Category Archives: Canadian Dividend Watch List

Canadian Dividend Watch List: November 2016

Performance Review

Below is the performance of our Canadian Watch List from November 2015:

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Again, the performance was in line with our expectations that the analysts are generally wrong about 1-year expectations in earnings and price change.  The most surprising change was experienced by Ag Growth International (AGN.TO) with a gain of +77.90%. The worst performing stock was Empire Company (EMP-A.TO) which lost –33.85%.  The projected average change for the list of stocks was +31.26% while the actual change for the list was +4.92%.  During the last year, the Toronto Stock Exchange increased +10.65%.

Canadian Dividend Watch List Review

Performance Review

Below is a graphing of the Canadian Dividend Watch List performance from October 2015.

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The performance of the watch list from October 2015 shows exactly what we suspected. At the time, we said the following:

“Our best guess is that the analysts are too optimistic.  We’d aim for the stocks that are slated to generate average returns going forward.”

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When compared to the other categories, our guess that the group marked as “average”  would exceed the analyst expectations was fairly accurate.  As luck would have it, our perspective prevailed while exceeding the Toronto Stock Exchange.  Click on the above “analyst estimate” chart to see how we ranked the stocks for each category.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: September 2016

Performance Review

Below are the actual returns compared to the analyst estimates for the stocks from our Canadian Dividend Watch List dated September 2015.

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At the time, We said the following of the stocks on the list:

“CNQ.TO, SNC.TO and IMO.TO are expected by the analysts to suffer greatly in the coming year.  We think that the opposite will be true.  Analyst expectations for companies on the far right side of the above table will not come near the triple digit and above estimates.”

Based on the performance one year later, CNQ.TO, SNC.TO and IMO.TO averaged a gain of +26.60%.  The stocks slated to gain triple digits averaged a loss of –5.75%.  In the last year, the Toronto Stock Exchange has increased +5.84%.

Below is our watch list and analyst projections.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: August 2016

The chart below breaks down the performance of the stocks from the Canadian Dividend Watch List from August 2015.  We’ve decided to take a different tack than in the past by showing the performance of the watch list based on the analyst estimates that projected stocks that would increase in value in the following year (darlings), decrease in value (bums), the 2015 watchlist and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE).

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As we said of the bums last year, “stocks that are considered to decline in price should be examined first and eliminated based fundamental and technical factors.  Stocks slated to gain the most should be considered high risk.”  All stock are not created equal, however, stocks that have lower expectations by analysts should be considered first for their investment merit.  The darlings underperformed the Toronto Stock Exchange while the entire August 2015 watchlist exceeded the performance of the TSE by an average of +1.50%.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: July 2016

Performance Review

The Canadian Dividend Watch List from July 2015 has an average change of +3.74%.  The top five stocks on list had a gain of +8.62%.  The stocks that were expected by analysts to have a gain averaged +4.57% while stocks expected to post losses gained +2.36%.

The top three performing stocks from the list were Major Drilling Group (MDI.TO) with a gain of +55.78%, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ.TO) at +33.16% and Transcontinental (TCL-A.TO) at +31.77%.  The worst three stock were TransAlta Group (TA.TO) at –30.05%, Gluskin Sheff (GS.TO) at –28.54% and Dream Office REIT (D-UN.TO) at –23.68%.

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Canadian Dividend Watch List: June 2016

Performance Review

Below is the 1-year performance of the Canadian dividend stocks from our June 2014 watch list (found here):

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The best performing stocks were Saputo (SAP.TO), Rogers Communication (RCI-B.TO) and  First Capital Realty (FCR.TO).  The worst performing stocks were TransAlta (TA.TO), Dream Office (D-UN.TO) and Home Capital Group (HGC.TO). 

Worth noting is that the stocks that were expected to have negative returns averaged a decline of –0.38% while the stocks expected to gain in price also declined but by as much as –6.32%.  The Toronto Stock Exchange declined –5.13% in the same one year period from June 19, 2015 to June 17, 2016.

Canadian Dividend Watch List

This is a list of Canadian dividend stocks that currently, or in the past, had a history of consecutive dividend increases. For those wishing to find the most complete fundamental information on these companies, we recommend visiting one of Canada’s leading financial websites, the Financial Post (found here). However, Yahoo!Finance probably has the better long-term charts and historical dividend data.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: May 2016

Performance Review

Below is the performance of the stocks found on our watch list from last year compared to what analysts projected the stocks would do.

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analyst estimate in red, actual performance in blue

The first five stocks found on the watch list lost an average of –4.38% compared to the entire list which averaged a decline of –2.44%.  The performance of the list is contrasted with the –7.73% change with Toronto Stock Exchange.

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Canadian Dividend Watch List: April 2016

Performance Review

On April 15, 2015, we generated the following list of stocks for consideration with their respective performance one year later:

symbol Name 2015 2016 % chg
RCI-B.TO Rogers Communications Inc. 42.1 50.05 18.88%
CU.TO Canadian Utilities Ltd. 39.9 35.85 -10.15%
BEI-UN.TO Boardwalk REIT 59.72 52.5 -12.09%
REF-UN.TO Canadian REIT 46.07 44.34 -3.76%
SJR-B.TO Shaw Communications, Inc. 27.07 24.64 -8.98%
ACO-X.TO ATCO LTD., CL.I, NV 46.33 38.68 -16.51%
TU TELUS Corporation 34.78 31.81 -8.54%
IGM.TO IGM Financial Inc. 46.17 37.49 -18.80%
CTY.TO Calian Technologies Ltd. 18.5 19.01 2.76%
BNS.TO The Bank of Nova Scotia 65.43 61.85 -5.47%
NA.TO National Bank of Canada 48.16 42.31 -12.15%
CM.TO CIBC (bank) 95.84 96.27 0.45%
CGO.TO COGECO Inc. 54.13 54.15 0.04%
CUF-UN.TO Cominar REIT 19.33 17.1 -11.54%
AX-UN.TO Artis REIT 14.85 12.79 -13.87%
CJR-B.TO Corus Entertainment Inc. 17.07 11.73 -31.28%
LB.TO Laurentian Bank of Canada 47.33 46.82 -1.08%


The performance of the entire list averaged –7.77% compared to the –12.93% decline in the Toronto Stock Exchange index.  The first five stocks on the list averaged a loss of –3.22%.

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The spread between what the analysts had predicted for earnings (and the implied change in the stock price for the year ahead) provides a better summary of performance.  As we’ve indicated in the past, the stocks with the worst estimates typically should outperform the stocks with the best estimated price expectations.  The chart below shows a ranking based on the total percentage spread between projected price change and the actual price change.

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The narrower the spread the more accurate the analyst estimate.  Three stocks were on target (CU.TO, BEI-UN.TO, REF-UN.TO) as they performed within a 5% range AND in the general direction that the analysts has anticipated (having declining expectations and declining price or rising expectations and a rising price).  All other stocks were well out of the range of analyst expectations by falling or rising when the opposite was forecasted. 

It should be noted that the order of the spread is almost the mirror opposite of the analyst expectations.  This goes back to our point of identifying the stocks that have the worst expectations and best fundamentals for investment consideration as the analysts are typically too negative or too positive when a more balanced view is necessary.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: March 2016

Performance Review

Below is the performance of all the stocks from our March 2015 Canadian list:

symbol name 2015 2016 % chg
BEI-UN.TO Boardwalk REIT 58.27 53.2 -8.70%
TU TELUS Corporation 33.47 30.84 -7.86%
BNS.TO The Bank of Nova Scotia 63.46 62.27 -1.88%
REF-UN.TO Canadian REIT 45.57 43.45 -4.65%
LB.TO Laurentian Bank of Canada 48.3 47.76 -1.12%
CJR-B.TO Corus Entertainment Inc. 18.41 10.75 -41.61%
CM.TO CIBC 93.2 96.99 4.07%
BDT.TO Bird Construction Inc. 10 11.75 17.50%
SU Suncor Energy Inc. 28.2 26.16 -7.23%
RY.TO Royal Bank of Canada 76.39 74.25 -2.80%
HCG.TO Home Capital Group Inc. 42 36.11 -14.02%
CTY.TO Calian Technologies Ltd. 18.55 19.8 6.74%
NA.TO National Bank of Canada 47.03 41.38 -12.01%
AX-UN.TO Artis REIT 14.83 12.65 -14.70%
RCI-B.TO Rogers Communications Inc. 44.06 50.73 15.14%
CUF-UN.TO Cominar REIT 19.3 16.66 -13.68%
TD The Toronto-Dominion Bank 43.06 41.65 -3.27%
CWB.TO Canadian Western Bank 27.63 24.28 -12.12%
IMO.TO Imperial Oil Ltd. 48.35 44.4 -8.17%
D-UN.TO Dream Office REIT 26.14 20.32 -22.26%

 

The average change was –6.63% as compared to the Toronto Stock Exchange change of –9.60% in the period from March 22, 2015 to March 11, 2016.  The first five stocks on the list averaged a decline of –4.84% excluding the dividend.  Including the dividend for the first five stocks would have resulted in a net decline of –0.78%.

A stock that we had strong interest in from our January 2015 Canadian list was Computer Modelling Group (CMG.TO).  At the time we said the following:

“As Computer Modelling Group is heavily associated with the oil, gas and mining sector, currently experiencing a drubbing at the hands of lower oil prices, there is good reason to believe that the stock could go as low as $7.30.  However, the most compelling element of Computer Modelling Group is the fact that the services they provide are, or could become, applicable to other industries.  Therefore, we wouldn’t rule out this company’s prospects over the long-term.”

According to the available data, CMG.TO managed to trade as low as $7.67 on January 26, 2016, this was within 5% of our targeted worst case scenario of $7.30.  Below is an updated Altimeter for CMG.TO.

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March 2016 Watch List

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Canadian Dividend Watch List: February 2016

Performance Review

On February 18, 2015, we generated the following list of stocks for consideration with their respective performance one year later:

Symbol Name 2015 2016 % chg
BEI-UN.TO Boardwalk REIT 60.69 42.00 -30.80%
IGM.TO IGM Financial Inc. 44.68 33.61 -24.78%
ACO-X.TO ATCO LTD., CL.I, NV 46.76 37.90 -18.95%
CJR-B.TO Corus Entertainment Inc. 21.73 9.32 -57.11%
CM.TO CIBC 95.39 89.01 -6.69%
REF-UN.TO Canadian REIT 47.05 39.90 -15.20%
RY.TO Royal Bank of Canada 77.70 69.41 -10.67%
HCG.TO Home Capital Group Inc. 43.30 29.86 -31.04%

There was little surprise in the performance of the stocks on the watch list.  As a group (equally weighted) the average change was –24.40% compared to the Toronto Stock Exchange decline of –17.49%.

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The analysts were off target for their 1-year projections.  Only Canadian REIT (REF-UN.TO) and Boardwalk REIT (BEI-UN.TO) came close (somewhat) to the analyst targets.

A stock of particular interest to us was Home Capital Group (HCG.TO).  At the time we said the following of HCG.TO:

“Applying Speed Resistance Lines to HCG.TO, we see that the stock has already declined to the conservative downside target of $37.92.  Because it appears that we are in the early stages of the economic decline in Canada, HCG.TO might be worth watching to see if the stock can decline to the $28.21 level.  The extreme downside target is $18.51 which confirms the Altimeter low of $20.80.  HCG.TO should be considered in three stages starting below the ascending $37.92, $28.21 and $18.51 levels.”

Not surprisingly, HCG.TO declined as low as 23.16 on January 15, 2016.  This has set the stage for our latest risk assessment (as noted below).

Canadian Dividend Watch List: January 2016

Performance Review

Below is the performance of the stocks found on our January 13, 2015 watch list:

symbol name 2015 2016 % chg
IMO.TO Imperial Oil Ltd. 44.86 41.68 -7.09%
PSI.TO Pason Systems Inc. 18.45 16.49 -10.62%
FTT.TO Finning International Inc. 21.87 17.66 -19.25%
ESI.TO Ensign Energy Services Inc. 9.44 6.47 -31.46%
TD The Toronto-Dominion Bank 43.41 34.04 -21.58%
BDT.TO Bird Construction Inc. 10.30 11.47 11.36%
AGF-B.TO AGF Management Limited 7.48 4.13 -44.79%
CCO.TO Cameco Corporation 17.65 15.72 -10.93%
PPL.TO Pembina Pipeline Corporation 37.23 28.02 -24.74%
CNQ.TO Canadian Natural Resources 31.94 24.44 -23.48%
GS.TO Gluskin Sheff + Associates, Inc. 24.64 18.19 -26.18%
CWB.TO Canadian Western Bank 28.29 20.23 -28.49%
BNS.TO The Bank of Nova Scotia 61.92 52.27 -15.58%
  Average Change     -19.45%
         
  Toronto Stock Exchange 14187.20 12073.46 -14.90%

Below is the performance of the watch list based on the analyst estimates given at the time.  As can be seen, there was a significant divergence between what was expected and what actually happen.  It appears that for a majority of the list, analysts were over-optimistic.

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However, when viewed from the perspective of using the same p/e ratio as January 13, 2015 as seen in the following link, the analysts appeared to be a more realistic expectation for the stocks.

2016 Dogs of the TSX

In our most recent article on “Dogs of the Dow: A Look Back at 2015 & Forward to 2016”, we highlighted the stocks that are part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average that “…an investor annually select[s] for investment the ten Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks whose dividend is the highest fraction of their price [dividend yield] (wikipedia).”

Within the context of this concept, picking the ten highest yielding stocks of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, there is an important qualitative element that is implied by using the Dow.  Michael O’Higgins, author of the 1991 book Beating the Dow which outlined the idea later called “Dogs of the Dow”, said the following of the blue chip index:

“As the most popular indicator of market activity, the Dow is itself an influential barometer of the market and economic conditions. Individually, the 30 stocks that make up the Dow industrials are among the most widely held, widely analyzed, and widely publicized in the world. They are also among the biggest and the strongest. Combined, the 30 Dow components have assets of around 2.5 trillion dollars, nearly five million employees, and sales that exceed the gross national product of every country in the world except China, Germany, India, Japan and the United States.

“These prime companies may gain, lose, spin off, acquire, merge, rename themselves, reorganize, even drop out of the Dow, but they are an integral and vital part of our economic system, and in one form or another they are here to stay.

“The Dow companies and their products and services are household names to most people.”

The very fact that the companies from the Dow Industrials is limited to only 30 widely followed companies is what makes the concept “work”.  This strategy for investing gets extremely thin on performance when applied to the S&P 500 or any other “broad” index.  Part of the reason for this is the fact that some companies that are part of the S&P 500 Index aren’t at a “blue chip” status, yet.  Therefore, the whole point of using the Dow Jones Industrial Average is to isolate the best companies to invest in regardless of the market conditions.  Concerns regarding diversification are addressed here.

Understanding the above commentary about why the Dow Industrials are used, we are now going to apply the same concept to three different categories of stocks within the Toronto Stock Exchange Composite Index.

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Canadian Dividend Watch List: November 2015

Performance Review

Below is the performance of the stocks that were on our Canadian Dividend Watch List from November 2014 with the analysts estimated 1-year price change:

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The analyst estimates were accurate with TA.TO, CPG.TO, CUF-UN.TO , NWC.TO, RCI-B.TO and BDT.TO.  However, the remainder of the list fell short of analyst expectations.  Our typical stance is that investors should first consider the stocks that are anticipated by analysts to perform the worst over the coming year.  That would not have served investors well as a majority of the stocks were exceptional underperformers in the last year.

An equal weighted purchase of all the stocks on the watch list lost –15.21% compared to the Toronto Stock Exchange decline of –10.52% over the same time frame.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: October 2015

Toronto Stock Exchange

The accompanying chart of the Toronto Stock Exchange from 1979 to the present includes the work of Edson Gould’s Speed Resistance Lines (SRL).

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What stands out is the coincidence of previous peaks, indicated by uppercase letters of the alphabet, being followed by declines to the current conservative downside target (8,450.30), at the respective lowercase letters.   The work of Gould isn’t a cure-all for what might happen in the stock market, however, it does provide a reasonable guideline to work from.

The coincidence of seven prior declines to the 8,450.30 level makes us wonder if the Toronto Stock Exchange has any chance to decline to the conservative downside target of 8,450.30, at (h).  It may asking much to suggest that the Toronto Stock Exchange could fall another -39.44% but if it does for some unknown reason then it would be good to have your resources (cash) at the ready.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: September 2015

The performance of the Canadian Watch List from September 2014 is listed below:

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From left to right, the first five stocks on the list averaged a gain of +5.88% in the last year while the entire list averaged a loss of –8.90% compared to the Toronto Stock Exchange decline of –7.95%.

Of the companies listed, Just Energy (JE.TO), Transcontinental (TCL-A.TO) and North West Co. (NWC.TO) were the top three performers with an average gain of +36%.  At the bottom of the performance scale were Crescent Point Energy (CPG.TO), TransAlta (TA.TO) and AGF Management (AGF-B.TO) with an average loss of –51%.

Canadian Dividend Watch List September 2015