Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat, I would appreciate your brief assessment on the following list of stocks and REITs: AltaGas, Crombie REIT, Rogers Sugar and InnVest REIT.

Article Excerpt

AltaGas Ltd., $26.60, symbol ALA on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 81.9 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; www.altagas.ca), mainly extracts, processes and distributes natural gas. It also processes natural-gas liquids and generates power in Alberta. AltaGas pays an $0.11 monthly dividend, which yields 5.0% on a yearly basis. The company gets most of its revenue under long-term contracts. These deals give it stable, predictable cash flow. AltaGas is trying to cut its reliance on the natural-gas business, but its growth-by-acquisition strategy, and investments in areas like wind and geothermal, add risk. However, power prices are rising in Alberta. That should push up the company’s cash flow. AltaGas trades at 12.1 times this year’s forecast cash flow of $2.20 a share. AltaGas is okay to hold. A: Crombie REIT, $13.40, symbol CRR.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 33.3 million; Market cap: $895.6 million; www.crombiereit.com), owns 137 commercial properties. The trust’s properties are mainly in Atlantic Canada. Empire Company Ltd. (Toronto symbol EMP.A) owns 46.6% of Crombie…