Investment Q&A

Q: Hi Peter and all at 5i. Wishing you the best of the season!

Peter, first of all, I really enjoyed your last article in the National Post. Your financial stories were highly entertaining.

I manage a RRSP for my daughter-in-law. She has approximately 24K in cash due to a GIC that recently matured. (She got 5.16% interest).

She has these commission-free ETFs: CEW, QQC.F, XHC, XIT, and XST. She would have to pay a $10 commission on the following stocks and ETFs: BCE, BNS, FTS, PBH, SLF, WSP, ZIN, and ZRE.

Question 1. In what order would you suggest she uses the cash to purchase more of the commission-free ETFs?

Question 2. If there are compelling reasons to do so, in what order would you suggest she uses the cash to purchase more of the stocks and ETFs where there is a $10 commission?

I’m hoping that this question can be answered before Christmas if possible. Please use as many question credits as you see fit to provide a comprehensive reply.

Thanks as always for your valuable insight.

Q: I have these 2 in my dividend account. Between the 2 which would you sell for a tax loss?
Merry Christmas!

Q: I’m thinking of a trade with BCE stock. My thinking is even if management cuts the dividend by half I will be making 6% with the likelihood the stock price will go up what do you think of this trade. Also what do you think of the new asset Ziply and my understanding BCE is using funds from the sale of the sports teams to Roger’s so how bad is there balance sheet really?

Q: Good morning,

I can’t believe I am asking another question on BCE, but here we go.

The ~10% move lower over the last week….In your opinion is this year end tax loss selling capitulation, or do you think the market may be sensing a dividend cut?

Thanks as always and Happy Holidays.

Q: Do you think BCE is a sell?

Q: Interesting potential entry point below $35 CAD today. 11.4% yield usually a sign of a dividend cut in the near future. I know the company has communicated that it intends to maintain and not grow the dividend over the next year.

What’s your take on the risk to the share price of a dividend cut at current price levels? Ie. is it mostly priced in here at $35?

Q: Is the recent deal by BCE in the USA "written in stone" or can it be cancelled by either party at this time. Looks like the deal has almost destroyed the co. Thanks

Q: I would like your thought if it make sense to replace BCE with Rogers or Telus at all, or there are better alternatives , even in other sectors. Please suggest a few alternatives if outside of the above. Thank you as always

Q: I'm curious as to whether the growth of starlink could have an affect on the telecommunications company's in Canada. Is there potential that Elon could begin a mobile division of starlink to go along with his internet division?

How hard would the barriers to entry be if he did decide to go this route?

Q: BCE is so hated right now, it's trading like it's doomed if the dividend doesn't cut substantially. Dividend is now yielding 11%. Is this the next AQN or do they have a chance to turn things around with divesting TSN, laying off more people, etc? Was the Ziply purchase too high? Is the Air Canada Wifi deal a bad one or even move the needle? Is the Palo Alto partnership also bad? Seems like every news story coming out just drives the price down. I never want to catch a falling knife, but is the story really as bad as it looks right now and could this be a good opportunity to actually get in low with a high yield? Even if they cut it in half it would still be a great yield at this point. Maybe I'm blind, but I'm seeing more upside to this than downside at this point.

Q: Retired, dividend-income investor. Sitting on roughly 5-6% cash for topping up existing positions to, over time, hit Asset Allocation targets.

Candidates = BCE, GSY, HHL, HMAX, XST, ZUT. If I was deciding to deploy funds to create the largest total return over the next year or two, from their existing valuation, a) in what order would you deploy the funds and b) a short qualifier for each position?

My view = buy in this order:
ZUT = good momentum, room to run before hitting earlier peak
GSY = good value, $150-155 should be excellent value
XST = graph against 50 and 200mda...very tight chart....could buy anytime
HMAX = good value, banks should run
HHL = healthcare stocks should get over their fear of their new boss in a few months....or not. Give it some time.
BCE = last on the list. Just rebought after cap loss capture. Give it even more time.

Thanks for your help....Steve

Q: I own a long term holding in these stocks but am interested in adding a short term trading position in a few of them to take advantage of any January post tax loss selling bounce. Please rank these from best to worst near term (1-2 month) trading potential.

Q: Good morning,

About a month ago I took a tax-loss sale on BCE. Was a ~ 2% weighting. My 30 day "waiting period" is up this Friday, and now I am undecided as to buy it back, initiate a 2% position in SOBO, or do 1% BCE and 1% SOBO. I know you don't love to comment on portfolio weightings, but if you were me, what would you do?

Thanks as always.

Q: I am down 33% BCE and 18% BEPC in my non registered account. Would you sell both for tax loss purposes ? BEPC is suffering from the general negative in green stocks compounded by Trump but I like the company and would repurchase it while BCE would not be repurchased. Thanks. Derek

Q: Which would you buy today?

Q: Retired, dividend-income investor. Long, long term holder of BCE in my wife's cash account. Sold it in mid-Nov, captured a $12k cap loss, and plan to buy it back next week....prior to the ex-dividend date.

I am ok buying it at the roughly $38 level, even if it floats around that level for the short to medium term. I understand that there might even be some further downside risk. I plan to buy around 1400 shares, either in one shot or maybe 2-3 tranches.

Your opinion on which makes more sense in this case? Multiple purchases is the more conservative way to go, but one shot gets the full dividend back (and more) to where we were a month ago. The BCE board has said they would not touch the dividend for now....although their credibility has taken a hit lately. We are ok with "some" volatility. It's almost a "flip a coin" decision.

Thanks for your help...Steve

Q: Every time a company cuts their dividend, the stock suffers.....BCE should be no different and it becomes dead money for awhile..at what support price should I start a new position??...

Q: Three to five year time frame
Stocks to sell and name to replace with growth stock

BCE, NPI, AW.UN BEPC

Q: Hi 5i,

All these questions about BCE and it's dividend has me worried about the other two in the industry. Could you comment on T and RCI's debt load, payout ratios, dividend sustainability, and earning growth rates?

Also, separate/unrelated comment: It would be great to be able to do a search on a company and have BOTH the Canadian and U.S. questions both come back together. It's a bit of a pain to have to do two separate searches and then manually read them in chronological order. Well, it is the season...and I thought I'd just ask... :)

TIA

Q: Hi there yesterday you were answering about buying BCE after a rate cut. You said many are “expecting” it. Are you?

You said awhile back you were not expecting it but has your stance changed?

Might be better to do a Sell for losses now in an unregistered account then wait and buy back after the cut? I’m a long time holder and believer but getting nervous!

Ok thanks