Rogers Communications (B) (RCI.B.TO)

He thinks there is a good chance the acquisition of Shaw will go through. They could increase their dividend over time. It is a long duration asset. He likes the sector in general. (Analysts’ price target is $70.73)

Billy Kawasaki’s Insights - Billy’s most-liked answers from 5i Research. They have finally gotten Shaw with a very large premium. A big deal at $26B. Regulators will surely be looking at this closely. Shares may come under pressure but they claim $1B in synergies and it should make a successful merger if the regulators allow this. Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free

Billy Kawasaki’s Insights - Billy’s most-liked answers from 5i Research. The company missed estimates. The pandemic was responsible for severe reduction in roaming fees. EPS beat estimates but average revenue per user fell by 9%. Professional sports that are also less active is a factor. 10% growth is still expected and the problems are largely not the company’s fault. Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free

He's held this for 30 years. Investors underestimate their infrastructure assets in their networks built-out. The stock is cheap now. They benefit from heavy streaming now. They generate good cash flow and a cheap valuation. (He also own BCE, Telus and Shaw.) Rogers' advantage as that it trades at a similar valuation, but pays the lowest dividend in the group, which means they can increase their dividend in the future. True, he's been disappointed in their performance this year, but it's a buying opportunity now. (Analysts’ price target is $63.64)

(A Top Pick Oct 18/19, Down 11%) Disappointing short-term. Growth, reasonable valuation, free cash, dividend. Still a decent growth story. Great assets, especially if the Cogeco deal goes through.

Telcos & utilities' outlook in the work-from-home era Rogers got hit when sports were cancelled/postponed and their broadcasting business may be impacted if MLB baseball is cancelled. Who knows? With Telus, you're taking less media-related risk. Telus is down 20% from its peak and pays a dividend over 5% that should rise. He sees no problems with telcos and utilities going forward, because the work-from-home trend will support them. But with both classes, some investors consider them boring (flat share price despite high dividend) and moved into growth/tech stocks. The dividend payers are now unloved, but history teaches us that that is precisely when to buy them.

A risky telco? He does not own RCI in his portfolios. The dividends are secure, but he prefers BCE and T. They are all facing similar challenges. He thinks RCI has not been as good at controlling costs.

T-T, BCE-T, RCI.B-T, SJR.B-T. Telecom is the sector he is the most bullish on. It's his biggest position. It is the sector that is the most resilient. Online traffic has increased dramatically. T-T would not be the top of his telecom list. He would prefer SJR.B-T, BCE-T, and RCI.B-T because of their media businesses.