In 2010 we had a reasonably good year. Our Buys were up an average of 14.1%, while the TSX was up 14.4%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 11.0% and the S&P 500 was up 12.8%. We only had one Strong Buy and it was down 1.5%. Our two Sells were also not good calls as they rose in price.
| Group | Rating to start 2010 | Price Increase | Our Performance | ||
| Average of 1 strong buys | Strong Buy | -1.5% | bad | ||
| Average of 20 buys | Buy | 14.9% | good | ||
| Average for all 20 buys and strong buys | 14.1% | ||||
| Average of 7 weak buys | Weak Buy | 18.7% | good | ||
| Average of 1 weak sells | Weak Sell | 58.5% | very bad | ||
| Average for all 7 Neutral ratings (weak buy or weak sell) | 23.6% | ||||
| Average of 2 Sells | Sell | 75.0% | |||
| Rated As – Strong Buy at January 1, 2010 | |||||
| Name | Beginning 2010 Price | Starting Rating | End 2010 Price | Price Increase | Our Performance |
| Shaw Communications Inc. (SJR.b, Toronto SJR, New York) | 21.67 | (lower) Strong Buy | 21.35 | -1% | bad |
| Average Strong buy | Strong buy | -1.5% | bad | ||
| Rated As – Buy at January 1, 2010 | |||||
| Name | Beginning 2010 Price | Rating to start 2010 | End 2010 Price | Price Increase | Our Performance |
| Wal-Mart (WMT, New York) | 53.45 | Higher Buy | 53.93 | 1% | good |
| Canadian Tire (CTC.a, TO) | 57.50 | (higher) Buy | 68.19 | 19% | good |
| Telus non-voting (T.A, Toronto TU, New York) | 32.75 | Buy | 43.25 | 32% | very good |
| Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., ATD.B | 20.82 | Buy | 27.06 | 30% | very good |
| Tim Hortons (THI, Toronto and New York) | 32.13 | Buy | 41.10 | 28% | very good |
| Stantec Inc. (STN, Toronto) | 30.40 | Buy | 27.73 | -9% | bad |
| TMX Group (X, Toronto) | 33.13 | Buy | 36.96 | 12% | good |
| Microsoft (MSFT, NASDAQ) | 30.48 | Buy | 27.91 | -8% | bad |
| Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund (BPF.un, Toronto) | 12.15 | Buy | 13.90 | 14% | good |
| Walgreen (WAG, New York) | 36.72 | Buy | 38.96 | 6% | good |
| Canadian Western Bank Preferred Shares (CWB.PR.A, Toronto) | 26.70 | Buy | 27.71 | 4% | good |
| FirstService Preferred (FSV.PR.U, Toronto) | 20.75 | Buy | 24.65 | 19% | good |
| MELCOR DEVELOPMENTS LTD. (MRD, Toronto) | 11.39 | Speculative Buy | 14.85 | 30% | very good |
| Western Financial Preferred Shares Series 3 (WES.PR.A, Toronto) | 81.50 | Speculative Buy | 99.71 | 22% | very good |
| Wells Fargo (WFC, United States) | 26.99 | Speculative Buy | 30.99 | 15% | good |
| Target (TGT, New York) | 48.37 | (lower) Buy | 60.13 | 24% | very good |
| Staples (SPLS), NASDAQ | 24.59 | (lower) Buy | 22.77 | -7% | bad |
| Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKB, New York) | 65.72 | (lower) Buy | 80.11 | 22% | very good |
| eBay (eBay, NASDAQ) | 23.53 | Speculative (lower) Buy | 27.83 | 18% | good |
| Groupe Aeroplan (AER, Toronto) | 10.89 | Speculative (lower) Buy | 13.67 | 26% | very good |
| Average of 20 Buys | Buy | 15% | good | ||
| Rated As Weak Buy at January 1, 2010 | |||||
| Name | Beginning 2010 Price | Rating to start 2010 | End 2010 Price | Price Increase | Our Performance |
| Canadian National Railway Company (CNR, Toronto CNI, New York) | 57.34 | Weak Buy | 66.35 | 16% | good |
| Canadian Western Bank (CWB, Toronto) | 21.94 | Weak Buy | 28.36 | 29% | very good |
| FIRSTSERVICE CORPORATION (FSV, Toronto) (FSRV, NASDAQ) | 19.12 | Weak Buy | 30.18 | 58% | very good |
| Intact Financial Corporation (IFC, Toronto) | 37.15 | Weak Buy | 50.86 | 37% | very good |
| Costco (COST, N) | 59.17 | Weak Buy | 72.21 | 22% | very good |
| VISA (V) | 87.46 | Weak Buy | 70.38 | -20% | bad |
| Canadian Oil Sands (COS.UN, T) | 29.91 | Weak Buy | 26.45 | -12% | bad |
| Average of 7 Weak Buys | Weak Buy | 18.7% | good | ||
| Rated As – Weak Sell at January 1, 2010 | |||||
| Name | Beginning 2010 Price | Rating to start 2010 | End 2010 Price | Price Increase | Our Performance |
| Western Financial Group (WES, Toronto) | 2.60 | Weak Sell | 4.12 | 58% | very bad |
| Average of 1 Weak Sell | Weak Sell | 58.5% | very bad | ||
| Rated As – Sell at January 1, 2010 | |||||
| Name | Beginning 2010 Price | Rating to start 2010 | End 2010 Price | Price Increase | Our Performance |
| DALSA CORPORATION (DSA, Toronto) | 7.62 | Sell | 18.18 | 139% | very bad |
| FedEx (FDX,NY) | 83.45 | Sell | 93.01 | 11% | bad |
| Average of 2 Sells | Sell | 75% | very bad | ||
DISCLAIMER: All stock ratings presented are “generic” in nature and do not take into account the unique circumstances and risk tolerance of any individual. The information presented is not a recommendation for any individual to buy or sell any security. The authors are not registered investment advisors and the information presented is not to be considered investment advice to any individual. The reader should consult a registered investment advisor or registered dealer prior to making any investment decision. For ease of writing style the newsletter and articles are often written in the first person. But, legally speaking, all information and opinions are provided by InvestorsFriend Inc. and not by the authors as individuals. InvestorsFriend Inc. itself does not have a position in any of the indicated securities while the authors may have a position, as disclosed in each report. The Authors’ positions may subsequently change without notice.
© Copyright: InvestorsFriend Inc. 1999 – 2010 All rights to format and content are reserved.
