Updating MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES INC., TORSTAR CORP. and GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC.

Article Excerpt

MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES INC. $33 (www.mts.ca) continues to benefit from its cost cuts and strong demand for wireless and high-speed Internet servcies. In the first quarter of 2011, earnings per share jumped 59.5%, to $0.67 from $0.42 a year earlier. Revenue fell 0.6%, to $439.3 million from $442.0 million. Buy. TORSTAR CORP. $13 (www.torstar.com) has raised its quarterly dividend by 35.1%, to $0.125 a share from $0.0925. The new annual rate of $0.50 yields 3.8%. Best Buy. GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $27 (www.greatwestlifeco.com) earned $0.44 a share in the three months ended March 31, 2011, down 2.2% from $0.45 a year earlier. However, the company had to set aside funds to cover claims related to the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand. These provisions cut Great-West’s earnings by $0.08 a share in the latest quarter. Buy. Buy…