Investment Q&A

Q: What is your take on the possibility that Quebecor might try to purchase Corus Entertainment, considering the massive debt that has caused most analysts to rate Corus as a strong sell and an under-perform rating. For example, National Bank views its real share price as one cent - yikes! If Quebecor could buy Corus at a 'bargain-basement' price, could this act as a tailwind for Quebecor? Thanks as always for your insight.

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: QBR.B seems to have some favourable financial metrics and to be liked by analysts, yet the share price has been drifting lower for a couple of months. What is your view of this stock and do you see it's share price improving over time? Would you buy, sell or hold? Thanks.

Q: Please give your opinion on qbr as a buy for growth/dividend vs Bell,Rogers for a 3-5 yr hold
Is the growth potential margin worth the bet on a smaller more regional player
Thanks for your great service
Peter

Q: Hi Guys
Comparing the 2 Companies, Telus is about 5 x bigger in MCAP. I was surprised to see QBR.B had about 618 million in FCF LTM, which was about the same as Telus at 622 million if my numbers are correct. Telus is about 2x as expensive on Forward P/E.
Yahoo shows Telus having next 5year growth at 17.8% per annum, verses QBR.B at only 5.15%.
Total Debt/EBITDA is actually higher at Telus from what i see at 5.2x Verses QBR.B at 4.0x
How do you view these to companies when comparing them. Is it strictly the poor future growth of QBR.B and the smaller size that makes it unattractive ?
Thanks Gord

Q: Can 5i give a brief clarification explaining why two listings for Quebecor, is there a preference, and in general, thoughts on Quebecor as an investment right now for medium term, please?

Q: My portfolio analytics is showing that I'm a bit low in my communication services sector.

Beyond the obvious telecom companies, what are some of the less obvious companies or perhaps ETFs that would fit into this sector?

Also, including the telecoms, could you rank your top few Canadian and US buys for this sector.

Thanks as always.

Q: Hello 5i, Could you comment as to which company is likely to buy Freedom Mobile from Shaw so that Rogers can takeover Shaw. I think Quebecor and Globalive want to purchase Freedom Mobile.

Q: I would like to increase my holdings in telecom stocks. I currently have BCE and would like to know if you would recommend buying more BCE. Or buy one or two other telecom stocks, such as T, RCI.a, QBR.b, or etc? Again, primary aim is income and secondary is balance equity. I plan hold them for more than 5 years. Thanks, Roger

Q: Rogers' ambition to purchase Shaw may have the side-effect of more-than-doubling Quebecor's wireless footprint. Assuming this occurs, does QBR.B become more attractive as an investment, or does the prospect of even more debt outweigh this windfall growth? In this connection, it's interesting that the company has already paid for substantial 5G spectrum.

Q: Is quebecor a good stock to be looking at right now. if so which one would you suggest A shares or B shares. Steve

Q: Would appreciate your thoughts on QBR.B. Has an ok dividend, reasonable PE and seems to be growing outside of Quebec. Can you compare it to Telus and BCE.

Q: Can I get your thoughts on Quebecor's earnings?

Lastly, any insights on Restaurant Brand's secondary offering?

Thanks.

John

Q: Is there any reason you see why Quebecor is down over 2% today? I already have a good size position in BCE and Telus and I am thinking, for me, QBR.b, given its eps growth estimates, valuation and dividend, looks pretty attractive.

Thanks

John

Q: Greetings 5i team.

Please provide your analysis and outlook for Quebecor and advise:
1) Would you buy? If not why not?
2) What would be your preference, class A or B?

Thanks for your help.

Q: The market has reacted negatively to the departure of the president of QBR's Videotron division. Wondering what your thoughts are and - aside from this issue - how does QBR stack up against the other Canadian telecoms - would a switch make sense?
Thank you.

Q: Hi 5i team,
Within the telecommunication industry, I want to seek for companies that have good growth forecast, reasonable pricing, and mild volatility compared to peers. Dividends Not important. Among T, BCE, and QBR.b, which would be your preference and why, or is there another name you like better? Thanks.

Q: Could you give me your thoughts on making an investment in this company after their latest quarterly results. I am looking for safety of income with some capital appreciation. It does not seem that expensive on earnings basis. How would you rank it among telecom companies in Canada from an investment perspective.Possible takeout candidate given recent action in this sector?
Thanks for all you do!

Q: During recent research, I discovered a theory that even in our times of extreme volatility I should seek out companies that exhibit the following characteristics:
1. They have a history of growing dividends for investors.
2. They have a history of growing their earnings.
3. They trade at valuations that make sense.
So, based on these variables, and your years of experience, please provide me with the names of several Canadian companies that have these characteristics.

Q: Hi 5i team.
It's been a while since members asked about QUEBECOR B. Would you consider it a buy, hold or sell at the current price for a long term investment?

Thanks in advance .