Investment Q&A

Q: Hi- the banks all seem to have done well, partially because loan loss provisions have been reduced. Is that a discretionary situation...in other words, can earnings be boosted by lowering provisions? How does that work?
How does it relate to Tier 1 capital? And what are the banks' Tier 1 Capitals now?
Thanks

Q: Not that I am comparing the companies as acknowledge there are no similarities, but I find the performance of BAM frustrating, as like MDA, it doesn't go anywhere, notwithstanding the brilliant management, etc. Tempted to redeploy the monies. Can you please advise as to why I should not. What is your outlook? Thx,

Q: Any thoughts on the recent news release from Alterra doing a 10 for 1 split and issuing a dividend. I own a small amount just wondering if it is worth picking up a few more before the split.

Thanks........

Q: A lot of people watch bnn and the guests and there picks, but i just do not understand how they can use the comment that they missed that one, you could of owned boyd.un. ccl, dol,atd.b,esl,nfi,and numerous other well managed stocks that they said were overpriced years ago, but they pick a stock that goes nowhere and that they got stopped out on. The point is that good well managed companies are not cheap and they can have there flat periods, but overall they are the ones to own. You can keep buying them on the way up and hold em. Forget about trying to find some unknown company with no earnings that is going to make you rich overnight. Buy the best and sleep at night.

Q: Hi, I currently have ,Bpy.un-Bep.un-Enf-Sia-and-Td in my cash account.Are these holdings ok for a soon to be retired person?
Could you suggest two more stocks for a conservative and and more diverse portfolio. I do use the dividends to supplement my income.
Thanks,Brad

Q: What is your view on this large US staple company ?
I dont know why it's gone down so much in the past year but it looks like good value down here ?
Many thanks !

Q: Your subscribers may find these reports useful. I like that the data is shown by sector. They are available for Canadian and US exchanges.

http://www.dividendhistory.org/report/

Dividend Reports are published every Friday. They are intended to help build a balanced portfolio of dividend paying stocks in each sector. Reports are shown in a newspaper style list that is grouped by category and ordered by market cap so companies can be compared with their peers. Fundamentals such as PE and PB are included with percentages changed for various time periods and 52wk high/lows to help buy on the dips.

Q: Good morning,
Interested in ABT and Greif Inc.GEF.US. Both have a payout ratio over 100%. How do you determine the stability of the dividend and are the dividends sustainable when the payout is so high? Do you expect the share prices to grow? Thank you as always.
Gary

Q: Hi 5i,
I am young and have time to hold stocks long term. I own some Canadian bank (bns) as well as some broad etfs (and other various non-financial stocks).

Is there value or reason to own a company like Sunlife or Manulife (or similar, please recommend if you know of something better). Or would it be better to own a second Canadian bank? Or would it be best to add the extra money to my BNS position?

Thanks

Q: Callidus Capital has been increasing the share price amount (now at 16.50) and extending the duration of its buyback offering for quite a time now. I am trying to figure out what the end game in this is. Does this mean they will go private and are trying to clear out stock at lower valuations or are they propping up the price, building awareness, etc. so they do not have to go private? Perhaps they are testing the market perception of a fair share price in a beneficial way to the company? I purchased a full position at $20ish range and I held on. I enjoy the dividend and feel the company has strong potential. I hope your greater experience in the markets can educate me on this one. Thanks

Q: I would like your Opinions in regard to this mornings news with these 3 companies. I have held NRI for a very long time. CTX was a recent spin-off. No GUD shares at the moment. Thanks, Catherine

Q: It seems that 5i and company have the power to move markets with ABT and TOY both up today!

I have 15% allocated to 4 tech companies - CSU, MNW, ENG and OTC - all in fairly equal amounts within a diversified portfolio. Would you endorse a switch out of MNW and into KXS for better potential growth with reduced risk or do you feel their profiles are similar? Would adding a fifth holding be better and if so, should I increase the tech percentage or reduce one or all equally?

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.

Q: We are on vacation (but still reading 5i of course). Vancouver transit uses New Flyer made buses and they appear to be well made and designed. Much better than the clunkers used on the Wilson line here in Toronto.
Jim

Q: I'm planing on selling my position in Avigilon, sector weightings aside, which would you choose at this time between TNC and TOY

Q: So an "A" rated company, MDA, gets kicked out of the Balanced Porfolio for TOY. TOY seems to have public for about a year and looks to be much smaller than MDA. So why do you prefer TOY over NFI? Are you sure TOY should be in the Balanced portfolio - it looks to me to be more a candidate for the Growth portfolio?
Jim

Q: Hi, Could you please comment on the follwoing news item. Is there more to read in this appointment ? Thanks

Stella-Jones Announces Appointment to Board of Directors
07:00 EDT Thursday, September 01, 2016
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Sept. 1, 2016) - Stella-Jones Inc. (TSX:SJ) ("Stella-Jones" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Katherine A. Lehman to its Board of Directors.

Ms. Lehman is Managing Partner of the private equity firm of Hilltop Private Capital LLC, based in New York, NY. Before joining Hilltop Private Capital, she spent 15 years at the private equity firm of Lincolnshire Management, where she served in various roles, including Managing Director and Deal Team Leader, as well as Investment Committee Observer.

Q: Hi. Any thoughts on Michaels? (mik). It looks cheap on a forward P/E basis and RSI is around 30. Thanks and have a great day.

Q: What's your opinion on United Natural Foods (NASDAQ)? It claims to be North America's biggest supplier of natural foods. Natural Foods seems like an emerging/growthy segment. Is this a good investment? How does it compare to While Foods Market Inc.?

Q: FR is down a lot this morning, do you know why? What do you think of buying some at these prices?

Q: How would you characterize Dream Unlimited and would you think it would be better to invest directly in a REIT or renewable energy opco instead (focus, transparency, dividend)? Thank you.