Investment Q&A

Q: All 3 stocks have recently been down and are continuing to drop today (Tuesday). Your blog on the CSU/Leonard call about AI recapped what was said and indicated premiums assigned to these stocks may be lowered. Looks like it's now underway. I was hoping for more thought on what might happen in the future? As many of your customers own these stocks, it would be nice if 5i could issue quick reports on them. Are they still rated high or have they gone down a notch, or two or three? Are they rated buy, hold or sell? Where does 5i see these stocks' prices in 3, 6 and 12 months from now? I realize there are many unknowns and predicting the future is tough, but 5i has done this generally quite well in the past. These 3 stocks appear to widely held and deserve more attention at this time.

Q: Thank you for the timely and well-done blog on CSU.
Two questions:

1) Would YOU put new/fresh money into CSU TODAY? Please give a brief reasoning for your answer.

2) If YOU had owned CSU shares for a number of years, what would you do with them today (irrespective of portfolio make-up)? Please give a brief reasoning for your answer.

Thank you

Q: I hold these two with significant losses. should I move on from these or do you see any chance of revival.

Thanks Dave

Q: Hi Guys Since you will get a lot of questions on the short report on Goeasy I thought this article/comment from National Bank would help members and save you some valuable time ( only make public if you think it is useful):

National Bank Financial analyst Jaeme Gloyn thinks the allegations and evidence brought by Jehoshaphat Research in a short report released Monday claiming Goeasy Ltd. (GSY-T) is manipulating their reporting to delay and avoid reporting rising delinquencies and charge-offs are “without merit.”

Accordingly, in reaction to the 9.9-per-cent drop in the Mississauga-based company’s share price on Monday as well as a post-close analyst call in which management firmly refuted the allegations, Mr. Gloyn now sees “a buying opportunity.”

“The report includes former employer interviews and former competitor executive interviews to explain how frequently and easily GSY uses tactics to delay reporting charge-offs and delinquencies,” he said. “JR argues GSY will have to start reporting higher charge-offs as these loans will inevitably need to default and be charged-off and expects this catch-up in losses to ‘devastate earnings’. The report argues its thesis on the following points: i) GSY’s change in their definition of net charge-offs, ii) rising interest receivable as a percentage of interest income, iii) lower allowance rates on stage 3 loans, iv) large shift of loans into GSY’s “low-risk” category, v) the surprise departures of former CEO, Jason Mullins and CFO, Hal Khouri."

“JR’s evidence of manipulation (Rising interest receivables, lower allowance rates on stage 3 loans and the shift in loans to the ‘low risk’ category) is explained by GSY’s rapid increase in auto loans. GSY has grown its portfolio of auto loans from $40-million in 2021 to over $1-billion today,” he said. “The key is these loans are larger and typically benefit from a lower loss given default because they are secured by the vehicles. Unlike unsecured loans that charge-off after 90 days, secured auto loans will charge-off after 180 days. As these larger auto loans become delinquent, it is reasonable to see an increase in interest receivable. Further, because these loans are secured by vehicles where confidence in recovery is higher, it is also reasonable to report a decrease in stage 3 allowances as a percentage of loans outstanding. Additionally, the risk categorization of loans is determined based on probability of default, which can change based on collections abilities. GSY enhanced their collections capabilities in 2024 which could explain the change in classification.”

The analyst concluded the evidence presented by the Florida-based firm is explained by recent growth of GSY’s secured lending platform.

“We are aware of the potential volatility that can come with rapid growth of a lending vertical as we have seen with auto lending at GSY,” he noted. “We believe management is also aware of this and is actively making investments to improve collections and underwriting. That said, this does not imply that GSY is involved in any accounting games or excessive ‘kick the can’ activity.”

Mr. Gloyn reiterated his “outperform” rating and $265 target for Goeasy shares. The average is $239.22.

Elsewhere, Scotia Capital’s Phil Hardie cut his target to $225 from $235 with a “sector perform” rating.

“The release of a short report alleging that goeasy has improperly delayed credit losses and materially unreported loan delinquencies has put near-term pressure on the stock,” he said. “We believe the central theme of the report follows a relatively well-worn path for short-sellers that target lenders during transitioning economies. The author alleges that company uses “pretend and extend” practices to avoid reporting delinquencies and uses accounting approaches that delay reporting of loan losses and other expenses.

“We don’t buy into the report’s bearish view that delayed net-charge-offs are likely to drive a significant earnings miss for 2026, or that GSY is engaged in questionable practices. Following a 10-per-cent one-day decline in the stock after the release of the report, we would not be surprised to see a near-term bounce to recover some lost ground, however we think the report will sharpen investor focus on underlying delinquency and portfolio credit performance trends and constrain near term multiple expansion. Ultimately we think the key to sustainably removing any overhang will be delivering solid results with the charge-off rate remaining in line with the targeted range with late stage delinquencies also trending down.”

Q: I have a question about hedged/unhedged versions of the same ETFs. There are a number of these, and they often have very different market values, as in TD's Global Technology Leaders ETF - TEC (unhedged) and TECX (hedged). In this case, the unhedged version has a mere 8.7m assets compared to 3.5b for TEC.

I would normally think an ETF with such a small AUM unstable, but given this is a TD ETF and mirrors its vastly larger brother, would that necessarily be the case? And isn't the rise and fall of an ETF simply a reflection of the stocks it holds?

What brings this to mind is the way hedged ETFs of American stocks have outperformed their unhedged counterparts this year. There is an administration in the US determined to drive down the US dollar by hook or by crook. So it seems to me that hedged is the way to go for now.

Q: Hi,

For portfolio considerations I need to start to trim AEM back to a full position weight. I also have PAAS, WGX, FNV, AGI at full position, and ABX at just over a half position for may precious metals portfolio. Would you recommend investing the AEM trim to top up ABX, or is there another precious metal that you would like better at this time. And can you give me a brief reason why.
Thanks.

Q: Considering recent interest rate reductions can you please advise on investing in xhy.to or ushy at this point? Are they equivalent but just in different currencies?

Thanks.

Q: Hello 5i Team
I had the pleasure watching Peter Hodson on BNN today and his top picks. What would be his three top picks on the Canadian Stocks ?
Regards

Q: I would like some suggestions for a proxy for KXS. One that you feel has more growth potential.
Regards

Wayne

Q: Is lumber in the basic materials group?
Could you recommend one or two lumber stocks (Canadian or US) that might have the best growth potential going forward?
Thank you.

Q: Has the CSU blog been posted? Could you provide a link?
Thanks.

Q: What is your opinion on Kirkland Lake Discoveries Corp. They came across my insider screening test and I know Sprott has a position, and there's been some upwards momentum with the stock. I like the sector but as always do YOU like the stock. Your thoughts?

Q: I've owned this stock for quite some time and still am up 61 %. It has been going downhill since May . Any reason for this ?

Q: In a letter today Bespoke investments describes how TIGO has improved its operations in several of its Latin American companies , including some businesses it acquired from Telefonica. Bespoke just added TIGO to its model ‘Dividend portfolio’. TIGO pays over 6% in dividend. I assume TIGO shares are undervalued due to perception of political uncertainty in Central and Southern America (?). I would appreciate your analysis , insight, and opinion. (Or should I just go back to being shy?)

Q: I'm getting mixed messages from 5i regarding EQB . In several answers you have it as recommended buy ...... But in a reply to Adam on Aug. 28/25 you make the following statement . ...... " But with some overall economic concerns continuing it is also hard to foresee a big recovery in the next several quarters as well. "

This suggests it will be dead money for a while .... Looking at your report on the company it appears that circumstances have changed . In your " Valuation " section you make the following statement .....

" Management noted that with the recent and expected easing of interest rates, EQB is seeing signs of renewed mortgage activity and strong loan growth momentum is expected going into 2025. " ...... Well that didn't happen ...... Are you planning to update that report in the near future ? ....

I own shares { in a RRIF } and am in a bit of a quandary on why I shouldn't sell in favour of greener pastures ..... So please explain to me how I should evaluate holding or selling ? .........Thanks for your terrific service .....

Q: Good day all! What could you suggest as a replacement for LIF. Looking at a higher revenu play for my RRSP. Materials industry would be optimal, but it could also be Industrial, Communications or Utilities.

Q: Regarding Wealth Health Technologies, I would expect them to benefit by adopting some AI capabilities into their platforms. It seems that AI is either a benefit or a threat to companies utilizing significant amounts of software in their operations. How does it look for WELL? Have they already adopted/developed some AI capability ?

Thank You

Q: Rainwater Equity ETF (NYSE): As a new ETF invested in mid/large cap companies, in sectors with reliable recurring revenues less sensitive to equity market fluctuations, this would likely be a good defensive stock to own. Is there a comparable ETF/Company based in Canada?

Q: I am a dividend investor who prefers to hold fewer companies for the long term, gradually adding to the position over time in perpetuity.

5i recently sold OTEX from its Balanced Portfolio. There have been discussions about disruption from AI.

Do you think OTEX remains a viable longterm holding for a dividend investor? Can we expect to see modest continued growth and modest dividend growth - or should this position be sold due to the risks involved?

Q: Hello 5i,
I’ve been viewing that US may at some point use stable coins to eliminate the debt. Is this possible? Could digital currency become the new gold? Please suggest some trusted sources where I could learn more about this, implications of wide spread adoption on the economy and the impact on physical gold. Thank you.