am thinking of initiating a half position. Given how beaten up it has been over the last few months (close to its 52-week low, RSI around 20), would this be a reasonable entry point for a long-term hold?

Q: With the USA,s ruling on net neutrality, how do you think this will affect Sandvine Corp.

Thanks

Q: I am still deliberating on which US tech stock to buy with some recently released funds (2.5% of portfolio). I have been passively following all those stocks listed below and recognize that we may be looking at apples and oranges, but I am assuming that if the Tech sector is improving, they should all benefit. Would you please give your ratings on the following stocks and prime reason for your preference:
Arm Holdings PLC ARMH.US
Adobe Systems ADBE.US
Apple Inc. AAPL.US
Cisco Systems CSCO.US
SanDisk Corp SNDK.US
Seagate Tech. STX.US
Western Digital WDC.US

Thanks for your help.

Q: Your thought please on IShares IDV and IXP ETFs for international dividend income? They appear reasonably well diversified.

Q: hi guys just starting to build my portfolio and i would like to do so by buying good stocks when they are out of favor and are cheap. i'm all about growth and have a high risk tolerance. i started by purchasing RE and SGY as they are in the most beaten up sector. can you suggest a stock each from the other sectors that's in this category,time is not a factor . Thanks Garfield

Q: Hi Team

can you help me understand the ebb and flow of the market sectors.

the one that intrigues me lately is the insurance and financials

1. in the insurance sector there seems to be a year to date downturn for SLF, yet not for GWO OR IFC. WHY is this, is there any real "science" / economic "fundamentals" to this?

2. as for the big 6 in banks, they seem to move in the same general direction yet by slightly bigger swings for some, i.e. CM and CWB, is there any rationale behind this ?

Q: Do u know much about this cloud computing company in Ottawa - any opinions.
Tks.

Q: Hello 5I Team
What do you make of Intellipharmaceutis these days. Two TDwaterhouse analysts have them rated as a Strong Buy and there is some net insider buying but there are a lot of (-) signs by their fundamental numbers.
Your comments Please
Thanks for your help
Clarence

Q: I purchased SYZ in December 2013 at $7.18. Despite a nice little run-up in the stock over the past year, it seems we're right back where we started 14 months ago. I am wondering if there is any compelling reason to continue to hold? With a sluggish economy in the west, I cannot foresee much demand for its services/software at this time and am wondering if that is what is being reflected now in the price. Who would be SYZ's competitors, and how are they faring? Is there another company within that space that might fare better under present conditions? Thanks.