STOCKCHASE

(A Top Pick Feb 16/11. Up 11.39%.) They report on Thursday and will probably increase the dividend by about 10%. The huge iPhone growth is actually a negative for them and this is going to roll over and should be fine later on. Good free cash flow growth.

2012-02-06

Comment

38.400

Trading at 12X earnings, which is below market multiples. We are all worried about the new entrants that are stealing market share hand over fist. This is a big risk for this company. In the meantime, cash flow is quite strong and you are going to get a rising dividend.

2012-01-16

TOP PICK

38.730

Likes the cell phone business. It under performed T and BCE. Thinks there will be more consolidation among new players. RCI is well positioned for it.

2012-01-12

PAST TOP PICK

38.730

Douglas Kee

(Top Pick Dec 21/10, Up 16.85% Total Return)

2012-01-12

DON'T BUY

39.320

Range bound between $35 and $40. Good yield play for income investors at 3.8%. Doesn't like telecom in general because it is too competitive right now. Very strong balance sheet and generating strong cash flow.

2012-01-05

DON'T BUY

37.350

Have lower highs from when they peaked, which technically is not a good sign. Fundamentally, they are losing market share in the phone business.

2011-12-14

TOP PICK

37.330

Underperformed BCE (BCE-T) and Telus (T-T) over the last few years and they are due to catch up. Talking about increasing dividends, paying out cash flow and buying back shares. People are spending more and more money on smart phones. Like a utility, but utilities are trading at much higher valuations. 3.8% yield and expected to grow to 4% in January.

2011-12-12

DON'T BUY

36.760

David Cockfield

If he wants to participate in this area, he would prefer going to BCE (BCE-T) which have strong management. If you want a little more yield, he would go with Bell Aliant (BA-T). Their area will become more competitive, particularly as the optical cable goes in. (See Top Picks.)

2011-12-09

BUY

37.450

Likes this and this is a pretty good entry point. Lots of free cash flow. Has underperformed Bell (BCE-T) and Telus (T-T). 4% yield and will probably have a dividend increase.

2011-12-07

DON'T BUY

36.410

Lorne Steinberg

As increased dividend because they see wireless growth slowing. Growth potential is low. Better places to be. Well run business but not cheap enough.

2011-11-01

BUY

35.930

Like and own it. The numbers were ok but he was expecting higher churn from competition. On wireless side that was expected. Cable is a lower growth business than it used to be. All in all good free cash flow, relatively safe place to be. A good place to hide.

2011-10-26

PAST TOP PICK

36.210

(A Top Pick Oct 5/10. Down 3.17%.) Sees a dividend rising 10% next year and rising for many years to come. Much cheaper than utilities.

2011-10-20

Comment

37.220

Marc-Andre Gaudreau

2040 Bonds? There are lots of uncertainties over 30 years in the technology space. The good thing about them is that if you don’t intend to hold them to maturity, they are liquid and you can sell them into the market. For the long end of the curve, he prefers companies that could be protected so he can make sure he gets his coupons and capital back.

2011-09-16

TOP PICK

38.740

Has better growth potential than Bell (BCE-T) or Telus (T-T). Has catch up to do on the dividends and can see them raising it by 10% or more in Feb/12. Shaw’s (SJR.B-T) announcement about not doing wireless is very positive for this sector.

2011-09-14

BUY

37.620

This is an extremely competitive marketplace right now. Recently we saw the revenues per customer dropped due to voice side. Cable side is doing all right. Good balance sheet and good yield. Can’t decide between Rogers and Bell, perhaps Bell is slightly preferred.

2011-08-23

BUY

36.670

Expects the dividend will appreciate somewhere between 5%-10% over the next 2-3 years. Generating significant free cash flow, buying back shares and raising dividends. Smart phones are going to be very beneficial to their earnings and bottom line. Valuation is very reasonable at 12X earnings.

2011-08-11

BUY

35.590

John O'Connell, CFA

You can buy it here. Likes Bell with the dividend as well. Wouldn’t be surprised if Rogers splits up and then merged with a US company.

2011-08-09

PAST TOP PICK

36.070

Veronika Hirsch

(A Top Pick July 15/10. Up 2.55%.)

2011-07-27

DON'T BUY

36.500

Extremely competitive environment. A lot of the strength is on the cable side of the business, yet the wireless is where it should be. Thinks margins will not be there for some time. Great balance sheet and free cash flow.

2011-07-26

BUY

37.970

Richard Fogler

Likes the wireless a lot. They are all doing well. Canada is still behind the US in subscriber levels.

2011-07-22

DON'T BUY

38.050

Benj Gallander

Not of interest to him – high debt load. He has Bell.

2011-07-15

BUY on WEAKNESS

38.660

A good solid hold. Would prefer $35 or $36 to buy. 4% yield. Phones and cable TV are not things that go away. They have lagged the group.

2011-07-12

Comment

38.900

Randy LeClair

Preferred shares will do you a world of good because of how they are taxed. Caller wanted Rogers. You have to go preferred if you want them.

2011-07-05

PAST TOP PICK

38.550

(A Top Pick July 26/10.Up 6%.)

2011-07-04

BUY

36.500

Joey Mack

Triple B rating. It’s becoming a pretty good story. The 2039 vs 2040 He’d buy the discounted one for a TFSA.

2011-06-06

DON'T BUY

37.450

Hank Cunningham

2040 AAA bonds? Doesn’t know why anyone would buy a corporate bond with such a long term. It’s a dangerous time in the cycle and people are reaching for yield. He prefers a much shorter period.

2011-05-19

BUY

35.530

Likes at this price and has been buying. Smart phone market is in an explosive growth mode and in some respects the carriers are a low Beta way to play that growth. This company is very strong on the data size and with all the new products there is increase in data usage. 4% yield.

2011-05-12

BUY

35.990

Very attractive yield, which is very safe. Very strong balance sheet. Expect they will continue to buy back stock and increase their dividend. Good yield play.

2011-05-02

BUY on WEAKNESS

34.320

Longer term this is one that he would look at and is getting closer to his price range. Very competitive market and margins are being squeezed.

2011-04-19

DON'T BUY

34.560

David Cockfield

This whole area, particularly on the cable side, is a tough business to be in. Too much competition. Lost some spark when Rogers himself died. He would rather be in Bell (BCE-T), which has a somewhat better dividend.

2011-04-15

BUY

34.710

Richard Fogler

Likes telecoms and thinks wireless is a wonderful place to be. The 55% penetration in Canada, while it has been growing, is well below the US 75% penetration. A lot of room to grow.

2011-04-14

PAST TOP PICK

35.040

Mike MacBain

(A Top Pick Dec 13/10. Up 3.64%.) 6.11% bond due Aug/25/40 with a Short of equal term of Gov’t CDN bond.

2011-04-12

BUY

34.650

Thinks Bell (BCE-T) and Telus (T-T) have over performed so is only buying this one because of valuation. Recently raised its dividend substantially and had huge share buy backs. FV is closer to $40. Because of competition, wouldn’t buy aggressively.

2011-04-11

BUY

35.200

Under $34 is a great entry point. They have bottomed.

2011-04-05

WEAK BUY

35.430

She got out because of the increasing competition with new players. You could buy it here for 5-10 years because they have a safe and attractive dividend, but she doesn’t see a near term upside. The banks or pipelines have more potential for appreciation.

2011-03-30

BUY

35.340

Lorne Steinberg

Probably not a bad time to buy it. Stock has been depressed. Very good exposure to wireless and cable space, which are both doing relatively well. What they are faced with is increased competition and declining margins. But they should be able to increase dividends. They are well positioned to be able to take advantage of the continued wireless boom. They are a big expensive for him.

2011-03-25

TOP PICK

34.180

Douglas Kee

It has performed the worst of the bunch but throwing off almost 2 billion in cash flow. Increased dividend 11% and are buying back shares. Longer term believes if you have the pipe in the ground and it is paid for and people are demanding more and more data then all these guys are going to make good money.

2011-03-21

DON'T BUY

33.990

Stan Wong

Took his profits a couple of months ago. Likes the sector longer term. He was looking for better growth opportunities. Longer term it will do fine but he is concerned short term. He might go back into it.

2011-03-17

SELL

33.680

Peter Brieger

Sold because the whole space has become much more competitive and is waiting on the sidelines until the dust settles. Sold this and Shaw and most of BCE.

2011-03-14

BUY on WEAKNESS

33.930

Michael Simpson, CFA

A lot of competition in the telecom space. Price is getting to a point where it is more interesting and would definitely be interested around $32-$33. Raises a lot of free cash flow. Raised their dividend this last quarter.

2011-03-04

TOP PICK

35.390

Just raised the dividend 11%. A little bit weak on the wireless side but essentially in line. Getting hit by new entrants. Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) was down by about $1.50 from $62.50. Huge free cash generator. Announced they are going to buy back 1.5 billion of stock.

2011-02-16

WAIT

34.720

John O'Connell, CFA

This is a story that struggled recently. You are dealing with a very confusing regulating body. Its payout ratio is rather high. Traditionally has been a very well run business. If it got a little big cheaper he would consider buying it. Owns BCE.

2011-02-15

DON'T BUY

34.320

Doesn’t like the wireless space right now because the competition is definitely heating up. Being attacked on the high end by Bell (BCE-T) and Telus (T-T) who have both upgraded their networks. With the new entrants that came in last year, it is being attacked on the lower end. There has been pretty good growth from Bell and Telus, which may be at this company’s expense.

2011-02-14

BUY

34.700

Steve Carlin

Growth has slowed. One of the key drivers was the wireless business but they no longer have the network advantage over competition. Likes their core values and feels it is worth $40.

2011-02-10

TOP SHORT

35.040

Jeff Parent B. Eng. FCSI

Short. Coming out with earnings in a couple of weeks. It will be quite volatile right then. It has been under-performing the markets. He likes the company, but is going to try to pick up a few bucks. Thinks $30 is an easy target on this one. He shorts liquid stocks that he can buy back without much problem.

2011-02-01

BUY

34.710

Expectations got too high and the stock price has fallen. Will probably have good dividend and margin growth. Cheaper than Bell (BCE-T) and Telus (T-T).

2011-01-26

DON'T BUY

34.710

Owns Telcos instead. This company continues to be vulnerable to eroding market share. On the TV side they’re getting a run for their money as both BCE (BC-E) and Telus (T-T) have products in their early stages that will possibly take significant chunks out of them.

2011-01-26

DON'T BUY

35.130

David Burrows

You want to own companies that have pricing power so the companies can make out sized returns. Rogers has competition in cable and wireless business. He would prefer a Coal stock where the just isn’t enough supply.

2011-01-25

PAST TOP PICK

35.630

(A Top Pick Dec 31/09. Up 12.77%.) Thinks there are some challenges on the cable side. In the intermediate term it has under performed but is a leader.

2011-01-20

HOLD

35.950

Balance sheet is almost under levered and capital expenditures will be low but in a highly competitive market. Looking at their free cash flow, dividends and buying back stock, it is really poised to go up.

2011-01-18

BUY on WEAKNESS

36.040

A lot of competition. Dominating the cable side. Throws off a lot of free cash flow. Very strong in wireless but BCE (BCE-T) and Telus (T-T) are making great strides. Thinks BCE might have an advantage.

2011-01-14

PAST TOP PICK

35.810

Stan Wong

(A Top Pick Dec 17/09. Up 20.98%.) Still likes. Looking for 10% long term earnings growth. 3.5% dividend.

2011-01-13

TOP PICK

34.420

Douglas Kee

Has been punished. Concern about new competition, which is valid, but it is mostly at the low end where margins are squeezed anyway. At this price it is undervalued. Big cash flow projected in 2011 and don’t need to spend on the system. Will buy back shares or distribute to shareholders.

2010-12-21

DON'T BUY

34.500

Rick Stuchberry

Has not done as well as some of the competitors. Lots of competition. Buy the others on pullbacks and take them for a trade.

2010-12-16

PAST TOP PICK

34.450

Colin Stewart

(A Top Pick Jan 28/10. Up 7.94%.) Saw a little pressure last quarter on their revenue per user, a trend that he feels could continue.

2010-12-14

TOP PICK

34.880

Mike MacBain

6.11% bond due Aug/25/40 with a Short of equal term of Gov’t CDN bond. Cheap.

2010-12-13

WATCH

34.880

David Burrows

Wouldn’t Buy this one right now. Stock is a little broke, In a real dogfight with Bell Mobility. Wait and see the stock firm up technically.

2010-12-13

BUY

35.450

Don Lato

Market had concerns about revenue per subscriber being down as an indication of price competition. Market is growing and demand for data usage is increasing and they’ll get their fair share. Trading at a lower price earnings multiple (12X estimated earnings) than BCE (BCE-T). Yield of 3.6%.

2010-12-08

BUY

34.780

Looks to be the cheapest of the telcos. Attractive buy. Sees them raising the dividend in February. Providing phones with new contracts is what hurt them last quarter.

2010-12-07

BUY

36.010

Michael Simpson, CFA

(Market Call Minute.) Great telecommunications cable/wireless company.

2010-12-02

DON'T BUY

36.190

Hap (Robert) Sneddon FCSI

Rogers (RCI.B-T), BCE (BCE-T) or Telus (T-T)? Telecoms look a little expensive. On a pull back he would be tempted to buy BCE, which has momentum and is gaining on wireless. Average revenue per unit is going up. Moving into internet protocol television (IPTV) is going to make them very competitive with cable companies.

2010-12-01

DON'T BUY

36.910

Chyanne Fickes

Doesn’t like any of the telecoms because of the competition coming down the pipe with the newer mobiles. If she were choosing one, it would be Telus (T-T) as it is in the part of the country that is seeing better growth.

2010-11-22

BUY

37.150

Class A or Class B? You want to be where the action is, which would be class B. Chart shows a nice up trend but had a drop recently giving a Buying opportunity. Good dividend.

2010-11-19

PAST TOP PICK

37.100

(A Top Pick Nov 26/09. Up 18.58%.) Still likes.

2010-11-18

BUY

37.100

Stan Wong

Telecoms. BCE (BCE-T), Telus (T-T) or Rogers (RCI.B-T)? BCE is more of a dividend play with 5.4%. Growth is close to 6% long term. Rogers is more of a growth story. He would rate Telus as third.

2010-11-18

HOLD

36.930

Bill MacLachlan

Companies in this space are facing huge competition but over the long haul, with increasing use of smart phones and the data (where the profit margin is), a lot of these companies are going to do quite well. Also increasing convergence of smart phones, TVs, internet, etc

2010-11-17

BUY

36.570

Feels this has the best growth and free cash flow generation in the telecoms. They keep raising dividends and Buy back stock all the time. Under $37 is a great entry point.

2010-11-12

PAST TOP PICK

36.490

Steve Carlin

(A Top Pick Oct 22/09. Up 28.21%.) Still likes.

2010-11-10

Comment

36.490

Sees the 3 major telcos, BCE (BCE-T), Rogers (RCI.B-T) and Telus (T-T) as being on a continuum from conservative and slower growth with BCE through to aggressive and higher growth on Rogers end. Has all 3.

2010-11-09

DON'T BUY

36.490

Likes the valuation of others better. Rogers was the more growth oriented one and now is the more risky one. They reported disappointing earnings. At some point it might be worth looking at again.

2010-11-09

PAST TOP PICK

37.000

(Top Pick Oct 6/09, Up 37.25%) Moving to 4 G and will not take a lot of spending. There is a very high chance of them increasing dividends or buying back stock. Balance sheet is under levered.

2010-11-01

BUY

37.100

Veronika Hirsch

(A Top Pick July 15/10 Up 1.12%.) Recently had a big drop in this happens a lot because of fears of competition. They have certainly delivered bottom line. This is when you should be accumulating the stock and taking profits when it goes over $40.

2010-10-28

BUY

40.280

Based on ROE and Price to Book, it is not much different from BCE. It doesn’t look that unreasonably priced. Not too bad a yield and could see some dividend increases, Not a bad buy.

2010-10-20

BUY

40.040

Don Lato

Up about 20% this year. Continues to generate lots of good cash flow. Have had dividend increases the last 2 years and wouldn't be surprised if there were another one next year. Lots of competition but a lot more product that is available too.

2010-10-14

SELL

40.460

Peter Brieger

Favourite company within the space but not right now. He lightened up because of increasing competition coming into the space. It had a good move but is fairly fully priced.

2010-10-12

BUY

39.140

Should continue to do well as it is in a good area. He owns BCE (BCE-T) instead.

2010-10-06

TOP PICK

39.030

Generating so much cash flow so they keep growing the business. Smart phone penetration is only 25% in Canada. There are so many demands for bandwidth coming. Even with run up it is way too cheap.

2010-10-05

PAST TOP PICK

38.840

(A Top Pick Sept 23/09. Up 34.82%.)

2010-09-28

PAST TOP PICK

38.660

Gavin Graham

(A Top Pick Aug 25/09. Up 31.5%.)

2010-09-16

HOLD

37.600

Ross Healy

Fairly expensive although it has some decent upside potential. Torn on what to do about this one in this kind of market. Decent yield.

2010-09-07

TOP PICK

37.400

Competition is fierce but they are still increasing revenue per unit because of the smart phones, television. Buckets of free cash flow.

2010-07-26

PAST TOP PICK

37.400

(A Top Pick July 21/09. Up 25%.) Very strong operator and generates a lot of free cash flow but she sees increased competition in the near term so sold her holdings about a month ago.

2010-07-26

TOP PICK

36.950

Veronika Hirsch

Likes to limit the risk in her portfolio. New Competition is having a hard time attracting the attractive part of cellular use. Attractive yield. Talking about increasing dividends.

2010-07-15

BUY

34.550

Gov’t announced possibility of increased foreign ownership in telecom. Rogers announced they will make more bandwidth available at a lower price. Smart phones are data hogs. Bell has more bandwidth than Rogers, but Rogers must feel they can handle it. As price of data/airtime comes down, they are selling a lot more of it.

2010-07-06

TOP PICK

34.200

Martin Hubbes, CFA

Stock stalled out because people were concerned about new entrants but new entrants are at the low end and this market is at the high end. Good cash flow.

2010-07-05

BUY

37.400

Don Lato

Good cash flow generation. Good solid holding. Good growth possibilities with their bundled products. Has room for dividend growth.

2010-06-23

BUY

37.200

Jim Huang

All these names are decent names. They have gone through the high growth phase. They have a dominant position. Unless the new entrants took a way a lot of market share, which he doesn’t think they will do, you should do quite well with this one. He has Telus.

2010-06-22

HOLD

37.650

Peter Brieger

Would not add it it but will continue to hold it. 9 or 10% return with growth and yield. For 2 to 3 years it is the premier of its kind. He has a half position.

2010-06-15

WEAK BUY

36.790

Market leader. Balance sheet is very, very good. Do throw off a lot of free cash flow. In a very competitive environment. Thinks they will hold their own within that environment. Reasonably profitable. Could see some dividend increases in the near future.

2010-06-02

PAST TOP PICK

35.250

(A Top Pick July 21/09. Up 18%.) Very strong positioning and generating a lot of free cash flow. Buying back stock and increasing dividends.

2010-05-26

BUY

36.740

Derek Webb, CFA

Just had a fine quarter.

2010-05-04

PAST TOP PICK

34.980

(A Top Pick Apr 13/09. Up 33.56%.)

2010-04-19

TOP PICK

33.810

Looks cheaper than Telus (T-T), BCE (BCE-T) and Shaw (SJR.B-T). Feels this is the best in class. Almost 4% dividend.

2010-04-08

PAST TOP PICK

34.750

(A Top Pick July 21/09. Up 11% not including dividends.) Likes wireless and this is the largest provider in Canada. Lowest ARPU and highest margins. Very strong balance sheet. Still a Buy.

2010-03-30

PAST TOP PICK

35.100

(A Top Pick Apr 13/09. Up 30%.) Great free cash flow generator. Has room to increase dividends and buy backs stock. Hold.

2010-03-15

PAST TOP PICK

34.250

(Top Pick Feb 19/09, Up 10%) Hasn’t done much. It has so much free cash flow and the ability to raise dividends, which it just did. Despite the wireless competition, the ability to buy back stock and to grow appeals to him. A great yield in this environment.

2010-02-24

Comment

33.880

David Burrows

New competition has come into Canada and impacting them quicker than anticipated. The fact that they raised the dividend signals that they see themselves more as a cash generating machine and not so much as a growth stock.

2010-02-19

BUY

33.450

Paul Harris, CFA

Likes it and owns it. Part of problem with telco space, especially in the wireless side is the new entrants and they will have an impact. It’s hard for people to switch carriers. He thinks it will not be as bad as people think. Thinks it is in great shape and could increase dividends even more. Cable has done a great job of increasing pricing.

2010-02-18

BUY

33.210