Here’s our Pick of the Month

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INTACT FINANCIAL $93.69 (Toronto symbol IFC; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-341-1464; www.intactfc.com; Shares outstanding: 131.0 million; Market cap: $12.4 billion; Dividend yield: 2.7%) is Canada’s largest provider of property and casualty insurance. The company insures more than five million individuals and businesses. Its major brands are Intact Insurance, Canada BrokerLink and belairdirect. In the three months ended December 31, 2016, the insurer’s revenue rose 4.7%, to $1.96 billion from $1.91 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share in the quarter fell 19.8%, to $1.58 from $1.97. The decline was mainly because of an increase in the number of claims for Intact’s auto insurance business. While premium revenue for the segment grew 3%, its profit fell due to higher weather-related claims. Intact’s overall earnings a year earlier were also unusually high. However, the insurer believes that profit growth will resume with the higher premiums it’s putting in place for both personal and commercial auto coverage in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. Better policy writing and…