Monday, June 30, 2014

Ticket Pricing Lies

I bought tickets for the Wine and Spirit Festival for last weekend. They advertised that you could get a ticket ahead of time for $21.90. However, it is impossible to actually get any ticket for $21.90. You go to their site and you have to buy the ticket through an agency and that agency charges a fee. My ticket cost me $25.24. Is this not lying in advertising?

The other thing I hate about purchasing tickets online is that they give you an 8 and one-half by 11 very colorful page to print, when all they need to do is have you print the bar code. This wastes a lot of my ink for no purpose. They could easily just have you print the name of the event and bar code. It might take a page of paper, but would only use a little black ink.

On my other blog I am today writing about Alliance Grain Traders Inc. (TSX-AGT, OTC-AGXXF)... continue...

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. Follow me on Twitter.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Pipelines, a Red Herring?

I note that people are again protesting about Canadian Pipelines. The whole idea is if there are no new pipelines then the oils sands would have to be shut down. This is another red herring.

If people really wanted to stop global warming or help the environment then what we need to do is to get off coal. Mining and burning coal is far, far more harmful. Why do you think that the US and China are the global big producers of greenhouse gases? There is one big answer and that is burning coal for electricity.

If I would be cynical I could say that the US does not want to get off coal or bring this problem to anyone's attention because they might have to do something about all the coal it burns to produce electricity. It might affect their economy. However, it is fine to bully Canada and damage our economy by trying to shut down the oil sands.

However, the one thing that Canadian really needs to do is to make peace with our native Indians. Their education is a disgrace.

On my other blog I am today writing about CI Financial (TSX-CIX, OTC-CIFAF) ...continue...

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. Follow me on Twitter.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Dividend Tracking

There is several ways to track your dividend payments. One is getting a program such as Quicken. You can also use spreadsheets. I used both. See a possible way of using a spreadsheet at div-tracking.htm.

I have put the dividends in their dividend payment cycle. If you want more information on dividend payment cycles see my blog entry on this subject. I tend to color code things and in this spreadsheet I have dividends in blue when the dividend remains the same amount and in green when that dividend has an increase.

In the spreadsheet for BNS I calculated the Dividend Rate by using the dividend actually paid in a formula in the Dividend Rate column. Otherwise dividend rates can be picked up from a number of sites including G&M.

Also, some dividend payments do fall outside the general cycle that a stock dividend is paid in. If you look at SNC, the first dividend of the year was paid in April not in March as was expected. So I moved the dividend over to put in in the month it was actually paid in.

You might also want to look at my blog entry about Planning in Retirement. This blog entry shows a number of spreadsheets that track dividend payments.

If you want a copy of any of these spreadsheets, just email me. My email address is in the section called About Me.

On my other blog I am today writing about Canexus Corporation (TSX-CUS, OTC-CXUSF) ...continue...

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. Follow me on Twitter.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Are Canadian Banks Buys?

In my blog entry on Monday, I talked about our Canadian Banks doing very well in newspaper articles published after the second quarterly results had come in. Not only are the Banks doing well but they are raising their dividends.

The Royal Bank (TSX-RY) has raised their quarterly dividend from $0.67 to $0.71. Dividends are this bank is up by 12.7% this year. Its current yield is 3.78%. My most recent reports on this stock was in January 2014 and are available here and here. See my spreadsheet at ry.htm.

The Bank of Montreal (TSX-BMO) has raised their dividend a second time this year and it has increased the quarterly dividend from $0.76 to $0.78. Dividends are up 5.4% so far this year. Its current yield is 4.07%. My most recent reports on this stock was in January 2014 and are available here and here. See my spreadsheet at bmo.htm.

The Toronto Dominion Bank (TSX-TD) raised their dividends early this year and they are up by 10.6%. Its current yield is 3.47%. My most recent reports on this stock was in January 2014 and are available here and here. See my spreadsheet at td.htm.

The Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX-BNS) has just raised their dividends from $0.62 to $0.64 a 3.2% increase and this is the only increase so far this year. Its current yield is 3.63%. Its current yield is 3.63%. My most recent reports on this stock was in January 2014 and are available hereand here. See my spreadsheet at bns.htm.

The National Bank of Canada (TSX-NA) has just raised their dividends from $0.435 to $0.46 a 5.7% increase and this is the only increase so far this year. Its current yield is 3.63%. Its current yield is 4.16%. My most recent reports on this stock was in January 2014 and are available here.and here. See my spreadsheet at na.htm.

The CIBC Bank (TSX-CM) has increased their quarterly dividends from $0.98 to $1.00. Its current yield is 4.12%. Sorry, but I do not follow or blog on this bank.

In a post at the beginning of this year I wrote How to Use my Stock Reviews.

Look at historical dividend yields as a basis for determining if Canadian Banks are currently a good buy, I find that the Royal Bank, the TD Bank and the National Bank have dividend yields higher than their historical average dividend yield and therefore could be considered to be buys. I do not follow the CIBC bank, but its current dividend yield is higher than most other banks except for BMO.

Stock Price Div R Div Y H Hi H Low H Ave P/Hi P/Ave P/5 Y
TSX-RY $75.23 $2.84 3.78% 4.61% 2.58% 3.60% Exp. Cheap Exp.
TSX-BMO $76.73 $3.12 4.07% 6.07% 2.66% 4.37% Exp. Exp. Exp.
TSX-TD $54.18 $1.88 3.47% 4.32% 2.25% 3.29% Exp. Cheap Exp.
TSX-BNS $70.52 $2.56 3.63% 5.10% 2.38% 3.74% Exp. Exp. Exp.
TSX-NA $46.12 $1.92 4.16% 4.70% 2.64% 3.67% Exp. Cheap Cheap
TSX-CM $97.10 $4.00 4.12%


What about titles refer to: Price = Current Price Div R = Current Dividend Rate per year Div Y = Current Dividend Yield H Hi = Historical High Dividend Yield H Low = Historical Low Dividend Yield H Ave = Historical Average Dividend yield, P/Hi = Using historical high dividend, this field says if price is historically cheap or expensive P/Ave= Using historical average dividend yield, this field says if price is historically cheap or expensive P/ 5 Y= Using 5 year median dividend yield, this fields says if price is cheap or expensive

You may want to see my entry on my methodology in establishing the historical dividend yield highs and lows for the stocks that I cover. I have an entry on my introduction to Dividend Growth Stocks . You might want to look at my original entry on Dividend Growth Stocks. I have also written about why I like Dividend Growth companies .

As far as analysts' recommendations go:

Stock Analysts' Recommendations
TSX-RY Has 1 Strong Buy, 7 Buys and 7 Holds.
TSX-BMO Has 2 Strong Buy, 1 Buys, 11 Holds and 1 Underperform
TSX-TD Has 9 Buys and 5 Holds.
TSX-BNS Has 2 Strong Buy, 7 Buys, 15 Holds and 1 Underperform
TSX-NA 10 Holds and 2 Underperform
TSX-CM Has 2 Strong Buy, 4 Buys, 5 Holds and 3 Underperform


On my other blog I am today writing about IGM Financial Inc. (TSX-IGM, OTC-IGIFF) ...continue...

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. Follow me on Twitter.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Canadian Banks

TD Bank also has interesting weekly video that are easy to watch and last less than 10 minutes. This week they are talking about our Canadian Banks and how well they are doing. They are not the only one. There are some tailwinds for the Banks, including Canadian Real Estate market and provisions for credit losses as explained in an Financial Post article.

There are good reports on our Banks. There is one Royal Bank in a Toronto Star article. An article in the Globe and Mail talks about the Scotiabank saying that "Flush with record results, Scotiabank looks to more acquisitions". There is another article in the Globe and Mail talking about TD Bank with a heading of "TD profit beats forecasts as Canadian, U.S. units boost bottom line". And lastly the globe and Mail reports on BMO with "BMO profit tops forecasts; hikes dividend". There can be a problem getting into some Globe and Mail articles.

The Financial Post also has articles starting with "Scotiabank profit climbs 14% to record $1.8B on strong Canadian retail lending and wealth management". There is one for TD Bank with headline of "TD Bank profit jumps 16% as takeovers lift retail banking results". In the Financial Post, the news in the second quarter is not as good for CIBC when an article talks about the profit plummeting because of Caribbean charges. In a Financial Post article the talk on BMO is a profit hike and a dividend hike.

Our Canadian newspapers can sometimes be extremely annoying. In the above links, sometimes I got in and sometimes I was asked to sign up and pay for digital versions.

On my other blog I am today writing about Reitmans (Canada) Ltd. (TSX-RET.A, OTC-RTMAF)...continue...

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. Follow me on Twitter.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Coming Market Crash

There is always a coming market crash. I have been though a number of them. I was just reading a note from Survive and Prosper e-newsletter talking about a coming crash. Harry S. Dent Jr said that in the 2008 crash the only place to hide was the US dollar and US Government Bonds. He said that asset allocation did not help then and will not help again. All stocks crashed.

Of course all stocks crashed. This happens when the market turns south. My stocks crashed too. However, they all came back and my portfolio carried on as usual. I have a dividend stock portfolio and the dividends just kept on coming in as they do in all stock market crashes.

I still think that the ones calling for a long slow recovery before a crash probably have it right. However, no one knows for sure. What is sure is that there will be other crashes in the future.

On my other blog I am today writing about McCoy Corp. (TSX-MCB, OTC-MCCRF) ...continue...

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. Follow me on Twitter.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Analysts' Estimates

I look at several sites for estimates for the stock I follow. Estimates are valuable because the stock market always looks to the future. So I pick up estimates because they are also looking towards the future. Most estimates are fine. Although sometimes the market just turns quickly and estimates become way off.

I try to pick up estimates for revenue, EPS, net income and cash flow over the next 2 or 3 years. Often 4-Traders' site has more information than the Reuter's site.

I usually get my estimates from Reutersor from 4-Traders sites. However, I sometimes get my TD Waterhouse or anywhere I can. It really depends on the stocks. However, both Reuters and 4-Traders sites tend to have estimates for the bigger TSX stocks.

If I am reviewing a stock after at least one quarterly report is received, I check the change in things like revenues, earnings, and cash flow over the 12 months period ending at the end of the quarter to the 12 month period ending at the end of last year to see if the values are going in the direction the estimates say.

The point in looking at estimates is to try to get a feel for the future. However, you should also not put too much store in them either. It is rather silly when companies are punished for missing a quarterly estimate. Although sometimes when a company is punished for missing some estimate that can provide you with a good buying opportunity.

On my other blog I am today writing about WSP Global Inc. (TSX-WSP, OTC-WSPOF) ...continue...

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. Follow me on Twitter.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Something to Buy June 2014

There is always something to buy in the stock market. On Monday, I put out a list of the stocks that I covered and showed what stock might be a good deal based on dividend yield. Now I am trying to categorize what sorts of stocks may be a good deal based on dividend yield.

Categorizing stocks is not as simple as it might seem. Every site you go to has categorized stocks a bit differently. I try to keep this as simple as possible. See my spreadsheet at here. As in other spreadsheets, you can highlight a line or a number of lines for better viewing.

Of the consumer discretionary stocks, Canadian Tire is now looking cheap. A number of Consumer Staple stocks seem to be cheap. Examples would be Dorel Industries (TSX-DII.B A) and Metro Inc. (TSX-MRU).

There are some in finance that deserve to be cheap, like AGF Management (TSX-AGF). MPL Communications has recently added CI Financial (TSX-CIX) to their Investment Reporter portfolio and is saying the stock is cheap. My list shows that on a historical average basis it is. Some of the banks still seem to be cheap. These would be National Bank (TSX-NA), Royal Bank (TSX-RY) and TD Bank (TSX-TD). Both Power Corp (TSX-POW) and Power Financial (TSX-PWF) are looking cheap.

There are a few cheap Industrial stocks like Finning International Inc. (TSX-TFF) and Toromont Industries Ltd. (TSX-TIH)

There are not many companies cheap in the Tech sector except for small companies like Calian Technologies Ltd (TSX-CTY) and Evertz Technologies (TSX-ET).

A number of energy stocks also seem cheap. Examples are Canadian Natural Resources (TSX-CNQ); Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX-CVE) and Suncor Energy (TSX-SU).

The infrastructure type utility companies are not cheap. What utility companies that are cheap, seem to be cheap for a good reason. Examples are Atlantic Power Corp (TSX-ATP) and TransAlta Corp (TSX-TA).

Of the Telecom Stocks BCE (TSX-BCE) and Shaw Communications Inc. (TSX-SJR.B) seem on the cheap side. I think that Manitoba Telecom (TSX-MBT) is cheap for a good reason.

On my other blog I am today writing about Ag Growth International (TSX-AFN, OTC-AGGZF)... continue...

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. Follow me on Twitter.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Dividend Stocks June 2014

On this list,
  • I have 6 stocks with a dividend yield higher than the historical high dividend yield,
  • I have 44 stocks with a dividend yield higher than the historical average dividend yield and
  • 42 stocks with a dividend yield higher than the 5 year average dividend yield.
When I did my list last month,
  • I have 6 stocks with a dividend yield higher than the historical high dividend yield,
  • I have 44 stocks with a dividend yield higher than the historical average dividend yield and
  • 39 stocks with a dividend yield higher than the 5 year average dividend yield.
When I did my list in January 2014,
  • I had 9 stocks with a dividend yield higher than the historical high dividend yield,
  • I had 45 stocks with a dividend yield higher than the historical average dividend yield and
  • 39 stocks with a dividend yield higher than the 5 year average dividend yield.
The theory is that you should use the dividend yield to see if a dividend stock is selling at a stock price that is relatively cheap. A stock price is considered cheap if it is selling at a dividend yield higher than the historical high yield or higher than the historical average yield. See my spreadsheet at dividend growth stocks that I just updated for June 2014.

I am showing whether a stock is relatively cheap based on historical high dividend yields (P/Hi), historical average dividend yields (P/Ave) or on 5 year median dividend yields (P/5Yr). See these fields on the right side of the file. You can highlight a particular stock using your cursor to highlight the appropriate line.

There are always some stocks to buy because they are priced reasonably. There are always stocks to currently avoid because they are overpriced. Looking at dividend growth stocks that are selling at stock prices that give them a dividend yield above the historical average dividend yield are probably the best bet.

The stocks that are selling at prices that give them a dividend yield above the historical high yield could be good stocks to buy. However, these stocks may be selling so cheap because of current troubles, especially financial troubles and should be treated with caution. Do not forget that I have all the stocks I follow on this spreadsheet and some are much better investments than others.

However, you should always investigate a stock before you buy. Sometimes different stocks in certain sectors are just out of favour or the stock market is just in one of its declines. However, a stock may be relatively cheap because it has problems. That is why you should always investigate a stock before buying.

Looking at stock this way is equivalent to a stock filter. A main problem I know of is for the old income trusts. They are generally lowered their dividend yields forever and they will probably never get back to the old dividend yield highs they made as an income trust company. For these stocks, you might be better comparing the current dividend yield to the 5 year median dividend yield.

Also, on some stocks I have a lot more information years in my spreadsheets than for other stocks. So, finding a stock on the list as "cheap" is only the first step in finding a stock to buy. This is the same with any other sort of stock filters that you can use.

The last thing to remember is that I have entering figures into a spreadsheet. I could put them in incorrectly, I can transpose figures and I can misread figures. This is another great reason why you should check a stock out before investing. As this is just a filter, it works better on some stocks than on others.

See my entry on my methodology in establishing the historical dividend yield highs and lows for the stocks that I cover. I have an entry on my introduction to Dividend Growth Stocks . You might want to look at my original entry on Dividend Growth Stocks. I have also written about why I like Dividend Growth companies .

On my other blog I am today writing about Husky Energy Inc. (TSX-HSE, OTC-HUSKF) ...continue... and DHX Media Ltd. (TSX-DHX, OTC-DHXMF) ...continue...

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. Follow me on Twitter.