Symantec Corp. $14 – Nasdaq symbol SYMC

SYMANTEC CORP. $14 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 821 million; Market cap: $11.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.9; WSSF Rating: Average) makes software that protects computers from viruses and intruders.

The company is best known for its top-selling Norton Anti-Virus… Read More

Downturn Creates Two Great Buys

The market downturn has been particularly hard on cyclical technology companies like Symantec and Autodesk. However, both are world leaders in their niches, which gives them an advantage over competitors; many users prefer to avoid having to learn new software. As well, both companies continue… Read More

Teck Cominco LTD. $43 – Toronto symbol TCK.B

TECK COMINCO LTD. $43 (Toronto symbol TCK.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 441.9 million; Market cap: $19.0 billion; SI Rating: Average) is the world’s top producer of zinc, which accounts for 35% of Teck’s revenue.

To cut its dependence on zinc, Teck has diversified… Read More

How Teck Tempers Your Risk

Teck Cominco operates in the Resources sector, which along with Manufacturing is one of the two most volatile and cyclical of the five main economic sectors (the other three are Finance, Consumer and Utility). Teck compounds its risk by growing through acquisitions. That’s riskier than… Read More

Wachovia Corp. $56 – New York symbol WB

WACHOVIA CORP. $56 (New York symbol WB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 2.0 billion; Market cap: $112.0 billion; WSSF rating: Average) is the nation’s fourth-largest bank.

Like Bank of America and J.P. Morgan, Wachovia has used acquisitions to grow in the past few years… Read More

Good time to buy more

Bank stocks have been among our top performers in the past few years, as an improving economy and low interest rates spurred strong demand for loans. Many banks have used their strong earnings to make acquisitions. Their bigger size gives them access to new clients… Read More