Investment Q&A

Q: Buy, sell or hold with a few comments on each
Much appreciated. ram

Q: More brisk selling today.
Time to sell now or take an aspirin and sit tight?

Q: Like many others, I’m very frustrated with the performance of both Bell and Telus. (Bell is held in a non-registered account so could be a tax-loss candidate. Unfortunately Telus is held in my RRIF.)

Due to the decline in both BCE and T, Portfolio Analytics indicates that I'm underweight in the Telecom sector - not surprising! With such headwinds in this sector, do you see the need to replace Bell with Quebecor to stay in the same sector, or should I accept that being underweight can be a good thing?

The reason I’m considering QBR.B is because we recently switched from Bell to Freedom for our mobile phones. As well, their chart looks a lot better than either Bell or Telus.

Would you sell BCE to buy QBR.B or would you use the proceeds to buy into a sector with some tailwinds?

What sector(s) do you feel have tailwinds going forward?

Your comments are valued greatly. Please deduct as many questions as you see fit.

Q: I bought my first 100 shares of BCE on Oct 22, 2014 at $47.79. Ten (10!) years later it is $38.94/share. I estimate that over those 10 years I have received $32.34 in dividends - so that helps. But holding a stock whose share price is down 20% after 10 years is not something to be proud of.

I am torn with what to do with my BCE shares. Sell all, sell half, buy more? I am trying to maintain a diversified portfolio by having exposure to the Telecom Sector, and I am not interested in replacing BCE with Telus, Rogers, etc. I already own Telus, and am down on that as well.

Telecom stocks make up about 7% of my portfolio today (my target was 8%), so if I sold BCE my % in Telecom stocks would decrease further.

If I sold any or all of my BCE, the first choice would be to replace it with something in the Telecom sector from the US (not Canada!) to keep it from falling too far away from my target of 8%. What US telecom stocks would you suggest that are performing better than BCE, T? The Telecom sector has NOT been the place to be this year, and the future does not look any better, so it is hard to maintain my sector diversification target.

For a moderate growth investor with a medium risk tolerance, what % of the portfolio would you suggest be in Telecom stocks? Is an 8% target too high?

Q: I know you have had mixed commentary on these two. Questions:

1. On BCE, do you think the dividend on common shares is "safe" (I own it for the dividend ... capital appreciation is less of a concern) Would I be better off simply selling my common BCE shares and buying some BCE preferred shares (and if so, which one). Or should I sell it and buy something else with more upside ?

2. SPB announced a major cut to their dividend this morning. And based on my reading, the latest quarter was less than staller. What are your thoughts on this one overall given this news?

I hate being reactionary but I'm down over 20% of both of these ....

Q: SPB took a huge hit this morning, What’s happening? Is it still a hold?

Q: I will appreciate it if you could provide your perspective on NPI.
What are the future prospects since the new Government in USA is not friendly for the likes of NPI and BEPC.
Is NPI a hold , sell or an opportunity to average down.
Thanks

Q: Following Donald Trump's recent election victory, utility stocks have experienced a pullback. Given the current valuation, would you consider it a good entry point given the recent weakness? Please also rank it

Thank you

Q: Hi 5i

Current opinion on PM please, seems to be bouncing a fair bit recently

Thanks

Q: Hello,

The current BCE dividend appears to be propping up the stock price.

Could you comment on the BCE payout ratio and how this recent acquisition changes that? Also book value?

How long can they could continue to pay the current dividend until the writing is on the wall and they have to cut?

Is this an emerging AQN? Purchase an overpriced second rate asset in the US to distract the buying pool from the actual deteriorating business situation.

This is a lot of stuff - however I am now taking a much more critical look at my other stocks.

Take as many points a needed.

Thank you

Q: Hi. Are CNQ AND WCP a buy at there current prices for dividend and growth appreciation

Q: Could you comment on earnings. What are the key metrics for a company structure such as this?
Finally, am I correct that in the last 18 months Alaris has considerably de-risked this equity as an income investment?

Q: So what do you think of Pembina’s latest earnings? Stock has a nice run. Is it time shift the cash elsewhere??

Q: for a retired dividend investor in canadian stocks which dividend payers do you think are the safest and have some growth potential. seems lately that a lot of dividend canadian stock that i have been invested in is having problems. [bce, td, t, bns, enb etc.]

Q: Hi 5i Guys,
We have generated some cash and I would like your thoughts about parking the extra cash in BCE or Telus and at least getting paid a nice dividend which greatly exceeds the interest that we're getting.
Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks

Q: Hi, I’ve decided to sell Telus for a small tax loss, and will probably replace it.
I’m looking at Wsp, X, Tri, for a long term steady growth and income (income good but not necessary). My ideal stock is one that preforms well in a downturn.
You can add a suggestion if you have one.
Thanks

Q: I am planning to sell my shares in CNR. I have done well holding it for several years but there just appears to be opportunities for better price appreciating than CNR has over the past couple of years. I would prefer to replace it with a Canadian company. It does not need to be an Industrial. I am currently over weight financials. I am ok with some risk. What companies would you consider as a replacement?

Thanks for all your help,

Mike

Q: I’m under water with Bce by about 30%
But under no pressure to sell
Do you still like it for 5 to 10 year hold our
Is it time to cut my losses

Q: rating

Q: I am at a loss in BCE, therefore I plan to sell it and use it for tax loss purposes, then in 30 days rebuy it and now I have a juicy dividend and if the stock remains flat, I'm okay with this and get paid while I wait. Comments on this strategy, please.