Top 5 Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of�Sherritt International� (TSX: S  ) fell 12% today after the Canadian miner reported earnings.

So what: Fourth-quarter revenue dropped 17% to C$108.6 million. and Sherritt reported a loss of C$0.46 per share even after pulling out coal operations that are being sold. The quarter also included a C$466.8 million impairment for the sale of those coal assets, meaning the sale price was well above what it cost Sherritt to build them. �

Now what: Things are so bad that Sherritt's quarterly dividend is being cut from C$0.043 per share to just C$0.01, taking away most of the stock's yield. Investors have been hoping for a mining recovery for years and it just doesn't seem to be coming, even with the coal sale. I'm staying away from this stock and would wait for positive results to jump in at all.

Top 5 Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Cameco Corporation(CCJ)

Cameco Corporation operates as a uranium producer, supplier of conversion services, and fuel manufacturer. The company?s Uranium segment is involved in the exploration for, mining, milling, purchase, and sale of uranium concentrate. Its operating uranium properties include the McArthur River and Key Lake, and Rabbit Lake located in Saskatchewan, Canada; the Crow Butte located in Nebraska and the Smith Ranch-Highland located in Wyoming; and the Inkai uranium deposit located in Kazakhstan. Cameco Corporation?s Fuel Services segment engages in the refining, conversion, and fabrication of uranium concentrate; and the purchase and sale of conversion services. Its products include uranium trioxide, uranium hexafluoride, and uranium dioxide. This segment also manufactures fuel bundles, reactor components, and monitoring equipment to Candu reactors; and provides nuclear fuel and consulting services to Candu operators. The company?s Electricity segment engages in the generation and sale of nuclear electricity, through its 31.6% interest in Bruce Power L.P. This segment operates four nuclear reactors at the Bruce B generating station in southern Ontario, Canada. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Saskatoon, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, uranium producer Cameco (NYSE: CCJ  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Among holdings in which GMT Capital increased its stake was Canada-based uranium specialist Cameco (NYSE: CCJ  ) . The company's business is expected to improve as gas and coal prices eventually rise, and also due to new nuclear plants being built. My colleague Sean Williams likes Cameco's transparency, expects higher uranium prices, and notes that China is also expected to demand more uranium over time. Some see the stock having a fair chance to appreciate substantially.

• [By The Energy Report]

  JH: There are several companies that are in production that we follow in the U.S., such as Cameco Corp. (CCJ). Cameco produces at the Smith Ranch-Highland in the Powder River Basin. There's Uranium One, also in the Powder River Basin. There's Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC). A few near-term producers are rapidly coming online. Ur-Energy Inc. (URG) is one company we like in Wyoming.

• [By Jim Wallingford]

  Cameco (CCJ) was created in 1988 through the merger of two Canadian crown (government-owned) corporations. It's IPO debuted on the Toronto exchange in 1991 and a NYSE listing occurred in 1996. The McArthur River mine, the highest grade mine in the world (16.36% U3O8, 100 times the global average), began production in November 2000. Cameco's share of the proven and probable resources is 264 mil lbs. The mine has produced 230 mil lbs in the last 13 years. CCJ's current year share is over 13 mil lbs.

Top 5 Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Eldorado Gold Corp(EGO)

Eldorado Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the discovery, exploration, development, production, and reclamation of gold properties in Brazil, the People?s Republic of China, Greece, and Turkey. It operates the Kisladag gold mine in Turkey; the Jinfeng, Tanjianshan, and White Mountain gold mines in the People?s Republic of China; and the Vila Nova iron ore mine in Brazil. The company?s development projects include the Efemcukuru gold mine in Turkey, the Eastern Dragon gold mine in the People?s Republic of China, the Perama Hill gold project in Greece, and the Tocantinzinho gold project in Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, Eldorado Gold Corporation had 18.7 million ounces of proven and probable gold reserves. The company was formerly known as Eldorado Corporation Ltd. and changed its name to Eldorado Gold Corporation in April 1996. Eldorado Gold Corporation was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe]

  After reaching a three-month high, gold prices fell once again following the announcement of a possible strike on Syria. Considering investors are already skeptical when it comes to gold mining firms, due to their cyclical nature, Yamana Gold Inc. (AUY) and Eldorado Gold Corp (EGO) have a lot to prove.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Bridges favorite stocks include Goldcorp, Newmont, Eldorado Gold (EGO) and New Gold (NGD).

  Note, however, that these recommendations are all qualified in one way or another. Investors should keep that in mind before going all in on the gold miners.

• [By Itinerant]

  Goldcorp, Newmont (NEM) or Agnico-Eagle use similar definitions. The important element here is the so-called 'sustaining capital expenditure', which is the capital required to sustain existing production levels. The table below is taken from the Agnico-Eagle presentation referenced above and provides a comparison of company-wide AISC for some of the major gold miners, including Goldcorp, Barrick Gold, Newmont Mining, Yamana Gold (AUY), Randgold (GOLD), Kinross (KGC), Agnico-Eagle Mines, Eldorado Gold (EGO), Goldfields and Centerra (CAGDF.PK). The difference between cash costs and AISC is significant. It is also important to note that these AISC are still noticeably below the present spot price for gold.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Friday

  Earnings Expected From: Covidien plc. (NYSE: COV), Eldorado Gold Corporation (NYSE: EGO), Vaalco Energy Inc. (NYSE: EGY) Economic Releases Expected: �US Wholesale Trade, US non-farm payrolls

  Posted-In: Bank Of England European Central Bank Federal ReserveNews Eurozone Previews Global Economics Federal Reserve Markets Trading Ideas Best of Benzinga

Best Transportation Companies To Invest In 2015: Swisher Hygiene Inc.(SWSH)

Swisher Hygiene Inc. provides hygiene and sanitation solutions in North America and internationally. Its solutions include cleaning and sanitizing products and services designed to promote cleanliness and sanitation in commercial and residential environments. The company involves in the sale of consumable products, such as soaps, paper, cleaning chemicals, detergents, and supplies, together with the rental and servicing of dish machines and other equipment for the dispensing of those products; sale and rental of facility service items requiring regular maintenance and cleaning, such as floor mats, mops, and bar towels; provision of manual cleaning services for facilities; and provision of solid waste collection services. It serves customers in a range of end-markets, including foodservice, hospitality, retail, industrial, and healthcare industries. Swisher Hygiene Inc. offers its services through 69 company owned operations and 10 franchise operations located throughout th e United States and Canada; and through 10 master license agreements covering the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, China, and Mexico. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Swisher Hygiene (NASDAQ: SWSH) shares touched a new 52-week low of $0.55. Swisher shares have dropped 51.30% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 31.68% in the same period.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Swisher Hygiene (NASDAQ: SWSH) shares touched a new 52-week low of $0.732. Swisher Hygiene appointed William Pierce as its new president and CEO.

  Territorial Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBNK) shares touched a new 52-week low of $21.31. Territorial Bancorp shares have dropped 9.43% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 16.18% in the same period.

Top 5 Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: CLARCOR Inc. (CLC)

CLARCOR Inc. provides filtration products, filtration systems and services, and consumer and industrial packaging products worldwide. Its Engine/Mobile Filtration segment offers oil, air, fuel, coolant, transmission, and hydraulic fluid filters for engines used in stationary power generation and mobile equipment applications, as well as for marine, construction, industrial, mining, and agricultural equipment. This segment also provides dust collection cartridges for environmental filtration applications The company�s Industrial/Environmental Filtration segment manufactures specialty industrial process liquid filters; filters for pharmaceutical processes and beverages; filtration systems, filters, and coalescers for the oil and natural gas industry; filtration systems for aircraft refueling, anti-pollution, sewage treatment, and water recycling; bilge water separators; sand control filters for oil and gas drilling; and woven wire and metallic products for filtration of pl astics and polymer fibers. This segment also offers antimicrobial treated filters and electronic air cleaners for use in commercial and residential buildings, hospitals, factories, residences, paint spray booths, gas turbine and dust collector systems, medical facilities, motor vehicle and aircraft cabins, clean rooms, and compressors. Its Packaging segment provides metal, plastic, and a combination of metal/plastic containers and closures for packing dry and paste form products, smokeless tobacco products, lip balms, ointments, and consumer healthcare products. This segment also offers shells for dry batteries; canisters for films and candles; spools for insulated and fine wire; and custom decorated flat metal sheets. The company distributes its products through independent distributors, dealers for original equipment manufacturers, retail stores, and internal sales force, as well as directly to end-use customers. CLARCOR Inc. was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Fra nklin, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Filtration and packaging product provider Clarcor (CLC) announced a 26% dividend increase to 17 cents per share, payable Oct. 18 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 11.
  CLC Dividend Yield: 1.22%

Top 5 Canadian Companies To Invest In Right Now: Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund(CFP)

Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund is a closed-ended equity fund of fund launched and managed by Cornerstone Advisors, Inc. The fund invests funds investing in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund was formed on April 26, 2007 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But you can see in several places the consequences of the stampede toward high yield. Here are just a few:

  Closed-end funds Cornerstone Progressive (NYSEMKT: CFP  ) and Pimco High Income (NYSE: PHK  ) both make fixed payments back to fund shareholders on a monthly basis, and their distribution yields are truly extraordinary, at about 17% and 12%, respectively. Those dividends have enticed shareholders to pay $1.30 to $1.40 or more for each $1 of assets in the funds. Yet during most months, a substantial portion of those distribution payments has simply been a return of investor capital rather than true income from the funds' investments. A recent study discussed in The Wall Street Journal found that returns on a portfolio with a combined value and dividend-income strategy outperformed a strategy focused more exclusively on maximizing dividends by an average of 1.7 percentage points per year, a huge edge in long-run returns. In the dividend ETF arena, most funds tend to focus on maximizing yield. Although the popular Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) ETF bucks the trend by screening first for consistent dividend growth and only then looking at yield as a factor, many rival ETFs start with high-yielding stocks as their baseline and only then consider other desirable traits. Others focus solely on high-dividend niches of the market, such as iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage-Plus (NYSEMKT: REM  ) and its concentration on high-yield mortgage REITs.

  When dividend stocks get too popular, their prices get out of line with both their dividend income and the fundamentals of the businesses that underlie those stocks. In simpler terms, when dividend stocks become bad values, it's time to consider looking elsewhere for a margin of safety.