Updates on your Conservative stocks: Great-West Lifeco, IGM & Maple Leaf Foods

Article Excerpt

GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $40 (www.greatwestlifeco.com) is a hold. The insurer earned $1.09 a share (or a total of $1.01 billion) in the first quarter of 2024, up 22.5% from $0.89 a share (or $826 million) a year earlier. That’s largely due to its $575 million purchase of wealth manager Investment Planning Counsel Inc. from IGM Financial (see below). The company’s earnings will likely rise 8% in 2024 to $4.27 a share, and the stock trades at 9.4 times that estimate. That low p/e reflects the risk of integrating acquisitions. Great-West Lifeco is a hold. IGM FINANCIAL INC. $38 (www.igmfinancial.com) is a buy. The mutual fund seller’s fee income rises and falls with the value of the funds and other securities it manages. Thanks to the recent increase in stock market values, the company earned $0.94 a share (or a total $224.5 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2024, up 8.0% from $0.87 a share (or $206.3 million) a year earlier. IGM Financial is a buy. MAPLE LEAF FOODS…