Investment Q&A

Q: I might be finding out I'm less comfortable with volatility than I thought I was <g>. Or am I losing sight of longer-term trends and overreacting to isolated daily extremes?
Two of my holdings are down quite a bit more today than the general market and my other (mostly relatively conservative? - communications/banks/utilities) holdings.
Anything going on sector-related (CT REIT down almost 5%) or company-specific (Atco / utilities down over 3%)? None of my other utility holdings are nearly this bad today.

Q: I am trying to steer my and my husband's TFSA's more toward growth. The stocks listed are some of the stocks in our TFSA's that I am considering swapping out in favour of growth-oriented stocks on my watchlist. Can I get your opinion? Do you think that any of the listed stocks have enough growth potential to belong in a growth-oriented TFSA?
Thank you, Doris

Q: I am drastically under invested in utilities. I presently hold the following - each is under a 1% weighting - AQN, ACO, BIPC, BEPC, BEP.UN, CU, and Fortis. Which would you sell? Which would you add to? All are in corporate non reg acct. Also want to increase my US and International exposure. Is there a reason not to do it in this sector?
Would appreciate US and International companies you favour. 5 year hold.
Thank you.

Q: Hi, looking at income and some growth , with the view to ride out a downturn that may or may not come in the future.
With this in mind would you prefer one of the above ,or something else ? Five year or more hold
Thanks

Q: I am looking at putting together a portfolio of set-&-forget Canadian dividend-paying stocks, in what will be my only unregistered account, making up about 30% of our overall portfolio. The registered accounts (70% of portfolio) are now all in mixes of VGRO, VBAL and XAW.
My emphasis is on stable large cap companies, with a sprinkling of smaller cap, low beta, decent and growing dividends. I expect to draw down the capital at 6 - 7% per year (in addition to the dividends). Beyond the drawdown, capital preservation is secondary to the income.
What are your thoughts on the following mix? Additions/deletions?
Communication: BCE, T
Consumer Discretionary: CTC.A, LNF
Consumer Staples: NWC, PBH
Financials: BNS, TD, SLF
Industrials: SIS
Materials: SJ
Real Estate: CRT.UN
Energy & Utilities: ENB, AQN, FTS, ACO.X, BEP.UN (or BEPC)
My other thought is 100% CDZ but I'm not very impressed with the historical returns and the (relatively) high MER.
Thanks. Lotar.

Q: Hi Everyone at 5i! I am thinking of adding more dividend players to my tech heavy TFSA, just to start balancing things out a bit. I was thinking of adding Manulife and Atco...they seem cheaper, have some growth prospects and raise their dividends yearly ( though albeit, manulife ran into some problems a while back. ) Are my proposed additions decent selections? Cheers, Tamara

Q: ACO.X. I am looking at this one to add to my portfolio. They seem to have their fingers in a lot of pies: modular business must be hurting with the slow down in requisite businesses that support them like O & G. Seem to have a lot of debt. as well. Do you have a break down of each business segments contribution to revenue and profit? It's share price is almost at peak levels as well. Would you buy at current price for a long-term hold as a core position?

Q: ACO.X or CU.With preservation of capital and income as goals,do you have a preference?

Q: I own some CU. Knowing this, would ACO.X being more diversified, be good value at this price to hold as well as CU? Any thoughts on ACO management? They seem to have held up well in past "strained" markets and the dividend is nearing 5%. Good for a dividend investor?

Q: In January '19 I pivoted my portfolio to a defensive strategy which has let me sleep at night while returning 8.1% YTD through the end of September. But I also have kept about 30% cash in reserve. I am now doing a deep dive with a view to deploying that cash but all my defensive standbys all have sky high valuations. Thus, two questions:

1. Can you recommend any solid defensive, dividend paying stocks whose valuations are not through the roof? - I have the banks covered.

2. On a contrarian level can you recommend any energy stocks best poised to profit if/when that sector ever turns? A dividend payer is appreciated.

Thank you

Kim

Q: Atco: buying this stock would be a duplication , would it not, since I own TRP, ENB, FTS in different accounts - similar businesses and is at an all time high?

Q: Would you say Atco overall is a cyclical business (which one might think when viewing their work camp housing part of the company), or might one view it as a utility which one could buy and hold forever given its distribution business? Would you consider it a buy and if so why?

Q: Compare and contrast ACO.x and CU

For fresh money going into the Canadian Utilities/Regulated Sector(?) what would be your top 3 current suggestions for a diversified/balanced unregistered portfolio?

Thanks to the folks behind the screen that continually provide appreciated perspective. Have also found your portfolio analytics option a useful tool for trying to focus.

Q: Have a limited amount to spend and wondered how you view ATCO considering the Kitimat deal. I currently hold ZEF and have noticed that you like VEE. Would I be best off changing to VEE?

Q: Happy Thanksgiving to All! I am doing a little portfolio clean up. These are the names I am considering selling: Atco (ACO), Barrick (ABX), Census (CVE), Stantec (STN). Are any still worth holding? Why? Can you offer replacement ideas within the same sector? I am about a decade from retirement and prefer stocks with a (growing) dividend, and also have potential for price appreciation. I have a buy and hold investment style.

Q: If one were to sell Atco at a loss and purchase Cdn Utilities, would CRA grant a tax loss or are these two companies considered too close to the same? Tx.

Q: I have been a long-term holder of Atco. Where do you see the company's prospects and would you advise switching to another name in this sector. If yes, please name.
Thanks

Q: Atco has been taking a hit over the last week- is there some bad news or just interest rate worries? Or Nafta?
Thanks

Q: ATCO is down 14% from my avg cost in my non-registered account. I am thinking do a tax loss selling and buy FTS or AQN or both. Do you think it’s a good idea?

Thanks.

Q: Hello - ACO.x seems like your least favorite utility and you stated that 'Decent earnings growth is expected, but 2018E earnings will still be less than 2012 levels.'
Why are earnings dropping for ACO? What has changed? It was a real favorite in the market for several years.
Thanks for your insights.