Business

3 TSX Stocks Near 52-Week Lows – The Motley Fool Canada

Published

3 years ago

August 17, 2021

These days, you won’t find too many stocks trading near 52-week lows. Markets have mostly been hot ever since April 2020, and despite occasional interruptions, the trend looks set to continue. Unprecedented monetary and fiscal stimulus have been supporting the markets ever since COVID first hit, and a string of tech earnings in July improved investors’ sentiment.

So, the stock market rally may continue. Nobody knows how long it will go on for, but it would be unwise to expect a major dip-buying opportunity in the next month or two. That doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to buy individual stocks on the dip, though. There are actually plenty of individual stocks trading at or near 52-week lows that you can buy after months of losses. The fact that they’re at 52-week lows doesn’t mean they’re bargains. But they could be a good place to start your search for bargains. In this article, I’ll explore three such stocks worth considering in August.

Barrick Gold

Barrick Gold (TSX:GOLD)(NYSE:ABX) is a Canadian gold mining stock that currently trades for $20.19. Its 52-week low was about $18.50; its high was around $30.50. This stock is definitely trading near the bottom of its range for the year. That might look like a buying opportunity. Unfortunately, there are genuine reasons for this stock to be sinking. Gold prices are in a downtrend, and Barrick makes a large share of its money by mining and selling gold. When gold is cheap, it gets harder for Barrick to turn a profit. In its most recent quarter, it did turn a profit, but earnings declined. Still, it’s a beaten-down stock that could rise if demand for gold picks up again.

CN Railway

Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR)(NYSE:CNI) is a Canadian railway stock currently trading at about $134. Its high for the year was about $150; its low was $126. This stock isn’t exactly touching its 52-week low, but it’s on the lower end of its range. CNR inexplicably rallied amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching all-new highs. Earnings declined in 2020, but the stock rallied anyway. That may have been due to investors rushing into a stock seen as being stable. Later, when the pandemic began to wane, CNR fell, despite rising earnings. It’s not the easiest price action to explain, but CN has a long history of coming back from economic downturns bigger and better than ever.

Facedrive

Facedrive (TSXV:FD) is a Canadian tech stock that trades for about $8.35 right now. Its high for the year was about $60. The company offers ride-sharing services similar to those of Uber and Lyft, but with environmental incentives to boot. Facedrive recently branched out into grocery delivery and medical tech. The company’s mission is hard to pin down, and with the grab bag of popular causes it targets, it might be trying to trigger buying by ESG fund managers. The company does not make its financial statements easy to find on its website. It seems investors are growing weary of Facedrive’s opacity and vague corporate mission. But if you’re drawing up a list of stocks at 52-week lows to begin a bargain hunt, FD is a stock you could include on it.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium service or advisor. We’re Motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our own — helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer, so we sometimes publish articles that may not be in line with recommendations, rankings or other content.

Fool contributor Andrew Button owns shares of Canadian National Railway. The Motley Fool recommends Canadian National Railway and Uber Technologies.

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Business

Carry On Canadian Business. Carry On!

Published

20 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Steven Kaszab

Human Resources Officers must be very busy these days what with the general turnover of employees in our retail and business sectors. It is hard enough to find skilled people let alone potential employees willing to be trained. Then after the training, a few weeks go by then they come to you and ask for a raise. You refuse as there simply is no excess money in the budget and away they fly to wherever they come from, trained but not willing to put in the time to achieve that wanted raise.

I have had potentials come in and we give them a test to see if they do indeed know how to weld, polish or work with wood. 2-10 we hire, and one of those is gone in a week or two. Ask that they want overtime, and their laughter leaving the building is loud and unsettling. Housing starts are doing well but way behind because those trades needed to finish a project simply don’t come to the site, with delay after delay. Some people’s attitudes are just too funny. A recent graduate from a Ivy League university came in for an interview. The position was mid-management potential, but when we told them a three month period was needed and then they would make the big bucks they disappeared as fast as they arrived.

Government agencies are really no help, sending us people unsuited or unwilling to carry out the jobs we offer. Handing money over to staffing firms whose referrals are weak and ineffectual. Perhaps with the Fall and Winter upon us, these folks will have to find work and stop playing on the golf course or cottaging away. Tried to hire new arrivals in Canada but it is truly difficult to find someone who has a real identity card and is approved to live and work here. Who do we hire? Several years ago my father’s firm was rocking and rolling with all sorts of work. It was a summer day when the immigration officers arrived and 30+ employees hit the bricks almost immediately. The investigation that followed had threats of fines thrown at us by the officials. Good thing we kept excellent records, photos and digital copies. We had to prove the illegal documents given to us were as good as the real McCoy.

Restauranteurs, builders, manufacturers, finishers, trades-based firms, and warehousing are all suspect in hiring illegals, yet that becomes secondary as Toronto increases its minimum wage again bringing our payroll up another $120,000. Survival in Canada’s financial and business sectors is questionable for many. Good luck Chuck!. at least your carbon tax refund check should be arriving soon.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca

Business

Imperial to cut prices in NWT community after low river prevented resupply by barges

Published

23 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Anne Joseph

NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. – Imperial Oil says it will temporarily reduce its fuel prices in a Northwest Territories community that has seen costs skyrocket due to low water on the Mackenzie River forcing the cancellation of the summer barge resupply season.

Imperial says in a Facebook post it will cut the air transportation portion that’s included in its wholesale price in Norman Wells for diesel fuel, or heating oil, from $3.38 per litre to $1.69 per litre, starting Tuesday.

The air transportation increase, it further states, will be implemented over a longer period.

It says Imperial is closely monitoring how much fuel needs to be airlifted to the Norman Wells area to prevent runouts until the winter road season begins and supplies can be replenished.

Gasoline and heating fuel prices approached $5 a litre at the start of this month.

Norman Wells’ town council declared a local emergency on humanitarian grounds last week as some of its 700 residents said they were facing monthly fuel bills coming to more than $5,000.

“The wholesale price increase that Imperial has applied is strictly to cover the air transportation costs. There is no Imperial profit margin included on the wholesale price. Imperial does not set prices at the retail level,” Imperial’s statement on Monday said.

The statement further said Imperial is working closely with the Northwest Territories government on ways to help residents in the near term.

“Imperial Oil’s decision to lower the price of home heating fuel offers immediate relief to residents facing financial pressures. This step reflects a swift response by Imperial Oil to discussions with the GNWT and will help ease short-term financial burdens on residents,” Caroline Wawzonek, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Infrastructure, said in a news release Monday.

Wawzonek also noted the Territories government has supported the community with implementation of a fund supporting businesses and communities impacted by barge cancellations. She said there have also been increases to the Senior Home Heating Subsidy in Norman Wells, and continued support for heating costs for eligible Income Assistance recipients.

Additionally, she said the government has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank.

In its declaration of a state of emergency, the town said the mayor and council recognized the recent hike in fuel prices has strained household budgets, raised transportation costs, and affected local businesses.

It added that for the next three months, water and sewer service fees will be waived for all residents and businesses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

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Business

U.S. vote has Canadian business leaders worried about protectionist policies: KPMG

Published

23 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – A new report says many Canadian business leaders are worried about economic uncertainties related to the looming U.S. election.

The survey by KPMG in Canada of 735 small- and medium-sized businesses says 87 per cent fear the Canadian economy could become “collateral damage” from American protectionist policies that lead to less favourable trade deals and increased tariffs

It says that due to those concerns, 85 per cent of business leaders in Canada polled are reviewing their business strategies to prepare for a change in leadership.

The concerns are primarily being felt by larger Canadian companies and sectors that are highly integrated with the U.S. economy, such as manufacturing, automotive, transportation and warehousing, energy and natural resources, as well as technology, media and telecommunications.

Shaira Nanji, a KPMG Law partner in its tax practice, says the prospect of further changes to economic and trade policies in the U.S. means some Canadian firms will need to look for ways to mitigate added costs and take advantage of potential trade relief provisions to remain competitive.

Both presidential candidates have campaigned on protectionist policies that could cause uncertainty for Canadian trade, and whoever takes the White House will be in charge during the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

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