Topic: How To Invest

Best Canadian Stocks: Retiring baby boomers should spur IGM Financial

Investment AdviceEvery Tuesday we bring you “Best Canadian Stocks.” You get our specific recommendation on the stocks we profile, with a full explanation of how we arrived at our opinion. You’ll read about stocks making moves you should know about, from coverage in one of our three newsletters featuring Canadian stocks—The Successful Investor, Stock Pickers Digest and Canadian Wealth Advisor.

IGM Financial is in a strong position to profit as baby boomers sign up for retirement planning services. The company also trades at a low multiple to its earnings and will probably raise its dividend in 2015.

IGM FINANCIAL INC. (Toronto symbol IGM; www.igmfinancial.com) is Canada’s largest independent mutual fund firm. Power Financial owns 58.7% of IGM, along with 67.0% of Great-West.

IGM has two main divisions. Investors Group sells mutual funds and other services, like portfolio management and mortgages, through 4,870 affiliated advisors. This division forms close relationships with clients, which helps it hang on to them. In the past year, its redemption rate for long-term funds was 9.1%, below the industry average of 16.3%.

The other division, Mackenzie Financial, sells funds through independent brokers.

As of July 31, 2014, IGM had $142.1 billion of assets under management, up 14.0% from a year ago. IGM’s fee income rises and falls with the value of the securities it manages, so its revenue and earnings gain when the price of these assets rises.

IGM’s revenue rose 19.3%, from $2.3 billion in 2009 to $2.7 billion in 2011. Revenue fell to $2.6 billion in 2012, but rose to $2.7 billion in 2013.


Extra profits in dividend stocks

Pat McKeough puts a premium on safety in The Successful Investor—and seeks out the hidden value that brings spectacular gains where you least expect them. He finds it where many others fail to look—in well-established dividend-paying stocks. Like the real estate assets whose value Loblaw and Canadian Tire unlocked when it spun those assets into REITs.

You find profitable insights like this in every issue of The Successful Investor. You can begin immediately at a very special price: just $2 a week, or $8 a month. To get The Successful Investor and our weekly Email Hotline updates on stocks making big moves, click here to take advantage of this low-priced offer right away.


Stocks to buy: Positive earnings forecast and 4.3% dividend yield add appeal

IGM’s earnings gained 34.6%, from $618.9 million in 2009 to $833.0 million in 2011. Per-share earnings gained 37.6%, from $2.34 to $3.22, on fewer shares outstanding. Earnings declined to $2.92 a share (or a total of $746.4 million) in 2012 but rose to $3.02 a share (or $763.5 million) in 2013.

The company’s 2014 earnings will probably improve to $3.37 a share, and the stock trades at a reasonable 14.8 times that forecast. The $2.15 dividend yields 4.3%.

Securities regulators are considering changes to the fees mutual fund operators charge, including requiring greater disclosure of these fees. That could hurt demand for IGM’s mutual funds and other investment services, but any new rules would also apply to other fund companies.

IGM Financial is a buy recommendation of The Successful Investor.

If you’re a member of Pat’s Inner Circle and you’d like to ask a question about today’s article or another stock or investment topic, please go to the question page reserved for you (be sure you’re logged in first). Click here to ask your question.

Comments

Tell Us What YOU Think

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Please be respectful with your comments and help us keep this an area that everyone can enjoy. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Terms of Use, please click here to report it to the administrator.