STOCKCHASE

The whole telecom space is getting more competitive with wireless. Wire line business is declining so they need growth in wireless to offset that. Have done a great job in cost cutting. Solid long-term hold if you're looking for income.

2010-07-26

PAST TOP PICK

40.880

Gavin Graham

(A Top Pick June 4/09. Up 33.7%.) Still likes.

2010-07-09

BUY

40.200

Martin Hubbes, CFA

Cheap. Still have quite a bit of leverage on. Expects some very good growth on their wireless business but questions declines they will have on their wire lines but expect wireless to out do this. At the current valuation with a current yield, this stock makes a lot of sense.

2010-07-05

PAST TOP PICK

41.090

Joey Mack

(A Top Pick June 24/09. Up 7.44%.) 4.95% bond due May 15/14.

2010-06-25

Comment

40.880

Paul Harris, CFA

Good company but feels there's more growth in BCE (BCE-T).

2010-06-24

BUY

40.640

Don Lato

Good solid holding. Owns but feels Rogers (RCI.B-T) has more growth and dividend growth opportunities.

2010-06-23

DON'T BUY

39.280

Randy LeClair

4.95% Bond maturing May 15/14. BBB+ rated, just above investment-grade. Likes that it is within the 5-year yield curve however, credit spread has started to shrink to about 3.87%. You are paying almost $104 for a $100 bond. Probably better choices with better credit ratings and higher yields.

2010-06-16

TOP PICK

38.790

Barry Schwarrtz

Good 1st quarter. Cutting costs dramatically with a surprise dividend increase. Looking for 10% earnings growth over the next few years as well as dividend increases. 5.1% dividend. Looks very cheap.

2010-06-14

BUY

37.980

Stock is done very well and provides a very attractive, safe yield of over 5%. If you want income, this is a good investment. Getting wireless subscriber growth. Very good at cutting costs and have been using this to increase dividends.

2010-05-26

WAIT

40.300

Rick Stuchberry

This is a dividend play and is the reason for the stock moving up. Increased their dividend. If you don't own, there will be opportunities to buy down the road.

2010-05-14

BUY

39.480

There will be inflation, which will affect dividends. Could start by 2012. Likes telcos because they have pricing power i.e. the demand for their product is such that they can raise prices without losing customers. Good dividends.

2010-05-10

PAST TOP PICK

37.530

(A Top Pick Apr 16/09. Up 28.74%.)

2010-05-04

PAST TOP PICK

37.940

Charles Lannon

(A Top Pick Apr 23/09. Up 24.9% excluding dividends.) Core market is in Alberta and BC so it doesn't have to compete with Rogers (RCI.B-T).

2010-04-29

PAST TOP PICK

38.040

(A Top Pick Apr 14/09. Up 33.81%.) Still a Buy.

2010-04-08

Comment

38.740

David Driscoll

Dividend yield of nearly 5% is looking at little rich right now. Stock has been overbought.

2010-04-07

Comment

38.570

Telcos did poorly when the market was soaring but when it started to level off telcos started to come back. This one has been a poor performer versus BCE (BCE-T). Also has stronger competition out West. Might be worth looking at but in the short term BCE is still the better one.

2010-04-06

TOP PICK

35.700

It is a yield story for him, no longer growth. Dividend is sustainable. Well entrenched to fend off competitors.

2010-03-16

PAST TOP PICK

35.700

(Top Pick Mar 12/09, Up 13%+dividend) People were concerned when new entrants came into market. He thought it was over done at the time.

2010-03-16

HOLD

35.730

He thinks BCE and Verizon are a lot better. People are looking for what is undervalued and nice yield and this one fits that.

2010-03-09

PAST TOP PICK

34.400

(Top Pick Mar 12/09, Up 12.07%) Due for a good year because we haven’t seen much market penetration from the new entrants.

2010-02-25

TOP PICK

33.940

Michael Simpson, CFA

5.5% dividend yield. Average revenue is declining. Growing their data and TV business. Likes it because it is beat up and should grow in 2011. 1% capital appreciation expected this year.

2010-02-23

PAST TOP PICK

32.530

(A Top Pick Feb 9/09. Down 5% excluding dividends.) Likes the telcos and this one has a nice high yield.

2010-02-08

PAST TOP PICK

33.900

(A Top Pick Feb 9/09. Up 4.72%.) The panic over the new entrants in the wireless market is a little overdone.

2010-01-14

BUY

33.900

Jeff Black

Excellent dividend. Telcos are not a heavy weighting in his portfolios. It will be some time before they lose significant market share against the new players but there will be some challenge to growth and margins. Good defensive play. BCE (BCE-T) would be his 1st choice.

2010-01-14

WAIT

33.230

John Zechner

Starting to look interesting again. With the headwinds of Globalive now getting approval and a few new players in wireless, expect margins will be under pressure for a couple of quarters. Earnings growth is okay.

2009-12-23

BUY

32.050

Ara Nalbandian

Mildly positive guidance given recently. It is priced into the stock price. It is attractive at these prices and is his favorite telecom.

2009-12-15

PAST TOP PICK

32.100

Sandy McIntyre

(A Top Pick Jan 22/09. Up 18.27%.) 4.95% bond maturing March 15/17.

2009-12-14

BUY

32.100

Dividend is secure, likes company. Hold on to it, there will be capital appreciation.

2009-12-14

PAST TOP PICK

34.080

(A Top Pick Apr 16/09. Up 19.32%.) Still a Buy.

2009-12-09

TOP PICK

35.010

Michael Simpson, CFA

Telecom and recently was granted the right to sell Apple iPods that will create further revenues. Also invested in a new network for wireless and sharing the cost with Bell (BCE-T). Just issued new bonds at very attractive rates, which takes away from higher-priced bonds they issued years ago. Trading under 4X cash flow. Looking for a dividend increases in 2011.

2009-12-03

BUY

34.380

Laura Wallace

Reasonably well positioned in a very competitive environment. Does more capital investments than Bell (BCE-T) or Rogers (RCI.B-T). She prefers the latter but this company is fine. Dividends should be safe with a possibility of increases in the future.

2009-11-26

Comment

34.380

Upgraded their network so quality should be the same as Rogers (RCI.B-T) but sees more growth coming out of Rogers. Also prefers Bell (BCE-T) to this one.

2009-11-26

Comment

34.560

Income play, not growth. Spectrum auction created fear that foreign players with deep pockets would enter the Canadian market giving a lot of competition. They are finding it difficult to increase their wireless base and amount spent by their customers.

2009-11-19

HOLD

33.450

Craig MacAdam

5.7% dividend is safe. Rogers (RCI.B-T) has the most exposure to wireless and cable and Bell (BCE-T) has the least exposure so this company falls in between. If you're willing to take risks, Rogers would be your choice but for a more defensive play, Bell would be it.

2009-11-02

BUY

33.050

There has been a real under evaluation of the telephone sector in Canada. From the start of the year, they have not done anything while the rest of the market has gone up 25%. Good, deep value Buy.

2009-10-27

DON'T BUY

32.850

Ross Healy

This stock has quite a decent dividend at 5.75% but the new wireless competition threatens to damage the earnings outlook. Concerned about all of the wireless stocks. (See Top Picks.)

2009-10-26

DON'T BUY

32.520

Not a lot of growth in this company. 5.8% yield is quite attractive. If you want a telco, even BCE (BCE-T) would be more attractive with a stronger balance sheet and a yield of over 6.4%.

2009-10-15

DON'T BUY

33.510

Less attractive then BCE and a higher yield. The iPhone is less profitable than a regular due to subsidies and data volumes.

2009-10-13

DON'T BUY

33.510

Less attractive then BCE and a higher yield. The iPhone is less profitable than a regular due to subsidies and data volumes.

2009-10-13

TOP PICK

34.110

(A Top Pick April 16/09. Down 19.51%.) Yield of close to 6%. Long-term growth rate is going to be in the mid-single digit area. This, along with the 6% dividend, you should get 11%-13% average annual return.

2009-08-27

BUY

34.050

Michael Smedley

Feels the dividend is safe. You get more from this than you would from a bank account.

2009-08-26

BUY

33.190

Mike S. Newton, CIM FCSI

(Market Call Minute.) Yielding 5.8%. It is a discount to Rogers (RCI.B-T) and Bell (BCE-T). Expect it to pick up from here.

2009-08-11

Comment

32.760

Bruce Campbell

As a dividend play it is fine. Prefers Rogers (RCI.B-T) or BCE (BCE-T). 5.8% yield.

2009-08-10

Comment

31.550

Rogers (RCI.B-T) or Telus (T-T) long term (5 years)? Prefers Rogers, which has more potential growth and which he owns. 6% yield.

2009-08-05

Comment

30.630

Greg A. Taylor, CFA, BBA

Have to do more CapX to upgrade their systems from CDMA to GSM, which will put a strain on the balance sheet. 6.2% yield should be sustainable.

2009-07-22

Comment

30.750

Mark Carpani

Midterm bonds yielding about 7%? Doesn't own any Telcos. Feels they are very highly regulated so there's not a lot of upside. However, this one short-term at 7% is okay but feels are better places to be.

2009-07-21

Comment

30.560

Veronika Hirsch

(Market Call Minute.) Good yield at 6.2%. Not much excitement over the next year. If you want yield, Buy. If you want capital gains don't bother.

2009-07-17

Comment

30.190

Karl Berger

Rogers (RCI.B-T) or Telus (T-T)? Telus probably has more downside protection but a higher dividend yield of about 6.5%. Rogers has about 4.5% dividend and maybe represents a better long-term hold because of better growth prospects.

2009-07-14

BUY

29.980

Randy LeClair

Bond yielding 2.6% picture in 2012, 3.85% but during 2013 and 5.1% maturing 2017. The whole telecommunications sector is interesting. This company has been one of the big issuers. BBB credit rating, which is just above investment grade.

2009-07-10

DON'T BUY

30.270

Paul Gardner, CFA

Has been negatively impacted over the last year. Much more leverage to wireless but has Issues with GSM technology. Guidance came out much lower in the last quarter. Revenue per phone is lower. Will need a lot of capital expenditure into upgrading. Rogers (RCI.B-T) is the best in class. (See Top Picks.)

2009-07-08

BUY

31.400

Ara Nalbandian

Telus (T-T) versus BCE (BCE-T)? Likes the telecommunications sector and thinks there is good value. His favourite is BCE because of their operational improvements but also likes Telus. Both trading at attractive valuations. Overhang of the wireless competition coming on is overstated.

2009-07-03

Comment

31.400

Prakash Hariharan

Paying a dividend that is in excess of next year’s potential free cash flow generation. Losing some market share to Shaw (SJR.B-T). In a competitive space and is showing signs of weakening in the wireless space. Would prefer their bonds.

2009-07-03

DON'T BUY

30.850

Lyle Stein

Traditional telephone providers are not going to be the winners. It will be wireless for personal communication and wires for TV sets. Cable companies have won that battle. Thinks dividends are safe for the next couple of years but questions if they grow. Would rather own the debt (which he does) rather than the stock.

2009-06-30

TOP PICK

30.860

Joey Mack

4.95% bond due May 15/14. Likes the telco sector. Yielding 2% more than the government of Canada is paying and well above what provincial bonds are paying. Single A low triple B high credit.

2009-06-24

BUY

30.980

Good dividend. Undervalued at this time and probably due for an upsurge. This sector has proven to be quite recession resistant.

2009-06-18

TOP PICK

32.750

Gavin Graham

6% yield. Big performer at 27% over the last year. There could be a merger with Bell (BCE-T). Now doing television.

2009-06-04

Comment

31.990

Rick Stuchberry

Important thing to look at in this sector is whether a company is a leader or a laggard in the industry. Rogers (RCI.B-T) has a leading technology and is probably the “go to” stock. This company and BCE (BCE-T) are relatively safe and ok for yield. 5.9% yield.

2009-05-28

DON'T BUY

31.960

Laura Wallace

Would buy BCE (BCE-T) instead.

2009-05-26

BUY

30.350

Ara Nalbandian

One of the best management teams. Have some economic weakness in the region. Also some headwinds with CapX risks. At about 5X EBITDA and 9x earnings and paying a 6% yield makes it really attractive.

2009-05-15

DON'T BUY

31.000

Steve Carlin

Fails to see enough catalysts to get the stock moving. Last quarter was not a stellar one. Struggling on both the revenue side and wireless. Management is going to start some cost cutting to help bolster the bottom line.

2009-05-12

HOLD

31.000

Colin Stewart

Prefers BCE (BCE-T) but thinks the whole telecommunications sector is interesting. Feels dividends are safe. Generates good free cash flow. Good defensive play.

2009-05-12

HOLD

30.620

Hap (Robert) Sneddon FCSI

(Market Call Minute.) Would Buy BCE (BCE-T) instead.

2009-05-06

DON'T BUY

29.700

Paul Gardner, CFA

There is a high probability that they keep their dividend. Revenue per user is flat with Rogers but down 5% with Telus. They have to spend to upgrade their GSM. Generally a good company but he doesn’t see a recovery.

2009-05-04

TOP PICK

30.360

Charles Lannon

Dividend is safe, just rose 5 months ago and expect another token rise this coming winter. Downside risk is pretty minimal.

2009-04-23

DON'T BUY

30.100

Nothing has given us confidence. Recent volume has recently gone down with downtrend. May have to go back to 2005 or 2004 for support. Nothing indicates that it would stop. It might be trying to form a tiny bit of a bottom right now. If it popped up above $37/38 you would be interested.

2009-04-20

TOP PICK

30.550

6.6% dividend. Came out with a warning about wireless numbers for first quarter. Can grow earnings 5% over the next 3-5 years. Multiple is very depressed right now compared to MBT or BCE. You are looking at a 11-12% return. Dividend is sustainable.

2009-04-16

TOP PICK

30.000

Better dividend than Rogers. Beat up tremendously. Buy at this price and lock in the dividend. Low P/E/High dividend, (6.3%/$0.0475).

2009-04-14

BUY

33.910

Ken McCord

Communications is screening very well for him right now and he likes this one a lot. Sector is economically defensive.

2009-03-19

TOP PICK

31.640

Likes the tax-preferred dividend of 6%. Stock price is depressed but likely to go back up.

2009-03-12

HOLD

31.430

Bruce Campbell

Prefers Rogers (RCI.B-T) and BCE (BCE-T). Not a bad dividend and a relatively safe place to hide. If you have a long enough time horizon, it is probably not a good time Sell. He would consider switching to Rogers that pays almost 5% and gives a bit better growth.

2009-02-23

TOP PICK

34.420

Nice yield play at 5.5% yield and the stock has been beaten down for no particularly good reason.

2009-02-09

TOP PICK

33.990

Sandy McIntyre

4.95% bond maturing March 15/17.

2009-01-22

HOLD

33.990

Jim Huang

Defensive holding because of the stable subscriber base. More exposed to the wireless area, which has done fantastically well for them until Rogers (RCI.B-T) and Shaw (SJR.B-T) started coming on strong. Good management team and good balance sheet.

2009-01-22

Comment

34.180

Could be a little upside potential through association or partnership with Bell Canada (BCE-T). About a 5% yield. Currently there is a bit of market uncertainty. Rogers (RCI.B-T) would be his first choice.

2009-01-20

PAST TOP PICK

35.170

Gavin Graham

(A Top Pick Jan 2/08. Down 27%.) Still doing pretty well. Very well run company. 11.5X earnings. 5.5% yield.

2009-01-14

Comment

33.500

Paul Gardner, CFA

Disappointing guidance as they lowered wireless growth for Q4 of 08. This put pressure on the stock. Looking at this vs. BCE (BCE-T) he doesn't think BCE could have a strategic plan in place yet. They are more concerned about cutting costs and catching up to the telcos. Telus wireless could be more vulnerable because Vancouver and Calgary are suffering most of the slowdown in commodities and real estate but it is still a stable cash flow business. Both have to spend on GSM technology to compete with Rogers (RCI.B-T).

2008-12-17

BUY

33.500

Well run company. 6% yield is about 1% less than BCE (BCE-T) with a slightly higher growth rate. Consider it for dividend growth, but not pure growth.

2008-12-17

BUY

34.130

Fine company with very good management. Probably near its lows at this point. As a long-term investment, it is reasonable to buy here. (See Top Picks.)

2008-12-15

PAST TOP PICK

37.050

Peter Gibson

(A Top Pick July 16/07. Down 37%.) Sold his holdings on Sept/08 and was 30% down. ROE is still falling. Don't Buy.

2008-12-09

DON'T BUY

36.690

Steve Carlin

A lot of thinking was that when BCE (BCE-T) was privatized there would be a lot of money going into companies like this. Doesn't make the growth prospects for this company. Wireless networks are inferior and they have been losing market share.

2008-11-27

Comment

37.810

Don Vialoux

This one has nothing to do with technicals or fundamentals but everything to do with what is happening to BCE (BCE-T). Goes up when it looks like the deal is going to be done. It now looks like CitiGroup (C-N) is not going to have the money so this stock could move up again.

2008-11-24

HOLD

38.470

(Market Call Minute.)

2008-11-11

HOLD

40.290

Brooke Thackray

Extremely well run company. Fundamentally, he would have a look at how much money they are making on their wireless. Starting to see some real competition heat up before the new entrants start coming in so some margins may erode. From a technical standpoint, it has broken a long-term trend bottom and it may base out a little more.

2008-11-10

BUY

36.360

They have to spend money on the wireless side to move to 3G, GSM and be able to offer the same products as Rogers and others around the world. Stock came off quite a bit, yield is good long term; still some risk. They and BCE are loosing a lot of business to Rogers because of difference between GMS and CDMA.

2008-10-14

TOP PICK

38.780

All those competitors that spent a lot of money on wireless spectrum are going to have all lot of trouble building that spectrum since they can’t borrow the money.

2008-10-06

Comment

42.650

Peter Gibson

Cost of development plus recent profit weakness has been overhanging the stock recently. Undervalued but would like to see some profit growth. Prefers Rogers (RCI.B-T).

2008-08-29

Comment

42.650

Steve Carlin

News today of a potential CapX project that BCE (BCE-T) and Telus are talking about. If they go ahead with this there will be an increasingly more competitive market. Rogers (RCI.B-T) still has the leg up as a superior network. Have a key mover advantage with the iPhone or any of the new Blackberry launches. They are already into the 3G environment.

2008-08-29

Comment

40.160

Kevin O'Leary

Very well managed business. He keeps thinking about these players and how they are going to merge together at some point. If you are going to own in this area, this is probably the one that he would buy.

2008-08-25

BUY

40.830

Gordon Higgins, CA, MBA

Subscriber numbers on their wireless where extremely strong. Solid growth. Good value at these levels.

2008-08-08

HOLD

38.700

Once the dust clears on where the next generation of wireless is going, this will be one of the prominent players. He prefers Rogers (RCI.B-T) in this space.

2008-08-05

HOLD

38.190

Duncan Stewart

Had execution issues such as wireless growth and cost of new customers. Biggest problem is their CDMA wireless technology as opposed to global GSM. Will have to build an overlay network requiring a large outlay. When an announcement is made, stock will probably drop and that would be the time to Buy.

2008-07-28

DON'T BUY

39.370

Greg A. Taylor, CFA, BBA

A lot of people will be looking at this one because they have lost BCE and they want something in the telco sector. Could be looking at 6 months of more negative news than positive. Talking of changing from a CDMA network to a GSM and there will be a lot of different viewpoints on what this will cost. There is also the threat of a new wireless entrant coming in.

2008-07-22

HOLD

40.080