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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: An article in today's Globe highlighted that a few of the top analysts and execs seem to have done quite well for themselves in 2014, with their top investment banker making more money than just a couple of bank CEO's. Unfortunately for me, and I am sure many others, the stock price has not been as rewarding to me.

I understand that that industry can pay well and aside from my initial knee-jerk negative reaction, are these types of bonuses in-line with industry norms? Or is this a reflection on management paying themselves first and not giving a lot or thought about shareholders (which maybe is the industry norm)?

Thanks for the insight.

Paul F.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on June 30, 2015
Q: I have a general question as to how, and if, analysts' reviews affect stocks.

On Wednesday, TD Securities downgraded Canaccord Genuity Group to "hold" from "buy" with a price target of $12.50 (Canadian). The stock was around $11.00 at the time. It subsequently plummeted about 10% and continues to drop today.

Today, Raymond James upgraded Mullen Group to "market perform" from "underperform" but cut its price target to $25 (Canadian) from $27.50. The stock has dropped about 5% so far.

In both cases, the stocks were about 10% below the analysts target. Once was considered a downgrade, although it was still a hold. The other was considered an upgrade but its target was not going to yield any greater returns.

My question is threefold. Is "market perform" considered different than "hold" (since they seem pretty similar to me); secondly, why was one stock hammered so much and the other wasn't when they are both expected to perform about the same, at least as it pertains to their target prices; finally, should TD be considered impartial since they are downgrading a competitor.

I am hoping that with your insight, I will move closer to understanding how things work!

Thanks so much.

Paul F.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on October 23, 2014
Q: Canaccord (CF) has dropped significantly in the past 2 days. Earnings release is upcoming on Nov 5th. Is there any negative news that would have a LT impact on their investment bank business or is this a good entry point? If not CF, are there alternatives you would recommend? Thanks for all the research you guys provide! Great learning experience. Thanks - John
Read Answer Asked by john on October 23, 2014
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