Quebec inc. on the stock market | The winners and losers of 2021

The pandemic continued to fuel market fluctuations in 2021, causing the securities of Quebec companies to rise as well as fall. Overview of the big winners and losers of the year at Québec inc. on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Richard Dufour
Press

The winners

Bomber

The days when the stock was worth 25 cents and available cash fueled speculation and worst fears seem rather long ago. Yet that was barely a little over a year ago. Bombardier stock just ended the year at $ 1.68. The stock appreciated 250% in 2021 and even re-entered the main index of the Toronto Stock Exchange in September. Who would have said a year ago that Bombardier would be the Quebec stock that would offer the best return on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2021?

Uni-Select

The title of auto parts supplier in Boucherville has already greatly benefited from the arrival of its new CEO Brian McManus. The announcement in the spring of the hiring of the former boss of Stella-Jones had an immediate effect on investors. The title of Uni-Select has thus tripled (217%) in 2021. Analysts are unanimous and all support that the title remains a purchase. They are six to follow the title. The average target of these experts promises an appreciation of 13% in 2022.

Bellus Health

Laval’s biopharmaceutical capped off a good year by presenting positive clinical trial results for its product in mid-December for the treatment of refractory chronic cough. Bellus stock gained 166% in 2021, and analysts believe the rise is far from over. The six experts who officially follow the title all recommend buying and see, on average, the title jump 45% in 2022.

Resolute Forest Products

The action of the Montreal lumber producer and exporter gained 152% during the year. The meteoric rise in lumber prices in the North American materials market in the first half of the year was clearly unsustainable. The title of Resolute benefited a lot and recorded an exceptional year on the stock market even if the price of lumber returned to a more “reasonable” value in the second half of the year. Investors now place a value of $ 1.5 billion on the company.

Aya Gold & Silver

The title of the Montreal producer of precious metals rose 148% in 2021. The mining company, notably holding assets in Morocco, ended the year with a market capitalization approaching one billion dollars. This is therefore a fantastic second year in a row for the shareholders of the company whose head office is located in Mount Royal. The four analysts who officially monitor Aya’s activities are all currently recommending the purchase of the stock.

Senvest

The Montreal financial holding company appeared on the radar screen of many investors earlier this year during attacks on short sellers on the stock of video game retailer GameStop. Senvest Capital was one of GameStop’s ten biggest shareholders when the attacks began and GameStop stock exploded. The title of stock and real estate investment manager ended 2021 up 136%.

Losers

Neptune

The unenviable prize for the worst performance of the year in Quebec on the Toronto Stock Exchange goes to the Laval supplier of cannabis-based products. The share of Neptune Solutions Bien-être lost 75% of its value in 2021 to end the year at 50 cents. The descent began in the summer of 2019 when the title had just hit $ 8. Following a strategic review, management indicated in November that they had developed a plan to generate cost savings and structure the business to continue growth and, above all, achieve profitability.

Xebec

The Montreal provider of clean energy solutions sold 66% of its value during the year. The slide began early in the year and deepened after management warned that revenue guidance for the year would not be met due to extraordinary items affecting its cleantech segment as well as the impact of the pandemic on its activities. The title has never recovered since.

Goodfood Market

After a thunderous year 2020 where the online grocer benefited from the turmoil caused by the pandemic, a turnaround was observed in 2021. The Goodfood stock has lost 66% of its value in the last year. The relaxation of sanitary measures before the arrival of the Omicron variant has been pointed out to explain the decline in the title. The company must also deal with wage inflation, rising food prices, and costs to develop its online offering. The intensification of competition also poses a challenge for the future.

mdf trade

After approaching the $ 17 mark at the start of the year, the share of the Longueuil e-commerce platform provider fell throughout the year before closing 2021 at $ 5.64. The decline for the year reached 54%. The stock issue in February was not well received, and the stock was unable to reverse the downtrend thereafter. The company nevertheless made a major acquisition in August, that of the strategic supply platform Periscope.

Lightspeed

The actions of the Montreal cloud-based business has never recovered since the attack on an American short seller this fall. The attack, which came shortly after the stock hit an all-time high of $ 165 in Toronto, caused a long stock slide. Ending the year at $ 51.08, the stock is down 43% for 2021. Eleven of 14 analysts who are officially interested in Lightspeed are suggesting buy.

Lion

The first year on the stock market for the manufacturer of 100% electric heavy vehicles headquartered in Saint-Jérôme has been one of ups and downs. After receiving a warm welcome from investors in the spring, Lion’s stock trended downward. The stock ended 2021 down about 40% from the original share price when it debuted in Toronto in May.