Enerplus accepts a bid

ENERPLUS CORP., $23.98, (Toronto symbol ERF; Shares outstanding: 203.3 million; Market cap: $4.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 1.4%) produces oil and gas mostly from properties in the Bakken area of North Dakota, the DJ Basin in Colorado, and the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania.
The company’s shares… Read More

Birchcliff cuts its dividend

BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY, $4.82, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol BIR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (Shares outstanding: 266.6 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; Dividend yield: 8.3%) has cut your quarterly dividend by 50.0% due to lower natural gas prices. With the March 2024 payment, investors will receive $0.10 a share… Read More

Keep on top of stock updates: Indigo, Cedar Fair & Mullen Group

INDIGO BOOKS & MUSIC INC. $2.06 is a hold. The company (Toronto symbol IDG; Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 27.8 million; Market cap: $57.3 million; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Lowest; www.chapters.indigo.ca) operates 172 bookstores, mainly under the Chapters and Indigo banners.
Indigo’s major shareholders, Gerald W. Schwartz and his… Read More

Aggressive stocks help boost your returns

We continue to believe there’s room for most investors to hold aggressive stocks, which typically are more leveraged (with more debt) and volatile than conservative stocks.
Still, to cut your risk, you should limit aggressive stocks to no more than 20% of your total portfolio. We… Read More

Q: Pat, I’m thinking of increasing my oil and gas exposure. Do you recommend either the XLE ETF or VDE ETF (each a basket of U.S. energy companies) as a way to do that? Thank you.

A: We still feel that investors will profit the most with a well-balanced portfolio of high-quality individual stocks, but ETFs can also play a role in a portfolio. Here’s a look at the ETFs you’ve asked about:

Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF, $83.70, symbol XLE on… Read More