Author: Consultant

BCE Inc. (BCE) on Thursday reported fourth-quarter net income of $360.2 million.

The Verdun, Quebec-based company said it had profit of 36 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 56 cents per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 50 cents per share.

The Canada’s largest telecommunications company posted revenue of $4.59 billion in the period, also topping Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $4.47 billion.

For the year, the company reported profit of $251.1 million, or 13 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $17.82 billion.

BCE shares have risen slightly more than 7% since the beginning of the year. The stock has dropped 36% in the last 12 months.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BCE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BCE

Thomson Reuters Corp. (TRI) on Thursday reported fourth-quarter net income of $587 million.

The Toronto-based company said it had net income of $1.30 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, were $1.01 per share.

The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 96 cents per share.

The news and financial information company posted revenue of $1.91 billion in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.9 billion.

For the year, the company reported profit of $2.21 billion, or $4.89 per share. Revenue was reported as $7.26 billion.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on TRI at https://www.zacks.com/ap/TRI

Suncor Energy Inc. (SU) on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter net income of $584.7 million.

The Calgary, Alberta-based company said it had profit of 46 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 89 cents per share.

The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 82 cents per share.

The energy company posted revenue of $8.94 billion in the period, also surpassing Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $8.56 billion.

For the year, the company reported profit of $4.39 billion, or $3.45 per share. Revenue was reported as $37.32 billion.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on SU at https://www.zacks.com/ap/SU

 FirstService Corporation (TSX: FSV; NASDAQ: FSV) (“FirstService“) announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a 10% increase in the quarterly cash dividend on the outstanding Common Shares of the Company and declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.275 per Common Share, up from the previous US$0.25 per Common Share. The dividend is payable on April 7, 2025 to holders of Common Shares of record at the close of business on March 31, 2025.

The Company’s dividend will be US$1.10 on an annualized basis, up from US$1.00 during the past year. This distribution represents our tenth consecutive year of at least 10% annual dividend growth, reflecting the long-term track record of strong earnings and free cash flow growth at FirstService. Our business model, conservative balance sheet and financial flexibility allow us to prioritize our growth initiatives while also supporting the approval of the increased dividend to deliver incremental returns to our shareholders.

About FirstService Corporation

FirstService Corporation is a North American leader in the property services sector, serving its customers through two industry-leading service platforms: FirstService Residential – North America’s largest manager of residential communities; and FirstService Brands – one of North America’s largest providers of essential property services delivered through individually branded company-owned operations and franchise systems.

FirstService generates more than US$4.9 billion in annual revenues and has approximately 30,000 employees across North America. With significant insider ownership and an experienced management team, FirstService has a long-term track record of creating value and superior returns for shareholders. The Common Shares of FirstService trade on the NASDAQ and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “FSV”, and are included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index. More information is available at www.firstservice.com

FirstService Corp. (FSV) on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter net income of $32.5 million.

On a per-share basis, the Toronto-based company said it had net income of 71 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $1.34 per share.

The results did not meet Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.36 per share.

The property services provider posted revenue of $1.37 billion in the period, topping Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.32 billion.

For the year, the company reported profit of $134.4 million, or $2.97 per share. Revenue was reported as $5.22 billion.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on FSV at https://www.zacks.com/ap/FSV

Canada saw its first trade surplus in ten months in December as exports continued to expand faster than imports, led by higher energy product exports, higher crude oil prices and partly by weaker local currency, data showed on Wednesday.

The December trade surplus was at $708-million, from a revised deficit of $986-million the prior month, helped by an 4.9 per cent growth in exports, Statistics Canada said.

Imports grew by 2.3 per cent in December, a bit slower than the 2.8 per cent gain seen in November, it said.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a surplus of $750-million.

Canada’s trade surplus with the U.S. widened for the second month in a row, growing 5 per cent in December to $11.3-billion led primarily by higher exports of energy products and a higher price of crude oil.

Its imports from the U.S. fell 1.5 per cent in December.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who paused a plan to implement 25 per cent tariffs on almost all Canadian imports earlier this week, has often expressed frustration on the country’s gaping deficit with its neighbor north of the border.

Canada also followed suit by rolling back sweeping retaliatory tariffs.

Canada’s merchandise trade surplus with the U.S., its biggest trading partner, amounted to $102.3-billion for the year 2024, down from a surplus of $108.3-billion in 2023, the statistics agency said.

The combined value of Canada’s imports and exports of goods traded with the U.S. surpassed the $1-trillion mark for a third consecutive year, it said, adding that last year Canada exported 75.9 per cent of its total exports to the its neighbor, and bought 62.2 per cent of its total imports from south of the border.

Exports to the U.S. accounts for roughly 17.8 per cent of Canadian GDP and more than 2.4 million jobs in Canada.

The Canadian dollar climbed 0.27 per cent to 1.4282 to the U.S. dollar, or 70.02 U.S. cents. Yields on the two-year government bonds were down 1.2 basis points to 2.613 per cent.

Total exports in December, which posted an increase for the third consecutive month, were driven by energy products which increased by 9.5 per cent, followed by metal and non-metallic mineral products which widened by 9.2 per cent.

Barring the U.S., Canada’s trade deficit with the rest of the world expanded in December to $10.6-billion from $9.2-billion in November.

The U.S. trade deficit widened sharply in December as imports surged to a record high against the backdrop of tariff threats.

The trade gap increased 24.7 per cent to $98.4-billion, the highest since March 2022, from a revised $78.9-billion in November, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Wednesday.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade deficit soaring to $96.6-billion from the previously reported $78.2-billion in November.

President Donald Trump on Monday suspended a 25 per cent tariff on Mexican and Canadian goods until next month. An additional 10 per cent levy on goods from China went into effect on Tuesday.

The White House said the tariffs were to “hold Mexico, Canada, and China accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country.”

Imports increased 3.5 per cent to an all-time high of $364.9-billion. Exports fell 2.6 per cent to $266.5-billion.

The government’s advance gross domestic product estimate for the fourth quarter published last week showed trade had a surprisingly neutral impact on GDP after being a drag for three straight quarters. The economy grew at a 2.3 per cent annualized rate, with most of the drag coming from inventories, after expanding at a 3.1 per cent pace in the July-September quarter.

• ADP said companies created a net 183,000 jobs on the month, slightly more than the 176,000 in December.
• Pay for workers who stayed in their jobs grew at a 4.7% annual rate, or 0.1 percentage point more than in December.
• All of the job creation came from service providers, who added 190,000 positions while goods producers lost 6,000.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/05/private-payrolls-expanded-by-183000-in-january-topping-expectations-adp-says.html

China’s manufacturing sector expanded at a slower pace in January as staffing declined the most since 2020 and exports orders fell for the second consecutive month amid international policies posing significant challenges for the economy.

The Caixin Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 50.1 in January from 50.5 in December, survey results from S&P Global showed on Monday. However, the reading above 50.0 indicates expansion in the sector.

Production growth accelerated in January, in line with the trend for new orders. Higher new business driven by better underlying demand and increased promotional efforts supported the growth in output. However, new export orders decreased for the second straight month.

Sentiment improved among manufacturers on the back of better demand and hopes for further growth.

Meanwhile, employment declined at the fastest pace since February 2020 as concerns regarding expectations for growth affected hiring decisions.

Purchasing activity continued to grow in response to higher work inflows. Firms ramped up their stocks of purchases and their post-production inventories accumulated indicating interest to retain additional inventory as buffer stocks.

China Manufacturing Growth Weakens In January