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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: A couple of others do not display above, MKZ.un, BSO, LCS & OSP. Is there a reasonable amount of safety in any of these Very High Di Payers? If a stock pays a Dividend > 8%....who cares if there is NO appreciation, as long as risk is limited.

Thanks as always!
Read Answer Asked by Austin on December 05, 2017
Q: Good Morning
My question is about which preferred shares can be classified as being part of a FIXED INCOME component of a portfolio.

1. Would you classify the rate reset preferreds as part of a fixed income portfolio?
2. Would you classify also the perpetual preferred shares as part of a fixed income portfolio?
3. Would you classify only the investment grade preferred shares as part of a fixed income portfolio (e.g banks and insurance companies) ?

Some analysts include only rate resets and not perpetuals as part of Fixed Income. Yet others only the investment grade preferreds as part of fixed income.

What is your opinion?
Read Answer Asked by Terry on December 05, 2017
Q: I was considering buying some LIF for it's recent momentum and dividend, even though it seems to have exceeded analyst price targets. But then I noticed that the CFO and CEO own only a few thousand shares each. Is that info incorrect? Does this indicate their own lack of confidence in their share price? It seems fair to expect them to have a bit of skin on the game.
Read Answer Asked by Pat on December 04, 2017
Q: Which of the above stocks would you consider having the greatest growth potential within the next one to two years with the least amount of downside risk? Can you please provide your rationale for your choice.
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Thomas on December 04, 2017
Q: I would appreciate your take on - The cracks in the Enbridge dividend story by David Milstead in the G&M dated Dec 3, 2017. Some of the key points in the article include (all CAPS from the article):

- ENBRIDGE EMPHASIZES 'AVAILABLE CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS' TO INVESTORS WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ITS DIVIDEND. IN CALCULATING THIS MEASURE, IT IGNORES MOST OF ITS CAPITAL EXPENDITURES, DEDUCTING ONLY 'MAINTENANCE' CAPEX TO ARRIVE AT THE NUMBER. THAT HAS LEFT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF CAPEX OUT OF THE MEASURE OVER TIME. WHEN ALL OF THE COMPANY'S CAPITAL EXPENDITURES ARE DEDUCTED FROM OPERATING CASH FLOW, ENBRIDGE POSTS NEGATIVE FREE CASH FLOW IN NEARLY EVERY YEAR. STILL, THE COMPANY PAYS DIVIDENDS — AND ISSUES DEBT, AS WELL.
- For the third quarter, Enbridge reported $360-million in maintenance capital expenditures. Total capex was $1.95-billion. Depreciation, a measure of how much of the company's property, plant and equipment was "used up" in the period, was $848-million.
- In the last 10 years, from 2007 on, it was only in 2016 that Enbridge actually posted positive free cash flow, a paltry $83-million. The 10-year total is a staggering $24.1-billion in negative free cash flow. That's before paying out $7.4-billion in dividends. Perhaps not coincidentally, the company issued almost $25.6-billion in net debt over that decade. It now has $65-billion in debt on its books, including the tens of billions it took on in the merger with Spectra Energy Corp. this year.
- https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/inside-the-market/the-cracks-in-the-enbridge-dividend-story/article37172663/

I would have expected that maintenance capex would be inline with the depreciation expense. Is Milstead highlighting one of the risks in ENB - ie., that the dividend is solid as long as the market has confidence in the Company and it can raise additional capital each year.

What mid/large-cap companies in this sector would you would recommend that have more conservative financials?

Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by rajiv on December 04, 2017
Q: I am losing faith in this company. The "growth"stock continues to slide yet 5i continues to recommend it. Where is the disconnect? What am I missing?
Read Answer Asked by Paul on December 01, 2017