Investment Q&A

Q: We have accumulated 11 healthcare stocks and 1 ETF, While LLY and ISRG are at half positions the rest are at initial 25% positions. Please advise [help!] us get to a more concentrated portfolio with a 3+ year horizon for reasonable opportunities in healthcare

Q: I’m doing a fairly major portfolio clean-up and account optimization exercise.
Specifically, I’m removing dividend-oriented and income-generating stocks from my TFSA and RRSP that are better suited to a non-registered account, and reallocating TFSA/RRSP capital to assets that benefit most from tax sheltering.

At a broad level, I’d appreciate your perspective on:

• Which CAD and USD names are best suited to an RRSP (e.g., U.S. dividend payers, global compounders, cyclicals, etc.)
• Which CAD and USD names are best suited to a TFSA (long-term growth, compounding, low income leakage)

I’m less interested in yield optimization and more focused on long-term after-tax efficiency and proper account placement.

If helpful, feel free to answer at a category level (e.g., “U.S. dividend aristocrats,” “Canadian compounders,” etc.) or with specific examples you think are particularly well-suited.

Thanks — looking forward to your thoughts.

Q: Hi, I’m looking to create a portfolio of dividend growth stocks split over Canada and Us stocks with 10-12 names. Can you make a recommendation on the names you would use?

Q: Hi Peter and team,

Our Healthcare sector is under-represented according to Portfolio Analytics. We do own VHI and are down, but most of what I read indicates a compelling case for VHI. As an example, National Bank Direct Brokerage rates it as outperform. Its current position is 0.76% of our Total Portfolio Equity Weight, and our only other sector holding (other than some diversified ETFs) is SIA with a Total Portfolio Equity Weight of 3.34%.

Would you be a buyer at current levels?

As always, thanks for your insight.

Q: Hi Peter, according to Analytics I need more core US Growth and Dividend stocks in the RRSP & LIRA accounts, so could you please provide me with 4 stocks for each of the following sectors:- Industrials, Discretionary, Staples and Healthcare.
Thanks Peter & 5i for your great service.
Ivan

Q: As a dividend investor could you give me 10 companies outside of Canada that have at least a 2% div. and some growth, sectors aside. Appreciate your service!

Q: Hi, could you suggest a couple each of your fav. small, mid and large cap biotech stocks and why you like them.

thanks, M

Q: Hi,
I want to buy Healthcare stocks.
Can you please recommend in order of preference a top 10 mix of Canadian and USD names. Can you also add a growth/risk rating 1 to 10 with 10 being highest growth and 10 being highest risk.
Thanks

Q: I'd like to purchase some health care in CDN funds. Can you please provide a list of top 6 in order (best first) either Canadian or CDRs in the sector.
Thanks

Q: Could I have three US Healthcare names you recommend today please.
Many thanks!

Q: In your answer to a recent question from Tim about how to prepare for an inevitable market correction, you suggested holding stocks in defensive areas of Consumer Staples, Utilities, and Healthcare, Can you pls provide 5-6 names in each of those areas that you would want to hold. A mix of Cdn and US would be great. Thank you for your excellent service.

Q: We have held ABBV for the past five years in our two RRIF accounts. It is now a 4.1% position with a 120% gain. Is it time to take profits and move on, given that the dividend is now at a yield just around 3%. Are there better health care dividend growth positions? ETF's or single stocks. It is a solid company. Is it best to just keep holding.

Q: What is your opinion of ABBV buying an experimental drug derived in the psychedelic space from private company Gilgamesh for 1.2B?. Do you think with some of these psychedelic companies now getting phase 2 and phase 3 trials wrapped up on their potential drug offerings that the psychedelic market might get some legs in the near future as the big pharma companies look for the next big thing. ? With these being very spec who would be you picks in the space for fun money?

Q: Hi there,

ABBV has been on a decent run since July. I assume their mostly positive quarterly report indicating lots of activity in their drug pipeline is one reason plus healthcare seems to be showing a bit of life.

How do you see it’s valuation is it an ADD/BUY in a diversified portfolio for growth and income?

Q: I am mostly content with my health care stocks with the exception of MDT. It has been essentially flat since about 2016 except for the dividend. It did peak around 2022 but has fallen down to previous levels.
What do you think of the longer term for MDT?
Would you make any other changes for slow but reliable growth and higher end of dividends.
As always, thank you for the great service.

Q: Thoughts on the current overall market and going forward 1-2 years? I just read Howard Marks latest memo and he is cautious at these levels based on over valuation and many other speculative factors that are often discussed here. I have a very growth weighted portfolio and high embedded gains. I am a long term investor but would like to mitigate any large drawdowns when a correction comes to preserve gains. Currently my more defensive holdings are COST, DOL, ATD, IFC. Currently holding no utilities. I also hold large anchor names such as CSU, LMN, BN, BKNG, AXON, and WSP. What are your top defensive names?

If I trim my tech, I assume adding to DOL, ATD, COST, IFC be more defensive. I know you've mentioned these names as other good defensive names as well, COST, PG, ABBV, L, ATD, FTS, H, ENB, FTS, BEPC, H, SLF, RY, TD, GRT.UN, T, L, BAM.

Or would buying some covered call ETF's that offer some good yield reduce the drawdown.
Which are your top covered call ETF's? Or adding to some of these defensive ETF's would be good too? Defensive US etf'S: VDC, VPU, VHT

Thanks!

Q: I have been reviewing my health care holdings and I am disappointed in the whole sector. Their percentage of my holdings has dropped, and if I rebalance I should be adding another 50% to these holdings. I am unhappy with IHI and UNH, even ISRG is in the doldrums. Your thoughts on adding to the health care sector and these companies/ETFs at this time. Are there other companies much better suited that I am missing. I am tempted to remove the whole sector from my portfolio, as I am comfortable with risk.

Q: I sold a portion of my NVO holdings a while ago, and am not inclined to buy it back just now. What would you see as the best buy in the US healthcare sector these days; possibly as a compliment to NVO, but not necessarily?

Q: I have been buying HHL ETF over the last number of months, but it continues to struggle. Would say this is just sector weakness and if so how do you see the sector - will it eventually recover? My only other Healthcare stock is is ABBV so I am not overly exposed but this ETF is close to a full position, for income. Are there any issues with the ETF, and are you cautious? Thanks so much.

Q: Given the potential for a market down-turn, do you see any of these as a good buy for a long-term investment?