WATCH
This was a real high flying stock for so many years. They came out with disappointing same store sales growth just as Sears was closing down and they were expected to gain additional market share. They are buying an online mattress company. It may move the needle – time will tell.
PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Dec 11/17, Down 29%) China had a bit too much inventory on hand. There was a poor crop about two or three years ago. Many Ontario companies had to de-list from the LCBO and it takes time to get re-listed, but they now have a number of products back on the shelves. Their sales in the grocery channel in Ontario – they have the leading market share. He expects 2019 to very, very strong. They are diversifying geographically.

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Dec 11/17, Up 15%) It is an infrastructure play with over 70% of their business in the US. There are many areas of the US where they don't know what hydrovac excavation is. It is much less of an energy services company than they were in the past.

PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Dec 11/17, Up 14%) They have some funeral homes as well as cemeteries. They have expanded into the US via acquisitions. It is the only pure play in this sector. There are huge tailwinds demographically for the next 25-30 years. They have good margins. They are one of the few consolidators in the industry. He expects many years from now a huge player will acquire them. This is a good entry point.
HOLD
The dividend is safe. The question is getting in at the right price. This one is more commodity than CCL.B-T or WPK-T. Management has been doing a really good job of diversifying into other sectors of packaging. They are benefiting from the whole home delivery momentum. The question is what the company is worth going down the road. He thinks there is good upside if they keep executing. (Analysts’ price target is $23.00)
STRONG BUY
He most recently added it. He likes energy infrastructure. They have some good assets. The stock got beaten up because of temporary factors. The dividend is perfectly safe.
BUY ON WEAKNESS
He was very impressed by what they are doing when he met with them last week. They bought Farm Boy recently. They are looking carefully at their online strategy. They ran into problems with Safeway but have now turned around same store sales with it. The easy turnaround has been done and from here it will be a little more difficult. He might buy it on temporary weakness.
TRADE
Management has done a hack of a good job on the retail side in the face of companies like Wal-Mart and Dollarama. It does not trade at a crazy multiple. They made acquisitions that fit in. Their recent acquisition they paid a lot for. It is a different business. We may see the impact in the future.
DON'T BUY

He loves it because their prices are really good. As an investment he has shied away from it. It is a tough business. They admit that they have to diversify now. He thinks the recent acquisition is extremely risky.

BUY
He pressured the company to change their name back. He was happy with the last quarterly results. Volumes continue to grow. Margins are improving. There is a new plant coming on in Q3 next year.
TOP PICK
One of Canada's largest distributors of medication to seniors' residences. They will announce they are selling non-core assets. They will get to pay down pretty much all their debt. He really expects this stock to move up rapidly – a double to a triple over the next year. This is an industry that is growing. (Analysts’ price target is $0.65)
TOP PICK
A global leader in industrial valves. It is beaten up. It was suffering from tax loss selling. The backlog is growing again. It is trading at 50% of its net book value. He still thinks it will be sold to a much larger player at some point.
TOP PICK
The biggest bus and motor coach manufacturer in North America. It is trading at under 10 times PE. It is a recession-proof business. They have been buying back a lot of stock recently. (Analysts’ price target is $52.14)
COMMENT
US-China truce spark a rally today, but can it last? Trump said a lot of things this weekend, and thhis entire year has been volatile. It's nice to see a reprieve. We haven't seen earnings decline, though there's been a multiple compression in the broad market. He's still bullish about 2019. In Canada, Alberta Premier Notley cut oil production will initially cause the WCS spread to narrow, but long-term the ruisk premium will go up in Canadian oil. He prefers buying dominant global oil players, not just Canadian. As for healthcare, you should always hold them in your portfolio, because they are a permanent non-cyclical sector with aging demographics bring a tailwind. The long-term fundamentals are strongs, despite any short-term political headwinds. Healthcare is 15% of global equities; hold 10-15% in a portfolio.
WATCH
A frustrating stock. They have expensive drugs, such as for hepatitis C. They failed to build out their franchise and not making acquisitions, and have only been doing that in the past few years. Their HIV franchise is doing quite well, though. They acquired Kite Pharma which could be a game-changer later. It's trading at 10x earnings. Upcoming catalysts are a liver study in Q1/Q2 could be positive. Maybe. But is GILD a value trap or opportunity? Buy it as its chart improves.