Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2015

Each month we add one stock to our model portfolio, chosen from those that have announced stock splits; there were two splits announced last month, and both scored quite favorably in our rankings, says Neil Macneale, editor of 2-for-1 Stock Split Newsletter.

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) and VF Corporation (VFC) show very similar numbers in many of the critical categories in our screening process.

For our portfolio, I'm going with Canadian National Railway for two reasons. It is the more profitable of the two, and it is a business I understand. I'm not comfortable when it comes to fashion or fad businesses.

Canadian National Railway was privatized in 1995 and began trading on the NYSE in 1996. The company has thrived, growing both in Canada and the US, mostly through acquisitions of smaller lines. CNI serves all the major commodity industries including coal, oil, lumber grain, and chemicals.

Connecting the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico, it is truly a North American railroad. CNI is a big, stable, profitable business, and the numbers reflect this.

Top Integrated Utility Stocks For 2016: Comstock Resources Inc. (CRK)

Comstock Resources, Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, development, exploration, and production of oil and natural gas properties in the United States. The company�s oil and gas operations are primarily located in East Texas/North Louisiana and South Texas. It owns interests in approximately 1,570 producing oil and natural gas wells. As of December 31, 2012, the company had proved reserves of 551 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent. Comstock Resources, Inc. was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Frisco, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Value Digger]

  It is clear that these key metrics match the metrics of a heavily natural gas weighted company that also carries significant debt. To prove this, let's check out Comstock Resources (CRK). Comstock sold some assets recently to Rosetta Resources (ROSE) to reduce its long term debt which still remains high though.

• [By alicet236]

  According to GuruFocus list of 5-year lows, these Guru stocks have reached their 5-year lows: Hecla Mining Co, Comstock Resources Inc, Permian Basin Royalty Trust, and Volcano Corp.Hecla Mining Co (HL) Reached $2.18The prices of Hecla Mining Co (HL) shares have declined to $2.18, which is only 3.2% above the 5-year low of $2.11. It is now 81.7% off the 5-year high of $11.56. Hecla Mining Co is owned by 4 Gurus we are tracking. Among them, 3 have added to their positions during the past quarter. 3 reduced their positions. Hecla Mining Company, a Delaware corporation was establsihed in 1891. Hecla Mining Co has a market cap of $761.916 million; its shares were traded at around $2.18 with and P/S ratio of 1.63. The dividend yield of Hecla Mining Co stocks is 0.46%.Hecla Mining Co. reported revenues of $117.5 million and net loss of $14.4 million for its 2014 second quarter financial results. GuruFocus Guru Arnold Van Den Berg (Trades, Portfolio) kept his position in Hecla Mining Co unchanged. He owns 3,909,257 shares. Arnold Scheider sold out his holdings of HL.Sr. Vice President & CFO James A Sabala sold 200,000 shares of HL stock in August. VP - Corporate Development Don Poirier and Director Anthony P Taylor sold 64,099 shares of HL stock in July and August.Comstock Resources Inc (CRK) Reached $11.84The prices of Comstock Resources Inc (CRK) shares have declined to $11.84, which is only 9.6% above the 5-year low of $10.70. It is now 76.0% off the 5-year high of $44.52. Comstock Resources Inc is owned by 4 Gurus we are tracking. Among them, 1 have added to their positions during the past quarter. 3 reduced their positions. Comstock Resources, Inc. is a Nevada corporation. It is an energy company which acquires, explores, develops and produces oil and natural gas in the United States. Comstock Resources Inc has a market cap of $566.669 million; its shares were traded at around $11.84 with and P/S ratio of 1.07. The dividend yield of Comstock Resources Inc stock

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2015: Cleco Corporation (CNL)

Cleco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in Louisiana. As of December 31, 2009, it had ownership interest in 3 steam electric generating stations and 1 gas turbine with a combined name plate capacity of 1,359 megawatts, and a combined electric net generating capacity of 1,318 megawatts. The company served approximately 277,000 customers in 107 communities in the central and southeastern Louisiana. It also owns and operates a natural gas-fired merchant power plant, as well as has a 50% interest in another natural gas-fired merchant power plant located in Louisiana. Cleco Corporation was founded in 1934 and is based in Pineville, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Pineville, Louisiana-based utility holding company CLECO (CNL) raised its quarterly dividend 10.3% to 40 cents per share payable on May 15. No record or ex-dividend date for the payment was released.
  CNL Dividend Yield: 3.13%

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Cleco (NYSE: CNL  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2015: Canadian Pacific Railway Limited(CP)

Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a transcontinental railway providing freight transportation services, logistics solutions, and supply chain expertise in Canada and the United States. It transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, sulphur, and fertilizers; merchandise freight; finished vehicles and automotive parts; forest products, which include wood pulp, paper, paperboard, newsprint, lumber, panel, and oriented strand board; and industrial and consumer products comprising chemicals, energy, and plastics, as well as mine, metals, and aggregates. The company provides rail and intermodal transportation services over a network of approximately 14,700 miles serving the principal business centers of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, British Columbia; and the Midwest and Northeast regions of the United States. Canadian Pacific Railway Limited was founded in 1881 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Caroline Chen]

  CEOs were replaced at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP) and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) after activist investor Bill Ackman pushed for shakeups. Greg Taxin�� Clinton Group Inc. prompted management changes at Nutrisystem Inc. (NTRI) and Wet Seal Inc. (WTSL) in the past year.

• [By Marshall Hargrave]

  Has the market lost faith in Ackman that quickly? Granted, the media has had a field day over the J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) debacle, not to mention the virtual implosion of his Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) short. However, Ackman is coming off one of his biggest wins with Canadian Pacific Railway (NYSE: CP), which also happens to be in the industrials sector. His Pershing Square hedge fund managed to make 2.5 times its money in just around two years at Canadian Pacific.  

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2015: Consolidated Graphics Inc. (CGX)

Consolidated Graphics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides general commercial printing and print-related services in the United States and internationally. The company�s services include traditional print services, such as electronic prepress, digital and offset printing, finishing, and storage and delivery of custom manufactured printed documents; and fulfillment and mailing services for such printed materials. It also offers technology solutions that enable its customers to procure and manage printed materials and/or design, procure, distribute, track, and analyze results of printing-based marketing programs and activities; and multi-media capabilities, which allow customers to supplement the message of their printed materials through other media, such as the Internet, email, or text messaging. The company prints multi-color marketing materials, product and capability brochures, point-of-purchase displays, packaging, direct mail pieces, shareholder communicat ions, trading cards, calendars, and photo books, as well as customized materials for the financial services, insurance, healthcare, and other industries. In addition, it offers e-commerce software solutions and other print-related services. The company�s customers include national and local corporations operating in a range of industries, as well as advertising agencies, graphic design firms, catalog retailers, direct mail marketers, state and local governments and quasi-governmental agencies, educational institutions, not-for-profit associations, and political campaign organizations. Consolidated Graphics, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Consolidated Graphics (NYSE: CGX  ) reported earnings on May 15. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Consolidated Graphics met expectations on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2015: Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. (KMP)

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. operates as a pipeline transportation and energy storage company in North America. Its Products Pipelines segment delivers gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and natural gas liquids to various markets through approximately 8,600 miles of refined petroleum products pipelines; and operates 62 associated product terminals and petroleum pipeline transmix processing facilities. The company�s Natural Gas Pipelines segment gathers, transports, stores, treats, processes, and sells natural gas through approximately 33,000 miles of natural gas transmission pipelines and gathering lines, as well as natural gas storage, treating, and processing facilities. Its CO2 segment produces, markets, and transports carbon dioxide through approximately 1,500 miles of pipelines to oil fields. This segment also owns and operates 7 oil fields, and a 450 mile crude oil pipeline system in west Texas. The company�s Terminals segment transloads, stores, and delivers bulk, petroleum, petrochemical, and other liquids products through approximately 113 liquids and bulk terminal facilities; and approximately 35 rail transloading and materials handling facilities. Its Kinder Morgan Canada segment transports crude oil and refined petroleum products through approximately 2,500 miles of pipelines from Alberta, Canada to marketing terminals and refineries in British Columbia, the state of Washington, and the Rocky Mountains, as well as in the central regions of the United States. This segment also operates the Jet Fuel aviation turbine fuel pipeline that serves the Vancouver (Canada) International Airport. Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc. serves as the general partner of the company. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniela Pylypczak]

  Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. (KMP) announced its third quarter earnings results on Wednesday after the closing bell.

  This pipeline company reported earnings of 51 cents per share, which came in below analyst expectations of 62 cents. Revenues, however, came in at $3.28 billion versus the expected $3.07 billion – largely due to higher oil prices.

  Kinder Morgan Energy Partners also announced on Wednesday that it will increase its quarterly dividend to $1.35, or $5.40 annualized; prior to this, the company’s dividend was $1.32 quarterly, or $5.28 annualized. The dividend will be payable on November 14, 2013 to shareholders of record as of October 31, 2013.

  Commenting on the company’s performance, CEO Richard Kinder noted “KMP had a strong third quarter as our stable and diversified assets continued to grow and produce incremental cash flow.”

  Kinder Morgan Energy Partners shares traded 0.46% higher during Wednesday’s session. Year-to-date, the stock is down 4.56%.

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2015: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company also owns, develops, and operates waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its collection services involves in picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility, or disposal site; and recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. In addition, it provides recycling brokerage, which includes managing the marketing of recyclable materials for third parties; and electronic recycling services, such as collection, sorting, and disassembling of discarded computers, communications equipment, and other electronic equipment. Further, the company e ngages in renting and servicing portable restroom facilities to municipalities and commercial customers under the Port-o-Let name; and involves in landfill gas-to-energy operations comprising recovering and processing the methane gas produced naturally by landfills into a renewable energy source, as well as provides street and parking lot sweeping services. Additionally, it offers portable self-storage, fluorescent lamp recycling, and medical waste services for healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals, as well as provides services on behalf of third parties to construct waste facilities. The company was formerly known as USA Waste Services, Inc. and changed its name to Waste Management, Inc. in 1998. Waste Management, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  He is avoiding Apple (AAPL) and IPOs, as they remind him of 1983, the year he learned the beauty of boring when blue chips such as Waste Management (WM) and Pepsico (PEP) were stumbling and selling cheap, while 30 glitzy PC stocks went public and soared. Since then, the blue chips have overcome their problems and rose in value again, and most of the PC companies are gone.

• [By Dividends4Life]

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• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Some of the companies most dependent on government for revenue are Harris Corp. (HRS) �with 80% of revenue government-derived; Granite Construction Inc. (GVA) �with 58%; Flir Systems Inc. (FLIR) �with 54%; and Waste Management Inc. (WM) � and Republic Services Inc. (RSG) �both with 50%, according to Goldman Sachs.

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2015: Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd (AAV)

Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. and its subsidiaries engage in the acquisition, exploitation, development, and production of oil and gas in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. It produces and sells crude oil, natural gas, sulphur, and natural gas liquids primarily through marketing companies. As of February 5, 2013, the company�s core properties comprised of Glacier Montney natural gas asset with approximately 80 net sections of land located in Alberta. Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Royal Bank gained 1.2 percent as the market value of the nation�� largest lender rose past C$100 billion for the first time. Bankers Petroleum Ltd. and Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. (AAV) climbed more than 2.7 percent as oil companies advanced. H&R Real Estate Investment Trust and Canadian Apartment Properties REIT added at least 2.5 percent to pace gains among financial stocks. Athabasca Oil Corp. tumbled 9.9 percent after an Alberta court decided to allow an aboriginal group to appeal an approval of the company�� Dover oil-sands project.

• [By John Udovich]

  While Bakken formation oil and gas stocks have grabbed the attention of�American investors, small cap Alberta or Saskatchewan oil and gas stocks Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd (NYSE: AAV), Sonde Resources Corp (NYSEMKT: SOQ) and up and coming Centor Energy Inc (OTCBB: CNTO) have been largely overlooked as they seek to exploit oil and gas (including oil sands) in the resource rich Canadian provinces of Alberta or Saskatchewan or seek strategic alternatives for their assets in these areas or themselves. It should be mentioned that Canada�� oil reserves are third only to Venezuela and Saudi Arabia with over 95% of these reserves being the oil sands of Alberta plus that province contains much of the country�� conventional oil reserves as well. In addition, the province of Saskatchewan along with offshore areas of Newfoundland contain substantial production and reserves. Excluding oil sands, Alberta would have 39% of Canada�� remaining conventional oil reserves,�followed by�offshore Newfoundland with�28% and Saskatchewan with 27%.

• [By Stephan Dube]

  Comparing the netbacks with its peers, we can see that MEG Energy reported Q2 operating netbacks of $41.93/Boe, Advantage Oil & Gas' (AAV) Q2 operating netbacks totaled $14.74/Boe, Baytex has realized $25.76/Boe for Q1 and Bonavista Energy operating netbacks for Q1 amounted to $19.49/Boe. Therefore, with an average netback of $26.11/Boe, BlackPearl's $28.65/Boe is a little higher than the average of its peers with higher realized prices and stronger recoveries.