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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: Hello, I sold SYZ a month ago for tax-loss purposes. I thought I would buy it back if the share price was below what I sold it for (it is). I hesitate to buy it because I worry the co will cut its dividend to fund growth and/or reduce debt, which would hurt the share price quite a bit. Should I wait until the 3rd quarter reporting in November in the hope that the co will be clearer on its intent to keep the div as is? Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Martin on October 13, 2022
Q: I have taken a look at my distribution of investments, and determined that I have more room to enter an additional position in the technology space. I was gung-ho on starting a position with Google, until I discovered that Sylogist is currently paying a 6.86% dividend (as of yesterday's closing share price). I currently lean towards investing in more established companies that have been able to maintain market share in their area of operation, and Google definitely fits that description. Would the dividend offer by Sylogist, along with the potential upside, be a more prudent investment with someone who has a five-year time horizon, or is the steady-as-it-goes approach with Google the safer approach? As always, I look forward to your comments and insight. Thanks so much!
Read Answer Asked by Domenic on August 17, 2022
Q: Ignoring company size and sector diversification, can you please rank these stocks on a best to worst risk / reward basis for long term hold. I own them all in various accounts with a half position or less so my plan would be to let some go and increase position in others with better potential. Any of them you consider good buy at the moment? Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Pierre on August 12, 2022
Q: Hi, Any comments on recent price action .Why Sylogist continues to make new multi year lows, while Tech sector, in general has gained some traction, over past week or so. There was a mention here of stock's long term support at $6.50 - $6.75 level. Why would retail investors keep selling, despite its solid organic growth prospects/possible acquisitions and very low risk to dividend ? based on its history dividend yield is now flirting with 7.50 - 8% - Is there a concern of a dividend cut ? We beefed up our holding along with 5i recently and like the company. What is the next support level and is it worth buying more now? We have owned it for several years and stock has fallen below our ACB of $6.57 and weight has dropped from 5% to below 2.5%. Thanks
Read Answer Asked by rajeev on July 18, 2022
Q: Hi, ServiceNow stock, a large US Enterprise Digital Solutions provider company, dropped 12%, Today, after CEO's comments, last evening on Mad Money, warning about the macro headwinds faced by a continuously extra strong US Dollar, by Technology companies, particularly those with large enterprise customers, around the world. Some of the comments are as below:

" You’re at 41-year high inflation. The dollar right now is the highest it’s been in over two decades. We have interest rates rising. People worried about security. You’ve got a war in Europe. So, the mood is not great,” McDermott said in an interview that aired on “Mad Money” after the closing bell on Monday.

“You’re going to see the headwind of the dollar right now against well-known technology brands,” the CEO added. “No one’s going to outrun the currency right now.”

Shares of ServiceNow, which helps companies and organizations digitize their workflows, fell 13% on Tuesday after McDermott’s comments, which were meant as an overall industry observation, not ServiceNow-specific news due to the company being in a quiet period ahead of reporting its latest quarterly earnings on July 27. "

“When you think about energy, and the dislocation caused by the war in Europe, and this reprioritization I’m talking about, you’re going to see longer cycles [to close deals] in Europe. We saw that,” McDermott said. “But this doesn’t fundamentally change the narrative that tech is the only way to cut through the crosswinds.”

The reprioritization he’s referring to is the increase in demand for a fast return-on-investment — another symptom of cautiousness in the current environment.

“There’s a new level or prioritization in the enterprise. And I have seen this, actually since we last met, Jim, hitting a new gear. Where companies are first saying ‘which platforms do we want to bet on,’” and then try to sort their priorities, McDermott said.

“There’s one filter on all of this now. And that is fast return on investment. And if you can’t put an architecture in there that gives the customer a fast ROI, chances are, you’re going to get postponed,” he added.

Stifel said in a note on Tuesday that it believes the company is “likely” to lower their expectations when it reports earnings, citing McDermott’s comments on reprioritization. The investment bank also expects other companies across the industry to follow suit in the coming weeks.

There was chatter that Today's 4.10% decline in MSFT and 4.61% in Sales Force, which was ugly, was not company specific but in reaction to this macro warning,

Most large Technology will start reporting in a few weeks time.

Some strategists were seen on CNBC talking about the" Generals" being the last to drop and MSFT's sharp drop today was noticed by many.

Do you agree with above comments/sentiments ?

We are trying to assess, if these companies, in your view, are likely to be faced with similar headwinds - CSU ( worldwide revenues), TOI ( Europe) and SYZ ( >55% US rev ), for all those reasons. And if you think, they are not immune to this, is there any caution warranted, or is it prudent to reduce our exposure to a more reasonable level, at this time.

Thank You
Read Answer Asked by rajeev on July 13, 2022