Investment Q&A

Q: Hi Peter & Co
More of a general question.
With your years experience on Bay St I was wondering if you could give us some insight on what information analyst are given/get from companies.
i.e. How are estimates/guidance determined (do companies provide numbers or do analyst figure them out);
What information is asked and answered at private meetings? What are the disclosure rules?
How assessable are most companies for private meetings and is this something private investors can request from companies or is this generally reserved for investment professionals?
What questions are off limits?
Thanks
Joe

Q: Not a question but a reminder to members.. At the top of our members page 5i has suggested looking up the company you may have a question on, it may have been answered already. For the month of November the TMX had 15 trading days, questions were asked by members about Amaya 9 times and Avigilon 14 times. 5i provides us with an invaluable service at extremely reasonable cost. Fellow members please search before asking your question.
Just a comment not wanting to hurt anybodies feelings ( I'm Canadian you know ) Gerry

Q: Hi, I have held ATCO in my RRSP for about 3 years and have done well. I am now approaching retirement and am looking for higher income in my portfolio. I have a strong tilt towards the dividend growth and income strategy I am considering switching the ATCO to CU or EMA or FTS for better yield. Despite the lower dividend I feel CU will do better than EMA or FTS because they are primarily in Alberta. CU also has had better dividend growth than EMA and FTS in recent years. What are your thoughts on this plan.
Thanks, Manfred

Q: hello 5i:
please give me your opinion on this company. Interested primarily in dividend growth and safety.
thanks
Paul

Q: Hi Peter, I hold Kimberly Clark (KMB) in my kids’ RESP account and recently they spun off a new company called Halyard Health (HYH). I received 1 share of this new company for every 8 shares of KMB held. Since it’s a small RESP account for now, I only received 6 shares of HYH, which is currently trading at $39.29. What are your thoughts about this new company? I’m thinking of just holding the shares because I understand from an article I read that previous Kimberly Clark spin-offs have historically done well. Thanks as usual!

Q: This has limited partnership after it.Does it or others with LP have tax implications

Q: Just read an article about Dollarama. I would appreciate your comments re investment over 3 to 5 years, Thank you for your great independent advice. Much appreciated. Keith

Q: PS, why have the utilities rallied so much this week.

Q: Hi Peter: I know you do not follow non-Canadian stocks. I held Deo (Diageo) since mid-2009 and enjoyed over 100% gain not including their dividend in my RRSP. It has not done well over the last year and flat the year before. May be people are not drinking liquor anymore or they cannot afford to drink. I am considering selling and replacing it by another large non-Canadian dividend paying company whose products or services are not well represented in Canadian companies. I am considering DOW (Dow Chemical) or INTC (intel). What is your view on this strategy? Any other alternative security suggestion will be appreciated. Regards. Fl.

Q: I would appreciate your thoughts on DBO (buy,sell,hold) The technology is great, market is growing and they just turned the corner on net income. The stock is going nowhere, it's like watching paint dry !!!!! down +50% from IPO

Q: Hello to all at 5i

Based on personal experience and the demographics, one of the significant trends over the next 20 or so years, I believe, will the increasing amount of hip and knee replacements along with other orthopedic surgeries.

With respect to the investment thesis, do you have a preference between Stryker and Zimmer in the US or are there other investments (in Canada or the US) of which you aware that would eventually help soothe our aching joints?

Thank you for the service you provide.

Q: Would like your thoughts on the recent earnings and the company's ongoing strategy.

Thanks
Bob

Q: Hi Peter and team,
My US investment portfolio is 20% of my combined portfolios. In my Canadian (registered and non) I mostly have stocks from the 5i growth portfolio.
My US investments are full positions in VIG, BRK.B, IWO, QQQ, SLW & INTC and half position in FEZ. I also hold CRUS, VOD, VZ and GT.
I would like to get your thoughts(outlook) for the next 2 to 3 years considering the interest rates may be going(US) up and QE in Europe.
I am thinking of increasing my FEZ to full position but I have to sell something. In your opinion how should I rebalance my portfolio?

I value your opinion and really appreciate what you all do for retail investors like us.

Thanks

Q: Hello 5i,
I am currently deciding on a new sector to build out my portfolio into, the choices are health care or consumer stocks. Below is the list of stocks on my buy list in each sector. The idea is to have about 10 stocks in each sector to smooth out the returns. I currently have the money to purchase 3 stocks, can you help me select the three stocks to start with and which sector to start in, as there may be a timelier sector to start buying. I am a dividend investor and a 3% (minimum) dividend is pretty much my cut off. If you have some better ideas I’m open to suggestions (currently own GSK).
Consumer Stocks:
Kimberly-Clark , Kraft Foods Group Inc,Clorox Co, Sysco Corp, Procter & Gamble Co, General Mills Inc, Nestle SA, ConAgra Foods Inc, Unilever PLC, Campbell Soup
Health Care:
Sanofi SA, Roche Holding AG, Pfizer Inc, Novartis AG, Merck & Co Inc,, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Co, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, AstraZeneca PLC, AbbVie Inc.
Thanks for your help,

Q: You've mentioned CBO as a relatively good ETF to hold in the bond space. But when you look at the 5 year chart, it's on a downtrend. Is this really a good time to buy CBO?

Q: What is your evaluation of this semi conductor manufacturer with strategic links to Apple ?

Q: I have now subscribed to your newsletter for almost a year, and I am very impressed. I have a question for you about a now bankrupt company, Poiseidon Concepts. I lost a bundle on it. It was a darling of the analysts before it tanked, and was recommended in two of the newsletters I was subscribing to at the time. One even recommended doubling up after it had dropped by 70% (which I did), then it "went to zero". Had you ever followed the stock, and were you able to see its demise coming? Thanks for your help.

Q: I just re-read Ryan's excellent article highlighting stocks flying under the radar.

I believe that SYZ was one of Peter's picks 2-3 years ago for one of the many stock picking contests he has won. SYZ has gone from under $3 to $12 - and still has zero analyst coverage. I would think that kind of performance puts it into a very special category. Is the lack of coverage incompetence on the part of the analysts and their managers who run the funds, or is there something intrinsic about SYZ that keeps them away?

Thanks to you I am a well rewarded owner of SYZ, but still find the lack of coverage intriguing; but would expect this to change with even more of a share price increase in the future and am looking to add to it.

Would you concur?

Thanks - on many levels for your service.

Q: Apparently recent insider buying. Your thoughts on this company?

Q: Some reasons for good equity market.Seasonality & 3rd year of mid term election indicate strong Nov to April period.Low interest rate.Increasing earnings growth. Please advise if it is time to invest now?.If so,please provide some appropriate "growth & dividend" stocks. Thanks a lot for your usual excellent advices & serices