Category Archives: Canadian Dividend Watch List

Canadian Dividend Watch List: January 2018

Below is the performance of the January 22, 2017 Canadian Dividend Watch List:

symbol name %change
MRU.TO MetroInc. -1.41%
SJ.TO Stella-Jones Inc. 24.32%
FFH.TO Fairfax Financial Holdings 9.39%
PJC-A.TO The Jean Coutu Group 19.95%
ACD.TO Accord Financial Corp. 2.22%
EMA.TO Emera Incorporated 0.91%
ET.TO Evertz Technologies Limited 6.65%
BCE.TO BCE Inc. -1.58%
CUF-UN.TO Cominar REIT -0.48%

The average gain for the watch list was +6.66% while the gain for the Toronto Stock Exchange over the same period was +4.98%.  When broken down to the respective fundamental categories by only choosing the top three stocks, we get the following returns:

high p/b 1.22%
high yield 1.53%
high p/e 2.91%
low p/b 3.71%
watch list 6.66%
low p/e 8.69%
low yield 10.77%
   
TSX 4.98%

As we said in our December 13, 2017 Dogs of the TSX posting, “Note that all of the low categories performed better while all the high categories performed the worst.  This has been borne out in the few Canadian Dividend Watch List performance reviews that we’ve done so far.”  It appears that anyone buying Canadian stocks using the high yield methodology is underperforming when there are better alternatives.

Below is the January Dividend Watch List along with the our update on the Dogs of the TSX 60, the results are instructive.

Dogs of the TSX 60

Below is our outline of the stocks that are part of the Toronto Stock Exchange TSX 60 and the rudimentary strategy of selecting the stocks based on the Dogs of the Dow investment approach.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: November 2017

Performance Review

Below is the 1-year performance of our Canadian Dividend Watch List from November 18, 2016 to November 10, 2017 as compared to the Toronto Stock Exchange.

symbol Name total return
EMP-A.TO Empire Company Limited 46.23%
CCA.TO Cogeco Communications Inc. 39.05%
NWC.TO North West Company Inc. 36.28%
AX-UN.TO Artis REIT 30.72%
D-UN.TO Dream Office REIT 29.71%
GS.TO Gluskin Sheff + Associates 22.87%
ET.TO Evertz Technologies Limited 22.09%
FFH.TO Fairfax Financial Holdings 18.04%
EMA.TO Emera Incorporated 13.04%
CUF-UN.TO Cominar REIT 11.40%
ACD.TO Accord Financial Corp. 10.17%
REF-UN.TO Canadian REIT 6.05%
MRU.TO Metro Inc. 4.00%
REI-UN.TO Riocan REIT 3.39%
BEI-UN.TO Boardwalk REIT 2.72%
ENGH.TO Enghouse Systems Limited -3.90%
  average % change 18.24%
     
TSX Toronto Stock Exchange 8.18%

While the entire list averaged a sizable gain above the TSX, the top three in the respective value categories had the following results:

high yield 23.95%
low yield 6.05%
high p/e 3.95%
low p/e 14.81%
high p/b 7.66%
low p/b 14.95%

One stock that we considered was Fairfax Financial (FFH.TO).  At the time, we said the following:

“Our recommendation for FFH.TO, for investors willing to accept the risk, is a three stage purchase plan with the first purchase taking place at $581 and below with 50% of intended funds.  The second and third purchases at $479.95 and $363.52 with 25% of remaining funds, respectively.”

Since that time, FFH.TO declined below $581 with an ultimate low of $557.  Below is the updated review of FFH.TO:

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Continuing with Dow Theory, the expectation should be that exceeding the 50% Principle (from 41 to 51) means that there is a good chance that FFH.TO will go to the previous all-time high in the Altimeter.  However, the January 2017 dividend reduction could be an indication of difficult times ahead.  The highlighted double-top and exceeding the 50% Principle (under the assumption of buying below $581) means that FFH.TO’s minimum gain of +18% in the last year exceeds normal expectations.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: October 2017

Below is the list of Canadian dividend stocks that currently, or in the past, had a history of consecutive dividend increases that are at compelling prices or values.  We include analyst estimates for the coming year.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: September 2017

Performance Review

Below are the actual returns from our Canadian Dividend Watch List dated September 2016.

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The companies are ranked based on their expected performance from worst (on the left) to best (on the right), click on the chart to see how the analysts expected the stocks to perform last year. 

The standout performers from the analyst estimates were Dream Office REIT (D-UN.TO), Cogeco Inc. (CGO.TO), and Boardwalk REIT (BEI.UN.TO).  These stock met or exceeded the analyst estimates.  The stocks that underperformed analyst expectation were Imperial Oil (IMO.TO), Cominar REIT (CUF-UN.TO), and Riocan REIT (REI-UN.TO).

As compared to the Toronto Stock Exchange 1-year return of +4.67%, the watch list from last year gained +6.53%. Below is our watch list and analyst projections.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: August 2017

Performance Review

In the chart below, highlighted in blue, are the analyst’s 2016 estimated percentage changes for what the respective stock was expected to do.   In red, we see what the actual outcome was for the stock in the past year.

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Overall, we believe that the analysts covering the stocks on our watch list from last year did relatively well. The three stocks expected to underperform were on target.  Only two of the ten stocks expected to increase failed to register on the positive side of the column.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: July 2017

Performance Review

The Canadian Dividend Watch List from July 2016 gained an equal weighted average of +6.56%.  This is contrasted by the Toronto Stock Exchange gain of +4.65% in the same period of time.  The top performing stock was Cogeco Inc. (CGO.TO) with a gain of +50.94%.  The worst performing stock was Cominar REIT (CUF-UN.TO) with a decline of –23.17%.

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Canadian Dividend Watch List: June 2017

Performance Review

Below is the 1-year performance of the Canadian dividend stocks from our June 2016 watch list:

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Canadian Dividend Watch List: May 2017

Performance Review

Below is the performance of our Canadian Dividend Watch List dated May 25, 2016:

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It appears that the analyst call on Cameco (CCO.TO) was quite accurate.  All other stocks on the list fell short of analyst expectations.  When compared to the Toronto Stock Exchange gain of +11.84%, the watch list from last year severely underperformed with an equal weighted decline of –5.82%.

One stock that we had particular interest in was Gluskin Sheff (GS.TO).  At the time, we said the following of the stock:

“…we believe that GS.TO is in a general range of undervaluation and should be considered at the current price.  Additional attention should be paid to the worst case target of the stock falling to the $7.25 price.  Our fair value target price from the current level is $20.87 or approximately +27% above the current price.”

On two occasions in the last year Gluskin Sheff approached, but never achieved, our fair value target price.  Once on September 6, 2016 at an intraday high of $19.45 and again at $19.93 on February 14, 2017.

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Merely approaching our fair value target is sufficient to warrant the sale of some/all of the stock in a qualified retirement account.  However, the stock would have failed to trigger a sale of the stock in a non-qualified account. With GS.TO sitting slightly below last year’s price we are publishing an updated Altimeter for a perspective on where the stock might be on a dividend/price basis.

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Canadian Dividend Watch List: April 2017

Performance Review

Below is the performance of our Canadian Watch List from April 2016:

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On the whole, the watch list underperformed with a –0.10% decline, this is contrasted with the Toronto Stock Exchange +17.70% change in the same period of time.

While the analysts got a majority of the calls wrong, estimates for Shaw Communications (SJR-B.TO) and Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (REI-UN.TO) exceeded estimates on the upside.  Our call on Imperial Oil (IMO.TO)was short of the mark in the final analysis.  However, looking at the intra-year performance below, we can see that Imperial Oil rivaled the performance of the Toronto Stock Exchange (^GSPTSE).

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Canadian Dividend Watch List

Canadian Dividend Watch List: March 2017

Performance Review

A review of our watch list from March 2016 resulted in the following:

  • The entire list declined –1.71% versus analyst estimated gain of +23.10%
  • The top five companies on the list lost an average of –9.62%
  • The stock estimated by analysts to perform the worst (ThompsonReuters: TRI.TO) gained +14.63%
  • The stock estimated by analysts to perform the best (Dream Office REIT: D-UN.TO) lost –5.80%

These totals compare to the +15.36 change in the Toronto Stock Exchange in the same period of time.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: February 2017

Performance Review

The following is the performance review for the watch list from our February 16, 2016 Canadian Dividend Watch List.

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Looking at the categories above, the average actual 1-year return was led by the “high expectation, low return” with a gain of +26.35% followed by the Toronto Stock Exchange with a gain of +25.13%.  Coming in last was the “average risk, average returns” group with a gain of +17.36%. 

However, the distinguishing aspect of this review is the fact that analyst estimated gains show a high level of underperformance for the “high expectation, low return” group as compared to the “average risk, average return” and “high risk, high return” categories.  Both categories (average risk and high risk) exceeded analyst estimates, making for better risk adjusted investment returns.

Canadian Dividend Watch List: January 2017

Performance Review

A review of our watch list from January 17, 2016 resulted in the following:

  • The entire list gained an average of +30.52%
  • The top five stocks gained an average of +44.85%
  • The top ten stocks gained an average of +38.18%

These totals compare to the +30.19% change in the TSX in the same period of time.

Analyst Estimates: Canadian Dividend November 2016

Below is a snapshot of the analysts’ low estimated earnings based on our November Canadian 2016 Watch List. This projection assumes the same price-to-earnings ratio that the stock currently has and the percentage change in price that is implied based on these low earnings estimates.  For the stocks that currently don’t have earnings, a P/E ratio of 14 was assigned.

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%.