Latest news with #AndrewWalker
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Southern Baptists to Vote on Effort to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage
Southern Baptists plan to vote this week on acting to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage 10 years ago this month. The step is part of a growing effort by evangelicals nationwide to reverse Obergefell, and coincides with a renewed campaign in state legislatures to challenge the widely accepted view that same-sex marriage has become an established civil right. While the Southern Baptist Convention has long opposed gay marriage, the vote at its annual meeting in Dallas will be the first time that the largest Protestant denomination in America will ask representatives of its tens of thousands of member churches to work to end it. Conservative Christian activists hope to build on their movement's success in overturning Roe v. Wade, the now-defunct Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, in 2022, and to apply the legal and political strategies that proved effective for that victory. Public support for legal gay marriage remains high, with more than two-thirds of American adults supporting it. As with abortion, activists hope to gain political power despite their minority viewpoints. 'Christians are called to play the long game,' said Andrew T. Walker, an ethicist at a Southern Baptist seminary in Kentucky who wrote the resolution. He leads the Southern Baptist Convention's resolution committee, which coordinates proposals from Baptists around the country to be put for a vote at the annual meeting. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A $7,000 TFSA Strategy That Focuses on Dividend Growth
Written by Andrew Walker at The Motley Fool Canada Retirees and other dividend investors are searching for ways to get better returns on savings held inside a self-directed Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA). One popular investing strategy involves buying good dividend-growth stocks that can provide income and boost long-term gains. The TFSA limit in 2025 is $7,000. All interest, dividends, and capital gains generated inside a TFSA on qualifying investments are tax-free. This means the full value of the earnings can go right into your pocket without having to share some with the CRA. The gains can also be fully reinvested, if passive income isn't the core goal. Retirees who receive Old Age Security (OAS) get another benefit. The CRA does not count TFSA income when calculating net world income used to determine the Old Age Security (OAS) pension recovery tax. This is important for seniors with high incomes. Every dollar of net world income earned above a minimum threshold triggers a $0.15 pension recovery tax. The number to watch in the 2025 tax year is $93,454. As such, retirees should consider fully using TFSA contribution space before holding income-generating investments inside taxable accounts. Younger investors can use dividend stocks to build retirement savings inside a TFSA. One strategy involves owning dividend-growth stocks and reinvesting the distributions in new shares. This sets off a powerful compounding process that can turn modest initial investments into meaningful savings over time, especially when dividends increase and the share price drifts higher. Fortis (TSX:FTS) is a good example of a stock with a great track record of dividend growth. The company has raised the payout in each of the past 51 years. Fortis operates utility businesses in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. The company has $75 billion in assets, including natural gas utilities, power generation facilities, and electric transmission networks. Nearly all of the revenue comes from rate-regulated businesses. This means cash flow is normally predictable and reliable. Fortis is working on a $26 billion capital program that will raise the rate base from $39 billion in 2024 to $53 billion in 2029. Revenue and earnings growth from the new assets should support planned annual dividend increases of 4% to 6% over the next five years. New projects are under consideration that could get added to the backlog. This would potentially extend the dividend-growth guidance or boost the size of the increases. Fortis has a dividend reinvestment plan that gives investors a 2% discount on stock purchased using dividend distributions. On the risk side, Fortis is sensitive to changes in interest rates due to the large amount of debt it uses to fund part of the capital program. The stock fell when the central banks in Canada and the United States raised rates in 2022. Rate cuts last year spurred the rebound. Analysts broadly expect interest rates to continue to decline later this year, as long as there isn't a spike in inflation caused by tariffs. Buying Fortis on pullbacks has historically proven to be a savvy move for patient investors. The TSX is home to many good dividend-growth stocks that investors can own to generate income and long-term total returns inside a self-directed TFSA. Fortis still deserves to be on your radar, even after the nice rally in the past year. The post A $7,000 TFSA Strategy That Focuses on Dividend Growth appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. Before you buy stock in Fortis, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor Canada analyst team just identified what they believe are the Top Stocks for 2025 and Beyond for investors to buy now… and Fortis wasn't one of them. The Top Stocks that made the cut could potentially produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider MercadoLibre, which we first recommended on January 8, 2014 ... if you invested $1,000 in the 'eBay of Latin America' at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $21,345.77!* Stock Advisor Canada provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month – one from Canada and one from the U.S. The Stock Advisor Canada service has outperformed the return of S&P/TSX Composite Index by 24 percentage points since 2013*. See the Top Stocks * Returns as of 4/21/25 More reading Made in Canada: 5 Homegrown Stocks Ready for the 'Buy Local' Revolution [PREMIUM PICKS] Market Volatility Toolkit Best Canadian Stocks to Buy in 2025 Beginner Investors: 4 Top Canadian Stocks to Buy for 2025 5 Years From Now, You'll Probably Wish You Grabbed These Stocks Subscribe to Motley Fool Canada on YouTube The Motley Fool recommends Fortis. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Fool contributor Andrew Walker has no position in any stock mentioned. 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Fortis Stock a Buy Now?
Written by Andrew Walker at The Motley Fool Canada Fortis (TSX:FTS) is up nearly 18% in the past year. Investors who missed the rally are wondering if FTS stock is still undervalued and good to buy for a self-directed Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) portfolio focused on dividends and total returns. Fortis trades near $65.50 at the time of writing. The stock has been on an upward trend for most of the past 12 months, spurred by cuts to interest rates in Canada and the United States. The rebound occurred after the stock had fallen from near $65 in the spring of 2022 to as low as $50 in October that year as the central banks ramped up rate hikes to cool off a hot economy and get inflation under control. Utility companies use a lot of debt to fund large capital projects that can cost billions of dollars and take years to complete. As such, they are sensitive to changes in interest rates. Higher rates drive up borrowing expenses, which puts pressure on profits and can reduce cash available for distribution to shareholders. Elevated debt costs can also force companies to shelve some projects. The U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada cut rates over the past year, but are currently on hold as they wait to see how tariffs will impact the economy and inflation. If inflation jumps in the coming months, the central banks will have a tough time justifying additional rate cuts. In fact, rate hikes might be needed. In that scenario, Fortis could face new headwinds. That being said, analysts widely expect economic weakness to push the central banks to cut rates again before the end of the year, even if inflation drifts higher. Falling rates would be positive for Fortis and other utility stocks. Fortis is working on a $26 billion capital program that will raise the rate base from $39 billion in 2024 to $53 billion in 2029. As the new assets are completed and go into service, Fortis expects earnings to rise enough to support annual dividend increases of 4% to 6% over the five years. Fortis raised the dividend in each of the past 51 years, so investors should feel comfortable with the guidance. At the time of writing, the stock provides a dividend yield of 3.8%. Management has other projects under consideration that could get added to the development plan. Fortis also has a strong track record of making strategic acquisitions. Falling interest rates could spur a wave of consolidation in the utility sector. Near-term volatility should be expected until there is more clarity on a trade agreement between Canada and the United States, as well as between the U.S. and its other major trading partners. Fortis is down, however, from the recent high around $69, so investors now have a chance to buy the stock on a nice dip. Acquiring FTS stock on pullbacks has historically proven to be a savvy move for patient investors focused on passive income and long-term capital gains. The post Is Fortis Stock a Buy Now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. Before you buy stock in Fortis, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor Canada analyst team just identified what they believe are the Top Stocks for 2025 and Beyond for investors to buy now… and Fortis wasn't one of them. The Top Stocks that made the cut could potentially produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider MercadoLibre, which we first recommended on January 8, 2014 ... if you invested $1,000 in the 'eBay of Latin America' at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $21,345.77!* Stock Advisor Canada provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month – one from Canada and one from the U.S. The Stock Advisor Canada service has outperformed the return of S&P/TSX Composite Index by 24 percentage points since 2013*. See the Top Stocks * Returns as of 4/21/25 More reading Made in Canada: 5 Homegrown Stocks Ready for the 'Buy Local' Revolution [PREMIUM PICKS] Market Volatility Toolkit Best Canadian Stocks to Buy in 2025 Beginner Investors: 4 Top Canadian Stocks to Buy for 2025 5 Years From Now, You'll Probably Wish You Grabbed These Stocks Subscribe to Motley Fool Canada on YouTube Fool contributor Andrew Walker has no position in any stock mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fortis. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Retirement Wealth: 2 TSX Dividend Stocks for RRSP Investors
Written by Andrew Walker at The Motley Fool Canada Canadian savers are searching for good stocks to buy for their self-directed Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) portfolios focused on dividends and total returns. With the TSX near its record high and tariff uncertainty expected to provide ongoing volatility in the coming months, it makes sense to consider established companies with strong businesses that can ride out market turbulence. Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR) increased its dividend in each of the past 25 years. The company also returns cash to shareholders through stock repurchases. In fact, the current share buyback plan will see CN repurchase and cancel up to 20 million shares of the common stock float to February 2026. CN's share price is down about 17% in the past year. This gives investors an opportunity to buy CNR stock on a meaningful pullback at a time when many TSX stocks are near 12-month highs. Labour strikes at both CN and key ports, along with delays due to wildfires in Alberta, caused most of the pain in 2024. Wildfire risks are not going to go away, but the labour disputes should be done for the next few years. The extension of the decline in the share price in 2025 can be attributed to concerns that U.S. tariffs will trigger a recession in Canada, the United States, and the broader global economy. A significant economic slowdown would impact demand for CN's services. The company carries 300 million tons of cargo across its 20,000 route-mile rail network that connects ports on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Canada to the Gulf coast of the United States. Near-term volatility is expected, but trade deals will get done, and economic growth will continue. CN actually expects to generate adjusted earnings-per-share (EPS) growth of 10% to 15% in 2025, even in this environment. Assuming the company hits the target, the stock might be oversold at this point. TD Bank (TSX:TD) had a rough year in 2024 due to issues in its U.S. business. American regulators put an asset cap on TD's U.S. operations and hit the bank with fines of more than US$3 billion for not having adequate systems in place to prevent money laundering at some of the U.S. branches. In 2025, the stock is on the rebound under the new CEO, who took control in February. TD sold its remaining stake in Charles Schwab for proceeds of about $20 billion. The bank is using $8 billion to buy back stock and will allocate the remaining funds to drive organic growth in Canada, along with funding other initiatives. TD just reported solid fiscal second-quarter (Q2) 2025 financial results that topped analyst expectations. Provisions for credit losses (PCL), however, continue to be high, so investors need to keep an eye on the economy. A recession could trigger a spike in unemployment in Canada and the United States, which would potentially drive higher PCL at TD and its peers. TD is trimming its staff count by 2%, or about 2,000 positions, as part of a restructuring as it works out a new growth strategy while the U.S. operations remain under the asset cap. The American market has been a core driver of growth for TD over the past two decades. TD remains very profitable and has the capital to ride out market turbulence. At the current price of nearly $93, the stock remains well below the $108 it reached in 2022. Investors who buy TD at the current level can get a dividend yield of 4.5%. CN and TD trade at reasonable prices and should deliver solid dividend growth over the coming years. If you have some cash to put to work in a self-directed RRSP, these stocks deserve to be on your radar. The post Retirement Wealth: 2 TSX Dividend Stocks for RRSP Investors appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. Before you buy stock in Charles Schwab, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor Canada analyst team just identified what they believe are the Top Stocks for 2025 and Beyond for investors to buy now… and Charles Schwab wasn't one of them. The Top Stocks that made the cut could potentially produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider MercadoLibre, which we first recommended on January 8, 2014 ... if you invested $1,000 in the 'eBay of Latin America' at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $21,345.77!* Stock Advisor Canada provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month – one from Canada and one from the U.S. The Stock Advisor Canada service has outperformed the return of S&P/TSX Composite Index by 24 percentage points since 2013*. See the Top Stocks * Returns as of 4/21/25 More reading Made in Canada: 5 Homegrown Stocks Ready for the 'Buy Local' Revolution [PREMIUM PICKS] Market Volatility Toolkit Best Canadian Stocks to Buy in 2025 Beginner Investors: 4 Top Canadian Stocks to Buy for 2025 5 Years From Now, You'll Probably Wish You Grabbed These Stocks Subscribe to Motley Fool Canada on YouTube The Motley Fool recommends Canadian National Railway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Fool contributor Andrew Walker has no position in any stock mentioned. 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Intel (INTC) Shares Tumble After Market Share Hits Lowest Since 2002
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) shares slid about 4% on Wednesday after Citi reported the company's processor market share fell to its lowest level since 2002, according to a research note. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with INTC. Arm (ARM) captured 13.6% of global unit shipments in Q1 2025, up from 10.8% in the prior quarter, eating into Intel's share, which dipped to 65.3% from 67.1%, Citi analysts led by Andrew Walker wrote. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) also saw a slide in its slice of the pie, dropping to 21.1% from 22.1%. Despite the loss, AMD shares climbed about 6% after the board approved a $6 billion buyback. The chip sector has rallied this month amid a tariff truce and booming AI partnerships. So far in May, AMD is up 19%, Arm has risen roughly 13%, and Intel has inched up 12% year-to-date before today's pullback. Citi maintained Neutral ratings on Intel and AMD, noting that market-share shifts reflect gradual portfolio realignments rather than sudden fundamental changes. The firm added that Saudi Arabia's recent AI compute deals could further reshape competitive dynamics. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
