Latest Top Picks

Stock Opinions by Pat McKeough

TOP PICK
Encana Corp
Into oil/gas production that takes longer to get going, but lasts a lot longer. Feels investors are underestimating the value of the long-term stream of income. Also, it is breaking itself up into an oil company and a gas company and these types of spin-offs tend to pay off.
oil / gas
TOP PICK
Service company for brokers and financial institutions. Spin-off from Automatic Data Processing (ADP-N). Global growth industry. A way to profit from computing power getting cheaper and cheaper.
investment companies / funds
TOP PICK
TC Energy
An expert in the pipeline industry and now expanding into electricity. You buy this for both stock appreciation and the 3.5% dividend. Have a lot of expertise and prestige in their area. Likes their expansion plans. Won't go smoothly but it will pay off.
oil / gas pipelines
COMMENT
Denison Mines Corp
You should have some commodities, but uranium is riskier. You could hold this one is a small portion of the aggressive portion of your portfolio, but don't bet heavily on it. Prefers Cominco (CCO-T).
non-base metal mining
DON'T BUY
Potash One Inc.
Fertilizer companies are now in the high end of their cycle. New companies are trying to get into this industry. A good example of something that is in the media limelight. Not a great time to be buying fertilizer stocks.
other mines
BUY
Canadian banks are well established companies with good dividends and good long-term growth. Everybody should own 2 or 3 of Canada's top line banks. This one is a bit more speculative because of its brokerage exposure etc. Prefers Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS-T) but this is an attractive company.
banks
BUY
Bank of Nova Scotia
More internationally diversified and more retail focused which is less volatile.
banks
HOLD
Sunopta Inc.
An example of a smaller stock that shouldn't make up a large portion of your portfolio. In the area of some food businesses that are coming along nicely. Pretty good bet.
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS
BUY
Reitmans
If you are looking for a more aggressive investment, this would be a Buy. People are wary of consumer stocks, as there is a question if people will have money to spend but this is probably already built into the stock. Dividend would be relatively safe.
clothing stores
BUY
CAE Inc
Their customer base is the airlines, which are dying. With the price of oil going up, there will be a new generation of planes, which will require training. Pretty good choice for an aggressive stock.
transportation equip & components
BUY
Heavily influenced by the price of base metals, which are all over the place. Hard to predict a target. If you were going to have a portfolio that includes speculative mining, this would be a good choice.
precious metals
BUY
TorstarCorp (B)
Yield of 5.6%. Investors are treating this much more roughly than they should because they look at the industry more than the individual company. Building up its Internet capabilities.
publishing / printing
COMMENT
Bank of Montreal
Hard to zero in on the best time to Buy especially on closely watched groups like the Canadian banks. You can gradually Buy or hold your breath and aggressively Buy knowing you are not going to get the bottom.
banks
HOLD
Cameco Corporation
If you own, he would be inclined to Hold. If it were a big part of your portfolio, he would Partially Sell. The stock does not have an immediate attractive outlook.
integrated mines
DON'T BUY
Uranium One Inc.
In a field that is not that bright at the moment, he wouldn't go for the smaller players.
non-base metal mining
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