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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: could you please comment on the recent activity regarding the Crescendo Partners' Letter? I have held this company for some time (avg price $4.75) and kept expecting to see it return to those levels only to be disappointed each new quarter. The letter definitely sums of my feelings, but not sure if it was the proper way to do it. Any guestimations on the sum of the parts if RKN decided to sell. p.s. wasn't too impressed with the response letter.
Read Answer Asked by Jim on August 16, 2016
Q: In concurring with Clarence's comments and observations around CXR.

This includes that management must have integrity and be honest I have learned.

To that point many CEO's, and high level management got to the position they are in due to their sales skills to the board of directors, the public and shareholders and thus meeting, talking with them and listening to them can often only make an investor vulnerable to their sales pitch of saying all is well, do not worry. I have learned that many big investors never talk to the management for this very reason. They do not want to get sucked in so they remove that possibility.

Reading the annual and 1/4'trly reports including the address and final notes can usually reveal the truth as the reports are reviewed by the company's lawyers and they do not want a law suit once they are published.

I understand that earnings and other #'s can me manipulated but over time this can be detected by looking at the other #'s. FCF, Free Cashflow cannot be manipulated as a company either has cash or it does not. They can lie about is but that would not serve them very long or well. Growing FCF year over year over year is one good thing to look for for sound well managed companies.

Also how the CEO is compensated which was over-looked by many in the case of VRX. Are they in for themselves or the long-term business and shareholders?

Read Answer Asked by Stan (1) on August 16, 2016
Q: I would like to thank you for insisting on having a portfolio approach and always trim/add to maintaining the balance weighting was able to absorb the AVO shock. I have BAD which went up 25% and AVO went down 25% with no net loss. Had I maintained my high weighting on AVO I would have been a sad story.On the question I would like to know if I can sell gain on BAD and buy AVO that will balance it. I am having a long term view and would like you opinion.
Read Answer Asked by manish on August 16, 2016
Q: Maybe its me, but can you verify what EIF's consensus 2016 and 2017 current eps estimates are?

Prior to their earnings report, Investor's Edge showed 2016 estimates at $2.49 and 2017 estimates at $2.66. Post earnings report, Investor's Edge is now showing $2.29 and $2.46 as 2016 and 2017 estimates. A little puzzling considering EIF's recent report was pretty good, in my opinion.

Thanks for your thoughts.

John
Read Answer Asked by john on August 16, 2016
Q: I have just brought my soaring PBH down by over half and it is still 5% of my portfolio. I know it and L are very different despite being in the same asset category, but will PBH "do" nonetheless without my adding a more traditional grocery store?
Thank you for your help and advice. I am with those who recognize that you do not have a crystal ball, and given the unreliability of crystal balls, it's just as well
Read Answer Asked by M.S. on August 16, 2016
Q: I am sure you are going to get peppered with questions about avo, so sorry to add another. I have held on from $30.00 and watched the fall. Done with it. Exit strategy - wait for the panic to settle or would you pull the plug now? With medium to higher risk tolerance, where would you move into? I hold avo in 6 accounts, all registered unfortunately.

Thanks,

Eric
Read Answer Asked by Erichsen on August 16, 2016
Q: Hello Peter and Ryan,
I would like to get your opinion on the Army of professional investors who are all saying that yield stocks like utilities and telecoms are over valued and that their P/E's are too high. The last time I heard noise (chatter) like this was back in the summer of 2014 when the P/E's of all the pipeline stocks were at all time highs and then they all sold off with oil prices.

Being a retired person I have owned telecoms and utility stocks for a while now and like being able to collect the yield.

Thank you, Charlie
Read Answer Asked by CHARLES LA on August 16, 2016
Q: Can I have your opinion on this ETF. It has the best 1/3/5yr returns when compared to others in the Canadian Dividend and Income universe. For example it has outperformed CDZ by almost 3% annualized over the past 5 years. What has contributed to this over achievement and is there any reason why it won't continue to do so over the next 5 years?
Thank-you.
Read Answer Asked by Albert on August 16, 2016
Q: Hello: I am starting to build your income portfolio, and these are the stocks I am considering.
Andrew Peller
BCE
BNS
DH
Enercare
Enbridge
Evertz
Loblaw
Superior Plus
Valeneer
Can you help me decide which ones would be appropriate to buy first and at this point in the cycle? I have a good selection of stocks from the Growth and Balanced portfolios. As far as sector allocation goes, I intend to duplicate all three portfolios eventually, but just want a sense of which stocks look like particularly good buys right now.
Thanks for continued good service. Cheers
Read Answer Asked by Gordon on August 16, 2016
Q: For those of us who did not have the opportunity of exiting our CXR position on Friday, Amber Kanwar posted this link from the Royal Bank today rating cxr "outperform rating"
I know 5i feeling on cxr is not great, sometimes as an investor we must thing for ourselves before we push the sell button. I for one was not available to push the sell on Friday, and if I had read your email I would have. Now others still have a positive thesis on this account
John Zechner yesterday also stated he felt things were overdone and was actually buying.

I would appreciate your thoughts?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cp-gcxNWcAABAZF.jpg
Read Answer Asked by Rick on August 16, 2016