Investment Q&A

Q: Hi group can you please comment on Capitol direct trust - last quarter they paid out 9% + over last 3 yrs they have averaged 7+ %. What is your assessment of the risk rewards in this sector i suspect that restrictions on liquidly and management fees are concerns but the attractive quarterly payout are very attractive in this unstable market overall your thoughts please. I am 74 and retired so steady income is a driver. Also please rate the above stocks (1-10 . 10 being best) Thanks for your help

Q: Hi,

After A&W’s recent conversion into a Corporation do you feel they could be a candidate for a takeover? Is it possible that this conversion to a corporation, which would simplify the structure, was done make them more desirable to an acquiring company? Two obvious Canadian suitors may be QSR and Fairfax which owns many casual dining restaurants under its Recipe Unlimited division. Looking forward to your comments. Thanks.

Q: Could you please comment on Fairfax Financial Quarterly/FY earnings released today.

We own Intact Financial, but are looking to add another P&C Insurance Co. ( which also is in asset management business - we already have Brookfield Corp. }

Fairfax seems to be executing very well and stock performance supports this thesis.
Company is also buying back its stock, aggressively.

How do you assess and rate this Co. , on valuation, debt, risk and consistency of Growth over long period of time ?

Would you be comfortable to start a new position or add at current levels ?

Thank You

Q: Hi Peter and Team,

Across all accounts, our holdings in the Financial Sector include BN, FFH, GSY, MFC, SLF, and the CEW ETF. I feel that this is a fairly good representation but realize that the Canadian banking sector is quite low, and the US banking sector is non-existent in our portfolio. Portfolio Analytics indicates that we need more exposure in this sector.

Several questions; please deduct question credits accordingly.

1. TipRanks shows that BN has a P/E ratio of 125.13. Can this be true?

2. A recent question from a 5i member asked about Sagicor SFC, which prompted me to investigate it further. I realize that it’s a small-cap stock, but noticed that for the 3 month, 6 month, and year-to-date periods, it has excellent momentum (which I know you like) and has a really low P/E ratio of 1.51, which I assume to be correct.

3. Because I feel that Trump tariffs are more of a possibility than not, I’m in the process of adjusting some sectors but not all, in case the tariffs don’t happen.

4. Would you endorse a small holding in SFC, (say a half-position) using proceeds from the sale of more tariff-vulnerable stocks?

5. Finally, could you suggest some Canadian-domiciled ETFs that would give us needed exposure to both the Canadian and US banking sector?

As always, thanks for your assistance that helps us to make informed decisions.

Q: Can you rank the following stocks best to worst please? Thanks

Q: Would you please rank the 3 stocks in order of total return going forward. IFC has the best 10year return, but not so more recently. I currently own IFC and I am concerned about the effects of global warming on future performance. I am leaning toward MFC because of its recovered mojo. I sense that MFC is the most conservative play in the group. Thank you

Q: Would you invest in Markel as a long term hold?
How does it compare to Fairfax?

Q: Would you put new money into either? Looking for 3-5 year capital gains.

Q: Could you please rank these according to your expectation of best mid-to-long-term return?

Q: 1) My 20 ry old son wants to invest his money and seems to have high risk tolerance.. I'm generally more confident in the US mkt rather than the CDN. Is he better off...
a) transferring his CN money into US and taking the 24% hit and selling in 10 years the exchange rate might be...?
b) buying US stocks in their CDN version which is usually hedged?
c) or buying a US stock in a CDN acct and losing the exchange fee when buying and selling?

2) Can you pick 6 stocks that you think should do well for the next 5 years?

Q: Warren Buffet has a lot of Cash . What industry will he purchase. What about purchasing Brookfield BA and Fairfax FFH

Is FFH inexpensive ? Is it a BUY Thanks RAK

Q: In January, you compared FFH to BN/BAM, saying, "If rates fall it may be able to make more deals, AND, its assets owned already may increase in value further." Do you still hold to this glass-half-full outlook, or should we be concerned that the (dominant) insurance side of FFH's business will be penalized for a lowered outlook?

Q: Other tan by owning Fairfax to benefit from their increasing ownership in Bauer Hockey is there a way to invest in Bauer hockey directly? Is Fairfax a good investment on its own merits?
Thanks guys …

Q: I am looking at the insurance industry for my next purchase in a non registered account , mainly consisting of banks, utilities, telecoms, REITS.

Which of these three offer the best growth potential over the next 5 years and why ? I can handle moderate risk. Which offers the best entry price ? Are there other CDN listed insurance companies I should consider ?
Thanks. Derek.

Q: I am considering adding an Insurance company to my portfolio. Do you prefer Fairfax Fin. or Intact Fin. for a long term hold? And the reason why?
Thank you very much.

Q: Hi Group i am treating the above stocks as core positions. I am concerned that some of the list are taking big hits so should i take profits while there is still some $ left in the black . FFH is an example where my profits was 40% now less than 10% ? (this is my worst performer so please answer specifically what you suggest buy, sell or hold). . Please advise if I should take some profits or just ride it out. List in order of preference...Buy sell ,or hold Thanks for your thoughts on this dilemma

Q: Hello 5i team,

Can you please comment on the recent quarterly results of both those insurers and a possible reason for the precipitous drop (over $120 i.e 8.5%) in FFH over the previous 2 days?

Thank you for your insights as usual,

Q: Hi group in what order would you add Regardless of sector to the above stocks that i presently own + would you wait after the big drop in the markets today or slowly average in

also what your general thoughts (short comment will suffice) on the markets going fwd

Q: By not listing in the US, are they in some way shielded from US shorts that target Canadian companies (sometimes for dubious reasons)?

Q: Hi group I have taken profits on QSR,MCD,GSY,BYD,WSP,CSU,ARC. So my question in what order and at what price do i get back in i own the others, as listed so please rate them also for adding same format. Thanks for your help with this