Barry Schwartz
President, Chief Investment Officer at Baskin Wealth Management
Member since: Sep '09 · 2933 Opinions
Rating Card
Premium content| All | 
Rating
| 
Big Win
| 
Win
| 
Neutral
| 
Loss
| 
Big Loss
|  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.59 | 218 29.82% | 198 27.09% | 115 15.73% | 127 17.37% | 73 9.99% | ||
| 1 Month | 4.41 | 5 2.98% | 63 37.50% | 59 35.12% | 40 23.81% | 1 0.60% | |
| 6 Months | 4.62 | 36 22.09% | 51 31.29% | 29 17.79% | 34 20.86% | 13 7.98% | |
| 12 Months | 4.79 | 58 36.48% | 45 28.30% | 12 7.55% | 25 15.72% | 19 11.95% | |
| 2 Years | 4.81 | 69 47.26% | 31 21.23% | 11 7.53% | 15 10.27% | 20 13.70% | |
| 5 Years | 4.33 | 50 52.63% | 8 8.42% | 4 4.21% | 13 13.68% | 20 21.05% |
Stock Opinions by Barry Schwartz
Last month, the market rallied due to corporate earnings, especially from big tech, while interest rates declined. For now, tariffs have not had a big impact. Though, last Friday, Trump's tariffs were ruled illegally by US courts, so that may be creating angst among investors. Ignore the stuff about September being the worst month; buy great stocks at lower prices. The Mag 7 are growing at insanely fast rates, even before we see the benefits of AI. The US market is overlooked.
All these companies carry heavy debt. Once slip up and their cash flow is in trouble. He prefers companies with high cash flow and low capex, like Apple and Meta. Not for him, but if interest rates continue to fall in Canada, dividend stocks like this could look stable and attractive. Pays a good 4.7% dividend.
It has seen many problems this year, including missing earnings and lowering guidance. Insurance is tough to understand, especially when connected to Medicare. Then again, the valuation fell and aging demographics are tailwinds. UNH is a turnaround story and will need time. It's weird that Buffett is investing in this, since he doesn't invest in turnarounds. Too many moving parts for him to study. He avoids healthcare.
The chart shows a V-shaped recovery since April's tariff worries. In Canada, interest rates have been cut aggressively, so the Canadian banks have skated through. Wealth management divisions are strong. Loan loss provisions are down. NA and RY are the best, but CM and BMO are reporting much better earnings, which catches his attention.
Is involved in auto auctions. Strong volumes, so their business is doing well. Organic revenues are up 9% last quarter. So what if it missed earnings expectations? Does a company growth top and bottom line faster than the overall market. Great balance sheet. Robotaxis will likely get into as many accidents as non-robos, so are a tailwind.
Owned it for a long time. They make labels for various sectors. They operate around the world. There's so much acquisition potential. Is showing good organic, topline growth. Is cyclical. The balance sheet has improved, buying back shares and raising the dividend. Is waiting for the next acquisition that will boost shares.
So, what if you don't like their pizza? Focus on long-term sales growth. They are the #1 pizza chain in the U.S. Has a strong take-out business and has the best technology. It buys backs shares and adds stores globally. Will grow double-digit over 5 years.
The Canadian bank charts look similar. TD has seen a nice bounce since April, despite being the bank with the most problems and cannot grow in the US. A rising tide lifts all boats/banks. He got rid of it to buy BMO, which is a much-better run bank, maybe a little too soon. He is bullish Canadian banks, overall as the economy picks up. The bargain price for TD is over, but it will take time to return to its premium valuation. Prefers Royal and National banks.
