26 Stock Top Picks and 4 ETF (Nov 23-29)

Opinion about GIB.A-T: Global operations; with Canada representing ~15% of revenue, US ~30%, 44-45% in Europe and UK. Outsourcing (~55% of the business) has long-term contracts, so that's defensive and not as cyclical. Consulting side tends to be more economically sensitive. Stock's pulled back ~17% from highs in February. About 14% of revenue is from doing…

Opinion about MAXR-T: (A Top Pick Oct 07/20, Down 7%) Not long after making the recommendation the stock benefited from a lot of ETF buying. They exited on the strong buying on a much higher gain. Since then, the ETF buying has evaporated and the stock price has come back down.

Opinion about AAPL-Q: Has incredible gross margins. They just reported a fine quarter, but tariffs in China didn't help. The street perceives that as the last great quarter, so shares fell. Apple is trying to move production from China to India but who know how long it will take. Services revenue disappointed and a monopoly…

Opinion about ITB-N: Up 68% last year and 23% this year due to a massive housing shortage. Will benefit directly from lower interest rates. They have pricing power. ITB has been up 115% under Pres. Biden

Opinion about IHI-N: Allan Tong’s Discover Picks IHI's MER is actually higher (at 0.39%) than the yield it pays (0.3%). Like the other names here, IHI trades at a low beta, 0.86 to be precise. So, if you're not buying this for income, what's the growth? Let's look at IHI's largest holdings. TMO offers diversity…

Opinion about TLV-T: (A Top Pick Nov 23/18, Up 15%) Skews to non-cyclical, low-vol sectors like REITs and utilities with quality balance sheets and outperform the markets during growth shock.

Opinion about HTB-T: (A Top Pick May 03/24, Up 7%) (Note the short timeframe.)  Strong performance with interest rates falling. Tends to perform well in summer months, starting to see a pullback. Coming up to a time when government bonds tend not to perform so well. Better places to be now.Disclosure:  He works for Global…

Opinion about CCOR-N: (A Top Pick Jun 25/19, Up 5%) It is about investing in high quality portfolios. The stocks are purchased with the overlay of a put strategy.

Opinion about TD-T: Coming out of a really vulnerable time with money laundering. Settled case, implemented new protocols. US assets capped; but TD shifted some assets around, giving them space to grow without running afoul of the cap. New CEO is very committed to turning over a new leaf.

Opinion about WIR.UN-T: (A Top Pick Jan 12/21, Up 48%) Great-managed REIT. Taken out.

Opinion about GWO-T: Growing very decisively. Done extremely well. A good way to get exposure to this is via POW.

Opinion about NEE-N: (A Top Pick Apr 22/24, Up 6%) Fastest-growing utility in the US. Interest rates went higher last summer, which made things more difficult for utilities. Caught up in change of sentiment toward clean energy. He stepped away.

Opinion about CMS-N: This is one of the best run utilities in the US. It is not a value play but a high quality play. It is another way to add to the utilities. It is trading at over 20X earnings to is trading at a premium, however, you are buying quality. It is the…

Opinion about IEX-N: Industrial company making anything to do with fluids and metering. Good balance sheet. 1.25% dividend yield. Hit a 52-week low 2 weeks ago. Good upside potential. Social media mentions are up 500% for the last 24h.

Opinion about DAL-N: Over 5 years, their annualized return is 15%, inline with the market, but it suffers these crazy ups and downs on a quarterly basis. Operations are still doing fine, including traffic, while fuel prices are declining.

Opinion about BBU.UN-T: A way to participate in Brookfield's excellent track record of private-equity investments. Owns companies like the largest residential mortgage insurer in Canada, and one producing low-voltage automotive batteries globally. Big discount of ~30% to NAV. Yield is 1%. (Analysts’ price target is $45.46)

Opinion about ARE-T: Trevor Rose’s Insights - Trevor’s most-liked answers from 5i Research ARE seems to have a never-ending stream of issues that hurts its ability to attract investors. Legacy issues are causing losses. It has noted that 2026 will be better. But....it is quite a small company, momentum is weak, and it is still…

Opinion about SIS-T: (A Top Pick May 24/24, Up 5%) It was much better last October before US tariffs happened. He doesn't expect SIS will suffer much or any tariff impact, because they are covered under USMCA and are considered medical products for the elderly. He likes the demographic trend of aging at home, especially…

Opinion about DNKN-Q: Today, the New York Times reported that a private entity wants to buy Dunkin'. Some felt that this stock was already overextended, but he disagrees. Their track record in acquisitions is fantastic. It has survived while peers have fallen away.

Opinion about CSW.A-T: Ace Beverage acquisition got him interested. Some really nice growth coming, but not all segments are growing. So it's not going to give him the consistent 10-15% growth rate of a great company. Last quarter showed 9%.

Opinion about WN-T: Owns the majority percentage of Loblaw, so does well when Loblaw does well. Defensive. No longer that cheap. Good name to hold in this type of environment, but wait for a pullback.

Opinion about AW-T: Trevor Rose’s Insights - Trevor’s most-liked answers from 5i Research AW is relatively small, but we like it well enough. It has operated very well in differing economies, raised its dividend over time, and maintained its market share. However, we would view it far more as an income stock and not one…

Opinion about ADW.A-T: Stores may or may not be impacted by Ontario government rolling out more retail locations. The Pellers stepped down from the board, possibly planning a bid to privatize the company but he's not really sure.

Opinion about BTE-T: (A Top Pick Apr 02/24, Down 56%) Drawdown 100% connected to price of oil. More debt than average. Risk-off market. Totally fine on liquidity. Deep value, but needs oil at $65-70 to really start humming.

Opinion about VET-T: (A Top Pick Mar 15/24, Down 37%) Lately they've had success in exploration in Germany, but near-term capex to exploit that is questionable. Are hard hit, now trading at half their book value. Are paying a near-6% dividend. He's held on. He may use VET as a source of funds, but otherwise…

Opinion about TV-T: The biggest independent zinc producer has had its ups and downs. The new CEO has to navigate 2020, which was tough. Zinc prices have jumped to US$1.25/lb. TV's cost structure is based on $1.10-1.15. TV trades at a deep discount. Zinc doesn't capture the imagination like copper or nickel, though. Zinc prices…

Opinion about SIL-T: Investing in debt securities of mining companies rather than the equity and are getting some pretty good terms.

Opinion about CPH-T: It could become the next Paladin. It has great management and ownership along with a good outlook. It made a big acquisition in the U.S. and if the first two quarters go well the stock could go up.

Opinion about GILD-Q: He had owned it for 10 years at a time when it had a blockbuster drug that cured hepatitis. Gilead took profits and invested them into HIV drugs. As with other drug companies holding patents on blockbuster drugs with expiry dates, don't buy this one.

Opinion about T-T: Below 200-day MA; also moving below 200-week MA, which is trending lower. Need interest rates to come down for this sector to do well. Yield is 7.64%, and that dividend could ease going forward. Tough space.