Investment Q&A

Q: I hold CVS in my wifes RRSP account for US$ exposure. Would you suggest AET might be a better choice? Or some other alternative to get US exposure in the healthcare field?

Q: Hello 5i team,
I am up over $5000 U.S. in each: JNJ, PEP, and SU. Should I trim them by $3000 each? If so, can you suggest replacement? I am a value investor with a ten year horizon with 50/50 equities to fixed and a portfolio of $700,000 at 71 years. Now: CAN 57%, U.S. 38% INTL 5%
Thank you
Stanley

Q: Hi David,
I'm looking to add three positions to my business passive account -- i'm up 15% year to date.
I have equal weight in each stock and am looking to add more diversity. A combination of income and growth US or Canadian -- minimum $1 billion market cap.

What would you recommend here.
Thanks,
Raymond

Q: Greetings 5i,

I am making an effort to increase my exposure to US stocks, and am considering adding a US healthcare position to augment my Canadian healthcare holdings of CSH.UN and GUD.

JNJ was my first thought, given its strong history, massive valuation, and diversification. However, I am (like many, I assume) concerned about its legal troubles; particularly given the severity of the issues that surround them. Moreover, it appears that said troubles may be present for quite a long time.

I am thinking long term (I am 36), am a "buy and hold" investor, and will not need the capital I would be deploying for the foreseeable future.

Do you feel as if this is a good entry point for JNJ (perhaps a half position to start), or would you wait to see how the legal situations unfold before considering this purchase? If the latter, is there another American healthcare stock you might recommend in its place?

Thank you.

Q: Good morning,

With sells as it was going up, I am still about breakeven on CRH but it has dropped to 1% of my portfolio. I have lost confidence such that I won't put more in. I am, however, looking for additional healthcare exposure. Right now I am also holding JNJ (3%) Danaher (DHR, 4%) which is mostly medical/dental since the spin-off of Fortive. I have been thinking of exiting JNJ due to the price that they paid for their latest acquisition. It seems a little inconsistent with their historically very conservative nature.

Would you think that adding a 2.5-3% SIS or GUD is a better approach, or should I keep CRH given its longer term potential? I prefer to not watch my investments every day and have a diversified portfolio across market cap and Canada/US with a lot of multinational companies (like CCL in Canada and UL in the US, for instance).

Do you have any perspective on the JNJ acquisition? If so, please feel free to deduct two questions.

Thanks!

Derek

Q: 5i

I have held JNJ for a few years and it has grown to be 10% of my portfolio. Using your sage advice I need to reduce the shares in JNJ. I am retired, have JNJ in my RRIF and depend on dividends to enhance my retirement pension. Would like a suggestion as to any USA stocks you would recommend that is as safe as JNJ and pay a dividend of 3% or more with some growth I know you do not cover USA stocks but thought you might have a suggestion. If not is there an ETF with USA exposure that may accomplish these goals. I am currently 74% Canadian and 26% USA invested.Look forward to your thoughts and recommendations

Regards

w

Q: Although I know you do not cover US companies, I was wondering about your take on JNJ. Especially given recent lawsuit activity with regard to their baby talcum powder and ovarian cancer, and possible upcoming class action lawsuit with regard to same. I know of at least one advisor recommending a sell due to this issue, but I am puzzled as there has been no negative reaction to the stock price so far. Your thoughts? Thanks.

Q: Hi !

Looking for a growth company relatively safe, with a good dividend to put in my RRIF. What do you think of Triton (trtn-n)? Any other suggestion ?

Q: Hello 5i,
I am looking to increase my U.S. and International exposure. I currently hold VIG-N, JNJ-N and a number of Canadian ETF's which also hold U.S. equities. I am open to either USD or hedged products and would like a yield in excess of 2.25% if practical. Since I look to yield for income I was considering ZWA. Would you have any other options you would prefer over ZWA?
On the Int'l. side I hold CYH and ZDI and am happy with both; I held VEE at one time, but the yield is on the lower side for my needs. Should I just increase my holdings in these two or, again, do you see a better option? I could move out of one or both of those if you think there is a more compelling option I'm missing.
As always .... thanks so much for all of your help - very much appreciated!!!
Have a great summer!!
Cheers,
Mike

Q: Good afternoon,
I hold the following stocks in my business account that have a weight of between 6.2% and 8.3%. This account was started in DEC/16 and has increased by 6.7% YTD not including dividends. I want to add six more stocks to further diversify while reducing the percentage per equity down to between 4 and 5%.

My goal is to generate income equal to the amount of corporate tax payable annually. I looks like this can be achievable!

Let me know if I need to share dollar values to help access.


--

Thanks,
Raymond

Q: I hold the above in a RIF and have weighted to cover the required withdrawal amount with dividends. Does this sound appropriate and if not, would appreciate your thoughts. Do you see a major loss of principal if markets continue its downward trend. Thanks for all your help.

Q: Would this be a good US drug stock for long term hold or would you have another preference? Thanks so much.

Q: Hello,

JNJ is considered a healthcare stock but PG is consumer goods. Doesn't a lot of their revenue come from similar product lines?
Is JNJ healthcare because they market directly to health professionals?

As always, thanks for the great service.

Cheers
Tony

Q: I'm holding about 5% of my investments in cash in a US dollar account and looking to invest in a blue chip dividend paying stock. Maybe one of the two above or another name you like. I'm 80 so dividend and low risk is what I would like to find.
Thanks for your great service

Q: Hello 5i team,
I am a value investor looking for dividend income. I would like to know if I should sell JNJ $3000 profit, M M M $4000 profit, T $5000 profit and others with $1000-$3000 profit. I do not need the money. I like to hold and sell only if there is a problem such as dividends disappearing.
If you write "sell" what do you think of "Old Republic", and "BB&T"? If you suggest "sell all with profits $1000-$4000" could you suggest replacements for dividends with a 10 year outlook?

thank you
Stanley

Q: I am currently up 30 to 60% on these companies, all are held in an RSP or RIF account. Would you add, take profits, or sell full position in any of these funds. I have about $20,000 to invest currently in my RRSP and am wondering if it is to late to start a new US position. I am considering facebook or google? Thanks for your input!

Q: Hi Peter
I am looking to switch my Giliad for JNJ or Celgene in a retirement portfolio. Please advise THank you
Hamish

Q: The above group of companies, so called bond proxies medical supply and consumer staples do not seem to be participating in the Trump boost post election. Many have sold off sharply. Do you view this as a buying opportunity?

Q: Greetings
Have you ever considered a list of stocks to own, dare I say it, forever? Something so enduring that you can almost set it and forget it. My list would include Berkshire Hathaway, Phillip Morris, Coca Cola. It would discourage frequent trading, focusing on price targets, hand wringing over every quarterly, etc.
Looking forward to your thoughts.
Tim

Q: Good day,

I know that your focus is not the US but the landscape is changing with the election so perhaps you could just be a sounding board. I have a large position in JNJ (for growing yield and broad diversification), a full position in EXE (for yield), and a 3% position in CRH (for growth). JNJ trades at a premium, justly so. I was thinking of swapping these holdings except maybe EXE for CVS, NVO and DHR. DHR is now focused since its spin off of Fortive and has been a long-term outperformer (it is devices and consumables). NVO (drugs) and CVS (broad healthcare) are great growth stocks that are beaten down compared to JNJ and together offer comparable yields. What would be your thoughts?

Thanks!

Derek