Investment Q&A

Q: How will increasing rates affect the distribution of this fund? I recognize that the stock price will likely get hit further, but shouldn't the dividend be safe or even have potential to increase as they roll over loans at higher rates? I have held for about 18 months, and am just up slightly taking into account dividends. Would you continue to hold, if holding for income only? Do you view this stock as more equity or more fixed income?

Thanks

Q: BDI seems to be settling down somewhat after recent severe weakness. Do you think it is advisable to dip a toe in the water on this name in a TFSA? Realizing that patience will be required and more volatility may follow of course.

Q: Could I have your opinion of PLUG now that it has declined a fair amount since your last report. It signed a new contract today. Do you see much growth in the future? Thanks

Q: what is your opinion on the neulion acquisition, the issuance of stock and debt and the fact that the ceo of dix will become ceo of neulion. dave

Q: Peter, can I please get your thoughts on MIC and Google as long-term holds? Thank you.

Q: Yesterday, reports from different sources started coming out saying that canadian auto sales are doing great. Can we therefore expect their next quarter to be great? Or do you think that it is likely that the dealers that did well are those outside of Alberta and since the company has most of its dealers in Alberta, we might see little positive impact? I suppose it depends on how confident people in Alberta have been feeling about a rebound in oil and in the safety of their job.

Q: Yesterday I asked a question about three sectors.You recommended Enbridge and Pembina for the utilities sector.Tmx show both companies as being in the energy sector which I am overweight already.Could you clarify this for me. Publish if you think it is necessary.

Q: Happy New Year to all! I am looking for the top 5 canadian corps that have at least 60% of their business in the US and would appreciate your picks. Thanks for all your excellent work this past year

Q: Should I add to existing long term positions in essential energy services and/or total energy services at this time. I am a long term investor and not disturbed by short term volatility. Thanks!

Q: Happy new year!
I am thinking about adding RE and SGY....
Could I have your opinion please.
Thank you!

Q: Peter - you have in the past written about the power of 10-baggers. I think I remember a piece when you were at Sprott where you astutely pointed out that a couple of investments could be wiped out, provided a portfolio contained a couple of huge winners. I wonder if you might offer your five most likely 10-baggers in the next 1-2 years, knowing full well that such wins are always elusive.

Q: All my holdings are Canadian, but I would like to get some exposure to the US while keeping in Canadian dollars. An actuary friend of my husband told us that Manulife tends to move in a leveraged manner with the US markets because of its pension portfolio. Would this be a good way to get the exposure I am looking for, or are there better ways?

Q: hello, i was hoping to get your latest opinion on crescent point as oil prices continue to look to be going lower. wether it would be a buy, sell or hold. or any expert opinion you have. also i would like to ask the same of Raging River TSE.RRX . thank you. also with oil prices lower, are there any buys in this sector that look attractive ? thanks for your time. - Brian.

Q: Below is an email received from my discount broker TD and wonder if you could shed some light on it.

If in fact this is valid could you provide some details and recommendations on companies that would be appropriate for an RRSP

Monday was another day of falling oil prices and energy stocks. Yet the great slide in oil prices has also created an irresistible opportunity, says Hanif Mamdani, lead manager of the $3.6-billion PH&N High Yield Bond fund with RBC Global Asset Management: Energy bonds are on sale for bargain prices.
Specifically, Mr. Mamdani, one of Canada’s shrewdest fixed income investors, has been drawn lately to the senior debt of high quality, Canadian oil patch firms he believes have the balance sheet, management intelligence and experience to ride out the effects of the ongoing oil supply glut. He won’t disclose what or how much he’s bought but says it’s “material.” “It’s turning into a fairly compelling opportunity,” Mr. Mamdani says.
Here’s how he sees the play in the oil patch: spreads on senior bonds for firms such as Precision Drilling Corp., Baytex Energy Corp., Western Energy Services Corp. and Trilogy Energy Corp., have jumped by between 300 and 500 basis points since July, giving them annualized yields of nine per cent to 11 per cent. In many cases, the bonds come due in four to five years.
“These are solid companies that have very reasonable balance sheets,” he says. “Many of them generate free cash flow even at [current] crude oil prices. They’re run by extremely competent managements that have been through many cycles and have vast amounts of their own wealth invested.”
In some cases, low oil prices don’t have a uniformly negative impact. Take Precision: it has slashed capital spending plans, but while it isn’t spending money to build new rigs, it will continue to collect cash for rigs already in service. That can be used to retire debt or support its dividend. “At some point people will realize Precision bonds are yielding 10 per cent for a company with low leverage,” he said.
In other words, a compelling opportunity: all investors have to do is buy the bonds and hold them to maturity, and they will earn nine per cent or more so long as the companies don’t default. Should oil prices rise, risk premiums fall and the bonds appreciate in value, those returns could rise to as high as 20 per cent, Mr. Mamdani figures.
And how likely is a rebound in oil prices in the next four years? Consider the precedent, says Mr. Mamdani: Low prices should crimp supply and stimulate demand, while economic growth sops up the surplus. The price of oil may not have bottomed, “but to assume [the very bottom] will be the time to buy energy stocks and high-yield bonds is naive,” he says. By then it will be too late.

Q: Hi team:
I made a small profit by investing in the above thanks to your advice
With the drop in crude oil prices, will it decrease the value of Bep.un ? thinking of taking some of the money off the table
like to hear your opinion, thanks

Q: http://email.seekingalpha.com/track?type=click&mailingid=2798555&messageid=2800&databaseid=&serial=2800O2798555O1420497134.b35c9666ac01032ec25c6b2b2ec0e005&emailid=1079842&userid=1079842&extra=&&&3000&&&http://seekingalpha.com/article/2798555-canadian-oil-sands-5-price-target?source=email_rt_article_readmore&uide=1079842&uprof=46

Mr. Hodson, does this January 5, 2015 article by Mark Liew make sense ? COS at 5$ and eventually no dividend at all. In a complete chaos situation, everything is possible, but anyone can imagine anything. What is a common sense likely outcome ? Otherwise, I believe COS' reserves are there for 40 years or more, not 20 years. And what's the value of long time predictions when the overall context may change in a year or two ?

Q: I'd like to start a DRIP plan for my son
What is a good choice for a DRIP plan stock?

Q: In your coverage summary for Dec 2014, you list TCN with a rating of C+. However your report on the company from Dec 2013 rates it as B. I checked your coverage summary for Nov 2014 and Oct 2014, and the same mistake is there. If it is not a mistake then I can't find a report with a later date showing it rated as C+.

Paul J.

Q: A couple of questions on the financials. Your Jan/14 report showed $360 million in cash. The most recent quarter you noted shows $1.3biln ($14 cash per share).That's quite a jump for a company with a market cap of $700mil I am wondering where all the cash comes from?
Your report also mentioned $8 of book value. Equity as of the most recent quarter is $1.1biln with pref stock of $206mil. Does that mean $12.50 of book value?
The current ratio is just over 1, is that normal for this kind of business?
Finally you mention principal trading as a risk.Is this represented in the $1biln of short term investments?
Thanks
Mike

Q: We plan to invest $5500 in each of our TFSAs for 2015.We do not have any investments in the following sectors--consumer staples,materials and utilities.Could you suggest 2 or 3 stocks for each of these sectors.