By Richard Cleaver Richard started working in the Canadian financial industry in the 1980s. Over the next few decades as Richard moved up the ranks and held various senior level executive positions within the banking and insurance sectors, he and his wife never wavered from a decision they made in 1991 which was to 'pay [...]
Summary Ecolab (ECL) has a track record of two decades of double digit EPS growth. It is a very low capital intensive company with highly consumable products/services thereby resulting in a predictable and highly recurring revenue stream. Bill Gates has held a position in ECL for some time and just recently acquired another ~1.3 million [...]
In this recent article I learned that more than 40% of Americans may be at risk of going broke in retirement. This statistic alarmed me so I did more digging in preparation for this post. What I uncovered is that according to the Fed: barely one-third of families in the bottom 50% of earners in [...]
Summary DIS has offered to acquire certain 21st Century Fox, Inc. assets for $52B to help it expand into the direct-to-consumer streaming distribution business. The stock is attractively valued based on forward EPS and free cash flow. Despite the attractive valuation, I have several reasons why I will not initiate a position in DIS at [...]
The Big 6 Canadian Banks have certainly rewarded long-term shareholders. If you do not currently have a position in any of these banks, this guest post I wrote for Sure Dividend should help you determine whether these banks are worthy of your consideration as part of a well diversified portfolio. I delve into some of [...]
Summary MKC is a dominant provider of spice and seasoning products to the commercial and industrial markets. It leveraged its balance sheet to acquire Reckitt Benckiser’s Food Division (‘RBFD’) for ~$4.21B in 2017 but management is committed to a significant reduction in debt levels by the end of fiscal 2020. Growth in revenue and margins [...]
Summary SPGI is the largest of the 10 statistical rating organizations recognized by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The company has undergone a significant transformation over the last few years and is now focused exclusively on the high-growth, high-margin businesses—Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, S&P Dow Jones Indices, S&P Capital IQ and Platts. SPGI’s [...]
Summary MCO is one of 10 statistical rating organizations recognized by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. It is the 2nd largest publicly traded member of this small group behind S&P Global Inc.. The company’s reputation took a hit when it completely failed to warn investors of the risks which led to the Financial Crisis. [...]
February was certainly an interesting month! The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 4.3% and only 4 of its members posted positive returns. Inflation fears were also stoked with Jerome Powell hinting there would be more aggressive movement on monetary policy. The TSX in Canada fared slightly better with only a 3.2% slide in February. Investors [...]
On February 25, 2018 I posted an article in which I touched upon Warren Buffett’s 2017 Letter to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders. In that article I provided a link to the letter and do so again here for ease of reference. In his letter, Buffett specifically addressed the risks associated with employing the use of debt [...]
