Investment Q&A

Q: On an earlier post a few weeks back you used non-GAAP earnings when commenting on the quarter 0.97 cents.
Looking at forecast estimates on the TMX website for the next quarter it seems they also must be using non-GAAP earnings. It is confusing to me when in other places EPS is shown as GAAP earnings. Why use non-GAAP? Which is better when calculating PE etc?

Q: In reply to an earlier question, it was stated that earnings missed badly. Please clarify. Expected earnings was $0.86 versus actuals of $0.89 (both expected and actuals were adjusted, e.g. for the Shire break fee, etc., which is reasonable). Also, given the share price drop, would you now rate it a buy? Thanks.

Q: http://affaires.lapresse.ca/bourse/201502/06/01-4841757-amaya-manuvie-dorval-au-coeur-de-lenquete-de-lamf.php

Just wanted to mention this February 6, 2015 article indicates no Amaya employees are involved in the AMF investigation concerning Amaya.

Q: I am a new subscriber and I tried to put <Sylogist> in a watchlist and it would seem that the symbol SYZ is unkonwn.

Where does it trade

Laurent

Q: Could you give an update on go gold now that they have been in production for about 6 months, your opinion on management and other developments they are working on. Thanks

Q: Hello Team
FLY is a mystery to me. They put a couple of airline heavyweights on their board, they have patented technology, they have been certified to install the technology with a couple of large aircraft manufacturers and yet the only news they have is about a debenture extension. What gives ?
I think something is amiss. I don't believe Rob McWhirter is holding them any more. He didn't have much to say on BNN last time.
Can the 5I team shed any light on this company

Thank You for your help
Clarence

Q: Good Morning,

Solium Capital has dropped into undervalued territory (according to the Royal Bank). It is a technology company, has a lower Beta, derives its revenue from recurring software licensing fees, has a global presence - Canada, U.S., Europe, Australia - has positioned itself for continuing growth, and has a great management team which has a track record of successfully growing businesses from scratch and then selling them. My question - will Solium be a likely takeout candidate in the coming quarters?

Q: Hi Peter et al, I see BCE has been downgraded by two analysts from Hold to Sell. It has performed so well for me and I love the dividend, so what am I missing? Is it tome to unload some of it? It's about 6% of my portfolio so I could take a bit off... Thanks!

Q: I have held this stock for many years and it has performed very well. The company has recently indicated that 2015 revenues and earnings will be lower due to the strong US$. What is your opinion of this stock - would you advise selling now, and if so what healthcare companies do you recommend?

Thanks

Geoff

Q: With their recent results in mind would you consider this a good entry point?do you see much potential for growth?

Q: REIT values have been improving, American dollar strengthening, but mrg.un has been languishing in spite of the fact that American properties are held. Should we be switching to another REIT? Is there an explanation other than it is thinly traded?

Bruce

Q: Hi,Peter
If you remove oil, gas and precious metals of the equation, in your opinion, and in direct relation to your significantly bullish views on the world economy in your written comments on BNN, what commodity has the most leverage from the following: agriculture (fertilizer, grains) uranium, copper, metals (iron ore, steel, tungsten,lead, RE, etc...)coal or any particular commodity(ies) you think of, and from there could you highlight a few Canadian companies that will benefit the most from it.
Thank you very much,
Claude

Q: I am investigating this one. It is at about half book, more out of favor than its sector, appears to have lots of upside if you look at 52wk range but a nasty looking multi-year chart. I would appreciate any knowledge you could share on this one. Should it survive $35 oil if oil goes there. Is something broken in this company that you are aware of. Many thanks for a great service.

Q: I just sold IBM and GE, Otherwise little US exposure. Also, I also have limited exposure to Canadian oil about 4%. One consideration for US is Vanguard US dividend Appreciation (hedged). They do have a non hedged. Since I only have 4% oil exposure maybe BTE or something else. BNS or TD is another thought since banks are down. Your thoughts would greatly appreciated.

BTW great job.

Q: I was looking at the different European etfs in Canada
ZEQ, XEH, XEU, EUR and VE. In your opinion which one of these
would you pick as and investment vehicle in Europe at the present time and why

Q: Hello 5I Team
I see that Mike Newman noted that 50% of MFC's revenue came from the U.S. and Asia. I believe that MFC have made quite a focus on the wealth management business in the U.S. Such things should be fairly positive for MFC should they not, considering the weak loonie.

Thank You
Clarence

Q: I am always looking for better entry points into water related stocks. They generally trade at a premium. MWA recently dropped after earnings. I appreciate any insight you can offer on MWA and, as always, appreciate your efforts.

Q: It took a big fall after the quarterly report this week. I see BMO downgraded the stock around concerns of increased competition. Looks like an interesting valuation with nice dividend yield at current price. My concern is that it's very dependent on one or two drugs so I'm a bit nervous in buying. Thoughts? Thanks

Q: Hello team
I know you have respect for Jason Donville and I do also. Yesterday on BNN he floored a question on DHX media. He seemed to have an issue with the way they dealt with some revenue stream accounting which I don't quite understand. There was nothing dishonest about it but he seemed to feel that the ROE (he likes 20% ROE) and profitability metrics weren't there. He seemed to question the revenue stream from the media inventory.
I know the 5I team likes the stock so what is your balance on what Jason says. Is 20% ROE a stretch in some cases.
It takes two to make a market !
Without Prejudice
Thank You
Clarence

Q: In response to a question on how to download market data directly into Excel, this is what I use:

=NUMBERVALUE(WEBSERVICE("finance.yahoo.com/d/quotes.csv?s=" & A2 & "&f=l1"))

In this case cell A2 contains the symbol I would like the information for (ie ALA.TO for AltaGas). The l1 looks up the last trade price. The website below shows other codes to use to lookup other information.

http://www.jarloo.com/yahoo_finance/

For example =NUMBERVALUE(WEBSERVICE("finance.yahoo.com/d/quotes.csv?s=" & A2 & "&f=j1")) will get the Market cap.

Unfortunately WEBSERVICE is a non-volatile function, meaning it doesn’t re-download the information from the web automatically. To refresh, you need to either

- Hit CTRL+ ALT + F9
- If that doesn’t work for some reason on your computer you must use VBA to refresh at opening (Application.CalculateFull) .

It is a little complicated for some, but is the only good way I have found if you want to stick with Excel and not move to Google Sheets.