Two blue-chip leaders: 1 buy, 1 hold

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Telus and Great-West are leading competitors in their respective markets; look for that to cut your ongoing risk. Still, for now, we see Great-West as a hold, while Telus remains a buy. TELUS, $25.72, is a buy. The stock (Toronto symbol T; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $37.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.7%; www.telus.com) is Canada’s second-largest wireless carrier (after BCE) with 12.16 million subscribers. It also sells landline phone, Internet and TV services in B.C., Alberta and eastern Quebec. In the quarter ended March 31, 2023, Telus added 47,000 new wireless phone subscribers (net of cancellations). That’s up 2.2% from 46,000 a year earlier. The average monthly revenue per user also moved up 3.8%, to $58.61 from $56.45. The company added 58,000 new users of other wireless devices (tablets, etc.) in the quarter. That’s up 26.1% from 46,000 net additions a year earlier. Telus also acquired LifeWorks Inc. for $2.9 billion in September 2022. Formerly known as Morneau Shepell, this firm sells software…