Manulife cuts its risk

MANULIFE FINANCIAL CORP. $21.44 (Toronto symbol MFC; Shares o/s: 2.0 billion; Market cap: $42.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.7%; www.manulife.ca) is Canada’s largest life insurer.
Manulife has entered into agreements with three reinsurers on $13 billion of its riskiest annuity and universal life policies in… Read More

Their focus on major cities will pay off

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $24.48 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 310.5 million; Market cap: $7.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.9%; www.riocan.com) owns all or part of 250 shopping centres and other properties across Canada. They include 17 projects now under development. In all, the… Read More

IBM expands in the cloud

IBM $124.84 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 912.8 million; Market cap: $111.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.1%; www.ibm.com) has now agreed to acquire Red Hat Inc. (New York symbol RHT) for $34 billion. This is the biggest acquisition in IBM’s history.
Red Hat is… Read More

CP Rail sets a number of new records

CP reported record revenue in the latest quarter, with increases across all of its businesses. Despite rising fuel prices, profits also hit a new high, with overall costs dropping to record lows. That performance bodes well for the company as demand for rail shipments moves… Read More

Updating AT&T

AT&T INC. $30 (New York symbol T; Income-Growth Dividend Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 7.3 billion; Market cap: $219.0 billion; Dividend yield: 6.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.att.com) is the largest wireless carrier in the U.S. It also offers traditional phone and satellite TV services.
The company last raised… Read More

High dollar hurts sales but not 3M’s dividend

3M COMPANY $185 (New York symbol MMM; Income Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 582.3 million; Market cap: $107.7 billion; Dividend yield: 2.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.3m.com) started up in 1902 as the Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company.
While it started off making… Read More

Quality holdings support dividend

POWER CORP. $27 (Toronto symbol POW; Conservative-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 417.0 million; Market cap: $11.3 billion; Dividend yield: 5.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.powercorporation.com) is a holding company with a diversified list of businesses. Those include 65.6%-owned Power Financial, which in turn holds… Read More

Updating Archer Daniels Midland Co., Leon’s Furniture Ltd., and T. Rowe Price Group Inc.

ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND CO. $48 (New York symbol ADM; High-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 559.7 million; Market cap: $26.9 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.adm.com) processes corn, wheat, soybeans, canola, and other crops to make a variety of food ingredients… Read More