Updating our Income stocks: BCE Inc., Great-West LifeCo Inc. and Andrew Peller

Article Excerpt

BCE INC. $57 (www.bce.ca) is still a buy. The COVID-19 lockdowns are spurring strong demand for the company’s high-speed Internet and video services as Canadians self-isolate at home. However, the lockdowns will likely hurt its ability to sell new smartphones through its retail stores. Even so, the company’s dividend looks solid. BCE recently increased your quarterly payment by 5.0%, to $0.8325 a share from $0.7925. The new annual rate of $3.33 offers investors a high but solid 5.8% yield. GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $22 (www.greatwestlifeco.com) remains a hold. Starting March 2020, Great-West raised your quarterly dividend by 6.1%, to $0.438 a share from $0.413. The new annual rate of $1.752 yields a very high 8.0%. That in part reflects investor concerns about what impact lower interest rates and the coronavirus will have on the insurer’s investment-portfolio income in the near term. ANDREW PELLER LTD. $9.13 (www.andrewpeller.com) is a buy. The Ontario government has designated Peller’s 100 wine stores there as “essential,” so they continue to operate. That’s important as those stores generate…