Latest news with #FairfaxFinancial
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fairfax Issues Reminder Regarding Unofficial Communications
TORONTO, July 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (TSX: FFH and FFH.U) ('Fairfax') reminds its shareholders and all persons interested in Fairfax that none of Fairfax, Prem Watsa, nor any officer of Fairfax provides financial or investment advice to any person over social media, chat or messaging applications. Prem Watsa does not maintain and has never maintained any online social media accounts. Any social media outlet claiming to represent him or to offer advice on his behalf is fraudulent. Impersonation scams are common, and so one should treat any unsolicited electronic communication that references Fairfax or Prem Watsa with extreme caution. We encourage all persons looking for information about Fairfax and Prem Watsa to consult our press releases, annual reports, interim quarterly reports and annual general meeting materials, all of which are available on our website at Fairfax is a holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is primarily engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and the associated investment management. For further information contact: John Varnell, Vice President, Corporate Development at (416) 367-4941
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Transform Your TFSA Into a Cash Cow With $7,000
Written by Amy Legate-Wolfe at The Motley Fool Canada Investing $7,000 in your Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) and turning it into a cash-generating machine doesn't require chasing trends. A focused and balanced mix of dividend and value stocks can work wonders. With that in mind, here's how I'd allocate your money across three solid TSX names. Those will be Fairfax Financial (TSX:FFH), Manulife Financial (TSX:MFC), and WSP Global (TSX:WSP). These strike a balance between income, growth, and diversification. But let's stay grounded — no overpromising here. First, Fairfax Financial. It's a diversified holding company rooted in insurance and asset management. Fairfax currently trades around $2,462 per share as one of the market's deeper-value names, but you're not here for the dividend pump. Its annual payout yields just 0.875%, making it a slow-burn value play rather than a cash machine. In a TFSA, that value growth is just as valuable, even with less immediate income. But you have to be patient, returns here compound slowly and are tied to the performance of its investments and insurance underwriting results. Next, Manulife. Manulife shares last changed hands at $41.50. It reported core earnings of $7.2 billion in 2024, up 8%, and maintains a conservative payout ratio of nearly 42%. Its annual dividend works out to 4.22% at writing, providing a dependable income stream without veering into yield traps. Its Asia business is growing fast, and wealth management is taking off too. But insurers also carry sensitivity to interest rates and capital markets, so you need to watch economic conditions closely. Finally, WSP Global. It's a global engineering and professional services firm trading near $281.50 per share. This isn't an obvious dividend stock; it yields only around 0.54%, or around $1.50 per share annually. Instead, its strength lies in consistent earnings growth and backlog expansion. In the first quarter of 2025, WSP beat expectations, its backlog grew, and analysts remained bullish. Analysts recently raised their estimates. Acquisitions like Ricardo in the U.K. also support global scale. Earnings growth may not generate big monthly cash, but reinvested returns can compound nicely in your TFSA. Here's how I'd divide the $7,000. Put $2,000 into Manulife to collect yield and income right away. The remaining $5,000 gets split between Fairfax and WSP. With Fairfax, you're buying value; you sacrifice immediate income for long-term gains. With WSP, you get global engineering exposure and rely on capital appreciation rather than dividends. COMPANY RECENT PRICE NUMBER OF SHARES DIVIDEND TOTAL PAYOUT FREQUENCY TOTAL INVESTMENT MFC $41.64 48 $1.76 $84.48 Quarterly $1,999.68 FFH $2,462.39 1 $21.59 $21.59 Quarterly $2,462.39 GSY $281.55 7 $1.50 $10.50 Quarterly $1,970.85 This mix gives you immediate yield from Manulife, value growth from Fairfax, and growth engine exposure via WSP. Over time, as Manulife pays dividends, those earnings can either fund living expenses or be reinvested to grow the capital base further. Meanwhile, money in Fairfax and WSP can compound tax-free in your TFSA. But let's be clear: no single strategy is foolproof. Insurers can suffer in market downturns. Fairfax's earnings depend on investment results and underwriting quality. WSP could see delays in infrastructure projects or setbacks in merger and acquisition integration. All come with execution and macro risks. Still, combining yield, value, and growth creates a well-rounded TFSA portfolio. You earn income now, while giving your TFSA room to appreciate over time. And if markets drop, your diversified selection offers different recovery paths. That makes it more resilient than chasing one shiny stock. At the end of five years, your goal is modest but meaningful: generate income from Manulife, build value in Fairfax, and ride global growth with WSP. All inside a tax-free wrapper, of course. That's how $7,000 can transform into a cash-creating machine. It's not glamorous, but it's disciplined, tax-efficient, and tailored to real-world investor needs. The post Transform Your TFSA Into a Cash Cow With $7,000 appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. Motley Fool Canada's market-beating team has just released a brand-new FREE report revealing 5 "dirt cheap" stocks that you can buy today for under $50 a share. Our team thinks these 5 stocks are critically undervalued, but more importantly, could potentially make Canadian investors who act quickly a fortune. Don't miss out! Simply click the link below to grab your free copy and discover all 5 of these stocks now. Claim your FREE 5-stock report now! More reading 10 Stocks Every Canadian Should Own in 2025 [PREMIUM PICKS] Market Volatility Toolkit A Commonsense Cash Back Credit Card We Love Fool contributor Amy Legate-Wolfe has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Fairfax Financial. The Motley Fool recommends WSP Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2025
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fairfax Financial Holdings (FRFHF) Upgraded to Buy: Here's What You Should Know
Fairfax Financial Holdings (FRFHF) appears an attractive pick, as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). This upgrade primarily reflects an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices. A company's changing earnings picture is at the core of the Zacks rating. The system tracks the Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus measure of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years. The power of a changing earnings picture in determining near-term stock price movements makes the Zacks rating system highly useful for individual investors, since it can be difficult to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts. These are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time. Therefore, the Zacks rating upgrade for Fairfax Financial Holdings basically reflects positivity about its earnings outlook that could translate into buying pressure and an increase in its stock price. The change in a company's future earnings potential, as reflected in earnings estimate revisions, and the near-term price movement of its stock are proven to be strongly correlated. That's partly because of the influence of institutional investors that use earnings and earnings estimates for calculating the fair value of a company's shares. An increase or decrease in earnings estimates in their valuation models simply results in higher or lower fair value for a stock, and institutional investors typically buy or sell it. Their bulk investment action then leads to price movement for the stock. Fundamentally speaking, rising earnings estimates and the consequent rating upgrade for Fairfax Financial Holdings imply an improvement in the company's underlying business. Investors should show their appreciation for this improving business trend by pushing the stock higher. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock movements, so it could be truly rewarding if such revisions are tracked for making an investment decision. Here is where the tried-and-tested Zacks Rank stock-rating system plays an important role, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> . This financial services holding company is expected to earn $178.28 per share for the fiscal year ending December 2025, which represents no year-over-year change. Analysts have been steadily raising their estimates for Fairfax Financial Holdings. Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has increased 6.9%. Unlike the overly optimistic Wall Street analysts whose rating systems tend to be weighted toward favorable recommendations, the Zacks rating system maintains an equal proportion of "buy" and "sell" ratings for its entire universe of more than 4,000 stocks at any point in time. Irrespective of market conditions, only the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks get a "Strong Buy" rating and the next 15% get a "Buy" rating. So, the placement of a stock in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks indicates its superior earnings estimate revision feature, making it a solid candidate for producing market-beating returns in the near term. You can learn more about the Zacks Rank here >>> The upgrade of Fairfax Financial Holdings to a Zacks Rank #2 positions it in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks in terms of estimate revisions, implying that the stock might move higher in the near term. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (FRFHF) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Bloomberg
03-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Greece's Painful Decade of Rehabilitation Rewards the Believers
In late September 2015, Canadian investor Prem Watsa gathered 75 or so employees and their spouses at Costa Navarino, a luxurious seaside resort in the Peloponnese, to mark his company's 30th anniversary. Greece was perhaps a peculiar choice to fly people in for a celebration. The country had just spent eight months in the global spotlight as a tense standoff with its creditors had pushed it to the brink of a potentially chaotic default and exit from Europe's currency union, the euro. But that year alone, Watsa's firm, Fairfax Financial Holdings, had increased its positions.
National Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
AM Best Upgrades Credit Ratings of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, Its Subsidiaries and Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd.
Article content OLDWICK, N.J. — has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) and upgraded the Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings (Long-Term IR) on the unsecured debt and preferred equity of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) (Toronto, Canada) [TSX: FFH]. In addition, AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term ICRs to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) of Fairfax (US) Inc. (Delaware) and Zenith National Insurance Corp. (headquartered in Woodland Hills, CA), both of which are indirectly, wholly owned downstream holding companies of Fairfax. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) has been revised to stable from positive. (See below for a detailed listing of Long-Term IRs.) Article content Article content Fairfax's rating upgrades reflect the group's improved earnings in recent years and prospectively. In 2022, Fairfax deployed significant cash assets into higher-yielding fixed-income instruments, which bolstered reliable streams of dividend and interest income. At the same time, the group's underwriting performance recorded record profits despite elevated catastrophe activity. These enhanced returns have allowed the group to grow its capital base and further expand its projected run-rate for operating earnings in future cycles. Article content At the same time, AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A+ (Superior) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICRs to 'aa-' (Superior) from 'a+' (Excellent) of the operating affiliates of Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd.'s (Allied World Holdings) (Bermuda), collectively referred to as Allied World. Concurrently, AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term ICRs to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) of Allied World Holdings and its downstream holding company, Allied World Assurance Company Holdings I, Ltd (Bermuda). AM Best also has revised the outlooks to stable from positive. (See below for a detailed listing of the companies and ratings.) Article content The ratings of Allied World reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. Article content Allied World's rating upgrades stem from a revision of the operating performance assessment to strong from adequate. Allied World has benefited from improved underwriting ratios, as well as stronger streams of dividend and interest income in recent years. AM Best views Allied World's solid recent and prospective underwriting results as reflective of sound cycle management strategies that have reduced volatility, while at the same time steadily increasing underwriting income. Article content The FSR has been upgraded to A+ (Superior) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICRs to 'aa-' (Superior) from 'a+' (Excellent) with the outlooks revised to stable from positive for the following operating subsidiaries of Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd: Article content Vantapro Specialty Insurance Company Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd Allied World Surplus Lines Insurance Company Allied World Assurance Company (U.S.) Inc. Allied World National Assurance Company Allied World Specialty Insurance Company Allied World Insurance Company Allied World Assurance Company (Europe) Designated Activity Company Article content The following Long-Term IRs have been assigned with stable outlooks: Article content Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited— Article content — 'a-' (Excellent) on USD 400 million 6.50% senior unsecured notes, due 2055 Article content The following Long-Term IRs have been upgraded with the outlooks revised to stable from positive: Article content Zenith National Insurance Corp.— Article content — to 'bbb+' (Good) from 'bbb' (Good) on USD 77.3 million 8.55% subordinated deferrable debentures, due 2028 Article content Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited— Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on USD 125 million 8.3% senior unsecured notes, due 2026 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on CAD 450 million 4.7% senior unsecured notes, due 2026 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on CAD 650 million 4.25% senior unsecured notes, due 2027 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on EUR 750 million 2.75% senior unsecured notes, due 2028 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on USD 600 million 4.85% senior unsecured notes, due 2028 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on CAD 500 million 4.23% senior unsecured notes, due 2029 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from bbb+' (Good) on USD 650 million 4.625% senior unsecured notes, due 2030 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on USD 600 million 3.375% senior unsecured notes, due 2031 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on CAD 850 million 3.95% senior unsecured notes, due 2031 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on USD 750 million 5.625% senior unsecured notes, due 2032 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on USD 750 million 6% senior unsecured notes, due 2033 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on CAD 450 million 4.73% senior unsecured notes, due 2034 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on USD 125 million 7.75% senior unsecured notes, due 2037 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on USD 1 billion 6.35% senior unsecured notes, due 2054 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' Good) on CAD 250 million 5.23% senior unsecured notes, due 2054 Article content — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on USD 600 million 6.1 % senior unsecured notes, due 2055 Article content — to 'bbb' (Good) from 'bbb-' (Good) on CAD 193.0 million Series G cumulative, five-year rate reset preferred shares Article content — to 'bbb' (Good) from 'bbb-' (Good) on CAD 57.0 million Series H cumulative, floating rate preferred shares Article content — to 'bbb' (Good) from 'bbb-' (Good) on CAD 260.5 million Series I cumulative, five-year rate reset preferred shares Article content — to 'bbb' (Good) from 'bbb-' (Good) on CAD 39.5 million Series J cumulative, floating rate preferred shares Article content — to 'bbb' (Good) from 'bbb-' (Good) on CAD 237.5 million Series K cumulative, five-year rate reset preferred shares Article content The following indicative Long-Term IRs on securities available on the universal shelf registration have been affirmed with the outlooks revised to stable from positive: Article content Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited— — to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'bbb+' (Good) on senior unsecured debt Article content — to 'bbb+' (Good) from 'bbb' (Good) on subordinated debt Article content — to 'bbb' (Good) from 'bbb-' (Good) on preferred shares Article content This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Dan Hofmeister, CFA, FRM, CPCU Associate Director +1 908 882 1893 Article content Gregory Dickerson Director +1 908 882 1737 Article content Article content Article content
