Investment Q&A

Q: If you were an income investor and wanted to invest in each of the 5 big banks, given current valuations and yield, what percentage of the money you have marked for investing in banks would you allocate to each?

Q: Goeasy has paid and increased dividends consistently for some 10 years. The payout ratios appear to be very reasonable and the growth has been strong. This seems like an enticing stock to carry in a dividend orientated portfolio. 5i has it in the growth portfolio. Why not in your income portfolio as well?

Just curious, Stephen S

Q: In an earlier question, you said let GSY settle down and it is a buy at $170. Well here we are and is this a screaming buy?
Thanks

Q: Hi There,

PRL down almost 25% from its July high. What is going on here… Investor concern about bad loans? Are there any serious issues you see at the moment?

Thanks!

Q: Hi, I own RY shares in both Cdn and USD, and see that the USD tends to lag the Cdn by a little. Is that due to conversion, or just the RY stock doesn't have as much momentum in the US? Not a big thing, just curious - and I figured you'd have the answer - as you always do! Thanks!
D

Q: We definitely bought TRI at the recent high and ever since TRI seems to be falling .5-1% per day. My husband wants to sell and cut our losses. I think TRI must be close to its bottom. Has there been a fundamental change, or has the sentiment change just been over last quarter’s miss? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Q: Is there anything besides huge gains this year and therefore an expected volatility behind the slide from 43 to 34?
What is your take on this company TODAY?

Q: I currently have a 3.5% position in HOOD. I am considering a small position in GLXY - say 1.5% - bringing my total exposure to 5%. Being mindful of crypto's volatility, in your view, is a 5% exposure here too high?

Q: I have noticed that a number of the large banks have had a big rise recently. I am wondering about the reason for this. Specifically, is this a flight to safety going on in the background? Or is it the interest rate reduction or something else?
Thanks

Q: Are you comfortable buying PNG at current price? If not, what would be your target to buy? Looking to start a position.

There has been a couple questions lately regarding GSY and PRL. In one question, you answer PRL over GSY. And then the next day, you indicate GSY over PRL. Which do you consider a better buy for growth, and why? I think also you mentioned there was going to be a follow up report on PRL. Is that still the case?

Thanks!

Q: Which of the above two companies would you prefer to hold for a long term conservative investor?

Q: Greetings 5i team,
I noticed a question today asked by Tim concerning GSY and what a target price to enter a position would be. I added some shares today at about $179, which was above your suggested entry price of $170 but this purchase only raised my average cost / share to a little more than $160. In addition to the entry price, do you think that this is a good way to view such a purchase as well?
Thank you
SP

Q: May I have you opinion of the future of Fiserv given the pending lawsuit, price decline recently and its sector of the economy?
With appreciation,
Ed

Q: Have been thinking about Chris’s question Sept. 25 regarding these two companies.

So it makes sense to buy BNT because you may have better share appreciation than BN and if you don’t then you can exchange it into the higher priced BN ? Thanks. Derek.

Q: Dear 5i
PRL has been steadily going down over the last 6 months . I am beginning to lose patience with this one. Is it a hold , sell or a buy more situation ?
Thanks
Bill C

Q: if I currently own equal amounts of BN and BNT. for additional purchases why would I buy BNT? the prices for each company are virtually identical for example . I compared the price for both companies for 1 month 3 month 6 month YTD and one year and within pennies the price for both companies is the same. I look forward to your answer. thanks Richard

Q: MSTY is getting close to its 52 week low and of course showing a massive yield. What’s your assessment of the risk reward at this level?

How much if at all has the monthly dividend changed since the beginning?

Can you explain the WHY behind the consistent decline in share value?

Is it Saylor’s intention for this to be a long term stock or is this some kind of borderline legal Ponzi scheme.

Given this is still early days (presumably) for BTC I would hope he is thinking long term in terms of ensuring his credibility and that of bitcoin.

Q: Do you think GSY has a problem or is this a buying opportunity ?

Q: I have held Brookfield for 15 years. I have reviewed their investor presentation several times in the last week. With the Wealth Solutions and carried interest projected growth they forecast a 25% Distributable earnings growth is possible over the next 5 years. It looks like they have shifted gears and the next 15 years of business growth should be better than the last 15. Any comments

Q: Hi Guys Since you will get a lot of questions on the short report on Goeasy I thought this article/comment from National Bank would help members and save you some valuable time ( only make public if you think it is useful):

National Bank Financial analyst Jaeme Gloyn thinks the allegations and evidence brought by Jehoshaphat Research in a short report released Monday claiming Goeasy Ltd. (GSY-T) is manipulating their reporting to delay and avoid reporting rising delinquencies and charge-offs are “without merit.”

Accordingly, in reaction to the 9.9-per-cent drop in the Mississauga-based company’s share price on Monday as well as a post-close analyst call in which management firmly refuted the allegations, Mr. Gloyn now sees “a buying opportunity.”

“The report includes former employer interviews and former competitor executive interviews to explain how frequently and easily GSY uses tactics to delay reporting charge-offs and delinquencies,” he said. “JR argues GSY will have to start reporting higher charge-offs as these loans will inevitably need to default and be charged-off and expects this catch-up in losses to ‘devastate earnings’. The report argues its thesis on the following points: i) GSY’s change in their definition of net charge-offs, ii) rising interest receivable as a percentage of interest income, iii) lower allowance rates on stage 3 loans, iv) large shift of loans into GSY’s “low-risk” category, v) the surprise departures of former CEO, Jason Mullins and CFO, Hal Khouri."

“JR’s evidence of manipulation (Rising interest receivables, lower allowance rates on stage 3 loans and the shift in loans to the ‘low risk’ category) is explained by GSY’s rapid increase in auto loans. GSY has grown its portfolio of auto loans from $40-million in 2021 to over $1-billion today,” he said. “The key is these loans are larger and typically benefit from a lower loss given default because they are secured by the vehicles. Unlike unsecured loans that charge-off after 90 days, secured auto loans will charge-off after 180 days. As these larger auto loans become delinquent, it is reasonable to see an increase in interest receivable. Further, because these loans are secured by vehicles where confidence in recovery is higher, it is also reasonable to report a decrease in stage 3 allowances as a percentage of loans outstanding. Additionally, the risk categorization of loans is determined based on probability of default, which can change based on collections abilities. GSY enhanced their collections capabilities in 2024 which could explain the change in classification.”

The analyst concluded the evidence presented by the Florida-based firm is explained by recent growth of GSY’s secured lending platform.

“We are aware of the potential volatility that can come with rapid growth of a lending vertical as we have seen with auto lending at GSY,” he noted. “We believe management is also aware of this and is actively making investments to improve collections and underwriting. That said, this does not imply that GSY is involved in any accounting games or excessive ‘kick the can’ activity.”

Mr. Gloyn reiterated his “outperform” rating and $265 target for Goeasy shares. The average is $239.22.

Elsewhere, Scotia Capital’s Phil Hardie cut his target to $225 from $235 with a “sector perform” rating.

“The release of a short report alleging that goeasy has improperly delayed credit losses and materially unreported loan delinquencies has put near-term pressure on the stock,” he said. “We believe the central theme of the report follows a relatively well-worn path for short-sellers that target lenders during transitioning economies. The author alleges that company uses “pretend and extend” practices to avoid reporting delinquencies and uses accounting approaches that delay reporting of loan losses and other expenses.

“We don’t buy into the report’s bearish view that delayed net-charge-offs are likely to drive a significant earnings miss for 2026, or that GSY is engaged in questionable practices. Following a 10-per-cent one-day decline in the stock after the release of the report, we would not be surprised to see a near-term bounce to recover some lost ground, however we think the report will sharpen investor focus on underlying delinquency and portfolio credit performance trends and constrain near term multiple expansion. Ultimately we think the key to sustainably removing any overhang will be delivering solid results with the charge-off rate remaining in line with the targeted range with late stage delinquencies also trending down.”